Cochlear Implant!

About fifteen years ago, I began noticing that people were tending to mumble a lot when they spoke to me. It wasn’t long until I realized that people weren’t mumbling (well, most of them weren’t) but rather my hearing wasn’t as sharp as it had been. I had a hearing test and discovered that I was losing hearing in both ears and the hearing loss was progressive.

In 2024, on my fourth set of ever-stronger and more-sophisticated hearing aids, my audiologist told me that I’d gone as far as conventional hearing aids would take me. My hearing loss was now in the “profound” category.

The hearing loss I experienced had accelerated slowly but steadily until I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma Cancer in 2021, began treatment in April of that year, then received a Stem Cell Transplant in February of 2022. The chemotherapy drugs that prepared me for the SCT and the maintenance drugs I’ve been on ever since to keep the Myeloma in check can permanently damage the hearing cells in the inner ears of some patients. Turns out I’m one of those patients!

For a couple of years, my compromised immune system from the Stem Cell Transplant and immuno-suppressant maintenance drugs caused me to isolate. I was at risk from COVID, Flu, colds, intestinal infections – you name it – and I had to be careful. But as my immune system strengthened and I was freer to get out among people, I still found myself isolating. I was isolating because I couldn’t hear! I have powerful hearing aids and apps for my phone and a little magic microphone that picks up sounds and blue-tooths those sounds through my phone directly into my hearing aids and I still can’t hear what’s going on and what people are saying. I get so weary of saying, “Sorry, would you repeat that? I can’t hear you!” and “Please speak slowly and distinctly and face me when you speak. I’m dependent on lip-reading to understand what you’re saying!” (And many other similar expressions of frustration).

So in late 2024, my audiologist referred me to be tested for a possible Cochlear Implant! The first round of testing indicated I might be helped by another set of hearing aids. That didn’t work. So a couple of months ago we did the testing again and there was no further question about it – it’s Cochlear Implant or nothing! It looked like it would be February before I could be scheduled for surgery and then there was a cancellation and suddenly I was two weeks from surgery!

The two weeks came and went in a flash and now I’m four days post-surgery! I have my Implant and in two weeks, after all the surgery-related stuff has healed, I’ll be switched on! I’m excited and hopeful and I’ll let you know what I hear! Switch on date is December 2, 2025.

A Cochlear Implant doesn’t amplify sound as hearing aids do. The Implant processes sound from an external mic into electronic impulses which are transmitted directly to the auditory nerve through a hole drilled in the Cochlea and a set of electrodes placed directly on the surface of the nerve itself. Different electrodes transmit different frequencies and the brain learns to interpret those electrical impulses as sound. It’s a three to six month process to learn to hear and differentiate the sounds and interpret speech. I’m ready to work hard and learn to hear again!

As I said, I’m excited and hopeful and I’ll keep you posted on my progress. If you’re interested, let me know and I’ll include some links about Cochlear Implants in the next update. The science of it is amazing!

As always, I’d love to hear from you. If you have a question or a comment simply reply to this email or if you’re reading on the blog, comment below.

 Grace to you today, Jim Stephens