What Is a Telecoil and Why Do I Need It?
A telecoil is a very small copper wire built into a hearing aid. Having
The Road to A Cochlear Implant
On April 28th, 1997, I got my first pair of hearing aids, right here in this very office. I wouldn’t exactly say I was excited about this step, but having grown up in a family with a mother and grandmother who had severe hearing loss, I knew the challenges of living with people who do not hear well. I wanted to do everything I could to successfully communicate with my family and friends.
I remember walking out of the office that day thinking optimistically that this would solve my problem. What I didn’t fully realize is that hearing loss doesn’t get better, and at best, it might stay the same over a period of years. For many, hearing continues to decline as we age. Since 1997, I have had 7 different pair of hearing aids, with each new pair, trying to hear better and stay current with the latest technology. My professional career and my busy personal social life required me to do everything I could to hear as well as possible.
About a year ago I found myself struggling to hear in every situation, even with extra tools such as Bluetooth mini-mics and portable hearing loops. In my now implanted ear, hearing was declining rapidly to the point that the hearing aid was of almost no help. Another check with my audiologist showed that hearing aids were no longer able to address my severe hearing loss. So, last winter I made the decision to investigate cochlear implants. It was taking increasing decibels to hear and understand speech, and my word recognition scores were abysmal (in the single digits). This was not a decision I made easily, as I knew there were risks, and that in the implanted ear (or ears) I would lose all of my hearing permanently. Because I had gone to the end of the line with hearing aids, I had only one option if I wanted to hear and understand conversation again.
As of this past September, I have a cochlear implant in one ear and a compatible hearing aid in my other ear. I am thrilled that the surgery was successful and I am hearing and understanding speech in the 80-90% range.
Cochlear implants are definitely not for everyone. They require a significant amount of patient dedication to rehab, encouraging your brain to hear in this new way. But for patients who are no longer benefitting from hearing aids, it is a potential path to hearing comfort.
