GR came to our Crystal River office in 2011. She had a sudden hearing loss in her left ear from a viral infection in one ear several years prior and was starting to lose hearing in her right ear. She had been to her Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) doctor and he cleared her to try a hearing aid in her right ear. Her poorer ear would not benefit from amplification.
GR was fitted with a Starkey Wi110 RIC hearing aid in early 2011. She was very pleased with her hearing improvement and purchased the aid. Over the years I followed her and tracked her remaining hearing. In 2013 I began to notice significant decrease in hearing in her better ear. She was very frustrated and I referred her to her ENT to explore the change in hearing.
In early November 2013, GR came in for a routine hearing aid check. She reported having left cochlear implant (CI) surgery eleven days prior. She was implanted with the Med-El Rondo by Dr. Kyle Allen at Tampa Bay Hearing and Balance Center. The implant had been activated the day before and she was hearing very well! Most implant patients have a several week period of adjustment before beginning to understand speech. She understood the audiologist and her husband at the activation! Last night, while watching television, she wore her Starkey hearing aid in her right ear with the CI in her left ear because she was afraid she would not be able to understand the program. At the end of the program, she removed her Starkey hearing aid and was able to understand the TV with just the CI, although not as easily. When an implant is activated, the patient is encouraged to use only the CI for a period of time to help them adjust to the sound of the implant. GR is very excited to be understanding conversation better and she looks forward to being able to use the CI with her Starkey Wi110 RIC together in in future.
