We have a surgery date !!!!

ashleysmommy

ashleysmommy

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Just wanted to share the great news. Ashley has been found a candidate for her second implant. Her doc called this morning to set a date. We are scheduled for Feb. 13. We still need to go to the audi appointment tomorrow. This is more for my benefit than theirs. I requested another test to be absolutely sure her hearing has not changed in her left ear. I don't fell that it has but I like to see it on paper. I am confident that this will help her so much in school and at home. She has such a hard time with localization because of her eyesight. This will keep her from having to work so hard to find the sounds. She has grown so much. Sorry just wanted to share.
 
Great news! I hope all goes well. I am bilateral and can tell you it helps so much with localizating sound. Just that sense of direction improves. Keep us updated. We love to hear about Ashley. What a smile!
 
That's awesome!!!! So her loss is pretty much deep profound? Nothing wrong with bilateral implants.......just gotta be positive that the need for bilats is there.......I mean the experiance of Deaf adults, who've been implanted indicates that clearly. It really is a mix and an indivdual thing.
Hey...........maybe a good idea might be to celebrate her getting implanted with a party or something.
 
ashleysmommy said:
Just wanted to share the great news. Ashley has been found a candidate for her second implant. Her doc called this morning to set a date. We are scheduled for Feb. 13. We still need to go to the audi appointment tomorrow. This is more for my benefit than theirs. I requested another test to be absolutely sure her hearing has not changed in her left ear. I don't fell that it has but I like to see it on paper. I am confident that this will help her so much in school and at home. She has such a hard time with localization because of her eyesight. This will keep her from having to work so hard to find the sounds. She has grown so much. Sorry just wanted to share.
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Awesome, that's great news. Here's to hoping the surgery goes well! :)
 
deafdyke said:
That's awesome!!!! So her loss is pretty much deep profound? Nothing wrong with bilateral implants.......just gotta be positive that the need for bilats is there.......I mean the experiance of Deaf adults, who've been implanted indicates that clearly. It really is a mix and an indivdual thing.
Hey...........maybe a good idea might be to celebrate her getting implanted with a party or something.
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The need is already there, DeafDyke. She's deafblind. She needs bilateral implants so she can localize sounds, which is very important since she has poor eyesight.
 
LuciaDisturbed said:
The need is already there, DeafDyke. She's deafblind. She needs bilateral implants so she can localize sounds, which is very important since she has poor eyesight.
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Yes, that is a big part of why the decision was made. She has made such great progress with the first implant. Her loss is severe in her left and it was severe to profound in the right. She has had hearing aids for almost 2 years. She has never shown any signs of benefit from them. She did not start to imitate or repeat sound until after her first implant. She is struggling with localization both at home and in school. We have been looking into the second implant for 6 months. We decided to wait until she had been implanted for 1 year to see how she accepted the implant and if she was a good user. She has done both. It was not taken lightly just as the decision to do the first implant. We thought long and hard about it. I am so proud of how far she has come in the 10 months she has been hearing. She has started to ask for her implant in her own way. She is whiny in the morning until I get it on. She brings me her magnet if it falls off or she will take my hand and put it on her magnet as if to say fix it. This lets me know she likes getting sound. This has helped in my decision. I wanted to know if she would wear her implant consistently. It has been a rocky road but one that has hit a smooth spot. I do understand the concerns of implanting children. I love my daughter. I know she is deaf. I know this is not fixing anything. This is assisting her to hear. I would love her hearing or not. Sorry to ramble.
 
ashleysmommy said:
Yes, that is a big part of why the decision was made. She has made such great progress with the first implant. Her loss is severe in her left and it was severe to profound in the right. She has had hearing aids for almost 2 years. She has never shown any signs of benefit from them. She did not start to imitate or repeat sound until after her first implant. She is struggling with localization both at home and in school. We have been looking into the second implant for 6 months. We decided to wait until she had been implanted for 1 year to see how she accepted the implant and if she was a good user. She has done both. It was not taken lightly just as the decision to do the first implant. We thought long and hard about it. I am so proud of how far she has come in the 10 months she has been hearing. She has started to ask for her implant in her own way. She is whiny in the morning until I get it on. She brings me her magnet if it falls off or she will take my hand and put it on her magnet as if to say fix it. This lets me know she likes getting sound. This has helped in my decision. I wanted to know if she would wear her implant consistently. It has been a rocky road but one that has hit a smooth spot. I do understand the concerns of implanting children. I love my daughter. I know she is deaf. I know this is not fixing anything. This is assisting her to hear. I would love her hearing or not. Sorry to ramble.
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Now I see... I was puzzlling when you said something about her sights... i have few deafblind friends... one lives about three blocks from me...

I hope you would send her to Helen Keller Center to be trained to live independent when she gets older... lots of my friends went there.. they told me they had ball time there... trained from there for one year...then your daughter will be fine...she can lead a life as deafblind... but it is lonely for them... not many deaf friends would bother to signs under the hands...as for me.. I got used to it .. I grew up with them....
 
I hope it goes well! It sounds like it will really help considering that she is partially sighted as well. I'm glad you are back as we have missed hearing about the lovely Ashley.
 
ashleysmommy said:
Just wanted to share the great news. Ashley has been found a candidate for her second implant. Her doc called this morning to set a date. We are scheduled for Feb. 13. We still need to go to the audi appointment tomorrow. This is more for my benefit than theirs. I requested another test to be absolutely sure her hearing has not changed in her left ear. I don't fell that it has but I like to see it on paper. I am confident that this will help her so much in school and at home. She has such a hard time with localization because of her eyesight. This will keep her from having to work so hard to find the sounds. She has grown so much. Sorry just wanted to share.
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Awesome! I think it will help greatly with localization of sounds even if she doesn't learn speech and she won't jump if someone walks behind her.

Do keep us posted on Ashely's progress.
 
wow thats great that she is getting second ci! good luck with her surgery and lots of hugs for ashley!!
 
Awesome, hope the surgery goes smooth!!! :)
 
cdmeggers said:
oh that's exciting!
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cdmeggers,
are you still trying to be find coverage for your implant. I am at this training and there is this lawyer that will help you find funds for your implant. It was really cool listening to her. Let me know.
Jackie
 
Wonderful news! :) As someone who is deafblind and bilateral, I can attest to the huge difference bilateral implants will make to Ashley's independence. Here's wishing you all the best for surgery!
 
jackiesolorzano said:
cdmeggers,
are you still trying to be find coverage for your implant. I am at this training and there is this lawyer that will help you find funds for your implant. It was really cool listening to her. Let me know.
Jackie
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If you are talking about the LTH foundation attorney, cdmeggers has already tried them, I believe.

Congratulations, ashley's mommy. Keep us posted on the progress.
 
Congrats...and thanks for sharing. :hug:
 
Lucia, I know.......But, it's also a fact that it can be very hard to tell exactly how well a baby/toddler hears with an aid. That's all. I think bilateral implants can be a good thing, but I also think that it should be pretty much established that HAs don't help too much or at all, before going for bilaterals.
I think the bilateral implantation vs CI plus HA combo thing is going to be pretty much an indivdual thing.
 
deafdyke said:
Lucia, I know.......But, it's also a fact that it can be very hard to tell exactly how well a baby/toddler hears with an aid. That's all. I think bilateral implants can be a good thing, but I also think that it should be pretty much established that HAs don't help too much or at all, before going for bilaterals.
I think the bilateral implantation vs CI plus HA combo thing is going to be pretty much an indivdual thing.
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Have you forgetten that Ashley is deafblind? In her case, having bilateral CIs is critical. And it already has been established that HAs doesn't help Ashley at all. She's already made big progress with her first CI...which shows that she will benefit from bilateral CIs much more than from just 1 CI and 1 HA. She will gain localization of sounds, which is very important for blind (especially deafblind) people.
 
Lucia we agree. I'm not being obtuse. I'm just saying what I'm saying due to some audi experts who seem to think that dhh kids need to be amplified to the max from the very second of diaganosis. That's all............
 
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