I lost part of my post, but I will try to segway into what I wrote. I just wanted to update everyone on our current situation. We are still not yet in Florida, but we are getting closer to making things work--somehow, some way. My daughter is in the 8th grade at the local public school--the deaf and hh program is there--there is one other girl and two boys in the deaf/hh class--socially, it still is not the ideal situation for my daughter. She still REALLY wants to get to the deaf school in Florida as soon as possible!
Recently she has been dealing with hearing aid issues. She has had the same pair for years now(since kindergarten!!). They have been repaired over the years, but now things are starting to happen that lets us know that we HAVE to replace them soon!! She is lucky to have gotten so much use out of this pair!! Still, our current health insurance doesn't cover hearing aids...just recently read the big nasty EXCLUSIONS section: How DARE they cover things like drug rehab but NOT cover hearing aids!!!!!! It is CRAZY!!!! We are in that unlucky population known as "middle class"--we don't have the money to afford many things, yet we make "too much money" to qualify for many services that are geared toward low-income families. Yep--the middle class just gets screwed, don't we!! Oh--this housing market, this economy crisis, the credit crunch...we are getting killed financially!! We just want to provide proper health care (hearing aids) and education (deaf school) for our daughter--we keep finding many doors closed to us regarding these issues. But I am not giving up...I am just beginning to rethink the situation and I am trying to come up with alternatives.
As far as hearing aids repair and replacement: one hearing aid may truly be "dead"--it may NOT be able to be repaired. The other hearing aid is functioning fine, but recently a piece broke off that may or may not be able to be replaced. I am taking them in to a repair shop today to see if anything can be done. Long story short: earmold is fine, tube connecting earmold is fine, ear hook connecting to tube is fine, and hearing aid itself is fine--the problem is the connection between the hearing aid and the ear hook. They are Oticon Digifocus 2 digital hearing aids--she got them in 2000. Yes, I know...they are old and we may not be able to find the part that needs to be repaired--but I am hoping. This place that we are going today says that they have parts from old aids--they MAY be able to fix it--I sure hope so!! If we can fix this piece, the ear hook/tube/ear mold can be reattached to the hearing aid and HOPEFULLY my daughter can wear at least one for a little bit longer. Basically, we are trying to buy just a bit more time until our situation gets better---we think that we can get a reduced rate on hearing aids once we are Florida residents(buying them through the school audiologist)--plus ear molds are free for students--plus batteries are free, too. And I would really like to buy new hearing aids there instead of here so that when they need to be reset, repaired, etc. then we won't have to deal with an out-of-state audiologist. The audiology department at the deaf school does lots of maintenance on hearing aids, plus they even have loaner aids if one needs to be sent away for repair. That is MUCH better than our situation here through the local public school system!
How is my daughter dealing with not having hearing aids right now? Not so great, but better than I thought she would. Basically, when she was diagnosed with a hearing loss at one year old, they gave her some loaner aids and then she got her first pair soon afterward. We upgraded her to digitals right before she started kindergarten. Over the years, she has worn two hearing aids everyday. On occasion, we may have sent one off for repair--she still had one everyday during those times. This time, they are both currently "out of commission" and she is spending a lot of time without any hearing aids--at least at home. At school, she has a pair that has FM boots on them--she is not allowed to wear those home. So, for the first time in her life(since her diagnosis), she is without hearing aids. This has only been a few days since BOTH are now not wearable--we are trying to fix at least one as soon as possible. I think that it is tougher on me than it is on her!! I feel "guilty" about it...you know, mother guilt! Part of me wants to run right out and get her some new hearing aids immediately--but we really cannot afford to do that right this minute. Still, I will do whatever I need to do to help my daughter--I also feel very guilty that I haven't been able to get this move to Florida in action--I feel really bad that she STILL is not attending her "dream school" in Florida. There are also other issues--some related to my hearing son who is in 10th grade--I feel like I am messing up HIS high school experience in order to get his sister a better deaf education. Oh, mother guilt!! It sure can eat away at us!!
Anyway--my daughter is learning sign language--slowly but surely. She is learning through school and I am learning through her. She learns from the deaf teacher and the school interpreter--both very nice people who she gets along with beautifully. They are young women who almost feel like big sisters to her. She will miss them when she moves, but I am sure that she will LOVE having people her own age to bond with at the deaf school. She is also in a "sign language club" at school this year--she is like a peer tutor for the hearing students who are just beginning to learn. Even though she is not really fluent herself yet, she feels confident when helping the true "newbies"--this is great for her confidence! SO--during this time with no hearing aids at home, we are using some sign, some finger spelling, some writing notes, and a LOT of lipreading to communicate. I am seeing what her life really is like as a deaf teenager--she still listens to music through headphones(she always takes off her hearing aids to do that anyway), she still watches tv with closed captioning on, she still text messages her friends, she still communicates with friends on MySpace--basically, she is doing just fine!
Last night, she used to light of the tv to lipread me while we talked--when a commercial was on or somehow the tv light dimmed, we would wait until it brightened to finish talking. It is interesting to see her work her way through this--I am very proud of her because she isn't "freaking out" like I thought she might do. Yes, she does say that she hopes her hearing aids can be repaired SOON because she really wants to hear, but she is finding ways to compensate. It is definitely not a "life or death" situation even though it is a big adjustment.
On the Florida move--I have one idea that, while not the BEST idea, just may work if nothing else does. We DO have family in Pensacola, Florida who have offered to let us stay there until we completed our planned move to the Orlando area. Here is the situation: as long as my daughter is a resident of Florida, she can attend FSDB and get transportation to and from school on the weekends. The school is in St. Augustine--my husband's current job has an office in Orlando and he is trying to work out a transfer there. The plan is to get her enrolled as a boarding student(spring semester of this year, hopefully)--probably begin the process as an "out-of-state student"--move SOMEWHERE in Florida and become residents(waive the out-of-state fees)--and eventually get settled into the Orlando area(hopefully by this summer!). The bus ride from St. Augustine to Orlando is about 2 hours or less. That is definitely "doable". BUT--if we stayed with my family in Pensacola, that is a LOT further away--maybe a 6 or 7 hour bus ride?!! I know that there are some students who do that every weekend--but wow! All day Friday and all day Sunday would just be travel days!! It is a possibility, but not the best one. I would much rather have her only 2 hours away, not 6 or 7---plus, the length of time on the bus! Still, it IS an option, and it IS a better option than just staying here and continuing the delay in our move to Florida. My daughter really needs to get enrolled at the deaf school--I am thinking of MANY options--this is just one idea. It would be the last resort, but it would definitely be better than not going at all.
Well--that is where we stand right now. I am doing everything I can to make things work for my daughter. I am trying to find a way to make things work for the rest of the family, too. It is not easy being a parent, that is for sure. It is a wonderful blessing and I have enjoyed it immensely, but sometimes you have to make some really tough choices and decisions. If my daughter and I move to Florida in January(to live with relatives or otherwise), my husband and son will probably stay here at least until May. My son is not really happy at his current high school, but he does want to complete the year there instead of being transient and attending several different schools during the moving process. Luckily, my parents live down the road--my son is about to turn 16 and my husband has to travel out of town a lot for work. My son can spend a lot of time "home alone" at 16, but I don't want to feel like I am leaving him completely on his own--sometimes my husband will be here, and other times my parents will fill in. I hope we ALL make it through this tough transition. I sure would love to have GOOD news in the near future...wish us luck!
Recently she has been dealing with hearing aid issues. She has had the same pair for years now(since kindergarten!!). They have been repaired over the years, but now things are starting to happen that lets us know that we HAVE to replace them soon!! She is lucky to have gotten so much use out of this pair!! Still, our current health insurance doesn't cover hearing aids...just recently read the big nasty EXCLUSIONS section: How DARE they cover things like drug rehab but NOT cover hearing aids!!!!!! It is CRAZY!!!! We are in that unlucky population known as "middle class"--we don't have the money to afford many things, yet we make "too much money" to qualify for many services that are geared toward low-income families. Yep--the middle class just gets screwed, don't we!! Oh--this housing market, this economy crisis, the credit crunch...we are getting killed financially!! We just want to provide proper health care (hearing aids) and education (deaf school) for our daughter--we keep finding many doors closed to us regarding these issues. But I am not giving up...I am just beginning to rethink the situation and I am trying to come up with alternatives.
As far as hearing aids repair and replacement: one hearing aid may truly be "dead"--it may NOT be able to be repaired. The other hearing aid is functioning fine, but recently a piece broke off that may or may not be able to be replaced. I am taking them in to a repair shop today to see if anything can be done. Long story short: earmold is fine, tube connecting earmold is fine, ear hook connecting to tube is fine, and hearing aid itself is fine--the problem is the connection between the hearing aid and the ear hook. They are Oticon Digifocus 2 digital hearing aids--she got them in 2000. Yes, I know...they are old and we may not be able to find the part that needs to be repaired--but I am hoping. This place that we are going today says that they have parts from old aids--they MAY be able to fix it--I sure hope so!! If we can fix this piece, the ear hook/tube/ear mold can be reattached to the hearing aid and HOPEFULLY my daughter can wear at least one for a little bit longer. Basically, we are trying to buy just a bit more time until our situation gets better---we think that we can get a reduced rate on hearing aids once we are Florida residents(buying them through the school audiologist)--plus ear molds are free for students--plus batteries are free, too. And I would really like to buy new hearing aids there instead of here so that when they need to be reset, repaired, etc. then we won't have to deal with an out-of-state audiologist. The audiology department at the deaf school does lots of maintenance on hearing aids, plus they even have loaner aids if one needs to be sent away for repair. That is MUCH better than our situation here through the local public school system!
How is my daughter dealing with not having hearing aids right now? Not so great, but better than I thought she would. Basically, when she was diagnosed with a hearing loss at one year old, they gave her some loaner aids and then she got her first pair soon afterward. We upgraded her to digitals right before she started kindergarten. Over the years, she has worn two hearing aids everyday. On occasion, we may have sent one off for repair--she still had one everyday during those times. This time, they are both currently "out of commission" and she is spending a lot of time without any hearing aids--at least at home. At school, she has a pair that has FM boots on them--she is not allowed to wear those home. So, for the first time in her life(since her diagnosis), she is without hearing aids. This has only been a few days since BOTH are now not wearable--we are trying to fix at least one as soon as possible. I think that it is tougher on me than it is on her!! I feel "guilty" about it...you know, mother guilt! Part of me wants to run right out and get her some new hearing aids immediately--but we really cannot afford to do that right this minute. Still, I will do whatever I need to do to help my daughter--I also feel very guilty that I haven't been able to get this move to Florida in action--I feel really bad that she STILL is not attending her "dream school" in Florida. There are also other issues--some related to my hearing son who is in 10th grade--I feel like I am messing up HIS high school experience in order to get his sister a better deaf education. Oh, mother guilt!! It sure can eat away at us!!
Anyway--my daughter is learning sign language--slowly but surely. She is learning through school and I am learning through her. She learns from the deaf teacher and the school interpreter--both very nice people who she gets along with beautifully. They are young women who almost feel like big sisters to her. She will miss them when she moves, but I am sure that she will LOVE having people her own age to bond with at the deaf school. She is also in a "sign language club" at school this year--she is like a peer tutor for the hearing students who are just beginning to learn. Even though she is not really fluent herself yet, she feels confident when helping the true "newbies"--this is great for her confidence! SO--during this time with no hearing aids at home, we are using some sign, some finger spelling, some writing notes, and a LOT of lipreading to communicate. I am seeing what her life really is like as a deaf teenager--she still listens to music through headphones(she always takes off her hearing aids to do that anyway), she still watches tv with closed captioning on, she still text messages her friends, she still communicates with friends on MySpace--basically, she is doing just fine!
Last night, she used to light of the tv to lipread me while we talked--when a commercial was on or somehow the tv light dimmed, we would wait until it brightened to finish talking. It is interesting to see her work her way through this--I am very proud of her because she isn't "freaking out" like I thought she might do. Yes, she does say that she hopes her hearing aids can be repaired SOON because she really wants to hear, but she is finding ways to compensate. It is definitely not a "life or death" situation even though it is a big adjustment. On the Florida move--I have one idea that, while not the BEST idea, just may work if nothing else does. We DO have family in Pensacola, Florida who have offered to let us stay there until we completed our planned move to the Orlando area. Here is the situation: as long as my daughter is a resident of Florida, she can attend FSDB and get transportation to and from school on the weekends. The school is in St. Augustine--my husband's current job has an office in Orlando and he is trying to work out a transfer there. The plan is to get her enrolled as a boarding student(spring semester of this year, hopefully)--probably begin the process as an "out-of-state student"--move SOMEWHERE in Florida and become residents(waive the out-of-state fees)--and eventually get settled into the Orlando area(hopefully by this summer!). The bus ride from St. Augustine to Orlando is about 2 hours or less. That is definitely "doable". BUT--if we stayed with my family in Pensacola, that is a LOT further away--maybe a 6 or 7 hour bus ride?!! I know that there are some students who do that every weekend--but wow! All day Friday and all day Sunday would just be travel days!! It is a possibility, but not the best one. I would much rather have her only 2 hours away, not 6 or 7---plus, the length of time on the bus! Still, it IS an option, and it IS a better option than just staying here and continuing the delay in our move to Florida. My daughter really needs to get enrolled at the deaf school--I am thinking of MANY options--this is just one idea. It would be the last resort, but it would definitely be better than not going at all.
Well--that is where we stand right now. I am doing everything I can to make things work for my daughter. I am trying to find a way to make things work for the rest of the family, too. It is not easy being a parent, that is for sure. It is a wonderful blessing and I have enjoyed it immensely, but sometimes you have to make some really tough choices and decisions. If my daughter and I move to Florida in January(to live with relatives or otherwise), my husband and son will probably stay here at least until May. My son is not really happy at his current high school, but he does want to complete the year there instead of being transient and attending several different schools during the moving process. Luckily, my parents live down the road--my son is about to turn 16 and my husband has to travel out of town a lot for work. My son can spend a lot of time "home alone" at 16, but I don't want to feel like I am leaving him completely on his own--sometimes my husband will be here, and other times my parents will fill in. I hope we ALL make it through this tough transition. I sure would love to have GOOD news in the near future...wish us luck!
