LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) - There was silence, and then there were tears in Suzanne Michael’s eyes. Her voice squeaked as Michaels fought her emotions.
For the first time in 16 years, she can hear in both ears again.
Michaels recently had a medical procedure, relatively new to Las Cruces, which implants a bone-anchored hearing aid (Baha) to the back of her left ear that stimulates the Vestibulocochlear nerve, more commonly known as the cochlear nerve, in the middle ear.
“I’m so excited about this,” Michaels said. “I’m amazed. It’s just astounding. I feel incredible. It is such a joy now to walk along and hear what someone is saying.”
Michaels is owner of Suzanne Michaels Communications, a Las Cruces public relations firm whose clients include the South Central Solid Waste Authority, Las Cruces Utilities, Friedman Recycling operations in Las Cruces, the Camino Real Regional Mobility Authority, and the Camino Real Environmental Center, Inc. She is also a longtime El Paso broadcast journalist, a former media and communications administrator for Moreno Valley, California. Michaels has also had roles in eight movies.
Sixteen years ago, Michaels was visiting relatives when inexplicably she lost the hearing in her left ear, reported the Las Cruces Sun-News (https://bit.ly/2kkvQJS).
“The doctors determined I had Sudden Hearing Loss,” Michaels said. “Apparently, it was caused by some kind of virus I had.”
Since then, Michaels has skillfully masked her disability. When speaking with people, she would ever-so-slightly position herself so she could hear them out of her right ear, which was not damaged. She also stood in front of people and learned how to read lips and paid close attention to facial expressions and body language.
“It was hard,” she said. “It could be particularly difficult if I was in a crowded room and there were a lot of people talking.”
Even in quieter settings there were difficulties to overcome.
“I remember walking through the front door of my house and asking my mother where she was,” Michaels said. “Like so many people, she said, ’I’m over here.’ But because I couldn’t hear out of my left ear I couldn’t differentiate where ’here’ was.
But a chance meeting several months ago with Dr. Jonathan Owens turned out to be a life-changing experience for Michaels. Owens, an ear, nose and throat specialist, recommended a hearing examination and evaluation, and later suggested Michaels consider the Baha implant.
“The procedure involves inserting a magnet, that’s placed inside the scalp at the back of your ear on the bone of the skull,” Michaels said. “It’s done as an out-patient procedure. I had it done, went home, and didn’t have very much discomfort with it.”
Owens said although the procedure has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration since the mid-1980s not many cochlear implants have been done in Las Cruces.
“It is very different from the hearing devices that have been used for years,” Owens said. “The more traditional and conventional hearing devices amplify sounds. The Baha vibrates sounds to a transducer and that stimulates the nerve of the ear.”
Owens said he has done six out-patient surgeries for the Baha hearing device and in some cases, some of those surgeries were able to be done in his office.
Unlike the bulkier, more noticeable hearing aids many people use, the Baha is much smaller.
“It’s about the size of a quarter,” Owens said. “The color of the device can also be matched to the color of a person’s hair. With women, because of the length of their hair, it’s often not noticeable at all.”
Also, the procedure to implant the Baha is covered by most health insurance plans. The total cost of the cochlear implant can range from $15,000 to about $25,000.
Michaels said her insurance will pay 80 percent of the cost. But whatever the cost is for the procedure, Michaels said it is worth every penny.
“Are you kidding me,” said Michaels, as she became emotional again. “I’ll be able to hear again for what, the next 35 years, the rest of my life. How do you put a price on that, it’s priceless.”
Dr. Kelly Churchill, a board certified doctor of audiology, has collaborated with Owens to help restore Michaels’ hearing. Churchill, owner of Advanced Hearing Care, 4351 E. Lohman Ave., adjacent to MountainView Regional Medical Center, has worked closely with Michaels to ensure her Baha hearing aid is operating as it should. In the silence of Churchill’s office, Michaels was given a hearing test. Churchill instructed Michaels to confirm audio tones when she heard them through her implant.
Twenty-two times Michaels responded with a “yes” and a widening grin when she heard the tones. Some were so faint that even those who do not need a hearing device could barely hear them.
“I’m hearing you,” Michaels said. “It’s great, it’s very comfortable.”
Churchill said the ability to hear from both ears is critical.
“People need to be able to hear sound out of both ears to tell them the direction the sound is coming from,” Churchill said.
Churchill added it is important that people get their hearing checked regularly. She also stressed seeking prompt medical treatment if someone begins to experience hearing problems.
“People don’t coach patients to take action,” Churchill said. “There is a limited window of recovery if there has been nerve damage. Often, that window can be 48 hours or less. You just don’t mess around with your hearing; you get help if you need it. Time is critical. Two days is the limit.”
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Information from: Las Cruces Sun-News, https://www.lcsun-news.com
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