BionicBill
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- Oct 24, 2007
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Hello everyone! My name is Bill. I am 30 years old, married and have a 4 year old son that has became my whole means for existence! I was born in 1978 with normal hearing but lost the ability to hear with my left ear some time during my infant or toddler years (I do not recall ever hearing from this ear). I was told a severe infection caused this ear to go 'dead'. As years went on I was plagued with repeated ear infections in my right ear and by the age of 14 this ear too was starting to go out. I was fitted with a HA in the right ear and went about the next few years with relatively good hearing (despite having one ear completely deaf). Over the next few years, however, my hearing in the right ear rapidly decreased.
On the morning of March 16th 1995, I awoke to complete silence, aside from a strange chorus deep within this ear (tinnitus). I had completely lost the hearing in this ear during the night! I still vividly recall that morning, just before I awoke, I 'heard' a strange voice in my head saying I would be deaf for the rest of my life and it was then that I woke to discover the truth this voice told. I was tossed between a handful of ENT's before finally having some light shed on the matter. I was discerned that my hearing loss in the right ear was caused by the capillaries in the cochlea closing off and the lack of circulation had quickly killed off the remaining hair cells. The effect was irreversible. I was then given the option of a cochlear implant. I was 17 at the time and had no idea what to do. So, in a state of confusion, I declined and decided to go about the rest of my life in silence.
I was taken out of the public school I had grown up in and was enrolled in Kentucky School for the Deaf. Having no experience with the deaf culture, It wasn't long before I started pulling my hair out trying to understand this new culture and language I was placed in. During the next year I became fluent in sign language and learned a great deal about the deaf culture. I was now part of 2 worlds...a world where memories of sounds was still vivid and a world where flying hands and facial expressions painted pictures and told stories in an artistic manner.
Three years later, in 1998, I graduated and went on to RIT/NTID where I majored in digital imaging. However, due to family matters on the home front, I had dropped out and never returned to complete my degree. A decision that I regret making.
I spent the past 14 years in silence and just last year finally decided to preserve some self-sanity and decided that it was time to turn everything around. I then embarked upon my journey back to the hearing world. After months and months of research and waiting for medical insurance, I decided to be implanted with a Cochlear Nucleus Freedom.
After several consultations I was declared a good candidate for a CI! We first set out to implant my right ear since both my doctor and I agreed it would be the better ear to receive the device. We scheduled a surgery for Nov of last year. During this surgery, my doctor had opened this ear for the implant but after looking at my inner ear, he found a severe problem. My ear drum had collapsed and was plastered to the hearing bones. Also there were pockets of infections inside and this was cleaned up, the ear drum repaired and he decided against implanting this ear to avoid an potential problems in the future. What a let down! Of course I was relieved to have a potentially life threatening situation taken care of.
We then decided to go for the left ear and surgery was scheduled for Feb of this year. Success! This ear was successfully implanted and all electrodes were placed in the cochlea. I was activated on March 30th.
After the first month post-activation, I was able to understand speech, though everything sounded high pitched. Several months later my hearing had vastly improved and I was able to make my first phone call in over 14 years...from a cell phone!
Now I am able to carry on a conversation without having to look at whomever is talking. I am also enjoying music just like I did before I went deaf...it sounds GREAT!
For those of you that share a similar experience and are debating whether to get an implant or not, I will tell you this. Do not wait any longer! You will be glad you made the choice!
-Bill J.
On the morning of March 16th 1995, I awoke to complete silence, aside from a strange chorus deep within this ear (tinnitus). I had completely lost the hearing in this ear during the night! I still vividly recall that morning, just before I awoke, I 'heard' a strange voice in my head saying I would be deaf for the rest of my life and it was then that I woke to discover the truth this voice told. I was tossed between a handful of ENT's before finally having some light shed on the matter. I was discerned that my hearing loss in the right ear was caused by the capillaries in the cochlea closing off and the lack of circulation had quickly killed off the remaining hair cells. The effect was irreversible. I was then given the option of a cochlear implant. I was 17 at the time and had no idea what to do. So, in a state of confusion, I declined and decided to go about the rest of my life in silence.
I was taken out of the public school I had grown up in and was enrolled in Kentucky School for the Deaf. Having no experience with the deaf culture, It wasn't long before I started pulling my hair out trying to understand this new culture and language I was placed in. During the next year I became fluent in sign language and learned a great deal about the deaf culture. I was now part of 2 worlds...a world where memories of sounds was still vivid and a world where flying hands and facial expressions painted pictures and told stories in an artistic manner.
Three years later, in 1998, I graduated and went on to RIT/NTID where I majored in digital imaging. However, due to family matters on the home front, I had dropped out and never returned to complete my degree. A decision that I regret making.
I spent the past 14 years in silence and just last year finally decided to preserve some self-sanity and decided that it was time to turn everything around. I then embarked upon my journey back to the hearing world. After months and months of research and waiting for medical insurance, I decided to be implanted with a Cochlear Nucleus Freedom.
After several consultations I was declared a good candidate for a CI! We first set out to implant my right ear since both my doctor and I agreed it would be the better ear to receive the device. We scheduled a surgery for Nov of last year. During this surgery, my doctor had opened this ear for the implant but after looking at my inner ear, he found a severe problem. My ear drum had collapsed and was plastered to the hearing bones. Also there were pockets of infections inside and this was cleaned up, the ear drum repaired and he decided against implanting this ear to avoid an potential problems in the future. What a let down! Of course I was relieved to have a potentially life threatening situation taken care of.
We then decided to go for the left ear and surgery was scheduled for Feb of this year. Success! This ear was successfully implanted and all electrodes were placed in the cochlea. I was activated on March 30th.
After the first month post-activation, I was able to understand speech, though everything sounded high pitched. Several months later my hearing had vastly improved and I was able to make my first phone call in over 14 years...from a cell phone!
Now I am able to carry on a conversation without having to look at whomever is talking. I am also enjoying music just like I did before I went deaf...it sounds GREAT!
For those of you that share a similar experience and are debating whether to get an implant or not, I will tell you this. Do not wait any longer! You will be glad you made the choice!
-Bill J.
