Surgery Date.

John just got his on Oct. 18th and is doing good.
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ALRIGHT!!!! WOOHOO!!!! Are you a member of the American Society for Deaf Children yet? You're the one interested in TC right? ASDC would be a MUCH better organization for you, then AG Bell :barf:
 
darkangel8603 said:
I got some information about getting cochlear implants. I am going to go in for surgery on Nov 15th. That is about a month and a half away from now. Yikes.
:)
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Congrats DA, I had Implant Surgery in June and I am having GREAT results so far and it gets better every day :) :cheers:

Gig
 
Oh, and you mentioned in the other thread that you can hear sounds but not speech with your aids....I deffy think that the CI is definitly a legitimate option for you....Hopefully you might be able to get increased speech perception with the CI! That would be AWESOME!!!!!
 
Yah, I hope the implant will be benefitful for me.

I went in for pre surgery admission appt yesterday, and everything is all set, so i just go in on november 15. And that is not very far from now, cant wait, at same time nervous lol.
 
deafdyke said:
ALRIGHT!!!! WOOHOO!!!! Are you a member of the American Society for Deaf Children yet? You're the one interested in TC right? ASDC would be a MUCH better organization for you, then AG Bell :barf:
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Yeah I'm somewhat interested in TC. Mostly, whatever John decides when he gets older. By the way he got his implant turned on Nov. 22nd and did great with it.
We are not involved with the ASDC, honestly didn't know about it. Will look into it though, thanks
 
:applause: YEAH!!!!! That's a great attitude to have Ellie!
Wish more parents were like you! Also, I think that ASDC has more kids with multiple issues, then does AG Bell. I wish I could reccomend AG Bell, as I believe that dhh kids should be able to have some speech skills, and a lot of the "gifted" therapists are associated with AG Bell. Unfortunatly, AG Bell has become an organization FILLED with anti-Sign yuppies. There are some members who have oral skills, and who also use Sign, but for the most part.......ugh!
Keep us updated on John! I would LOVE to hear how he's doing!
 
Ellie, refresh my memory as to the early intervention efforts your son is getting...... Maybe we can help you find some good resources. I really do think most of the lack of acheivement in the Deaf community is due to improper early intervention. Like a lot of kids may have just gotten general EI services (like services targeted towards kids with cognitive and physical delays like Down's or Cerebal Palsy) Definitly join the American Society for Deaf Children...They may be able to REALLY help you with specific resources and things like that. Definitly contact your state's school for the Deaf as well as the oral schools. Contact your state's chapter of NAD. Some states have EI programs where Sign fluent adults come to the house and serve as mentors to your family. Also they may be able to hook you up with ASL fluent babysitters! Also, look into enrolling your child into the John Tracy Clinic, which has a correspondence course for dhh preschoolers. Just a word of advice......don't overdo the therapy. Try to find a balance. Remember, your kid is deaf, but he is ALSO a kid too!
 
I am very concerned about the implants. I support it. I have some questions that might be important to you.

(1) How long will it be last?

(2) Does it required you to replace the channel wires every couple of years (i.e. 10 years)?

(3) What kind of wires does it have for the cochlear? i.e. aluminum or stainless metal. Does it covered with coat of plastic to prevent rust?

(5) Will it able to upgrade the hearing aid device for your same wires in your cochlear?

(6) Do the cochlears ever grow when the kids get older?
 
webexplorer said:
I am very concerned about the implants. I support it. I have some questions that might be important to you.

(1) How long will it be last?

(2) Does it required you to replace the channel wires every couple of years (i.e. 10 years)?

(3) What kind of wires does it have for the cochlear? i.e. aluminum or stainless metal. Does it covered with coat of plastic to prevent rust?

(5) Will it able to upgrade the hearing aid device for your same wires in your cochlear?

(6) Do the cochlears ever grow when the kids get older?
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Good questions!

The answers are as follows:

1) Even implanted young, they can last your entire life. They are built to last and they are built with excess capacity so you never really reach a limit with them. Given how fast they are improving them and if you probably younger than 60, then it is possible one will get a replacement with these improvements (i.e., better sound quality and etc). I was told given my age (47) that I would probably get a replacement at some point down the road. I will deal with that when I get there. You don't have to but the option will probably be there. Once you have a CI done, any future surgery is a "walk in the park" because all the hard works has already been done.

2) I assume you mean the one's inside your head then see #1. No replacement for channel wires except to replace the whole thing due to implant failures. It does happen but very rarely and as I mentioned before it is not complicated as the original surgery.

3) I'm not sure of the metal but it is my understanding that is a non issue as they don't rust. There are people out there who have used them for two decades with nary a problem.

Er...you skipped 4 and I will continue to sequentially follow with four which answers question 5 and 5 for 6.

4) Yes, you will be able to upgrade the hearing device itself every so often especially to take advantage of better software and hardward (outside part). The implanted part simply stays put and not touched except for failures or replacement at some far future point if it were done.

5) It is my understanding that the size of children's head 1+ years old is already at a good percentage of their adult size. I think for a 2 year old it is 80% of the size of an adult. So, there is not as much growth with the skull as the rest of the body. This is good for the implant part that is seated on the skull. Where they have to allow for is the "channel wire" going into the cochlea itself. I believe they have some excess or slack to allow for skull growth when one reaches adulthood. There are some people out there who are adults but received their implant while young and it is working just fine.

I hope that helps...
 
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