The surgeon has informed me that my inner-ear structures are "normal." I am pretty sure he meant "normal enough for me to stick a computer chip in your head," rather than "normal-normal," but I didn't quibble with his pronouncement.
So: CT Scan, check. Insurance approval, check. Work arrangements, check. Season One of Veronica Mars on DVD, en route (thanks, J.). Looks like I'm good to go, two weeks from today.
In the week since my last appointment, my residual uncertainty seems to have dissolved to almost nothing. I'm getting more and more excited about the potential the CI offers to improve my hearing, and less and less worried about the initial adjustment period. I've been following eagerly the experiences of two of my imaginary internet friends who recently had the surgery, and have been talking a lot with Dawn about her own progress and that of others she knows. Having these inside views of the recovery and adaptation process makes it much less nerve-wracking for me.
In the meantime, I'm arguing three cases next week before the Tenth Circuit, here in Denver (two of them are consolidated). The Circuit staff has been wonderful about ensuring that the amplification system will be functioning effectively. The infrared in Courtroom III still doesn't work, so they've brought in an FM system. I have tested it, and it's good - the tech guy is tweaking it to try to make it great. The IR in Courtroom II is working perfectly. So, I expect my arguments to be free of technical difficulties. I'll let you know how they go.