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Rush Limbaugh's Cochlear Implant Surgery a Success
Drudge Report ^ | 12/20/2001 | Matt Drudge

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.


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events
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To: Pokey78
This is good news for Conservatives and bad news for Liberals. Just the way I like it!
61 posted on 12/20/2001 2:06:00 PM PST by rs79bm
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To: Pokey78
Fantastic! Few people accomplish so much for Conservatism as Rush.
62 posted on 12/20/2001 2:06:11 PM PST by Barnacle
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To: Pokey78

BIONIC LIMBAUGH! GO RUSH! GO!

63 posted on 12/20/2001 2:06:54 PM PST by isthisnickcool
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To: Pokey78
Excellent news indeed.

I've emailed Rush with congratulations. I'm an implantee of long standing, and the durn things work. So well, in fact, that I've been a caller on his show-- despite "total" deafness.

It'll take him a few months to get back up to speed, but just watch: by next year's primaries, he'll be off the TelePromTer and back to his old self.

Merry Christmas, Rush!
64 posted on 12/20/2001 2:06:57 PM PST by RightOnTheLeftCoast
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To: Pokey78
He's been my guiding light in times of despair, murkiness and tumult! GOD BLESS RUSH LIMBAUGH!
65 posted on 12/20/2001 2:07:16 PM PST by j.havenfarm
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To: Pokey78
Glad to hear this. I'm sure those long delays between callers speaking and his answering were bothering him.
66 posted on 12/20/2001 2:08:07 PM PST by E=MC<sup>2</sup>
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To: Pokey78
Praise the Lord! And all the best to el Rushbo. :)
67 posted on 12/20/2001 2:08:19 PM PST by k2blader
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To: stlrocket
I think he likes these.
68 posted on 12/20/2001 2:08:54 PM PST by StriperSniper
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To: oldvike
I read that the device works different than normal hearing, but he should be able to easily carry on a conversation with therapy and time. I don't have one so I cannot give a description of what the actual "hearing" is like.
69 posted on 12/20/2001 2:10:28 PM PST by Oldeconomybuyer
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To: billbears; 4ConservativeJustices; LeeMcCoy; pubmom
Freepers!!! More answered prayers :) God is on the move, hallelujah!!
70 posted on 12/20/2001 2:11:59 PM PST by Ff--150
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Comment #71 Removed by Moderator

To: KirbyJ; lazamataz
Binaural deafness is a classic symptom of Meniere's disease, a catch-all umbrella of a term from under which autoimmune inner-ear disease (AIED, Rush's specific malady) has only recently begun to climb.

My own total loss is binaural, too. In my case it took a number of years, then wham: one night it all went.

I've had my cochlear implant for eleven years. Marvelous things. I'm sure he had no clue, when I was a caller to his show back in 1996 (with the infamous Ebonics joke that had him choking), that he was talking to someone with no natural hearing left at all. I could not be more thrilled for Rush.

Laz, please be sure your mutual friend clues him in on this thread. I'm sure he'd get a kick out of it.
72 posted on 12/20/2001 2:13:42 PM PST by RightOnTheLeftCoast
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To: Rome2000
In the last 2 months or so he has sounded the same as usual,

About a week ago (maybe two) I heard him for the first time since June (when Unce Sam shipped me to Belgium), and I could definitely tell the difference. You may just be getting used to the way he sounds, or maybe AFN does something that makes him sound a bit different.

73 posted on 12/20/2001 2:13:48 PM PST by Gil4
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To: doug from upland
Even worse! Even though I know better, I thought the "compassionate liberals" at Democrat Underground would give Rush a break. Boy was I wrong. The pukes over there actually are hoping he gets throat cancer now.
74 posted on 12/20/2001 2:14:39 PM PST by boop
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To: OldFriend
What a graceful post. I am thankful that this surgery was a success, and that he'll be able to listen to music again. God bless!
75 posted on 12/20/2001 2:15:00 PM PST by bootless
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To: rface
Good for him!

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.

I think we will all know exactly how it is different within a couple of weeks of Rush getting a handle on it. He will be one of the best people to relate the experience to others who can only imagine it.

Feel better Rush!

76 posted on 12/20/2001 2:15:24 PM PST by StriperSniper
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To: RightOnTheLeftCoast
I love Rush.

He's been incredible through this ordeal.

Someone was talking about his voice, and so on. He said one day that because of his hearing loss, which he was unaware was as bad as it was, his voice (to him) sounded like a chipmunk (too high and fast) and he had the technicians slow him down until he sounded normal to himself. That was the period when to us, his voice sounded deep and, I don't know, pretentious or something -- un-Rush-like.

Anyway, he has sounded perfectly normal for the past few weeks and, except for the almost imperceptible pause while the reads the caller's remarks, one wouldn't even know he was deaf.

I am so thankful for this surgery though, as I don't know how long one could go in that total blankness of sound and still sound the same.

But what I wanted to ask you, Right, was about music. Whenever he plays his Christmas bump music, I feel sad that he can't enjoy music anymore; it meant so much to him. Can you enjoy music with your implant?

77 posted on 12/20/2001 2:15:40 PM PST by altura
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To: anniegetyourgun
Merry Christmas, big fella - and speedy recovery in the new year.
78 posted on 12/20/2001 2:15:54 PM PST by anniegetyourgun
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To: StriperSniper
He is!!

When he describes an experience, one really understands it. I think he will be very helpful to anyone who is contemplating this surgery in understanding exactly what to expect; how it works and so on.

80 posted on 12/20/2001 2:17:23 PM PST by altura
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