CI Number 2!
So here we are again, hanging out in the hospital after having a second cochlear implant put into James's other ear. He's doing very well, much better than last time around! There were no scary issues during surgery this time, thank you Jesus! And he is not nearly as nauseous. We are not giving him any morphine or other narcotics as they make him vomit. So hopefully tylenol is sufficient to manage his pain through the night, and we can go home in the morning.
James won't actually get this processor for about 4 weeks, giving the ear time to heal. In the meantime he will be able to continue to wear the first one. And yes, he can hear with it on. Take it off, and he is just as deaf as he was before. Implants don't cure deafness. Only God can do that! But anyway, he is hearing pretty much everything that goes on around him. If you're in another room, he might not hear you call him, although he does hear the microwave beep from the other room! And if it's a very noisy place, he's not likely to notice if you call his name. No, he doesn't say any words yet, but he knows a cow says moo and a pig says oink, along with some other animal sounds. He tries to say "love you" (which is very cute) and "thank you" (if you prompt him). He makes noise every waking moment of the day (at least that's how it feels some days), and he will sing, loudly, in the car when the radio is on. Which is always. :) He recognizes the phone ringing, the dog barking, and he knows if music comes on during a tv show. He knows when you call his name, which is a glorious thing, especially when he starts to run in a grocery store! We are working on learning letters, and he can identify a few of the sounds already. For only 3 months in, he is doing very well. And turning on his other "ear" should only help him progress even faster. He doesn't understand speech yet, so we still sign, and will continue to do so. No one knows how long it will take him to understand oral language, and maybe he never will. Everyone is optimistic that he will, but if you haven't started to learn some signs yet, now is a great time!! :)
I had this big long post planned, and actually started, about why we decided to get CIs for James in the first place. But I decided not to finish/post it at this time because A) I was mostly doing it just to voice my opinion on the matter, and B) I really don't want to start an argument or hurt anyone's feelings. I could say that I'm not trying to change anyone's mind in this matter, but that would be a lie. I like for people to agree with me, and I like it even more when they don't agree but I can convince them! But unless someone is on the fence about the issue, I'm not likely to convince them of my point of view, any more than they will convince me of theirs. So, if you really want to know the reasons behind our decision, I would be happy to tell you personally. If you found this blog and are trying to make a decision, I will give you my opinion and you can do with it what you like!
James won't actually get this processor for about 4 weeks, giving the ear time to heal. In the meantime he will be able to continue to wear the first one. And yes, he can hear with it on. Take it off, and he is just as deaf as he was before. Implants don't cure deafness. Only God can do that! But anyway, he is hearing pretty much everything that goes on around him. If you're in another room, he might not hear you call him, although he does hear the microwave beep from the other room! And if it's a very noisy place, he's not likely to notice if you call his name. No, he doesn't say any words yet, but he knows a cow says moo and a pig says oink, along with some other animal sounds. He tries to say "love you" (which is very cute) and "thank you" (if you prompt him). He makes noise every waking moment of the day (at least that's how it feels some days), and he will sing, loudly, in the car when the radio is on. Which is always. :) He recognizes the phone ringing, the dog barking, and he knows if music comes on during a tv show. He knows when you call his name, which is a glorious thing, especially when he starts to run in a grocery store! We are working on learning letters, and he can identify a few of the sounds already. For only 3 months in, he is doing very well. And turning on his other "ear" should only help him progress even faster. He doesn't understand speech yet, so we still sign, and will continue to do so. No one knows how long it will take him to understand oral language, and maybe he never will. Everyone is optimistic that he will, but if you haven't started to learn some signs yet, now is a great time!! :)
I had this big long post planned, and actually started, about why we decided to get CIs for James in the first place. But I decided not to finish/post it at this time because A) I was mostly doing it just to voice my opinion on the matter, and B) I really don't want to start an argument or hurt anyone's feelings. I could say that I'm not trying to change anyone's mind in this matter, but that would be a lie. I like for people to agree with me, and I like it even more when they don't agree but I can convince them! But unless someone is on the fence about the issue, I'm not likely to convince them of my point of view, any more than they will convince me of theirs. So, if you really want to know the reasons behind our decision, I would be happy to tell you personally. If you found this blog and are trying to make a decision, I will give you my opinion and you can do with it what you like!
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