10th May 2015
Well, what an amazing week it's been for our family - Our New Ears, Carol Flexer seminar in Dublin, NDCS Understanding Deafness course in Mallusk, Fundraising abseil for Sound Friends in Belfast and then all the other normal family things that continue to happen no matter how busy life gets!
Since so much has happened this week and I have been blogging a lot, I thought I would use tonight as a summary of the week, hope that's ok?!
Monday - day 1 - I started the week thinking back to Princess's diagnosis, how we felt, how we dealt with it and where we found our support
Tuesday - day 2 - some information on hearing aids
Wednesday - day 3 - some information on cochlear implants
Thursday - day 4 - information on sign language and the Deaf community
Friday - day 5 - previously, the highly of my week - the seminar in Dublin with Carol Flexer
Saturday - day 6 - bit of a messy one I feel, info on how we feel now about deafness
Sunday - day 7 - the highlight of my week!
What an appropriate week for us to undertake a fundraising challenge for our local Deaf Children's
Society, Sound Friends (local parents support group of NDCS). Today, 37 wonderful volunteers, abseiled down the Europa Hotel in Belfast, to raise some vital funds and at this present moment the total stands around £5000 with lots more money to be received.
My husband and I decided to take part in this challenge in support of Sound Friends, without whom we would be floundering emotionally and confused with regards to the future of our daughter. The big problem with us signing up, was that we are both terrifyed of heights! Neither of us a able to even stand on a stool without getting nervous, so this was a massive challenge!
Nerves were doing pretty well until we arrived at the hotel and made the mistake of looking up - wow! That's one tall building!
Anyway, we got our good luck messages from our merry band of supporters and headed for our safety briefing, then we were kitted out and onto the roof we went.
The weather improved slightly for us and it stayed dry for a while.
James was really nervous but managed to psych himself up to get "over the edge" and seemed to speed down the side of the building.
For myself, on the other hand, it took a lot of persuasion and negotiation skills from my rope man, to help me take those first few steps. I was terrifyed, in fact, I think now, almost 12 hours later, I am still shaking! My descent was slow and my arms ached cause I was holding onto the ropes so tightly. By the end I was absolutely exhausted and my legs had turned to jelly, I actually finished the abseil by lowering myself onto the ground into a lying down position and lay there with my eyes closed while I was disconnected from the ropes. However, I am very proud of my accomplishment and even prouder of the amounts we managed to raise for Sound Friends.
Tonight, I am thinking back on this week - I am inspired by the things I have learnt, the people I have met and the things I have done.
Learning points:
* your ears are the doorway to your brain
* singing helps your child access both sides of their brain at the same time, whilst also accessing maximum frequency range; also helping to develop competence with rhyme and rhythm - a lot of kids who have problems with literacy, have problems with rhythm
* princess starting to sign more new words, blow kisses and take weight in her legs
* everyday activities can be the best therapy provided they are enriched with quality communication
New people:
* Team from Our New Ears and other people at seminar
* kind volunteers who abseiled with us today
* other parents at the NDCS event
* the lovely man controlling my rope for the abseil who was signing with me as he is learning too
* the deaf role models at the NDCS event
Achievements:
* abseiling!!
* pressing in with more signing in both my classes
* getting my blog shared on Our New Ears and a couple of business websites
* fitted two or three weeks into the last one!
* having my blog read by loads of people every day and hearing that it has helped a few other parents
Yesterday, at the NDCS event, we met two deaf role models and I was overjoyed to see two amazing girls, in their 20s, who have succeeded in their studies & turned into fabulous young women. Although both girls had a different experience with deafness, to either let a hurdle stop them doing anything they wanted, instead, they jumped the hurdles and pushed on every time.
The first girl, was a university student, on the verge of finishing her Degree and in process of finalising her Masters programme. She was profoundly deaf and wears one cochlear implant, which she received when she was 3 years old. As she wears her implant under her beautiful curly hair, it couldn't be seen and with there crystal clear speech, you could easily forget, or not even notice that she was deaf. her passion for product design to help people with disabilities, was inspirational and she obviously has a very bright future ahead of her.
The second girl, was profoundly deaf, but as hearing aids and cochlear implants didn't work very well for her, she mainly communicates in sign language. She had also been really successful at school and now works with Action Deaf Youth, which we will join once Princess is old enough.
Meeting these two girls (and another father in the group), allowed me to talk about therapy and learning sign language - fabulous information and a huge alleviation of guilt and pressure I feel resting on my shoulders.
It's always great to hear from other families, but so wonderful insight to get the views of someone who is the "deaf child" isn't he family & here what was good, what was bad, so I got loads of tips.
I hope you have enjoyed reading my posts this week, I have enjoyed writing them although, I wish I had more time to include more information. Anyway, I will be continuing to write about our family's journey with cochlear implants, deafness and sign language, I would for you to follow me and continue reading.
Goodnight,
Sara xx
Showing posts with label Sound Friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sound Friends. Show all posts
Monday, 11 May 2015
Saturday, 9 May 2015
Deaf Awareness Week 4-10 May, day 6
9th May 2015
I can hardly keep my eyes open to write this, so please accept my apologies for spelling mistakes or meandering around the subject!
Tonight I thought I would like to talk about how we view Princess's deafness and our hopes for the future.
Princess was diagnosed as profoundly deaf at 6 weeks old - it was a massive shock to us, we hadn't a clue, we were so sure she was hearing her brothers coming home from school! Thankfully, with loads of wonderful support from family, friends, Sound Friends, NDCS etc, we have come to terms with Princess's deafness and although at the moment I feel that's its really hard work, it will be worth it!
Hearing aids didn't work and Princess got bilateral cochlear implants inserted in January and they have now been switched on for approx 11 weeks. Progress is great, we have noticed lots of vocalisations (constant shouting most of the time), some copying noises and so much communication between us all.
Whilst princess is definitely developing her listening skills and can follow simple instructions and response appropriately indicating that she can hear it and process it.
We have also been learning sign language (BSL) and I am very proud to say that Pricess has just started signing back to us - food, more. We wish for her to be bilingual and so this is wonderful news for us.
Due to my extremes exhaustion, I am going to bid you goodnight,
I promise to check in again tomorrow for the last day of my daily blogs for deaf awareness yet.
Saz xx
I can hardly keep my eyes open to write this, so please accept my apologies for spelling mistakes or meandering around the subject!
Tonight I thought I would like to talk about how we view Princess's deafness and our hopes for the future.
Princess was diagnosed as profoundly deaf at 6 weeks old - it was a massive shock to us, we hadn't a clue, we were so sure she was hearing her brothers coming home from school! Thankfully, with loads of wonderful support from family, friends, Sound Friends, NDCS etc, we have come to terms with Princess's deafness and although at the moment I feel that's its really hard work, it will be worth it!
Hearing aids didn't work and Princess got bilateral cochlear implants inserted in January and they have now been switched on for approx 11 weeks. Progress is great, we have noticed lots of vocalisations (constant shouting most of the time), some copying noises and so much communication between us all.
Whilst princess is definitely developing her listening skills and can follow simple instructions and response appropriately indicating that she can hear it and process it.
We have also been learning sign language (BSL) and I am very proud to say that Pricess has just started signing back to us - food, more. We wish for her to be bilingual and so this is wonderful news for us.
Due to my extremes exhaustion, I am going to bid you goodnight,
I promise to check in again tomorrow for the last day of my daily blogs for deaf awareness yet.
Saz xx
Wednesday, 6 May 2015
Deaf Awareness Week 4-10 May, day 3
6th May 2015
Ok, so for those of you who have been reading my blog this week, thank you! For those of you who have just joined in, thank you to you too - please feel free to read backwards and see what's been going on.
As day one was diagnosis, day two hearing aids, day three will be about cochlear implants.
Our Princess was identified, at the time of her diagnosis, as being a potential candidate for cochlear implants. For us, this was something we had never heard of - what on earth were they, how did you get them, what did they do - aaaaahhhhhh! So many questions!
Thankfully, once again we reached out to NDCS, Sound Friends and our lovely Teacher of the Deaf and got a wealth of advice, information and support.
I will try to explain cochlear implants (CIs) in a nutshell for you - sorry if it's too simple, I'm going back to the days when I knew nothing about them so that I will start with the basics.
Basically cochlear implants involve placing an electronic implant inside the cochlea, which will convert sound into electrical impulses and send them up the auditory nerve to the brain.
Patients who are suitable for CIs will have a severe-profound hearing loss (depending on locality this could be in one or two ears), but have relatively normal anatomy (as confirmed by MRI & CT scans). Some abnormalities are compatible with CIs and others aren't, I won't go into these now as its a complex world of diagnostics and I couldn't possibly include all the necessary details.
The assessments for CIs usually involve the brain scans (to check the patient has suitable cochlea & auditory nerves), hearing tests (to demonstrate how bad the patients hearing is - it's ironic that you fail if you can hear too well, lol!) and numerous appointments with the implant team to ensure the family is ready to commit to CIs.
Princess was scanned in October 2014, aged 7 months - it was her first general anaesthetic and we were nervous about both that and her results. Thankfully, she coped very well with the anaesthetic and we were allowed Tom go home a few hours later. After two long months, we received news from the surgeon that her scans were perfect and she was suitable for CIs.
He hoped to implant her in January! She would be the youngest in Northern Ireland at that time (and currently still is), receiving her implants at only 10 months old!
Surgery was successful and our little Princess recovered well afterwards. Inside her head was now two electrode arrays, one in each cochlea, with the capability for 12 different frequencies and also a magnet, which would be used to connect to the outside portion of the implant on the time came for
activation.
Activation day for us came 5 weeks later - an emotionally charged day full of expectation and cautious excitement as to what would happen when they "turned on her Magic Ears". We had been given the external equipment home to wear and get used to a fortnight before, so Princess was happy to put on the CIs, which was obviously the first hurdle.
The external equipment is very bulky looking on a baby such as our wee Princess. Firstly, there are two battery packs, which at this stage are on long wires and have clothing clips to be attached on the patient's back - thankfully we had been given a tip, which we are still using, to sew a baby's scratch mitten onto Princess's vests, into which we pop the battery packs. This means that they are much harder to lose and also that they don't hang around her, meaning she would be more likely to pull at or eat them!!
Secondly, there is the external magnet which connects the internal and external systems together. Once this connection is broken, the patient's hearing returns to pre-implant state, ie Princess is once again profoundly deaf. This magnet acts as the transmitter, sending the information inside her ears.
Lastly, but most importantly, there is the sound processor, which hooks over the ear like a hearing aid. This is also where the microphones are located, meaning that the place where sound is received (the processor) for an implant user, is the same as for a hearing person.
My little Pricess has now been "switched on" for 10 weeks and it's been a miracle for her. She can
hear loud noises (doors banging, dogs barking, brothers shouting), but also quieter noises such as our voices and her musical toys. She is vocalising almost constantly when her CIs are on and is also starting to copy noises.
Of course, every child and adult is different and there are many factors that contribute to the success of CIs, but for some, to be given the chance to hear any sound or even to hear themselves make sound, is worth it.
There is a lot of controversy about cochlear implants or other hearing technology between the deaf and hearing communities - my personal opinion is that everyone's family is unique and each must
choose the best path for their own needs.
We have chosen to get our Princess implanted to allow her early access to sound (and hopefully speech and language development), that will enable her to be successful in mainstream school. However, we are very aware we have made a huge decision on her behalf and to ensure that we don't push her into a world in which she feels uncomfortable, we have also opted for our family to endeavour to become bilingual (English and BSL). We retain very close links with Sound Friends, where she can meet other children with hearing loss - some with technology and some without; and hope in the future to join the local Deaf community in an effort to build links on Princess's behalf and also help us learn to sign better.
Once again everyone, thanks for reading, please do get in touch with any questions, I promise I won't bite!
Goodnight,
Sara xx
UPDATE: I though I would share a question I received in relation this CIs on Facebook - the person wanted to know why you would turn your implants off at all once they had been activated, my apologies, I had intended to include that info, so that's for asking!
My answer:
Thanks!
As the outside equipment is bulky and non-waterproof (although some waterproof kits are available), it is removed for sleeping and anything involving water (eg Bathtime, swimming etc). Humidity can also cause a problem and they can become uncomfortable if a person is feeling unwell or suffering an infection around the implant site. Of course, they are a piece of technology so they may need to be removed for repairs also (we do get spares, but some people manage to have a lot of breakages!)
Thanks for asking! CIs were new to us until it became an option for our Princess, then we had a lot to learn!
Ok, so for those of you who have been reading my blog this week, thank you! For those of you who have just joined in, thank you to you too - please feel free to read backwards and see what's been going on.
As day one was diagnosis, day two hearing aids, day three will be about cochlear implants.
Our Princess was identified, at the time of her diagnosis, as being a potential candidate for cochlear implants. For us, this was something we had never heard of - what on earth were they, how did you get them, what did they do - aaaaahhhhhh! So many questions!
Thankfully, once again we reached out to NDCS, Sound Friends and our lovely Teacher of the Deaf and got a wealth of advice, information and support.
I will try to explain cochlear implants (CIs) in a nutshell for you - sorry if it's too simple, I'm going back to the days when I knew nothing about them so that I will start with the basics.
Basically cochlear implants involve placing an electronic implant inside the cochlea, which will convert sound into electrical impulses and send them up the auditory nerve to the brain.
Patients who are suitable for CIs will have a severe-profound hearing loss (depending on locality this could be in one or two ears), but have relatively normal anatomy (as confirmed by MRI & CT scans). Some abnormalities are compatible with CIs and others aren't, I won't go into these now as its a complex world of diagnostics and I couldn't possibly include all the necessary details.
The assessments for CIs usually involve the brain scans (to check the patient has suitable cochlea & auditory nerves), hearing tests (to demonstrate how bad the patients hearing is - it's ironic that you fail if you can hear too well, lol!) and numerous appointments with the implant team to ensure the family is ready to commit to CIs.
Princess was scanned in October 2014, aged 7 months - it was her first general anaesthetic and we were nervous about both that and her results. Thankfully, she coped very well with the anaesthetic and we were allowed Tom go home a few hours later. After two long months, we received news from the surgeon that her scans were perfect and she was suitable for CIs.
He hoped to implant her in January! She would be the youngest in Northern Ireland at that time (and currently still is), receiving her implants at only 10 months old!
Surgery was successful and our little Princess recovered well afterwards. Inside her head was now two electrode arrays, one in each cochlea, with the capability for 12 different frequencies and also a magnet, which would be used to connect to the outside portion of the implant on the time came for
activation.
Activation day for us came 5 weeks later - an emotionally charged day full of expectation and cautious excitement as to what would happen when they "turned on her Magic Ears". We had been given the external equipment home to wear and get used to a fortnight before, so Princess was happy to put on the CIs, which was obviously the first hurdle.
The external equipment is very bulky looking on a baby such as our wee Princess. Firstly, there are two battery packs, which at this stage are on long wires and have clothing clips to be attached on the patient's back - thankfully we had been given a tip, which we are still using, to sew a baby's scratch mitten onto Princess's vests, into which we pop the battery packs. This means that they are much harder to lose and also that they don't hang around her, meaning she would be more likely to pull at or eat them!!
Secondly, there is the external magnet which connects the internal and external systems together. Once this connection is broken, the patient's hearing returns to pre-implant state, ie Princess is once again profoundly deaf. This magnet acts as the transmitter, sending the information inside her ears.
Lastly, but most importantly, there is the sound processor, which hooks over the ear like a hearing aid. This is also where the microphones are located, meaning that the place where sound is received (the processor) for an implant user, is the same as for a hearing person.
My little Pricess has now been "switched on" for 10 weeks and it's been a miracle for her. She can
hear loud noises (doors banging, dogs barking, brothers shouting), but also quieter noises such as our voices and her musical toys. She is vocalising almost constantly when her CIs are on and is also starting to copy noises.
Of course, every child and adult is different and there are many factors that contribute to the success of CIs, but for some, to be given the chance to hear any sound or even to hear themselves make sound, is worth it.
There is a lot of controversy about cochlear implants or other hearing technology between the deaf and hearing communities - my personal opinion is that everyone's family is unique and each must
choose the best path for their own needs.
We have chosen to get our Princess implanted to allow her early access to sound (and hopefully speech and language development), that will enable her to be successful in mainstream school. However, we are very aware we have made a huge decision on her behalf and to ensure that we don't push her into a world in which she feels uncomfortable, we have also opted for our family to endeavour to become bilingual (English and BSL). We retain very close links with Sound Friends, where she can meet other children with hearing loss - some with technology and some without; and hope in the future to join the local Deaf community in an effort to build links on Princess's behalf and also help us learn to sign better.
Once again everyone, thanks for reading, please do get in touch with any questions, I promise I won't bite!
Goodnight,
Sara xx
UPDATE: I though I would share a question I received in relation this CIs on Facebook - the person wanted to know why you would turn your implants off at all once they had been activated, my apologies, I had intended to include that info, so that's for asking!
My answer:
Thanks!
As the outside equipment is bulky and non-waterproof (although some waterproof kits are available), it is removed for sleeping and anything involving water (eg Bathtime, swimming etc). Humidity can also cause a problem and they can become uncomfortable if a person is feeling unwell or suffering an infection around the implant site. Of course, they are a piece of technology so they may need to be removed for repairs also (we do get spares, but some people manage to have a lot of breakages!)
Thanks for asking! CIs were new to us until it became an option for our Princess, then we had a lot to learn!
Monday, 4 May 2015
Deaf Awareness Week 4-10th May 2015
4th May 2015
I am laughing and thinking already that I have set myself an impossible task, but yet it's an important one, so I will try my very best! I have decided to update my blog every day this week, as it's Deaf Awareness Week - let's make some more people aware!
The obvious place to start is with a diagnosis of Deafness - for our little Princess, this happened when she was 6 weeks old. A time when as new parents you are exhausted, but overjoyed to be starting a relationship with your new baby. A time when you are full of hopes and dreams for her future. A time when everything seems possible and everyone is admiring your beautiful baby.
Diagnosis of profound Deafness changes things for a while.
At first, we were just in shock - the tests must be wrong, she will be fine, we will retest, surely she will grow out of this problem, did the examiner do the tests correctly?
We tested her ourselves - banging saucepans, slamming doors, shouting, making loud noises while she was sleeping (I guess this was also a denial phase).
Of course, none of this worked, the examiner was right, our perfect little princess couldn't hear anything, she was living in a world of silence.
Thankfully, our baby was blissfully unaware of any of this and she was as happy as she could be and today is still one of the happiest, most contented babies I have ever met.
Amidst our confusion, we of course searched Google and couldn't find the info we needed, however thankfully we found NDCS (national society for deaf children), which provided us with information of a local support group and also a freephone helpline.
The helpine staff were excellent, so supportive, comforting, understanding and informative. They arranged for us to be called back by an audiologist to give us more specific information, which was superb and really helped. They also empowered us to phone back to the audiologist at our local hospital who had examined our Princess and ask for more information and explanations of the tests.
Our local support group were invaluable, and still are! Sound Friends have been a shoulder to cry on and so much more: fellow parents who know how we feel and can give us support, the benefit of their experiences and tips of the next stages we will go through. It's brilliant to know other parents in the sam position as us and also for our kids to meet deaf children and other siblings of deaf children to gain understanding and support for themselves.
We have attended NDCS events, training courses and support meetings, we have taken the whole family along to Sound Friens events and I am just about to complete my Level 1 BSL and have recently started my Level 2 BSL. Throughout all of this (12.5 months) we have made some wonderful friends and learnt so much - we have so many people to thank for helping us get to the stage we are at now, it would be impossible to name them (this is the nearest I will ever get to an Oscars speech!), but it's safe to say that each of them also have an extremely long list of supporters too.
We are no longer fearful for Charlotte's future, we have gained so much from our Deaf networks through Sound Friends, NDCS, BSL classes and Facebook, that we are very happy to allow our daughter to develop at her own pace and see where life takes her, just like our three hearing sons. Her hearing loss doesn't define her, although it will always be a part of her (and a part that I am very proud of!). There is no reason, that with the right help and support, that Princess cannot turn into the woman she dreams of, just like any other "normal" child (what is normal anyway? Haven't met a normal person yet!?!).
In closing tonight, I thought I would share some tips for good communication with a deaf person:
1. Maintain eye contact with the person
2. Don't talk slower or louder than usual as this distorts your mouth, making it harder to lip read
3. Don't have a bright light or window behind you as this puts your mouth in shadow (bad again for lip reading)
4. Use facial expressions and hand gestures or signs to help understanding and emphasis of your conversation
5. Don't eat, drink, smoke, cover your mouth or chew gum while conversing with a deaf person as they will not be able to read your lips
6. Only allow one person to talk at a time
7. Don't give up and say it doesn't matter, try again, or use another communication method
8. Reduce background noise
I am laughing and thinking already that I have set myself an impossible task, but yet it's an important one, so I will try my very best! I have decided to update my blog every day this week, as it's Deaf Awareness Week - let's make some more people aware!
The obvious place to start is with a diagnosis of Deafness - for our little Princess, this happened when she was 6 weeks old. A time when as new parents you are exhausted, but overjoyed to be starting a relationship with your new baby. A time when you are full of hopes and dreams for her future. A time when everything seems possible and everyone is admiring your beautiful baby.
Diagnosis of profound Deafness changes things for a while.
At first, we were just in shock - the tests must be wrong, she will be fine, we will retest, surely she will grow out of this problem, did the examiner do the tests correctly?
We tested her ourselves - banging saucepans, slamming doors, shouting, making loud noises while she was sleeping (I guess this was also a denial phase).
Of course, none of this worked, the examiner was right, our perfect little princess couldn't hear anything, she was living in a world of silence.
Thankfully, our baby was blissfully unaware of any of this and she was as happy as she could be and today is still one of the happiest, most contented babies I have ever met.
Amidst our confusion, we of course searched Google and couldn't find the info we needed, however thankfully we found NDCS (national society for deaf children), which provided us with information of a local support group and also a freephone helpline.
The helpine staff were excellent, so supportive, comforting, understanding and informative. They arranged for us to be called back by an audiologist to give us more specific information, which was superb and really helped. They also empowered us to phone back to the audiologist at our local hospital who had examined our Princess and ask for more information and explanations of the tests.
Our local support group were invaluable, and still are! Sound Friends have been a shoulder to cry on and so much more: fellow parents who know how we feel and can give us support, the benefit of their experiences and tips of the next stages we will go through. It's brilliant to know other parents in the sam position as us and also for our kids to meet deaf children and other siblings of deaf children to gain understanding and support for themselves.
We have attended NDCS events, training courses and support meetings, we have taken the whole family along to Sound Friens events and I am just about to complete my Level 1 BSL and have recently started my Level 2 BSL. Throughout all of this (12.5 months) we have made some wonderful friends and learnt so much - we have so many people to thank for helping us get to the stage we are at now, it would be impossible to name them (this is the nearest I will ever get to an Oscars speech!), but it's safe to say that each of them also have an extremely long list of supporters too.
We are no longer fearful for Charlotte's future, we have gained so much from our Deaf networks through Sound Friends, NDCS, BSL classes and Facebook, that we are very happy to allow our daughter to develop at her own pace and see where life takes her, just like our three hearing sons. Her hearing loss doesn't define her, although it will always be a part of her (and a part that I am very proud of!). There is no reason, that with the right help and support, that Princess cannot turn into the woman she dreams of, just like any other "normal" child (what is normal anyway? Haven't met a normal person yet!?!).
In closing tonight, I thought I would share some tips for good communication with a deaf person:
1. Maintain eye contact with the person
2. Don't talk slower or louder than usual as this distorts your mouth, making it harder to lip read
3. Don't have a bright light or window behind you as this puts your mouth in shadow (bad again for lip reading)
4. Use facial expressions and hand gestures or signs to help understanding and emphasis of your conversation
5. Don't eat, drink, smoke, cover your mouth or chew gum while conversing with a deaf person as they will not be able to read your lips
6. Only allow one person to talk at a time
7. Don't give up and say it doesn't matter, try again, or use another communication method
8. Reduce background noise
Friday, 24 April 2015
Proud Parents!
24th April 2015
Wow! So much to tell, I don't know where to start!
Little Princess has now been switched on for just over 8 weeks and it's been quite a ride - so exciting, so wonderful, so emotional.
It has been amazing watching our little lady start to hear for the first time, it's somethng most of us take for granted and I guess, she took her silence for granted, as that was all she had ever experienced. Now, however, thanks to the miracle of modern technology, my little princess has been introduced to a whole new world and she seems to be taking it all in her stride. The best thing for us however, is that she seems very comfortable with or without her Magic Ears, which is exactly what we want for her.
She has learnt her own name and will consistently turn to someone calling her name, provided her brothers aren't causing too much background noise! She shows so much pleasure from banging her toys together and heating the noises they make - I think all kids love this, but you can tell from her expression that this is a new noise to her and she loves it!
Princess has even started copying some sounds!! She will lift a toy aeroplane and say "Aaaaahhhhh" while flying it around and also stroke a fluffy animal and copy "Ahhhh Ahhh". Other sounds are also heard - mmmm, mumm mummmm (don't get excited, it's not mummy, it's much too early for anything like that!) and loads of screaming, shouting and general communication. For a child with communication difficulties, Princess certainly does not have any problems letting people know what she wants!
On that note, Princess can now understand most conversations in BSL, following instructions and settling with information, but she has now also started signing back - more, food, I want, give me, bird, fish, hello, goodbye, no, yes, princess (I think), magic ears on or off. I am amazed by her progress every day.
With the help and education from her Teacher of the Deaf (TOD) and her speech and language therapist (SLT), we have been taught games and fun ways to help her understand sound, the importance of sound, the consequence of sound and how to make sound. It is difficult to understand why deaf kids (or adults) who get CIs, need to learn to hear, but it's all to do with the digital nature of the sounds sent to and received by the brain. Hearing babies, start learning about listening and sound in the womb, this continues at birth and increased exposure leads to increased understanding and acceptance. It is still strange for me to think that without her Magic Ears, my princess cannot hear me, even though I automatically rely on sign when she is Deaf again. I still can't imagine what it is like to be in her silent world. Maybe when she is older, she can teach me about it herself, while for now I will just have to watch her cues and get clues from Deaf adults I have met.
Quite aside from her Ears - princess has been racing ahead in her development, much to my disgust as I want to savour the "baby" phase for as long as I can since she is my last baby! She has become a "bum shuffler", racing across the floor and chasing everyone around the house (whilst shouting about it!), she has started feeding herself, she is going to swimming lessons (funding my our local deaf group, Sound Friends) which cater for her deafness and she has started making friends with other babies.
It devastates me that my baby is growing up so fast, but I am immensely proud of all she has already accomplished and I am so excited for her future and whatever that might hold!
Thanks again for reading, please feel free to leave comments or contact me about any of this.
Goodnight,
Sara xx
Wow! So much to tell, I don't know where to start!
Little Princess has now been switched on for just over 8 weeks and it's been quite a ride - so exciting, so wonderful, so emotional.
It has been amazing watching our little lady start to hear for the first time, it's somethng most of us take for granted and I guess, she took her silence for granted, as that was all she had ever experienced. Now, however, thanks to the miracle of modern technology, my little princess has been introduced to a whole new world and she seems to be taking it all in her stride. The best thing for us however, is that she seems very comfortable with or without her Magic Ears, which is exactly what we want for her.
She has learnt her own name and will consistently turn to someone calling her name, provided her brothers aren't causing too much background noise! She shows so much pleasure from banging her toys together and heating the noises they make - I think all kids love this, but you can tell from her expression that this is a new noise to her and she loves it!
Princess has even started copying some sounds!! She will lift a toy aeroplane and say "Aaaaahhhhh" while flying it around and also stroke a fluffy animal and copy "Ahhhh Ahhh". Other sounds are also heard - mmmm, mumm mummmm (don't get excited, it's not mummy, it's much too early for anything like that!) and loads of screaming, shouting and general communication. For a child with communication difficulties, Princess certainly does not have any problems letting people know what she wants!
On that note, Princess can now understand most conversations in BSL, following instructions and settling with information, but she has now also started signing back - more, food, I want, give me, bird, fish, hello, goodbye, no, yes, princess (I think), magic ears on or off. I am amazed by her progress every day.
With the help and education from her Teacher of the Deaf (TOD) and her speech and language therapist (SLT), we have been taught games and fun ways to help her understand sound, the importance of sound, the consequence of sound and how to make sound. It is difficult to understand why deaf kids (or adults) who get CIs, need to learn to hear, but it's all to do with the digital nature of the sounds sent to and received by the brain. Hearing babies, start learning about listening and sound in the womb, this continues at birth and increased exposure leads to increased understanding and acceptance. It is still strange for me to think that without her Magic Ears, my princess cannot hear me, even though I automatically rely on sign when she is Deaf again. I still can't imagine what it is like to be in her silent world. Maybe when she is older, she can teach me about it herself, while for now I will just have to watch her cues and get clues from Deaf adults I have met.
Quite aside from her Ears - princess has been racing ahead in her development, much to my disgust as I want to savour the "baby" phase for as long as I can since she is my last baby! She has become a "bum shuffler", racing across the floor and chasing everyone around the house (whilst shouting about it!), she has started feeding herself, she is going to swimming lessons (funding my our local deaf group, Sound Friends) which cater for her deafness and she has started making friends with other babies.
It devastates me that my baby is growing up so fast, but I am immensely proud of all she has already accomplished and I am so excited for her future and whatever that might hold!
Thanks again for reading, please feel free to leave comments or contact me about any of this.
Goodnight,
Sara xx
Sunday, 29 March 2015
Super Sunday
29th March 2015
As usual, I am starting by apologising for the delay since my last blog, but I'm going to stop apologising. I am not sorry I have a busy life, I am lucky to have it and the energy to cope with it. I am lucky to have four wonderful children and my excellent husband and occasionally some work (I am currently on a career break from my normal job). I am lucky to be happy and contented with my life, I know so many peolle who aren't.
The last week has been wonderful for our family. The boys have all enjoyed school trips and treats before they finished up for Easter, whilst the Princess had a visit from her teacher of the deaf, resulting in her first ever homework!
It would also appear that she heard her name for the first time on 27th March!! We definitely saw a reaction when Daddy called her name during playtime - wonderfully amazing! Of course, every time we try to get a video she ignores us! We are obviously excited about this new milestone, although the weight of our habilitation for Charlotte is hitting home now, bringing with it nerves and pressure that we will do everything that needs done and that we will do it correctly and frequently enough.
Our BSL journey continues as a family, following on from my last blog, we finished our family sign weekend, very happy at what we had learnt and very proud of our eldest son who came into the classroom for the Sunday session - he passed the fingerspelling exam with 100% even though it had been 4/5 months since we taught him the alphabet!
Next was my BSL level 1, part 102 exam on Wednesday night. I conversed about my family and I hope I did well, I of course have thought if a few mistakes, but hopefully I did well enough to pass.
Finally, this morning, I attended an information session about starting my level 2 course, with a group of parents at Jordanstown School for the Deaf and Blind. This course is so important because it has been funded by DCAL, following campaigns by other parents, and includes a crèche, meaning I can study with the peace of mind that wonderful childcare provides. When collecting my kids from the crèche, I was told that the Princess was sleeping and then they asked me if I signed with her. When I confirmed that I did, one of the staff told me that she was signing a story book to my Princess, when she signed back to her - wow, I am so happy and proud of my little daughter, although she has a few signs that she uses at home, I have never seen or heard about her signing when hubby or I am not there. The sense of relief that she is able to manage her own communication needs is such a weight off my shoulders, the diagnosis of deafness is one thing, but the fear that the child will be isolated by a communication issue is a whole extra fear. We will continue to encourage sign, speech and listening skills in the hope that the more communication tools she can use, her frustrations will be lessened and she will have much more freedom in her life.
Today finished up with a Sound Friends Easter Party, at which the kids had a ball. It is so important that my hearing children feel comfortable with kids who use hearing technology and see that they can all have fun doing the same activities. Meanwhile, I was able to have conversation with other parents, chatting about my Princess and her needs, gaining tips and getting advice. I have found things very emotional and difficult recently and so it was comforting to be able to chat openly with friends who understand and won't judge what I say, but offer a listening ear and often can very accurately empathise with my situation.
Our family was so grateful on Friday to Little Oaks Preschool who held a "Wear it Loud" day to raise money for Sound Friends in our honour., they raised a wonderful £170! I couldn't do without the support of Sound Friends and so I will remind you I am raising money for them by abseiling down the Europa hotel in Belfast, you can sponsor me via JustGiving by clicking the link on my blog page.
Goodnight everyone & thanks for reading,
Sara xx
As usual, I am starting by apologising for the delay since my last blog, but I'm going to stop apologising. I am not sorry I have a busy life, I am lucky to have it and the energy to cope with it. I am lucky to have four wonderful children and my excellent husband and occasionally some work (I am currently on a career break from my normal job). I am lucky to be happy and contented with my life, I know so many peolle who aren't.
The last week has been wonderful for our family. The boys have all enjoyed school trips and treats before they finished up for Easter, whilst the Princess had a visit from her teacher of the deaf, resulting in her first ever homework!
It would also appear that she heard her name for the first time on 27th March!! We definitely saw a reaction when Daddy called her name during playtime - wonderfully amazing! Of course, every time we try to get a video she ignores us! We are obviously excited about this new milestone, although the weight of our habilitation for Charlotte is hitting home now, bringing with it nerves and pressure that we will do everything that needs done and that we will do it correctly and frequently enough.
Our BSL journey continues as a family, following on from my last blog, we finished our family sign weekend, very happy at what we had learnt and very proud of our eldest son who came into the classroom for the Sunday session - he passed the fingerspelling exam with 100% even though it had been 4/5 months since we taught him the alphabet!
Next was my BSL level 1, part 102 exam on Wednesday night. I conversed about my family and I hope I did well, I of course have thought if a few mistakes, but hopefully I did well enough to pass.
Finally, this morning, I attended an information session about starting my level 2 course, with a group of parents at Jordanstown School for the Deaf and Blind. This course is so important because it has been funded by DCAL, following campaigns by other parents, and includes a crèche, meaning I can study with the peace of mind that wonderful childcare provides. When collecting my kids from the crèche, I was told that the Princess was sleeping and then they asked me if I signed with her. When I confirmed that I did, one of the staff told me that she was signing a story book to my Princess, when she signed back to her - wow, I am so happy and proud of my little daughter, although she has a few signs that she uses at home, I have never seen or heard about her signing when hubby or I am not there. The sense of relief that she is able to manage her own communication needs is such a weight off my shoulders, the diagnosis of deafness is one thing, but the fear that the child will be isolated by a communication issue is a whole extra fear. We will continue to encourage sign, speech and listening skills in the hope that the more communication tools she can use, her frustrations will be lessened and she will have much more freedom in her life.
Today finished up with a Sound Friends Easter Party, at which the kids had a ball. It is so important that my hearing children feel comfortable with kids who use hearing technology and see that they can all have fun doing the same activities. Meanwhile, I was able to have conversation with other parents, chatting about my Princess and her needs, gaining tips and getting advice. I have found things very emotional and difficult recently and so it was comforting to be able to chat openly with friends who understand and won't judge what I say, but offer a listening ear and often can very accurately empathise with my situation.
Our family was so grateful on Friday to Little Oaks Preschool who held a "Wear it Loud" day to raise money for Sound Friends in our honour., they raised a wonderful £170! I couldn't do without the support of Sound Friends and so I will remind you I am raising money for them by abseiling down the Europa hotel in Belfast, you can sponsor me via JustGiving by clicking the link on my blog page.
Goodnight everyone & thanks for reading,
Sara xx
Thursday, 12 March 2015
Wow - 17 days already!
12th March 2015
I am not entirely sure I have time for writing this evening, but I am going to do it anyway as I have been neglecting my blog!
Firstly, I wanted to thank those of you who are reading this, I really appreciate that you are giving up some of your precious time to read my thoughts and I love receiving your comments either on here or via Facebook etc.
Secondly, I simply want to give a little update of where we are right now.
Our princess has now been "switched on" for 17 days!
In the last 17 days we have seen responses to; clapping, clicking fingers, knocking on wood, making repetitive sounds such as Ba Ba Ba, Da Da Da etc, doors slamming, cutlery clinking on crockery, making that clicky horsey noise we all do, me shouting at her brothers (very loud, with cross face, she didn't like that one!), there may have also been reactions to some music & TV, but can't be sure - can't think of anything else right now, although I feel guilty for saying that for something as momentous as this!
In the last 17 days, we have had Princess's 1st birthday, a fabulous family day out, attended an event with NDCS, attended an event with Sound Friends, attended Sign2Music and gained our second certificates, been back to the implant centre for our first follow-up appointment, met with our TOD (teacher of the deaf) and had to reschedule appointments with our SALT (speech and language therapist), HV (health visitor) and nurse for 12 month injections, all because her brothers were sick.
So life has continued on (of course I haven't included diary entries for my hubby, my boys or myself), busy as usual in a family of six, but we continue to be amazed and overwhelmed with happiness, every time we see the miracle of cochlear implants. Time may pass quickly, but it is in the small quiet moments we see what life is all about & it's then I realise how lucky I am to be a wife & mother in this family.
Two quotes come to mind as I am reviewing the last 17 days:
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" (Lao-tzu, Chinese philosopher)
And
"You won't realise the distance you've walked until you take a look around and realise how far you've been"
Thanks and goodnight,
Sara xx
I am not entirely sure I have time for writing this evening, but I am going to do it anyway as I have been neglecting my blog!
Firstly, I wanted to thank those of you who are reading this, I really appreciate that you are giving up some of your precious time to read my thoughts and I love receiving your comments either on here or via Facebook etc.
Secondly, I simply want to give a little update of where we are right now.
Our princess has now been "switched on" for 17 days!
In the last 17 days we have seen responses to; clapping, clicking fingers, knocking on wood, making repetitive sounds such as Ba Ba Ba, Da Da Da etc, doors slamming, cutlery clinking on crockery, making that clicky horsey noise we all do, me shouting at her brothers (very loud, with cross face, she didn't like that one!), there may have also been reactions to some music & TV, but can't be sure - can't think of anything else right now, although I feel guilty for saying that for something as momentous as this!
In the last 17 days, we have had Princess's 1st birthday, a fabulous family day out, attended an event with NDCS, attended an event with Sound Friends, attended Sign2Music and gained our second certificates, been back to the implant centre for our first follow-up appointment, met with our TOD (teacher of the deaf) and had to reschedule appointments with our SALT (speech and language therapist), HV (health visitor) and nurse for 12 month injections, all because her brothers were sick.
So life has continued on (of course I haven't included diary entries for my hubby, my boys or myself), busy as usual in a family of six, but we continue to be amazed and overwhelmed with happiness, every time we see the miracle of cochlear implants. Time may pass quickly, but it is in the small quiet moments we see what life is all about & it's then I realise how lucky I am to be a wife & mother in this family.
Two quotes come to mind as I am reviewing the last 17 days:
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" (Lao-tzu, Chinese philosopher)
And
"You won't realise the distance you've walked until you take a look around and realise how far you've been"
Thanks and goodnight,
Sara xx
Sunday, 1 March 2015
Trampolining?!
1st March 2015
What a busy Sunday!
An early morning was called for in order to let the Princess open her presents from yesterday's party as she was too tired to do it then.
Our first event today was Family Sign Language, run by the NDCS, we enjoyed brilliant few hours with other families leaning some new signs relating to wildlife - we did some bug hunting, pond dipping and learning about animals and birds. There's not many sign language courses that teach you signs for slugs, butterflies and worms! The kids loved every minute and each FSL event helps us feel more confident using sign by giving us the chance to converse with profoundly deaf people using BSL as their first language. Of course, it's also a lovely social occasion, meeting other families with deaf kids and reconnecting with people we have met on previous courses.
Next we rushed down to meet up with Sound Friends for an adventurous afternoon.
That is when I discovered that my little Princess adores the trampoline! She giggled and smiled and signed for "more" continuously - she loved it & hopefully the videos taken by my parents will reflect some of that! Of course the boys expended much energy bouncing, playing jump dodgeball, throwing themselves into foam pits, shooting some hoops and trying to run on trampolines.
Of course, then I had to be the mummy I pretend I am to my children, the one who isn't scared of anything! I am terrified of heights, well falling from heights is really was scares the pants of me, but today I had to pretend I wasn't. It was pretty successful and I came away feeling very proud that I was able to complete part of the high (tremendously high!) ropes course.
So another exhausting day, but I feel very fulfilled knowing that we are progressing with our utilisation of sign language, my daughters progress with her hearing and enjoyment of life and knowing how my boys are getting so comfortable with deaf people and children.
Almost time for bed, before another visit to the CI centre for another mapping assessment & tests to see how Princess is progressing - exciting times!
What a busy Sunday!
An early morning was called for in order to let the Princess open her presents from yesterday's party as she was too tired to do it then.
Our first event today was Family Sign Language, run by the NDCS, we enjoyed brilliant few hours with other families leaning some new signs relating to wildlife - we did some bug hunting, pond dipping and learning about animals and birds. There's not many sign language courses that teach you signs for slugs, butterflies and worms! The kids loved every minute and each FSL event helps us feel more confident using sign by giving us the chance to converse with profoundly deaf people using BSL as their first language. Of course, it's also a lovely social occasion, meeting other families with deaf kids and reconnecting with people we have met on previous courses.
Next we rushed down to meet up with Sound Friends for an adventurous afternoon.
That is when I discovered that my little Princess adores the trampoline! She giggled and smiled and signed for "more" continuously - she loved it & hopefully the videos taken by my parents will reflect some of that! Of course the boys expended much energy bouncing, playing jump dodgeball, throwing themselves into foam pits, shooting some hoops and trying to run on trampolines.
Of course, then I had to be the mummy I pretend I am to my children, the one who isn't scared of anything! I am terrified of heights, well falling from heights is really was scares the pants of me, but today I had to pretend I wasn't. It was pretty successful and I came away feeling very proud that I was able to complete part of the high (tremendously high!) ropes course.
So another exhausting day, but I feel very fulfilled knowing that we are progressing with our utilisation of sign language, my daughters progress with her hearing and enjoyment of life and knowing how my boys are getting so comfortable with deaf people and children.
Almost time for bed, before another visit to the CI centre for another mapping assessment & tests to see how Princess is progressing - exciting times!
Monday, 23 February 2015
The first day of the rest of our lives
23rd February 2015..... It's a date which will be etched on my mind for the rest of time. It's the date my Little Princess first heard sound, through the miracle of cochlear implants.
Despite the fact that today started as any other Monday - packing school bags, hurrying the kids to eat their breakfast and get dressed for school, making packed lunches, sorting PE kits & school money envelopes. We managed to keep organised and leave our eldest two boys off at school, then our third son was taken to his grandparents house, before we travelled to the implant centre for what could turn out to be the most important day of our lives.
Princess is of course oblivious to everything, she will be 1 year old in a few days and she was born profoundly deaf in both ears, meaning that she couldn't even hear a jet engine if she was standing beside it. We tried hearing aids, but they were not powerful enough, so we all began learning BSL (British Sign Language) so that we could talk to our Princess. I am attending night classes to learn BSL and then I teach my hubby & kids what I have learned. I also take princess and the youngest of her brothers (3yrs old) to Sign2Music, where we learn more child-focussed signs, suitable for nursery rhymes and story time.
The last 12 months have been a rollercoaster ride for our family, Princess arrived a few days late after a non-eventful fourth pregnancy, looking absolutely perfect and after a few stumbles, I now realise she still is. Fourth babies get treated a little different and their mummies are allowed to make a few more decisions than perhaps is possible with those less experienced parents - meaning that we all went home in the evening after Princess's arrival at 10.51am. Of course that meant we didn't get screened for the newborn hearing test before we left.
Ten days of perfection followed, before we attended our first hearing test, only to be told, she had failed, but it was probably due to her ears still being wet after birth. We were then referred to the hospital for further testing, which happened a few weeks later. At this stage, we weren't worried at all, we were convinced we could see responses to sound, so we were sure Princess would pass her next test.
But...... She didn't.
Again, we assumed, it was nothing to worry about, kids fail tests all the time, then they pass the retest.
But...... She failed that too, in fact this time we were told that Princess had not shown any responses to any of the tests she had taken. I was on my own at the hospital with her and I didn't really understand what they were telling me. I knew it meant she had a problem with her hearing, but I didn't have a clue what lay ahead of us.
After managing to tell my husband, my parents & my in-laws, we realised we needed more information and managed to find support from NDCS (National Deaf Children's Society) thankfully! Which lead us to a local support group, Sound Friends. Talking to other parents helped us to feel supported and to realise that even if Princess could never hear a sound, she could still realise all her aspirations and lead a full life. We also found out information on the journey that lay ahead for us as parents, a family and integrating the Deaf and Hearing communities.
Anyway, over the next few months, we attended numerous NDCS & Sound Friends events allowing us to gain knowledge about deafness and options open to us. We attended the Regional Implant Centre several times for testing, including an MRI/CT scan at a local hospital which required a General Anaesthetic (something which every parent dreads).
Thankfully all the testing was completed successfully and we were told on 1st December 2014 that our Princess was a suitable candidate for cochlear implants - hurray!
Christmas was a wonderful time for us all, knowing that our family was complete and happy, all under one roof, it was all we had ever dreamed of. The only thing that was wrong was that our little Princess couldn't hear us, but she was young & she loved to babble so most people didn't notice there was a problem at all!
The New Year came and we were given 5th January 2015 as our date for bilateral implantation. Unfortunately this had to be postponed due to an infection risk, despite the total anticlimax, we were grateful that our daughter was not going to be exposed to any unnecessary risks. We were rescheduled for 19th January 2015, when Princess successfully underwent surgery for bilateral implantation of cochlear implants. She recovered very well and we were so happy with her progress, but we're always wondering if we had made the right choice for our Princess.
On 9th February, we were given all our equipment and shown how to maintain everything. From this day, Princess began wearing her external devices to allow her to get used to wearing them, although they would not be "switched on" until 23rd February. The next two weeks went very well, she didn't seem to mind wearing all her equipment and continued to show progress in her babbling and signing.
And that, is how we arrived at today, 23rd February 2015 - activation day!
Today was one of those days that although you know it's important, emotional, life-changing, you can't decide how you feel about it because it hasn't quite sunk in yet. Princess performed perfectly, reacting to each of the twelve frequencies in ear each and even turned to a drum and then investigated the hand dryers in the bathrooms later.
Now, it's time for much needed sleep after an exhilarating & exhausting day.
Goodnight xx
Despite the fact that today started as any other Monday - packing school bags, hurrying the kids to eat their breakfast and get dressed for school, making packed lunches, sorting PE kits & school money envelopes. We managed to keep organised and leave our eldest two boys off at school, then our third son was taken to his grandparents house, before we travelled to the implant centre for what could turn out to be the most important day of our lives.
Princess is of course oblivious to everything, she will be 1 year old in a few days and she was born profoundly deaf in both ears, meaning that she couldn't even hear a jet engine if she was standing beside it. We tried hearing aids, but they were not powerful enough, so we all began learning BSL (British Sign Language) so that we could talk to our Princess. I am attending night classes to learn BSL and then I teach my hubby & kids what I have learned. I also take princess and the youngest of her brothers (3yrs old) to Sign2Music, where we learn more child-focussed signs, suitable for nursery rhymes and story time.
The last 12 months have been a rollercoaster ride for our family, Princess arrived a few days late after a non-eventful fourth pregnancy, looking absolutely perfect and after a few stumbles, I now realise she still is. Fourth babies get treated a little different and their mummies are allowed to make a few more decisions than perhaps is possible with those less experienced parents - meaning that we all went home in the evening after Princess's arrival at 10.51am. Of course that meant we didn't get screened for the newborn hearing test before we left.
Ten days of perfection followed, before we attended our first hearing test, only to be told, she had failed, but it was probably due to her ears still being wet after birth. We were then referred to the hospital for further testing, which happened a few weeks later. At this stage, we weren't worried at all, we were convinced we could see responses to sound, so we were sure Princess would pass her next test.
But...... She didn't.
Again, we assumed, it was nothing to worry about, kids fail tests all the time, then they pass the retest.
But...... She failed that too, in fact this time we were told that Princess had not shown any responses to any of the tests she had taken. I was on my own at the hospital with her and I didn't really understand what they were telling me. I knew it meant she had a problem with her hearing, but I didn't have a clue what lay ahead of us.
After managing to tell my husband, my parents & my in-laws, we realised we needed more information and managed to find support from NDCS (National Deaf Children's Society) thankfully! Which lead us to a local support group, Sound Friends. Talking to other parents helped us to feel supported and to realise that even if Princess could never hear a sound, she could still realise all her aspirations and lead a full life. We also found out information on the journey that lay ahead for us as parents, a family and integrating the Deaf and Hearing communities.
Anyway, over the next few months, we attended numerous NDCS & Sound Friends events allowing us to gain knowledge about deafness and options open to us. We attended the Regional Implant Centre several times for testing, including an MRI/CT scan at a local hospital which required a General Anaesthetic (something which every parent dreads).
Thankfully all the testing was completed successfully and we were told on 1st December 2014 that our Princess was a suitable candidate for cochlear implants - hurray!
Christmas was a wonderful time for us all, knowing that our family was complete and happy, all under one roof, it was all we had ever dreamed of. The only thing that was wrong was that our little Princess couldn't hear us, but she was young & she loved to babble so most people didn't notice there was a problem at all!
The New Year came and we were given 5th January 2015 as our date for bilateral implantation. Unfortunately this had to be postponed due to an infection risk, despite the total anticlimax, we were grateful that our daughter was not going to be exposed to any unnecessary risks. We were rescheduled for 19th January 2015, when Princess successfully underwent surgery for bilateral implantation of cochlear implants. She recovered very well and we were so happy with her progress, but we're always wondering if we had made the right choice for our Princess.
On 9th February, we were given all our equipment and shown how to maintain everything. From this day, Princess began wearing her external devices to allow her to get used to wearing them, although they would not be "switched on" until 23rd February. The next two weeks went very well, she didn't seem to mind wearing all her equipment and continued to show progress in her babbling and signing.
And that, is how we arrived at today, 23rd February 2015 - activation day!
Today was one of those days that although you know it's important, emotional, life-changing, you can't decide how you feel about it because it hasn't quite sunk in yet. Princess performed perfectly, reacting to each of the twelve frequencies in ear each and even turned to a drum and then investigated the hand dryers in the bathrooms later.
Now, it's time for much needed sleep after an exhilarating & exhausting day.
Goodnight xx
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