How cochlear implants helped Ohio State nurse hear again 

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[Text on screen: Jennie Kremer, MSN, RN
Nurse, Ross Heart Hospital
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center]

Jennie Kremer, MSN, RN:
I was 20 years old when I started losing my hearing. I was a junior in nursing school. I just woke up one day and my left ear was really muffled and it felt like there was a bunch of water in it. It was ringing. I couldn't hear very well. I got antibiotics and the feeling went away, but then my hearing never came back. Thought, "I don't need that. I'm only 20 years old. Even though I have hearing loss, I don't need a hearing aid." Kind of just start isolating yourself without even realizing it because it happens just so slowly over time. I think I was just in denial for a while until I really couldn't be in denial anymore.

[Text on screen: Robert Macielak, MD
Hearing Specialist, Surgeon
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center]

Robert Macielak, MD:
Probably the main sign that a hearing aid is no longer enough is the decrease in the clarity of the sound. Hearing aids do a really good job turning up the volume of sound, but as we start to appreciate a decrease in the clarity of sound and even having higher levels of amplification, you feel like things are still muffled. That's when we start to think about other interventions for your hearing loss.

Jennie Kremer, MSN, RN:
In 2021, I got my hearing aids, and in 2024, I was to the point where I just felt like I could not understand anybody. My hearing had went from 56% in my left ear to 4% in my left ear. Both ears had dropped significantly. So that was the day that I found out that my hearing loss wasn't just a stagnant hearing loss. It was progressive and I was going to lose my hearing if I didn't do something about it. The day that I found out I qualified for my cochlear implants, or at least on the left side, Dr. Adunka came to speak with me and tell me he thought I would be a great candidate. I was really confused because I though I still have a little bit of hearing in the ear. Why would I get a cochlear implant? I thought that was for people that had zero hearing. So I just had a lot of misconceptions that I didn't realize. Even as a nurse, I really didn't know much about cochlear implants.

Robert Macielak, MD:
Cochlear implant surgery itself is not that invasive. It's an outpatient surgery that can be done in one to two hours. Most patients go home the same day with pretty limited pain and just a small incision behind the ear. You wear a microphone on the outside of the head that takes an acoustic signal and transmits it to an electrical signal, which is then sent to an internal component, which stimulates the cochlea, the hearing organ itself.

Jennie Kremer, MSN, RN:
When I was first getting it activated, I felt like I had no idea what to expect. It started out, my audiologist did it really, really low and all I heard was screeching and I couldn't make out any speech and it was actually almost a little painful. So she started turning off my high-pitched electrodes and then I was able to make out speech. So that was really cool. I would say within three days I was crying tears of joy because it just was really awesome to be able to hear again.

Robert Macielak, MD:
So what makes Jennie's outcome meaningful is that she has bilateral hearing loss and required bilateral implantation, which really allowed her to integrate herself back into the healthcare community that she so desires. Really having two ears allows you to hear a noise, allows you to localize sound, things that Jennie really relies upon to be a nurse.

Jennie Kremer, MSN, RN:
Having two cochlear implants has definitely been the best decision that I've ever made for sure. I put my implants on in the morning and go about my day. Otherwise, I function really normally. So I guess I just would say I feel normal again.

[Text on screen: The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
For more information, visit: health.osu.edu]

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