living with hearing loss
hearing health foundati o n
Older Adults
My Cochlear Implant Adventure
and
Cochlear Implants
A hearing loss consumer advocate shares how she decided to get an implant at age 86, and what happened next. By Ruth D. Bernstein
Top: During mapping sessions, the cochlear implant computer program gets adjusted to Ruth Bernstein’s hearing ability. Above: Bernstein’s MED-EL implant processor is attached using magnets.
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hearing health
hhf.org
I’ve been dealing with my deteriorating hearing for four decades. As the years went by and my hearing continued to get worse, my ever-patient audiologist encouraged me to consider a cochlear implant (CI). I was reluctant because I have a long history of hypersensitivity and allergic reactions to medications and anesthesia. My allergy to the plastic used in hearing aids also did not bode well for CI devices. Over a 20-year period, I was evaluated five times for CIs. Each time I came away feeling it wasn’t time yet. I was still able to have one-on-one conversations in quiet spaces, use the phone, and hear music, which was surprising given the fact my audiogram said I was technically deaf. Seven years ago, when I turned 80, I realized conversations were getting more difficult. I needed a Bluetooth streamer or captioning to use the phone. I felt physically exhausted by the huge amount of energy my brain was burning to keep me hearing. One day I suddenly lost my balance on the subway. To find out why, my general practitioner sent me to Lawrence Lustig, M.D., head of the department of otolaryngology–head and neck surgery at Columbia University. After many tests, Dr. Lustig concluded I had vertigo, for which there was no physical explanation. He suggested, and I agreed, I was a candidate for a CI because my ears were in good shape internally. I controlled the vertigo by using Sea-Band acupressure wristbands. Happily, it disappeared after three months. I was evaluated at Columbia, and the results were not surprising: I was almost deaf in both ears. I had finally found a surgeon who understood my physical needs and a CI audiologist who understood my auditory needs. It was time to move forward. Finding the right CI team is a very personal decision. I encourage anyone considering an implant to interview several teams to find the right fit. One size does not fit all. After talking with Dr. Lustig, my general practitioner agreed to the operation because I would be under anesthesia for less than two hours, something he was concerned about because of my age, then 86. First, we had to decide which ear should be implanted. Although my right ear has been my “worse” ear all my life, hearing with my left ear had recently become erratic. We chose the left ear for the CI in the hope it would become more reliable.
Trying Out Options
Now it was time to choose a device that wouldn’t cause an allergic reaction. That process took 18 months, as I went through a series of
