County commissioner will have surgery to improve hearing

Adrienne Packer

Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2002 | 9:41 a.m.

Clark County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury and radio host Rush Limbaugh are about to have more in common than their political party.

Like the talk show host, the Republican Woodbury is hoping that cochlear implant surgery will eliminate the need for amplified sound systems and closed-caption monitors that have helped him through meetings during the last year.

Woodbury is scheduled for the surgery Wednesday.

"I'm nervous and excited," said Woodbury, 57, whose hearing has progressively worsened since he was in his 20s. "I'm excited at the prospect that I might improve. Most people seem to improve."

The three-hour procedure will be performed on Woodbury's right ear, which during the last two years worsened to the point that he became eligible for an implant.

"It's become increasingly difficult but I have a lot of people help me," Woodbury said. "The most difficult part is group gatherings -- political events, dinners and luncheons."

Woodbury sought the surgery two years ago, but after an evaluation he was deemed ineligible.

A group gathering at the University of California, Los Angeles, clinic persuaded Woodbury to move forward with the operation, which according to medical reports costs about $30,000.

"I met with the group a couple of times; the focus was for people who have had the surgery and others who were considering it," he said. "What got me convinced was that the people who had the surgery were understanding the conversation a lot better than I was."

The implant, embedded in the inner ear, converts speech and sounds into electrical signals that are sent to the hearing nerve.

Woodbury leaves for Los Angeles today and will miss county meetings for the remainder of November while he recovers.