喵咪社区

A California grandfather can hear again thanks to an updated rule 鈥� and a Keck Medicine audiologist鈥檚 bold idea.

Paul Isozaki, a retired high school teacher from Monterey Park, woke up about 10 years ago with sudden hearing loss in his left ear. 鈥淓verything was great, and then one day, boom. I couldn鈥檛 hear,鈥� he says.

He immediately went to his primary care doctor, who prescribed an antiviral drug and recommended him to an ear specialist. But by the time the specialist could squeeze Paul in, it was too late to save his hearing.

Paul says the provider told him that assuming the problem had been an infection, it must be addressed with steroids within three days to have an effect. 鈥淚 was upset because they knew I had sudden hearing loss, but they waited a week to see me.鈥�

And Paul, now 70, may never know what caused the sudden damage in his left ear. 

鈥淲hen imaging is done, we can鈥檛 necessarily see what has happened to make the nerve stop processing the audio signal,鈥� explains John Parsons, AuD, co-division chief of audiology at the 喵咪社区 Hearing and Balance Center, part of the 喵咪社区 Caruso Department of Otolaryngology 鈥� Head and Neck Surgery at 喵咪社区. 鈥淚f you lose hearing, get to an ENT or an emergency room as quickly as possible because the steroid course is time sensitive.鈥� 

Dealing with more hearing problems

For the next decade, Paul learned to live with his hearing loss and even joked about it. 鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 hear my wife nagging at me,鈥� teases Paul. The father of three and grandfather of seven also continued hobbies like dancing, swimming and skiing.

However, a different illness changed the equation. In 2020, Paul was diagnosed with vestibular neuritis, an inner ear disorder that causes balance problems and vertigo.

A severe vertigo episode landed Paul in the emergency room three years later. Raymond Kung, MD, an otolaryngologist who specializes in hearing and balance disorders at the 喵咪社区 Hearing and Balance Center, treated Paul and referred him to Dr. Parsons for new hearing tests. 

After meeting with Paul in May 2023, Dr. Parsons told him he was a candidate for a cochlear implant. 

The benefits of cochlear implants 

鈥淎 cochlear implant replaces hearing that is no longer capable of acoustic input,鈥� explains Dr. Parsons, who is also a clinical assistant professor of otolaryngology at the 喵咪社区 Caruso Department of Otolaryngology 鈥� Head and Neck Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of 喵咪社区.

An external microphone and speech processor connect with electrodes that are implanted in the patient鈥檚 inner ear. Dr. Parsons says the internal device is designed to last for life, while the external portions are powered by rechargeable batteries and may receive upgrades over time.

This was a new opportunity for Paul because previously, cochlear implants were only approved for patients with hearing loss in both ears 鈥� and without insurance, the device can cost . , the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded coverage to patients like Paul with single-sided hearing loss.

But the surgery was still a bold choice with no guarantee of success because of how long Paul鈥檚 hearing loss had been going on. 鈥淥utcomes tend to be worse with longer auditory-deprivation periods,鈥� Dr. Parsons says. 鈥淚 counseled him with low expectations, but Paul was game for it.鈥�

Paul鈥檚 hearing loss also put him at increased risk of social isolation and dementia, which further motivated him to give the cochlear implant a try.

Cochlear implant surgery leads to life-changing improvement

Dr. Kung performed cochlear implant surgery at Keck Hospital in December 2023. Paul says he went home the same day and that the incision healed within a week.

Two weeks post-surgery, Dr. Parsons activated the device and started the programming process. Paul says by his second appointment, he could understand words. 鈥淚 could hear, but it鈥檚 a big transition. The sound goes into my brain digitally, so it sounds robotic like a computer,鈥� Paul describes.

Dr. Parsons explains that audibility improves with time, often taking months with the device to recognize familiar sounds. 鈥淭he brain will do a lot of the work itself,鈥� he says, 鈥渂ut we will continue to fine-tune the cochlear implant so we鈥檙e matching the electric current to what Paul鈥檚 brain needs.鈥�

He says Paul鈥檚 results are encouraging. 鈥淗is speech-understanding scores have more than tripled since his implant activation,鈥� says Dr. Parsons.

Paul says he feels 鈥渧ery lucky鈥� to have found Keck Medicine 鈥� and is grateful to Dr. Parsons for suggesting the cochlear implant. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a great audiologist, and the cochlear implant has opened a whole new world. This device can change your life.鈥�

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