Kelly Slusarz was in her early 20s when she first had signs of hearing loss. Thinking she was too young to be losing her hearing, she ignored them and compensated for her loss by reading lips.
Kelly told herself she was fine 鈥 for 16 years 鈥 until she could no longer deny that hearing loss was affecting her work and her family. Her son said, 鈥淢om, I always have to repeat myself.鈥 At work, when her back was to someone, she realized she wasn鈥檛 getting the whole sentence. On calls with colleagues who were using headsets, she had trouble understanding.
When she finally had her hearing tested, Kelly was diagnosed with Meniere鈥檚 disease, a disease that also affected her mother and grandfather. It is an inner ear disorder that can cause hearing loss, congestion in the ear, ringing in the ears and dizziness.
Kelly saw a local provider to get hearing aids. Unfortunately, they did not fit well, pulled on her ears and gave her headaches. That鈥檚 when she made an appointment with , an audiologist with Rush Copley Medical Group who had treated Kelly鈥檚 mother and grandfather.
鈥楽he changed my life鈥
鈥淔rom day one of meeting her, Dr. O鈥機onnor changed my life,鈥 Kelly says. 鈥淪he was able to fit me with the correct hearing aids for my condition 鈥 the right weight and size to meet my needs. I had no headaches or ear pain.鈥
The result was life-changing. 鈥淚 could hear the world around me,鈥 Kelly recalls. 鈥淔or the first time in years, I was able to hear the water in the shower, the grass crunch when I walked on it, birds chirping 鈥 and the list goes on. My family has benefited, as well. They are finally able to communicate with me without the frustration of having to repeat themselves. Being able to hear the world again has brought confidence to me personally and in the workplace.鈥
Kelly wishes she had gotten hearing aids sooner and advises others having trouble hearing to seek help. 鈥淵ou鈥檒l be so excited once you do it,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t changes your life. You don鈥檛 realize how much you鈥檙e missing.鈥
Hearing loss can be managed
As an audiologist, O鈥機onnor also encourages people to have hearing loss checked sooner rather than later. 鈥淭he majority of hearing loss is from aging,鈥 she says, 鈥渁nd the earlier it鈥檚 identified and managed, the better.鈥
Hearing loss typically can be managed or helped with hearing aids, and sometimes it can be treated with medications or surgery.
It took Kelly years to accept her hearing loss, and O鈥機onnor says that is not unusual. 鈥淢any individuals have to go through an acceptance process,鈥 she says. 鈥淥nce Kelly accepted it, she was all in. She was doing new things, and her confidence grew as she was hearing better.鈥
When a person first gets a hearing aid, it may take several visits to fine-tune it to the individual鈥檚 needs. After that, biannual visits allow the audiologist to address any changes in hearing needs and clean the hearing aids.
New technology
Hearing aid technology is constantly advancing. 鈥淪eems there鈥檚 something new related to hearing aids, accessories or software every other week,鈥 O鈥機onnor says.
Kelly appreciates that O鈥機onnor stays on top of the newest technology for hearing aids, including Bluetooth technology and the overall trends in the industry. 鈥淪he has the downlow on high-tech devices and what you need or want,鈥 Kelly says.
For example, O鈥機onnor set it up so that Kelly can adjust multiple settings on her phone, which she prefers instead of adjusting the volume of the aids in her ears. 鈥淪he鈥檚 given me a lot of freedom,鈥 Kelly says. 鈥淪he gets me in for appointments right away and tweaks it to exactly what I need. I am so grateful for her knowledge.
鈥淢y mother referred me to Dr. O鈥機onnor because she knew she could help me escape my quiet world. Dr. O鈥機onnor is just awesome and amazing,鈥 Kelly says. 鈥淭he quality of her work, her commitment 鈥 I wouldn鈥檛 want to go anywhere else. She is an awesome audiologist and person.鈥
