It Takes a Team to Hear Again After Cochlear Implant
Treatment TermsCochlear implant surgeryHearing lossSpeech pathology and audiology
Author
Hallie Potocki
Overview
After 30 years of losing his hearing, 76-year-old Bryan Seiler of Wake Forest received a cochlear implant at Duke. It changed his life.
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Feeling Isolated
ContentBryan Seiler ’s hearing started to decline when he was in his forties – first in his right ear and, a few years later, in his left.Hearing aids in each ear brought some relief, and, as Seiler described it, he managed for years to “get by.” Eventually, even increasingly powerful hearing aids could not help the retired husband, father, and grandfather.“I found myself becoming frustrated and discouraged by my hearing loss,” said Seiler. “Soon, it was nearly impossible to know that I was being spoken to, let alone hear what was being said. I couldn’t carry on a phone conversation or watch TV, and I feigned laughter to jokes I couldn’t hea r. I felt isolated even with my friends and loved ones.”Being unable to chat with Amelia, his wife of 53 years, was especially hard. “More than half the sounds in my world had disappeared,” said Seiler.
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Hearing Again: A Team Effort
ContentA cochlear implant does not work like a hearing aid, which amplifies sou...
Source: dukehealth.org: Duke Health News - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: dg62 at duke.edu Source Type: news