Speaker: Bill Salazar
How painful, limiting, or life impacting was your hearing loss or tinnitus before visiting our office?
Bill Salazar: Hello, my name is Bill and I was born with nerve deafness and it really didn't show up to my high school years. Um, and slowly as I've aged up, it's, it Contin, continually gets worse. Well, the, the newest technology of the Oticon intent is, is put my hearing without the hearing aids from around 35% of normal hearing to around 85%. I believe that it's right now. Uh, it made a tremendous, uh, a tremendous increase on the ability to understand speech, uh, and almost every sound environment sounds better and I hear, actually hear some, uh, sound that I've never really heard since I was at a younger age.
What are the positive changes in hearing, reduced tinnitus, improved memory, robust relationships you've experienced with treatment?
Bill Salazar: Some of the positive changes that I'm having with these new journey and it's when I wear them, I don't hear that is gonna take off to go to sleep at night until I fall asleep. I'll hear it was waking up in the morning. But as soon as I put these in the tinnitus just kind of goes away because I'm hearing all the other sounds and I think my brain doesn't concentrate on that tinnitus now. Um uh So the, the treatment just comes like it with the hearing aid. I don't have any music program that I need to use it for, to, to prevent the tinnitus. It just, uh it just seems to, it's something you just don't think about.
What were your top concerns when deciding to treat your hearing loss?
Bill Salazar: So, one of my top concerns, uh with this hearing loss was not being able to understand uh, people and I kinda would be more social, socially, distanced from them when I could hear them clearly. It's just I'm more, super, more engaged with it. Um I'm a long distance marathon runner and I have a, a group that, uh, we go on group runs, but sometimes there's a 10 of us in a group and now I can understand and hear them better. So I'm definitely, uh talking more and it's, uh, more enjoyable.
How would you describe your treatment experience with Hearing and Brain Centers?
Bill Salazar: So, uh, here at the hearing and brain center and they have really treated me unbelievable. Um, Doctor Michael, she just, she knows me for, for quite a while now. And, uh, she's just a really, uh ee exceptional audiologist.
How important was Dr. Darrow's book and pre-education to your treatment journey?
Bill Salazar: So I've read Doctor Darrell's book and um and it really, he really has a way of explaining how the brain functions and really the role of the, of your hearing and then um and all the sensors and everything, um I think it, it clarified and maybe understand, you know, some of the treatment I really needed.
What is the #1 thing you would tell friends or family who struggle with hearing loss/tinnitus about seeking treatment right away?
Bill Salazar: So, with all my family and friends that I have, I, any time that I kinda notice they're having trouble with speech, um, I always recommend that they get treatment right away, uh, because it only gets worse. And, uh, at my age I have a lot of friends like that right now that I've referred. Um.
