Thanks to a hearing implant, Robert Wellisch can hear and work again
Even as a young man, Robert Wellisch gradually lost his hearing until he was finally almost completely deaf. Today, thanks to his middle ear implants, he can hear very well again.
At a Glance
- Robert Wellisch Doesn’t Give Up Despite His Hearing Loss
- Hearing Again with Middle Ear Implants
- Frequent middle ear infections can lead to gradual, severe hearing loss
- Losing your hearing is not the way forward—it’s a dead end!
When his hearing aids finally stopped working, Robert Wellisch could practically hear nothing anymore. But giving up was out of the question, and so for many years his sole goal was to finally be able to hear again. It is thanks to his own perseverance and the medical revolution of the middle ear implant that he can now do just that: hear again thanks to a hearing implant.
Social Isolation Caused by Gradual Hearing Loss
The middle ear infections that Robert Wellisch frequently suffered from as a child were likely the cause of his later hearing loss. “Back then, it just wasn’t that common to go to the doctor. People made do with old home remedies,” recalls the 55-year-old. As a young adult, the middle ear infections finally stopped occurring. But almost at the same time, Robert began experiencing his first hearing problems—which gradually worsened over time, eventually leading to severe hearing loss.
At age 42, Robert wanted to change careers once again: He hoped to pursue further training to become a warehouse specialist. However, his hearing had deteriorated so much by that point that it would have been impossible for him to complete the training without hearing aids. He made an appointment with an ENT specialist, who confirmed his suspicions and fitted Robert with hearing aids.
That helped a lot, but not really in the long run. His hearing continued to deteriorate, and there was no stopping it. Unfortunately, his hearing loss got worse over time. “When too many people were talking at once, I couldn’t understand anyone properly anymore. That often led to embarrassing misunderstandings.
On top of that, while the people around me were very understanding at first, they also became increasingly annoyed when I didn’t hear things correctly right away—so at some point, I just stopped saying anything at all to avoid these uncomfortable situations,” said the father.
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„Es ist unser Ziel, Menschen hörend zu machen“
Wenn Hörgeräte nicht mehr helfen, gibt es dennoch eine Möglichkeit für Menschen mit einer hochgradigen Schwerhörigkeit wieder zu hören: durch das Einsetzen eines Cochlea-Implantats (CI).
Ein Horchie für den kleinen Philipp
Schwerhörigkeit bei Kindern ist nicht so selten, wie man denkt. Sie kann gravierende Folgen für die Entwicklung des Sprachvermögens und des gesamte Sozialverhaltens haben. Zum Glück gibt es kindgerechte Hörsysteme.
„Ich und schwerhörig?!”
Im Alltag wird man oft mit Situationen konfrontiert, in denen die Person gegenüber einen nicht direkt versteht. Bewusstes Ignorieren oder vielleicht doch ein verstecktes Problem?
Just stop trying and give up? – Never!
But Robert decided not to just give up: “Without my sense of hearing, I felt so cut off that I knew something had to be done.” The University Hospital of Tübingen, to which the now 53-year-old was eventually referred, diagnosed him with 70 percent hearing loss in both ears. There, he was also informed about the possibility of treatment with a cochlear implant. Without hesitation, he decided to go ahead with the implantation, and a week later he was on the operating table to have his left ear treated.
The surgery went smoothly, and a few days later he was allowed to leave the hospital. But now he had to wait three weeks for his initial fitting, which would show whether the surgery had been successful. “Those few weeks felt like half a year. I was so nervous about whether everything would work,” he recalls. When the time finally came and the audio processor was turned on for the first time, Robert was able to hear again in his left ear thanks to the cochlear implant—and he could hear everything.
Back in the world of sounds and tones, he made rapid progress. “Now I even had to ask the people around me to please speak more quietly,” Robert said with a laugh. Full of excitement, he looked forward to the second surgery on his right ear.
A Small Medical Miracle—A Deaf Ear Can Hear Again
But a stroke initially changed everything. Although he recovered well from its effects, Robert completely lost his hearing in his right ear. But he didn’t give up. And so, a few months later, he was back on the operating table. The minor procedure went smoothly once again. And what happened next was described even by his doctors as a small medical miracle: “During the initial fitting, I could hear a pin drop. Something no one would have thought possible.”
A lot has changed for Robert since then. Being able to hear again thanks to his cochlear implant allowed him to successfully complete his training as a warehouse specialist. And he can now return to his part-time job and “hobby”—driving a taxi.
Michael Schwaninger also has hearing implants. Read here to find out how he’s rediscovering the joy of music and has found new courage and zest for life.
