There is a middle ear implant called the Esteem that is currently in clinical trials for FDA approval in the USA. The Esteem is fully implantable, meaning that this device is not visible to onlookers. Many patients have been implanted with this device, including my sister, with great results. My sister went from scoring between 60 and 70% on her speech discrimination tests to a whopping 100%! She no longer has to read lips or use closed captions on the tv. She can have normal conversations, hear someone from another room, understand the dialogue in a movie theater, and so much more.

I am scheduled to have my own surgery on June 18th. I'm both nervous and very excited. I'm keeping a journal about the whole experience, and it includes several pictures: http://alreadygone78.livejournal.com/

You can also read more about the Envoy Esteem at http://www.envoymedical.com or http://www.earcentergreensboro.com (this latter link is the office of the doctor who will perform my surgery).

I've also learned that Envoy will soon began clinical trials for a fully implantable cochlear device. That's gonna be a huge change as well! I'm really excited about these major advances in technology, and am looking forward to seeing what the future brings!