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Cochlear implant surgery and programming, close to home with Prevea Health
Jaye P. was aware of cochlear implants and the potential they held for her for many years but remained reluctant as the nearest location to offer this highly specialized surgery was in Milwaukee - nearly three hours from her home in northern Wisconsin.
 
When Jaye P. learned Prevea Health began offering cochlear implant surgery and programming in Green Bay in 2017, she made an appointment and began a journey that would significantly increase her quality of life. She underwent surgery for cochlear implants in both ears (bilateral cochlear implantation) with Dr. Oldenburg at HSHS St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay in May 2018.
 
“I had never had to go to a hospital before and I was admittedly scared going into surgery, but the nurses were so wonderful and Dr. Oldenburg had a very good bed side presence,” she recalls.
 
Jaye P. was able to go home the same day following her surgery and spent three weeks healing, and unable to hear, before starting the next leg of her journey with Lisa Ambrosius, Doctor of Audiology, who specializes in cochlear implant programming.
 
“You don’t learn to hear again overnight,” said Jaye P. “You have to get used to it. It took several months of care and time with Lisa and the incredible support of my husband, Tom, for me to adjust to this new way of life.”
 
Milestone moments
Following her successful bilateral cochlear implant surgery and programming, Jaye P. began to hear things that had once been silent, muffled or distracting. 
 
“With cochlear implants, the technology is so amazing. It seems to draw a circle around you and then pick up the sounds that are closest to you. A hearing aid was just noise, but the implants are truly sound.”
 
The first sound Jaye P. heard with her cochlear implants was a ticking clock in Lisa’s office, as they turned on her implants for the first time following surgery.  Another milestone moment came soon after while Jaye P. and Tom were standing outside on their deck and heard a loon calling. She remembers it well: “I said to Tom, ‘Are birds always this noisy?!’”
 
Another memorable moment was when she discovered what is now her famous line during a minor disagreement with Tom one day.  It’s one of her favorite stories to tell as it brings a laugh to each person she shares it with:
 
“I was upstairs, and he was headed downstairs as we were having a spat,” recalls Jaye P. “He said something back to me that I normally wouldn’t have been able to hear without my implants. My jaw dropped and I yelled, ‘You know I can hear you now!” 
 
One year following surgery, Jaye P.’s hearing ability was restored from 20% to 82%; today it is at 92%.
 
“Jaye P.’s progress has been remarkable,” said Lisa, who now sees Jaye P. on a yearly basis to check the programming of the sound processor for her cochlear implants. “She achieved such a high level of performance because she is so determined, has incredible family support and a positive attitude.”
 
Jaye P. has also experienced a significant improvement in her speech, has a much easier time socializing and interacting with others and can also talk on the phone. In speaking and interacting with her, it would surprise anyone who isn’t aware of Jaye P.’s story to learn she has cochlear implants. One of her greatest joys these days is music and listening to her favorite songs from the ‘70s which was the last time she could truly enjoy music before her hearing loss worsened.
 
“I’m making up for so many years,” she said.
 
As Jaye P. continues to benefit and celebrate more milestones with her ability to hear, she also mentors others considering cochlear implants. 
 
“I would do anything to help someone change their lives as significantly as mine has changed.”