CHCS Perspectives Summer/Fall 2013

PERSPECTIVES • SUMMER-FALL 2013 – Page 23 In late October, a middle-aged female was seen for an audiological eval- uation. I was not the first to see her, but she would come to know the audi- ology and otolaryngology staff quite well. At this initial appointment, it was found that the patient had lost a significant amount of hearing. She was ac- companied by a concerned husband and her three children, all whispering words of encouragement. The news was delivered as gently as possible. A regimen of antibiotics and steroids was administered immediately on the chance of preventing the hearing loss from progressing and, with all the hope in the world, restoring the hearing back to normal. The medications continued for a week and the patient returned. This is when I met the patient for the first time. I conducted her second audiological evaluation and, with a heavy heart, it was determined her hearing had decreased even more. Because she had a profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears, the otolaryngologist believed it was an acute case of autoimmune inner-ear dis- ease, so the use of steroids continued for another week. The patient, always accompanied by every member of the family, was starting to try to read lips. We would use a computer screen and type into a Word document if we had important information to share with her. We continued to monitor her for several weeks. However, a small debate began about whether we should try hearing aids, but at this point her loss was so severe the signal would end up being predominantly vibrotactile in- stead of acoustic. Audiometric testing was then conducted every two weeks and documented. Several staff members, including myself, sat down with the patient and her family to discuss the option of a cochlear implant. The family rejoiced at this news and smiles were seen on all their faces. It was a chance to hear again. We started counseling the patient on the surgery, discussing the waiting period before activation, the day of activation, expectations, and everything else we could cover. A month later, our patient was in a three-hour surgery receiving her cochlear implant. The otolaryngologist informed our depart- ment that everything had gone smoothly and she was expected to have an easy recovery. Two weeks after the surgery, the patient was seen in our office for the initial activation. Nervously, the patient entered the room, one hand holding her husband’s hand, the other clasping her youngest daughter’s hand. The cochlear implant resident, the chief audiologist, the otolaryngologist, and I sat around the laptop as T-levels (upper levels of comfort) were measured. Ears perked up as the patient began to nod and acknowledge the small beeps she was hearing. Her eyes began to tear. After several minutes of set- ting the threshold levels (softest sounds she could hear), it was time to ac- tivate the device and speak to the patient. The cochlear implant resident slowly increased the volume while saying the days of the week, the patient staring intently as the bars rose on the computer. After several seconds had passed, the patient said, “I can hear you!” At that moment, the youngest daughter jumped up and said. “Mommy, can you hear me, too?” The patient looked down, tears streaming down her face, and said, “Yes, honey. I can hear you.” It had been about 14 weeks since this mother had heard her little girl’s voice, so you can imagine every- one’s reaction in that room. It was a moment of sheer happiness—and one I will always remember. Perspectives from a Fourth-Year Audiology Student AUDIOLOGY DEAN’S LIST WINTER 2013 Dean’s List Fredericka Clarke Julia Fahrney Robin Kimbrough Jennifer Laws Kristina Meyer Tegest Nuguse Annie Rodriguez Diana Russell David Schweizer Lauren Solliday Sarah Zdankowski Michelle Ziegler Chancellor’s List Paige Aufseeser Erin Campbell Alexis Cohan Faria Elbabour Yoko Fujimoto Natasha Gidak Brianna Kuzbyt Lachelle Lazarus Judith Lynch Viviana Martinez Brooke Michaels Chelsea Nava Stacee Ommundsen Sherry Rauh Ania Tomasik Taylor Unger Hana Vaghef Alexandra Wheeler By Erika Hendrickson, B.S. Class of 2013 Doctor of Audiology Student