Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1314367
Fall 2020 – LOCAL695.ORG 25 A1 on baking show at Tastemade Studios in Santa Monica, CA. Feb. 2020. Photo by Wes McLean Mic'ing Micky Dolenz for Spotify Music Happens Here shoot, Feb. 2017. ear. This condition stops one of the three bones (the stapes) from vibrating, therefore limiting the transmission of external sound from the outer ear (tympanic membrane/ear drum) through the middle ear (hammer, anvil, stapes) to the inner ear, (cochlea) where the signals are then sent along the auditory nerve to the brain. If his conclusions were correct then I could be a candidate for surgery called a 'Stapedectomy.' This is a specialized procedure where the diseased "stapes" bone in the middle ear is removed, and replaced with a titanium prosthetic. Once healed the new bone allows sound to pass normally through the middle ear to the inner ear. Dr. Marghzar recommended I go to the House Ear Clinic in Los Angeles. He then put me in touch with Dr. William H. Slattery and got me an expedited appointment with more blood tests and another CT scan to confirm his suspicions. In the meantime, Dr. Marghzar loaned me a pair of higher quality hearing aids, which helped me to continue working and adapt to daily life. After further testing at the House Ear Clinic, the results confirmed Dr. Marghzar's findings; my prayers had been answered. I was scheduled for my first of four ear surgeries with Dr. Slattery, between 2004 and 2007, which restored as much of my hearing as possible. Most cases of otosclerosis requires only one surgery for each ear, mine was so bad that I needed two for each ear (initial surgery and a revision). You can only have one surgery done at a time which required a six-month recovery between surgeries. As they were staggered over four years, it felt like a long endless road. To better illustrate what was happening to me, it helps to draw a comparison between the anatomical functions of the ear and the mechanical functions of a live PA system. Think of the ear drum (outer ear) how the diaphragm in a microphone works by picking up acoustic energy—sound waves and transmitting them through a connected XLR cable, (middle ear) into the PAs amplifier, (inner ear) where they are then amplified and made distinguishable (the brain). Now, imagine if you were to impede the signal flow through the XLR cable, or even worse, cut it off altogether with wire cutters? The outcome is obvious. No sound waves can now pass between the microphone and the amplifier. This is exactly what happens to a person living with Otosclerosis. It's also called "conductive hearing loss," because the bones in the middle ear (XLR cable) stop working as a conduit to the inner ear (amplifier). As for the internal ringing which accompanies otosclerosis, it's my understanding that much of mine was generated by the abnormal growth of the stapes bone. In a normal situation, the bones in the middle ear only move when the ear drum vibrates in reaction to external sound waves. As the diseased stapes bone mineralizes, it slowly freezes into place against the cochlea, therefore generating the excruciating internal ringing, screeching, clicking, and buzzing sounds that otherwise do not exist externally. It can be absolutely maddening. Mixing interview with actor/comedian Elon Gold for web docu-series, The World According to Jeff Goldblum, on March 2, 2020. Photo by Ross Alexander Wilson