Posted on 12/20/2001 1:40:49 PM PST by Pokey78
House Ear Clinic/House Ear Institute Public Statement
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Antonio De la Cruz, M.D., of the House Ear Clinic/House Ear Institute in Los Angeles, performed Rush Limbaugh's cochlear implant surgery yesterday. Dr. De la Cruz and Jennifer Derebery, M.D., have been treating Mr. Limbaugh for hearing loss as a result of Auto- Immune Inner Ear Disease (AIED). After a period of treatment with medication in an effort to save his residual hearing, Mr. Limbaugh and his physicians decided to proceed with a cochlear implant to restore his hearing. Mr. Limbaugh was moving around easily after several hours of post-surgery bed rest at St. Vincent Medical Center yesterday, where Dr. De la Cruz performed his cochlear implant surgery as an outpatient.
"I feel great!" said Rush Limbaugh. "The surgery went smoothly and I'm looking forward to enjoying the holidays and returning to the air in early January."
"Mr. Limbaugh's cochlear implant surgery at the House Ear Clinic yesterday went very well," said Antonio De la Cruz, M.D., House Ear Clinic/House Ear Institute. "As we expected, Mr. Limbaugh responded very well to the surgery, which lasted about two hours, and he was sent home this morning. Rush has the approval of his physicians at the House Ear Clinic to return to work in early January."
"Mr. Limbaugh won't be ready to use his cochlear implant until a recovery period of several weeks is completed," said Antonio De la Cruz, M.D., House Ear Clinic/House Ear Institute. "Mr. Limbaugh will be able to work and resume his other activities during the post-surgery recovery period while his incision is healing."
Rush Limbaugh will return to the House Ear Clinic in a few weeks to be fitted with the external unit for his cochlear implant. At the Clinic, Mr. Limbaugh's cochlear implant use will be activated in an initial stimulation and mapping session with his audiologist. He will hear sound for the first time since he lost his residual hearing.
"This cochlear implant will reconnect Mr. Limbaugh to his environment, and that is an important benefit to his quality of life," said Antonio De la Cruz, M.D., House Ear Clinic/House Ear Institute.
Two components make up the external unit worn behind the ear by cochlear implant users -- a microphone, which receives environmental sounds and transmits them to a speech processor, where mechanical sounds are then converted into a processed electrical signal. This processed signal is sent to the brain via the implanted electrodes within the inner ear. The quality of sound received through a cochlear implant is different from the quality of sound processed through a natural ear, but with time and training, most implant users learn to converse easily.
Apparently Rush has an autoimmune disease of some sort which affects both ears.
No, now he can turn it off! In some ways I am jealous.
P.S. Now I wonder which side of his brain does he tie behind his back? The side with the working implant or without? Or maybe he can switch mid call depending on who is talking.
Get Well, Rush! Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!
We look forward to hearing you hear us in January!
Since there's only one liver, autoimmune disease of the liver is, necessarily, unilateral!
I'm so happy for him, and best wishes that the rest of the process goes as smoothly!
Rush truly needs to hear some of the Lib rants when they call in, as opposed to reading what they're saying. This way Rush can zap them before they have a chance to rant and rave on. He can stop them in the middle of one of their stupid sentences and cream them with Conservative Logic as he always seemed to do.
God Speed Rush back to the Airwaves where he belongs, now and forever!
In the last 2 months or so he has sounded the same as usual,a great radio voice, and his interaction with the callers was almost seamless.
Most callers have trouble making their point when you can hear them!
Rush overcame his handicap in the true American style before this operation.
We are all happy that he will once again be able to hear Mannheim Steam Roller, but having to listen to the likes of Dashhole and HILLARY! will temper his joy, I'm sure.
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