Joe – Grateful patient of Dr. Hinrich Staecker

Tinnitus

On January 24, 2006, at a routine house fire at 1:00 am, myself and a rookie firefighter were inside the house fighting the fire. As we approached the kitchen area where most of the fire was located, the floor collapsed and we fell approximately 10 feet into the basement. Unknown to us, the seat of the fire was located in the basement and we fell directly into the fire. I landed on the concrete floor, on my back, while wearing an air bottle. I also struck my head on the floor when I landed. Luckily all of my protective gear remained in place, including my helmet and air mask. We were able to fight our way through the fire and escape through a small basement window as fellow fire fighters pulled us out to safety.

I thought I was the luckiest guy around to be uninjured and still alive. I am lucky to be alive, however, 2 days later I noticed a loud ringing in my left ear. I thought it would go away in a few days but it didn't. It continued to get worse. The sound was deafening. I couldn't sleep, I couldn't eat, I had balance and vertigo problems, I was extremely anxious and agitated to the point of exhaustion. I had to start taking anti-anxiety medications just to function at a somewhat normal level. Attempts to find help over the next few weeks were futile. Worker's compensation doctors had no suggestions or advice except to tell me there was nothing to be done, I would just have to learn to live with it. I would not accept that prognosis.

After several weeks of attempting to find help, I was finally referred to Dr. Staecker at KU Medical Center. He ordered an audiology exam and immediately after, brought me into his office and explained to me what was happening and why I was feeling the way I was. Finally!!! An explanation! The ringing didn't miraculously stop, but just understanding what was happening to me made a big difference in my life. Dr. Staecker prescribed a hearing aid to attempt to retrain my brain to accept the ringing as normal background noise. What a difference that made in my life. It took several months for me to adjust, but now I lead a basically normal life. I still have the tinnitus.

I still have an underlying level of anxiety that will never go away but is quite manageable with minimum dosages of anti-anxiety medications. Dr. Staecker has continued to work with me in an effort to continually improve the quality of my life. I count my blessings every day since surviving the fall into the fire. Dr. Staecker is one of those blessings.