The Cochlear Osia 2 Sound Processor, which had been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration on December 11, 2019, went through the final approval process at Yale New Haven Lawrence & Memorial Hospital. Read about the FDA clearing Cochlear's innovative new Osia® 2 hearing implant system at https://bmre.us/hearing. The first transplant of a Cochlear Osia 2 device at Yale New Haven Lawrence & Memorial Hospital was performed by Dr Richard L Vincent of Ear Nose & Throat Associates of SECT on August 7, 2020.

1. Mystic Realtor gets the newest
technology to improve hearing
from Dr. Richard L.Vincent of
Ear Nose &Throat Associates
of SECT
Welcome to Cochlear Osia 2

2. My name is Will Morrissey and I am a
Realtor in the Mystic toWesterly area of
Connecticut and Rhode Island. Working
with my wife at Bridget Morrissey Real
Estate brokered by eXp Realty, we also
service the towns of Stonington, Ledyard,
Groton, Pawcatuck, North Stonington,
Gales Ferry, Preston, East Lyme and
Waterford in Connecticut as well asWatch
Hill and Charlestown, Rhode Island.

3. My hearing loss probably
occurred because of a car
accident in which I was
involved in 1976. I broke my
jaw in three places.
My jaw was wired shut to
heal but three weeks after
the wires came out and two
months after the accident
internal problems appeared
that took considerable
attention.
Though my body healed I did
not realize my hearing had
been impaired.

4. Over twenty years working in a marina
with a repair shop there was always
noise. I naturally assumed the noise
made it difficult to hear conversations.
Many years later I realized that I was
having some difficulty hearing with my
left ear.The symptoms were muffled
sounds, difficulty catching a whole
conversation, especially when more than
one person was talking, having to lean in
with my right ear to have statements
repeated, and just giving up on
conversations in a restaurant.
I did not like having my wife walk on the
outside of a sidewalk so that I could hear
better with my right ear. She did not like
going upstairs to bed earlier than me and
having to shout down to lower the
volume on theTV.

5. A year ago it started getting
worse. I could not
understand her when she
was talking while walking
away from me.
Worse yet, we were both
frustrated when what I
heard was not what she
said.
As we are both Realtors, she
did not appreciate it when I
could not understand
conversations and showed a
disinterested look.

6. It was time to get a hearing test. I started
looking into hearing aids and went for a
test in East Hartford.
I was not surprised that my test results
were not that good but was miffed that I
was told to go to an Ear Specialist before
hearing aids could be recommended.

7. Living in Ledyard, Connecticut, the
Ear Nose &Throat Associates of SECT
inWaterford and Mystic was the
closest audiology service available.
I originally saw Dr. David Boisoneau,
who, it turned out, is a cousin of
someone I have known for 40 years.
He was enjoyable to talk with but his
expertise is more disease and disorder
oriented.
He suggested that I make an
appointment with the hearing
impairment specialist, Dr. Richard
Vincent.
But first, he made an appointment for
me to get another hearing test to
confirm the results attained from the
hearing aid facility in East Hartford.

8. Once Dr.Vincent compared the second
set of results with the first set, he let me
know the options available to me. I could
go in two different directions, hearing
aids or Cochlear Implant.
A physician is not allowed to make up
your mind for you or to even suggest
which way to go.
Two things happened before a final
decision was reached.
First, an MRI on my skull and jaw bone
was performed to be sure that there
were no impediments to a Cochlear
Implant.
Second, there was another hearing test,
with the addition of listening to hearing
aids and a Cochlear device.

9. The results were fairly
even.The deciding factors
were two-fold for me.
First, anticipated
technology advancements
point in the direction of the
implant.
Second, I am now 65 years
old and on Medicare.
Surgery is covered whereas
hearing aids are not.

10. Now let me get to the Aha Moment!
The tuning fork!
When I informed Dr.Vincent of my
decision to go with the Cochlear
device he took out a tuning fork
just as the session was ending.
He held it in front of me, hit it and
it rang.
Next he put it up against the side
of my head and hit it. It was five
times louder!
He smiled, said he agreed with my
choice and would set the wheels in
motion.

11. Unfortunately, that was the
last week of February and our
world pretty much came to a
stop on March 9 with the
announcements related to
COVID-19.
Appointments had to be
postponed.

12. It wasn’t until July 9, 2020 that we were
able to meet again.
In the meantime, the Cochlear Osia 2
Sound Processor, which had been
cleared by the US Food and Drug
Administration on December 11, 2019,
was going through the final approval
process atYale New Haven Lawrence &
Memorial Hospital.
Read about the FDA clearing
Cochlear's innovative new Osia® 2
hearing implant system at
https://bmre.us/hearing

13. As it turns out, my implant was the first
of its kind performed at the hospital.
My test for Covid-19 was done on
August 4, an EKG onAugust 6 and the
operation performed onAugust 7,
2020.
To prepare for 10:15 am Outpatient
Surgery for a Cochlear implant I arrived
at 8:00. Greeted warmly byTrudy,
masks traded, temperature taken and
Covid-19 questions asked and answered,
I was directed to the Peach elevators.
In the outpatient surgery waiting room,
Luna called me and proceeded to take
my weight measurement. She then
walked me down to an examining room
and cheerfully explained part of the
procedure for the morning before asking
me to get into the operating room
apparel. She pulled the curtain and left.

14. Nancy M, RN, came in with more
information and inserted the needle for
intravenous fluids more skillfully then I
have ever had performed on me.
She also proceeded to inform me of
what to expect before introducing me
to Dr. Alex S, the anesthesiologist.
My wife and I are Realtors and
coincidentally had just met Alex and his
wife five days earlier at an Open House
that we were holding.
I had a little fun with him when he
walked in because he had told my wife,
Bridget Morrissey, his occupation while
she showed him some land.

15. Of course, wearing masks then
and yesterday, he would not
recognize me but was shocked
when I said ‘Hello Alex, long
time no see!’
Nancy got a chuckle because
she was the one who told me
that Alex would be right in to
see me and she knew what was
coming.
Smiles aside, Dr Alex explained
his procedure and some after-
effects, like the slight sore
throat I felt the day after
surgery.

16. DrVincent arrived and described the
actual operation to me, when to
remove the bandage and set a card in
my belongings bag with an
appointment forThursday at 2:00.
As he was leaving, Diane, the
Operating Room Director entered and
quickly introduced herself, Alex (or
Alice, remember, I am hard of
hearing) and Lisa who wheeled me to
the Operating Room.

17. Upon entering I met “Ram”
who was very busy. I also met
the materials manager and
the Cochlear Sales Rep as I
was being instructed on how
to get on the operating table.
Alex was putting the mask
on and it was lights out for
me about five seconds later.

18. Nancy, the RN, met me
in the Recovery Room
and removed the
highway or tubes she had
so skillfully inserted into
my right arm earlier.
Alex (male) brought me
graham crackers, oyster
crackers and my choice of
a ginger ale.
Still in waking up mode I
asked him where the
clam chowder was!

19. My wife, Bridget, had
been called and I was
wheeled out to the front
door a while later.
I had not seen the heavy
bandage job and she
briefly looked a little
horrified.
But she was the only one
all morning who had not
been bright and cheery
since my arrival.
Of course, she can be
excused for the quick
glance.

20. The following is a checklist given at
discharge. (Minus personal
information.)

23. August 7, 2020
Shortly after arriving at
home, it was time to rest!

24. August 8, 2020
Waking up the next day,
my concern was, did I
move the head dressing
too much while trying to
sleep?

25. August 9, 2020
The head dressing just fell away when
my wife cut one strip of gauze cloth. In
my case it turned out the bandage was
more for protection then for leakage.
However, if there had been leakage the
bandage was there to do its job. (The
mark under the bandage strip is ink, just
marking which ear was going to get the
operation.)

26. August 10, 2020
While placing the above pictures and
comments I received a call from Erin at
Ear, Nose &Throat Associates of SECT
to see how I was doing.
I summed up the comments to the
three pictures and then mentioned that
I did not need the pain medications but
that I was taking the anti-biotics.
It is like hitting your hand with a
hammer while driving a nail, the next
day you only feel it if you think about it.
It is so nice to know that ENT
Associates of SECT care and follow up
on their patients.

27. August 13, 2020
My first post-op appointment with Dr.
Vincent brought a major revelation. I did
not know that stitches were not used . A
glue substance closes the incision after
surgery now.The adhesive bandages
came off easily. He instructed me to
wash gently and the crusty surface will
fade away.

28. So my next scheduled appointment is
another hearing test on September 2
in Mystic at 8:30 am.