Thanks to an implant, a man who had lost his hearing has credited the NHS with “saving him from living in a silent world”, as reported by BBC.
Bilateral hearing loss
When he applied for the RAF at the age of 17, Rotherham, South Yorkshire resident Ian Milner, now 55, became aware of his hearing issue for the first time.
Mr Milner was identified with considerable bilateral hearing loss in his 40s after additional testing.
He claimed that having a cochlear implant put in at the Queen’s Medical Center in Nottingham had been life-changing.
Up until his mid-30s, Mr Milner wore hearing aids, which, in his opinion, increased sound but did not make it clearer.
He was recommended for a cochlear implant when he was 45 years old. This device stimulates the hearing nerves using electrical impulses.
He was initially hesitant, but once his daughter left the house to travel, he realised how lonely he had become, and he decided to have the implant.
“I realised I needed to change, and getting an implant seemed like the right move”, he added.
‘Really hit home’
Mr Milner admitted that he had struggled with bullying and abuse his entire life in addition to living with hearing loss.
People still consider it OK to make fun of persons who are deaf, he said.
He also remembered not hearing the closing announcement at a department shop, which resulted in him being locked inside, and not hearing his car alarm go off.
When the NHS watchdog NICE updated its definition of severe deafness in 2019, it increased the number of people who could use the implants.
Mr Milner claimed that through listening to audiobooks, music, and specialised rehabilitation apps, he was still getting used to life with a cochlear implant.
“I’ve gained my social life back,” he declared, “and I have some really excellent friends who regard me like family and with whom I can now have proper conversations.”
“When I realised I hadn’t used the word “what” in a while talking to them, it truly hit home.”
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Source: BBC
