My hearing journey began as a little girl in elementary school. My mom was a speech therapist and would bring her audiometer home to test us kids. One of my brothers and myself showed early loss and since there was a family history, I always thought it might pose a problem later.
Fast forward. I was a RN in Labor & Delivery and when I turned 30 I noticed I was starting to struggle to understand conversation while in the OR due to the banging instruments, tile walls and floors. Over the years I had many different pairs of hearing aids which provided some help but are not perfect as we all know. We moved back to Jax in 2015 and I asked via social media for recommendations for audiologists. Several folks said, “Dr. Green at Jacksonville Hearing & Balance!!” Everyone in the office was so helpful and welcoming.
In 2018 I noticed I was really struggling with conversations, so I saw Dr. Selle for another test. She said I now qualified for a Cochlear Implant in my left ear. Surgery was March 19, 2019. Drs. Green and Selle were wonderful explaining how the process went and what rehab would entail. Surgery, recovery and rehab went very smooth! I was able to go on a cruise a week later and play in a tennis tournament in early April. I was focused on doing the rehab exercises. At first conversation sounded robotic and kind of like Charlie Brown’s teacher but quickly my brain “figured it out” and conversation sounded normal again.
My friends, family and co-workers all commented how they could tell a big difference after my surgery. I was no longer asking people to repeat! I have been enjoying “normal” hearing since 2019 up until about 6-8 months ago when I started to struggle again. Testing showed my right ear is no longer functioning so now I am scheduled to have a CI placed in my right ear in December 2022. I am excited to be on this journey again and look forward to another wonderful experience and outcome.