The Short Story.
Touchdown (or should it be lift-off) 12 April 1939 at 4 AM.
Good hearing until at least 40.
Could watch and listen to the bats flying over the garden in the evening.
Going on and conversations are now face to face, headphones for the phone and TV.
My Wife convinces me I'm getting deaf.
2002 first hearing aid, can hear again.
2009 hearing aid bust , get new hearing aid.
2018 Still can talk face to face but, 
can't hear the TV or the Phone.
Visit 3 Audiologists, loan the best hearing aid possible, 
Profoundly Deaf. Catastrophe !!
Visit Surgeon, get CAT scan and MRI scan, all systems go.
13th Feb 2019 get a cochlear implant.
August 2020 fantastic, back in the land of the living.

If You are interested, now follows:-
The Long Story.
Loss of hearing started gradually but I could get along .
I could watch TV using my headphones and also listen and really enjoy music.
My first hearing test showed I was definitely going deaf but having discussed 
the challenge with the audiologist I decided to carry on until it became too bad.
Two years later with my Wife having to repeat everything I got my first hearing
aid.
Great improvement the tone was good and I could really hear again.
Seven years later one hearing aid packed up.
I returned to the Guy who supplied the first set and purchased a new set. 
Once again a big improvement. This time however the sound was tinny.
After about a year the wire from the processor to the mic in the ear mould broke 
away.
I took it to another supplier nearer home for repair. I also sent in my old
broken aid.
This is when I realised that there are definitely good and bad Audiologists.
When my first set broke , both the repair man and the audiologist told me
'Too old , can't possibly repair them.' 
Both aids came back fixed the newer one under guarantee 
and the old one for free. 
If I had to go back and repeat the exercise I would definitely go to more
than one supplier.
I also would purchase a 'Behind the Ear' model with  large batteries .
The 'In Ear' aids are brilliant but they have to survive the hostile environment
and the tiny batteries only last 5 to 6 days. If you are lucky You may
not even need an ear mould.
THE LAST OF THE HEARING AID.
---------------------------
The year 2018 arrives. I can still talk face to face and listen to music with
headphones. When the phone rings I pass it to my Wife. When I visit friends
and we sit around and chat, I drink my beer and gaze out of the window.
I can't go to interesting lectures, the cinema, plays, or concerts.
So I visited 2 Audiologists who told me I was 'Profoundly' deaf. In the word
tests I could distinguish just a couple of the words. Definitely Deaf!!!
Each of them said perhaps you should think of getting a cochlear implant.
My immediate reaction was 'No Way' . Relearn to hear ? A really serious move.
I did some research on the internet, around 500,000 implanted world wide.
So what was the alternative , carry on getting deafer ?
So off to the third Audiologist for more tests.
Am I being sold something I don't really need ?
I don't thinks so.
I had to get the loan of a seriously expensive hearing aid and then go for 
another hearing test. Guess what!! 'Profoundly Deaf'
There is a possibility that a Cochlear Implant would help, but first
I had to visit an ENT Surgeon then get a CAT scan and Then get an MRI scan.
The MRI scan is amazing, you get inserted into this tube. You can see out
via small mirror that is focused over your feet to the control room.
I can't remember how I could call for help, it must have been a hand-held button.
However I did not feel any discomfort. For approximately 45 minutes 
I listened to what could be likened to a very modern organ recital.
What an amazing technology, the magnetic field is so strong that it vibrates
electrons in the molecules in your head which enables a program to create 
an accurate 3D image of your head.
All these tests showed that all the components in the ear and it's 
surroundings were in good order for an implant operation.
Great!! but there is a small question of finding the money.
Luckily my Wife has a great Medical Aid and my last Endowment Policy became
available.
THE RIGHT CHOICE.
----------------
The choice of implant is a difficult one especially in South Africa.
There is a choice of one of the major 3. However the support is definitely 
biased to one make. 
The things that influence a decision are,
The type of electrode
The implant processor streaming devices available.
Local expertise tends to focus on one make which allows them to give the best
support for the recipient.
In researching the Internet I found that the results for the 'Big 3' were very
similar. Nothing is guaranteed , each individual has their own reaction to
an implant. The lucky ones can hear at their first activation, others have to
persevere. I think the large majority gain the ability to hear much better
than they would having stayed with a hearing aid.
There are many encouraging blogs on the forums that tell of the gradual path 
to hearing again.
THE OPERATION.
All set for Feb 13 2019. The Surgeon was there. the anaesthetist was there and
my Audiologist was there. The operation was a complete success.