By Henry Klein
At age 30 in the spring of 1960, I was diagnosed with otosclerosis and underwent stapedectomy surgery for my left ear. Due to a “sneeze” a few days after, the pin flew off the mount and ruptured the inner ear. I was left with no hearing in the left ear.
The right ear with a simple hearing aid was fine. I was told a hearing aid will always benefit me due to the very slow progression of otosclerosis.
In the early 1980s at age 53, I underwent heart bypass surgery. The cardiologist said that cholesterol must be controlled and prescribed neomycin, an antibiotic. I took this medicine for eight years. At first, I noticed difficulty hearing on the phone. Then difficulty hearing during regular conversations.
Henry Klein, 90, says that his cochlear implant “brought him back to the real world.”
The cardiologist declared that my hearing loss was not due to the neomycin, but a hearing specialist confirmed that it definitely was the cause and had gradually destroyed the nerves around the cochlea. Neomycin is ototoxic. My hearing loss in my right ear was profound.
As the CEO of an electrical contracting firm back then, I needed to be able to communicate via telephone. I discovered the VCO (voice carry over) relay service, and got captioned phones for my office and home.
Speech-reading courses and a very strong, body-worn hearing aid (for sound direction) got me by for about 12 years. Then at age 73, 17 years ago, I had cochlear implant surgery for my right ear. The implant brought me back to the real world.
During my time of profound, not yet treated deafness, my wife developed Alzheimer's. The communication between us was challenging and tough. It was hard for her to understand that I needed to be facing her and read her lips. But we have found that persistence, determination, and love conquers all.
I am now 90 years old. My advice after all this is I strongly urge everyone to be fully aware of the side effects of any drug or supplement used. Don't simply take the prescriber's word. Check and check again, and then check once more.
