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Author Has Cochlear Implant Surgery to Restore Hearing
Added: (Tue Jan 24 2006)
Two years ago, author Connie Briscoe had cochlear implant surgery to restore her hearing after experiencing sudden hearing loss while in her twenties, and it has radically changed her life for the better.
Briscoe says she was born with a mild hearing loss that deteriorated rapidly when she became an adult until she was nearly deaf. After years of buying more and more powerful hearing aids to cope with her sudden hearing loss, two years ago she decided to have a cochlear implant.
Today Briscoe says she is once again hearing many sounds that she hadn't heard in years--birds singing, phones ringing, the keyboard as she types her novels. She's also able to use the telephone and to attend movies. "The most exciting thing for me is being able to use the telephone again. I was able to park my TTYs in a corner of the garage. That was a champagne toast day for me," said the author.
For those who are unaware of hearing technology, TTYs are small computer like devices that allow deaf and hard of hearing people to use the telephone. Cochlear implants are small electronic devices that are surgically placed under the skin behind the ear. A cochlear implant is very different from a hearing aid. Whereas hearing aids amplify sound, cochlear implants compensate for damaged or non-working parts of the inner ear. Cochlear implants aren't for everyone. They won't perform the surgery unless your hearing deteriorates to a certain point.
Connie Briscoe is a New York Times best-selling author of five novels. She is currently at work on a photo-essay book.
For more information about sudden hearing loss visit http://www.hearinginformer.com