Julie Simpson
Julie is a Cochlear Implant Recipient and a true example of what we can accomplish with perseverance.
“My name is Julie and I am 45 years old. I started losing hearing in my left ear in my early high school days. When the nurse came around to check ears, eyes and teeth, they picked up I had a problem.Julie shares her hearing journey with us:
I contracted mumps when I was younger, which I believe was the cause of my hearing loss, although it was never professionally diagnosed.
Over the years my hearing in my left just got worse until I lost it completely by the age of about 22.
I also suffered very badly from vertigo attacks and extreme nausea and vomiting, which lasted for quite some time.
I have been deaf in my left ear for over 20 years but found I was coping because I still had my right ear. I always thought “well at least I have one good ear”.
Until…. 2015 – One morning I woke up and could hardly hear out of my right ear, my one good ear. I had a blocked feeling, severe tinnitus, it was like I was under water. After lots of tests, some medication and numerous visitations with my audiologist, I finally got my first set of hearing aids.
I was also diagnosed with Meniere’s disease.
Over the next few years I would go through stages of bad patches and my hearing would fluctuate in my right ear. Tinnitus was a new norm for me. I battled tremendously at work, with my colleagues, could not hear on the phone, people had to repeat things all the time. I felt frustrated and scared.
My fear was ”what if I go completely deaf in my right ear as well, what will I do then?” That is when I decided to explore the possibility of a Cochlear Implant for my left ear. I met with the Implant centre as well as the Ear-Nose- and Throat surgeon and had my operation on the 19th of March 2019. My Cochlear implant was switched on on April 15th 2019.
It was the best decision I have ever made with regards to my hearing. My left ear has now become my more dominant ear and I would not be able to cope without my Cochlear Implant. I wear it for an average of 15 hours a day, which I am told by my audiologist is very good J
When I wake up in the morning, my Cochlear Implant is the first thing that I put on. My quality of life has improved dramatically, and I could not be happier with the Cochlear Implant and am thankful every day for my hearing. “Blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear ~ Matthew 13:16“”
