How ADHEAR Let Robert Hear Again—Without Surgery

After seven cholesteatoma operations, Robert didn’t want to have surgery ever again. So when he discovered ADHEAR—a bone conduction hearing device he could use without having any more surgery—he knew it was the right decision. Find out how ADHEAR has revolutionized Robert’s hearing, and his life.

I’m Robert, I’m 35 years young, and I live in the Tyrol region of Austria. I’ve been skateboarding since I was 10—my favorite hobby both then and now. Apart from that, I love being in nature with my dog, Nahla.

About six years ago, I noticed that I couldn’t hear so well. At the start, I didn’t think too much of it and just assumed that my ears were blocked—until I could barely hear anything. Only then did I go to an ENT doctor.

Discovering Cholesteatoma

The doctor examined my ears and sent me straight to the hospital—at this point I realized that it had to be something serious. The doctors at the hospital discovered that I had cholesteatomas in both ears. A cholesteatoma is a growth on the tissue of the middle ear, and these growths were causing my hearing loss. The doctors thought they had probably been caused by untreated middle ear infections when I was a child.

The cholesteatomas had to be surgically removed. I was operated on four times on the left side, and three times on the right side. After the sixth operation, I suddenly had big problems with vertigo, and had to have yet another surgery. Since then, I’m ok if I have my eyes open. But if I close my eyes, the dizzy feeling comes back just like before.

Missing Out

After the cholesteatomas were removed, I had a hearing loss of 85 dB on the left side, and 55 dB on the right. That made life hard. I couldn’t really do my job as a store manager properly anymore, and I withdrew from my social life. You can’t imagine what it’s like to have bad hearing, to always have to ask people to repeat themselves, to not understand the cashier at the store, or to not hear your name being called at the doctors.

At some point, you lose the motivation to keep asking, and just close yourself off from the world. I started to avoid social contact, as I didn’t want to give myself more stress. The simplest things suddenly became the biggest hurdles. I was overwhelmed by the situation. I’d always been sporty and healthy—and suddenly everything changed. That hits you psychologically. The countless surgeries and the recovery period afterwards were also a massive challenge for me.

Finding A Solution

After my sixth surgery, I was extremely happy to get a doctor who finally understood me. She told me I needed a hearing device right away, and that I could no longer live so isolated from the world. From this moment, things have just got better and better! I had a seventh operation, and then received an ADHEAR.

ADHEAR has been brilliant right from the start. When I tried the device for the first time, it brought tears to my eyes. I suddenly realized all the things I hadn’t been able to hear: birdsong, dogs barking—all these sounds had been missing. The feeling was simply amazing! The acoustician said my hearing has improved by 70%, which I would never have imagined was possible.

Getting Back To Normal With ADHEAR

Since getting ADHEAR, my life is back to normal. I can do almost everything I could do before losing my hearing. I meet friends, I have the confidence to talk with people, and even visiting the doctors isn’t as difficult as before. ADHEAR is particularly great at work, at appointments, and when watching TV—the neighbors now no longer complain that the TV is too loud.

My advice to other people with hearing loss: Don’t wait for treatment as long as I did. Get yourself a hearing device, so you can hear how beautiful life is. And I can only recommend ADHEAR, particularly if you want a great hearing solution without any surgery.

Thanks, Robert!

Want to find out more about what life is like with ADHEAR? Check out this post from young ADHEAR user William, and his mum Lorraine.

Find out more about the ADHEAR bone conduction system and how it could help you or your child.