Lotte Sofie - The sound goes on!

[Cloggy]

Take off the ears!!

It's been a while since the last update. Not that nothing is happening, on the contrary, it's just that there are soo many little things, that it looks as if nothing is happening... until one looks back.

As readers of the blog might know, Lotte does not have her CI on when she's asleep. After the bedtime story, she takes them off herself in order to indicate that she's going to sleep.
In the morning.... early, as she has no problems waking up around 6:00, she starts the day completely deaf.... Only when the rest of the house starts waking up, the CI has to go on.
Even without CI she understands a lot. Just some weeks ago, she came down after we put her to bed, went to her mother, asked a question (remember, no CI...) with normal voice, and "read" her mothers answer.
We thought about how Lotte probably still "hears" the sounds of the voices. Even though she cannot hear, her brain might very well create the sounds that are appropriate.
I read about this once, where someone thought he was HOH, until when he was talking with his brother. Everything sounded normal to this person, until his brother put his hand in front of his mouts. Suddenly, all sound stopped. Without being able to read lips, the brain was not able to create sound!

This morning, Lotte had been playing since 6:06.... one remembers the hour one is disturbed from a good night sleep. She played in her room and the attick and around 7:30 the rest of the family got up and started doing their things. Lotte was so occupied with playing, she never requested the CI's

Then it was time for her to get dressed. So, she went to her room, got her clothes, and came to me... turning around in order to have me take off her CI's....

However.... she was not wearing CI, but she didn't realize it. So she demanded again that I would take off her CI.... I did nothing, and she became frustrated... "Take off the ears!!" she said...
Then her mother came in, and showed her the CI's.... and only then Lotte realized that she did not have them on.
We all had a great laugh about it, Lotte included....

It's wonderful to see how she is totally at ease with being deaf, but this time we got a little peak in her world, where even when sound is off, it still goes on in her head....

 

[neecy]

Oh that "take off the ears!" quote is so sweet!!

I've often wondered what deaf people "hear/see" in their heads when other people talk. If I'm lipreading - my brain "hears" their voices, and it even puts a "voice" to people who sign! I wonder if thats because I heard for the first 9 years of my life, or if its something quite normal even with deaf people?

 

[vallee]

Cloggy,
I love the "take my ears off" comment too. I also use my auditory memory as well. I can watch my favorite tv shows without my CIs and I feel like I can hear the voices. I know I can't, but it seems as clear and crisp as with my CIs.

Also with me, I don't have any dramatic changes or WOW times, it is only when I look back. I stopped to hear the birds sing yesterday. I just stood around and listened and enjoy the song. I can tell my daily life is just easier. I still ask others to repeat in noise situations, but my overall comprehension is beyond my expectations.

 

[Raykat]

Cloggy,
I love the "take my ears off" comment too. I also use my auditory memory as well. I can watch my favorite tv shows without my CIs and I feel like I can hear the voices. I know I can't, but it seems as clear and crisp as with my CIs.

Also with me, I don't have any dramatic changes or WOW times, it is only when I look back. I stopped to hear the birds sing yesterday. I just stood around and listened and enjoy the song. I can tell my daily life is just easier. I still ask others to repeat in noise situations, but my overall comprehension is beyond my expectations.

And I thought it was only me who did this "hearing in the head" thing. Over the last few days I have watched a lot of dvd's with subtitles, nothing else to do whilst recuperating from op. And I have been sure I am hearing the voices in the ear that has been implanted.......impossible but shows what the mind is capable of.

 

[jag]

Cloggy that's so sweet. You are right she is very comfortable with or without her CI"s.

6am? ACKKK. LOL

 

[deafdyke]

Oh and Cloggy that's awesome that you're not being strict about "amplification/CI every waking hour/mintute"........Be somewhat easygoing as to having her wear her ears. Teach her that she can function both with and without her CIs......
(and I'm not anti-amplification/CI.....as a matter of fact I love hearing and being able to hear)

 

[deafbajagal]

I didn't know you had a blog! She is so adorable!!!!!

 

[Cloggy]

Oh and Cloggy that's awesome that you're not being strict about "amplification/CI every waking hour/mintute"........Be somewhat easygoing as to having her wear her ears. Teach her that she can function both with and without her CIs......
(and I'm not anti-amplification/CI.....as a matter of fact I love hearing and being able to hear)

Lotte herself is choosing the CI for communication, but I guess when everyone is asleep, she feels no urge. In that respect we don't have to enforce anything.
She does not take it of anyway. I guess she wants to hear.. However, we would not tolerate the misuse of taking it off like when she wants to ignore us. (I think. ... It hasn't happened yet..)

About teaching her to function with and without... I don't think we are doing that. It's a skill she learned herself and it's lipreading that allows her to do that.

 

[jillio]

Lotte herself is choosing the CI for communication, but I guess when everyone is asleep, she feels no urge. In that respect we don't have to enforce anything.
She does not take it of anyway. I guess she wants to hear.. However, we would not tolerate the misuse of taking it off like when she wants to ignore us. (I think. ... It hasn't happened yet..)

About teaching her to function with and without... I don't think we are doing that. It's a skill she learned herself and it's lipreading that allows her to do that.

Itsn't it amazing how children adapt to their deafness?

 

[jag]

Lotte herself is choosing the CI for communication, but I guess when everyone is asleep, she feels no urge. In that respect we don't have to enforce anything.
She does not take it of anyway. I guess she wants to hear.. However, we would not tolerate the misuse of taking it off like when she wants to ignore us. (I think. ... It hasn't happened yet..)

About teaching her to function with and without... I don't think we are doing that. It's a skill she learned herself and it's lipreading that allows her to do that.

The turning it off thing will happen eventually. Actually according to my now 24 yo being able to turn the HA off when a teacher is going off on a rant because a couple of the guys were pushing to see what they could get by with is awonderful thing. She'd just reach up and turn them off, when the teacher got done she'd turn them back on, everyone else had to listen, so being able to decide what to listen to does have it's advantages.

I never had any lip reading theraphy, evidently I just picked it up as my hearing got worse. While I understand that she can understand speech with not looking at you all the time, does she seem to watch your face more when is actually is turned toward you when you're talking to her when she has her CI's. I'm just curious. It's amazing that she does pick up lip reading the question is how or when has she been doing it?

She sounds like she can be a handful at times.

 

[Cloggy]

............ While I understand that she can understand speech with not looking at you all the time, does she seem to watch your face more when is actually is turned toward you when you're talking to her when she has her CI's. I'm just curious. It's amazing that she does pick up lip reading the question is how or when has she been doing it?

She sounds like she can be a handful at times.

Just to rectify, she doesn't understand speech without CI and without looking at us. There's no way she would be able to..

She's a handful at times - absolutely.
She is focusing more when she's not wearing her CI, but those moments are short. Before she goes to bed, before she goes under the shower...

When when didn't realize she was NOT wearing the CI, she apparently did not need to focus more on our faces in order to read lips...

 

[jag]

Just to rectify, she doesn't understand speech without CI and without looking at us. There's no way she would be able to..

...

oh that's what i meant but I guess my mind and fingers didn't work well together...glad you did clarify the point.

 

[cdmeggers]

oh that's funny, and cute!

I myself can't "hear" when lipreading, with hearing aids off. But then again, I'm a horrible lipreader if there is no sound input. Funny, I can't hear if I can't read/see (visual support), and I can't read lips if I can't hear. I just cannot win one way or another.