Two weeks after surgery, Marino visited Naron to power up the implant and calibrate the sound processor. “They told me it was going to sound different than what I was used to and it wouldn’t be the same for everyone. sounded like alvin and the chipmunk to me,” says Marino.
Naron says Marino’s hearing probably seemed “squeaky.” This was because she could not hear high notes for a considerable amount of time. “It adds color to her experience because we suddenly give her her high notes, which can be overwhelming,” she says. “I was told I sounded like every cartoon character, from Donald Duck to Mickey Mouse. I’m telling you it’s going to work and it will only get better with time.”
In fact, Marino said that about three months after the surgery, familiar voices, including those of her family, sounded more normal, and other high-pitched voices were less common.
“I’ve had a hard time listening to music for a while, and I’m turning the corner on it too,” says Marino, who enjoys listening to country music, walking her dog, fishing and line dancing. say.
Patients typically meet with their audiologist about three times a month after receiving an implant. Since that first month, Marino has met with Naron twice for adjustments and fine-tuning. “At this point, we’re not making any major changes. We’re just controlling how much current is drawn from the device,” Narong says. “Once he’s six months from surgery, patients usually only come to me once or twice a year.”
Naron said Marino was a model patient. “She wears her implants consistently and does all the recommended exercises, which includes reading to herself, streaming podcasts and listening to music,” she said. says. “Her attack on her hearing system only helps her. She’s taken that advice to heart and is doing great. Her story is inspiring.”
As for her hearing quality, it has also improved significantly. Before surgery, her ability to understand Marino’s speech was 20% of her ability in her right ear when wearing a hearing aid. Her month after her surgery she was 78% of her. The numbers are likely to continue to improve before leveling off, Narron explained. Similarly, Marino’s ability to hear someone reading aloud in a quiet room increased from 42% before her surgery (using her hearing aid) to 97% after her surgery. improved to
Marino hopes to have cochlear implant surgery on her left ear this summer.
Marino shows off her cochlear implant and a rose tattoo covering her surgical scar.
Now that she is working on her hearing problem, Marino’s respiratory team can continue to focus on her bacterial infection in her lungs. “At least I no longer have to worry about hearing loss as a side effect of any treatment,” says Marino. “The goal, of course, is to get rid of the infection completely.
In the meantime, Marino is grateful that her hearing has been restored. She recently celebrated her first surgery by getting a rose tattoo on her surgical scar.
According to Marino, roses are often used to symbolize cystic fibrosis. Because children with this disease have difficulty pronouncing the name and instead say “65 roses”. She also has her mother’s handwritten tattoo on her wrist that reads “Just Breathe” next to her purple ribbon. This is a symbol of cystic fibrosis awareness.
Marino’s mother, she says, has been a guiding light in how she copes with life’s challenges. Marino enjoys sharing her story with other people with cystic fibrosis and mentoring sick children on the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation website. Everyone is healthy, I am the only one with this disease but I believe there is a reason for it so I can help others.”