Overcoming Dizziness and Hearing Loss: A Retired Physician’s Journey to Wellness

JORDAN PYSZ / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Frances’ dizziness has been resolved, and she is hearing better with the hearing aids she was fit with by Dr. Hansen at Trinity Hearing & Balance Center.

While attending medical school, Frances Binuya-Rerisi, MD, became interested in internal medicine and pursued it as her specialty. After graduation, she completed a one-year internship in New Jersey and a three-year internal medicine residency in New York. She then practiced internal medicine in New Port Richey for 15 years.

“In 1991, I quit my practice and went to work for the health department in Tampa and later for the Hillsborough County and Pinellas County health departments,” Frances recounts. “I served as senior physician at their clinics, but I’m retired now.”

Frances is an active retiree. She enjoys walking, stretching and flexibility exercises, and chair yoga to stay fit. But this past March, those activities and many others were put on hold when she experienced an episode of severe dizziness.

“I was so dizzy that I fell in my bathroom, hit my head and was admitted to the hospital for two days,” she remembers. “Besides the dizziness, I had headaches and pain in the back of my head and neck. After I was discharged, my neurologist referred me to Trinity Hearing & Balance Center.”

That’s the New Port Richey practice of Kelly Hansen, AuD. Dr. Hansen and fellow audiologist Kayla Dub, AuD, CCCA, specialize in hearing care, including the fitting of hearing aids. They also treat balance disorders.

Dual Diagnoses

Dr. Hansen used a software-driven machine called the Epley Omniax System to determine the cause of Frances’ dizziness and treat it.

“Our testing confirmed that Frances was experiencing benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, or BPPV, the most common cause of episodic vertigo,” Dr Hansen discloses. “BPPV is caused by small crystals of calcium carbonate called otoconia that get into the inner ear’s balance mechanisms. When those particles become loose in the semicircular canals, a sensation of movement and dizziness is triggered.”

The Epley Omniax System includes a rotating patient chair that plays a prominent role in repositioning the otoconia. The chair is computer controlled, so it can put patients in the precise positions necessary to move the loose crystals back where they belong.

“The machine inverted me in all different directions, up and down, left and right,” Frances describes. “It showed that I experienced severe dizziness in certain positions because I had displaced crystals in my inner ear.”

After just one treatment on the Epley Omniax System, the crystals in Frances’ ears moved back into place and her dizziness was resolved, Dr. Hansen reports. But there was another issue that Dr. Hansen discovered while evaluating Frances: significant hearing loss.

“I didn’t know I had hearing loss until Dr. Hansen tested me,” Frances reveals. “It became obvious when I couldn’t understand some of what she was saying to me during the test. My husband didn’t notice anything, either, but his hearing is worse than mine.”

Dr. Hansen explained to Frances the serious risks associated with untreated hearing loss, which include balance problems, falls and cognitive decline. Frances agreed to be fit for hearing aids to help eliminate those risks as well as improve her quality of life.

“Frances’ hearing loss developed very gradually with age, so she didn’t know how much she wasn’t hearing,” Dr. Hansen observes. “We asked her if she could hear the TV, and she said, Sometimes it’s not clear. We also asked if she had trouble hearing in social situations when there’s background noise, and she said, Yes, occasionally. But she became used to not hearing well in those situations and thought it was normal.

“Once she began wearing hearing aids, Frances started to hear things she didn’t even realize she had been missing.”

Dr. Hansen used a novel technique called speech mapping when fitting Frances for her hearing instruments. Speech mapping is a process for ensuring the hearing aids are accurately programmed for the individual’s needs. It measures how the devices perform in response to certain sounds. It is an essential step to get the best fitting possible.

“We also fit Frances with the latest technology,” Dr. Hansen notes. “Her rechargeable hearing aids have an advanced processor and artificial intelligence built into them. They operate on a deep neural network that mimics the brain to fix what years of hearing loss have broken.”

“Disappeared Completely”

Frances is extremely pleased with the care she received for her dizziness and hearing loss. “Two days after completing my treatment on Dr. Hansen’s machine, my dizziness disappeared,” Francis says. “I have very good hearing when I wear the hearing aids. I can hear very well on the phone, and the dialogue on TV is much clearer.

“Dr. Hansen is very good. She’s very meticulous about doing a complete examination and explaining everything so you can understand. I most definitely recommend Dr. Hansen and Trinity Hearing & Balance Center.”

Don’t miss the upcoming VIP hearing event at Trinity Hearing & Balance Center!

In the world of hearing aid centers, actual doctors of audiology providing care are comparatively rare. But they are the rule, rather than the exception, at Trinity Hearing & Balance Center in New Port Richey. And this December 12, 13, 14, Trinity will have a special event: a visit by Doctor of Audiology and nationally known hearing aid expert, Patrick Thomas.

During this special event, Trinity will be offering, Free of Charge:

A complete electronic hearing screening by their licensed hearing professional;
An otoscopic visualization of your ear canal to reveal ear wax or other impediments to your hearing;
A cleaning and check of your existing hearing aids; and
An opportunity to try Starkey’s newest hearing aid, Genesis AI. The best sounding, best performing hearing aid available, this technology offers infinite benefits to patients. Genesis AI includes the world’s longest battery life and the world’s smallest custom product yet!

This event will be three days only. Please call (727) 493-4641 early to make an appointment on the date of your choice. During this event, Trinity will be offering special discounts and incentives, including interest-free financing* toward the purchase of any new GENESIS AI hearing system from Starkey. Appointments will go fast. Be sure to bring a friend or loved one (someone whose voice is familiar to you).