Deaf woman regained hearing after life-changing surgery... but it cost her the sense

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Deaf woman regained hearing after life-changing surgery... but it cost her the sense of taste | Mail Online

A deaf woman has regained her hearing after life-changing surgery, only to lose her sense of taste.

Soozie Tarkenter, 40, was the happy beneficiary of a cochlear implant which allowed her to hear for the very first time.

But because the device is so close to her facial nerves it has completely numbed her sense of taste. Soozie said: 'I couldn't believe the difference when they switched the implant on.

'I could hear everything so clearly, it's incredibly strange but brilliant at the same time. But because the implant area is so close to my facial nerves I lost my sense of taste.

'It may come back - but if it doesn't it's a small price to pay for being able to hear again.'
Artist Soozie, of Innellan near Dunoon, Scotland, could not understand why she had begun to struggle in school. This led teachers to place her in the remedial class.

It wasn't until she attended Cardonald College at the age of 18 that Soozie realised her condition. She is only being able to hear extremely high and low notes. She was immediately tested and fitted with her first analogue hearing aid.

Soozie said: 'Everyone at school just thought I was thick. I was struggling and I didn't know why. It turns out I couldn't hear, but I had always been that way so I thought everyone was the same as me.

'When I had my first hearing aid I thought things would get better, but it was awful. People think that putting on a hearing aid is like putting on glasses - that your hearing is instantly fine.

'It's not like that. It just seemed to amplify all the rubbish around me. I thought my life was over.'

But on August 19 last year she was fitted with an electronic cochlear implant, which was surgically inserted into the inside of her ear. The moment the implant was activated a week later she could hear everything.

Soozie, who is married to husband John, 42, a gardener, said: 'The first song I heard was Lost in Music by Sister Sledge.

'It was amazing listening to the words and the melody - before all I could pick up were some bass notes. You have to train your brain to tell what different things are because it is not used to it.

'I still have problems hearing conversations if the washing machine is on in the background but I will get used to that and eventually my brain will filter out the things I don't want to hear.

'It's changed my life. I do miss the taste of some things like wine, but the bonus is I can handle really spicy curry.'

Soozie has produced an exhibition based on her experience, called 'Cornflakes are Noisy'.
 
Soozie??? Her parents should be shot. :lol:

I know a woman that named her son Morning Spring Rain! And other woman named her kids Floppy and Moppy Cotton tail from the story 'Peter Rabbit'! I wonder what she was smoking!! The mother called herself Rainbow and the dad name himself Squirrel! I am not making this up!! I meet there people in Northern Cali.
The mother with that had Morning Spring Rain lived in Berkeley ,Cal!
 
I when to school with a girl that had her tonsils removed and the doctor messed and cut too close to her nerve near her ears and it left her HOH.
 
"See? That's why I recommond we give that child a cochlear impant early! As she get older and less chance for cochlear to be success without cost one of her sense!"-AG Bell Doctor. I bet they will think of that.
 
I when to school with a girl that had her tonsils removed and the doctor messed and cut too close to her nerve near her ears and it left her HOH.

Did it happen to her immediately? Only reason why I ask is because I have had my tonsils removed and I am HOH, but it is attributed to me having a high fever rather than from a tonsilectomy. Although, my grandmother has suspected for years that it was as a result of the tonsilectomy.
 
Limited sound at the expense of taste. That was a bad bargain. Often facial nerves are damaged during surgery, too.
 
Limited sound at the expense of taste. That was a bad bargain. Often facial nerves are damaged during surgery, too.

No, not often.

In fact, in this case, as they said, it is very likely that it is temporary. Often this kind of side effect is not from actually damaging the the nerve, but from swelling from the surgery.
 
No, not often.

In fact, in this case, as they said, it is very likely that it is temporary. Often this kind of side effect is not from actually damaging the the nerve, but from swelling from the surgery.

Often enough for me to have a few personal friends affected.

Thats too much, imo.
 
I know a woman that named her son Morning Spring Rain! And other woman named her kids Floppy and Moppy Cotton tail from the story 'Peter Rabbit'! I wonder what she was smoking!! The mother called herself Rainbow and the dad name himself Squirrel! I am not making this up!! I meet there people in Northern Cali.
The mother with that had Morning Spring Rain lived in Berkeley ,Cal!

My sister name Rainbow! Lol.
 
I went to school with Stormy, Raindance and Rainbow.
 
I lost my sense of taste after my CI surgery. It took nearly 6 month for my taste to return to normal. I lost weight from it since everything had this weird slimy metalic taste to it... even my own sliva. It really was not pleasant, but just as I was starting to get used to it, my sense of taste was coming back.
 
I would much rather have my sense of smell and taste than hearing. Food is too important to me. Horrible trade-off.
 
I lost my sense of taste after my CI surgery. It took nearly 6 month for my taste to return to normal. I lost weight from it since everything had this weird slimy metalic taste to it... even my own sliva. It really was not pleasant, but just as I was starting to get used to it, my sense of taste was coming back.

When I had my last surgery in May the doctor touched the nerve in my face too. At first I could not talk at all (right side nerve has been dead since I was 11), food was very bland for a month or so. I too had that metallic taste and my doctor just told me "i dont know", the taste has since went away and I often wondered what it was. Good to know it was just from the surgery . My speaking is getting better and I really hope I get back to where I was prior to the surgery.
 
Small price to pay???? Not for me! I eat really healthy and I love food so I would be devastated... *sigh*
 
I too love food. And I'm thinking of going through this again???? Maybe I need a new brain not a new CI??? :cry:
 
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