Sunday, June 19, 2011

New ear update


It has been one month since activation and I'm so glad to report that Rhianna loves her new ear! She wears it all the time and even asks for it in the morning.She said that she likes the old one better but she likes the new one too.I guess she could feel the difference between hearing unilaterally and bilaterally.

The new ear is also catching up very fast.Much faster than I anticipated.She could already understand 2-3 steps command wearing that side alone.She could do Lings 6 sounds at more than 2 meters distance.When tested,the aided threshold for the new CI is between 35 to 40 dB.Not bad considering that the ear has been hearing for only a month and was unaided before.So maybe it's time to start working on the new side more.

So if asked if it was worth putting her through surgery again (not to mention the money!), I'd say yes! She loves it,we love it and it works beautifully.

2 comments:

  1. Sorry I didn't check in for awhile -- I'm so glad to hear things are going well and that the new ear is catching up to the old one. All the pictures from your last few posts are great! And I *love* dollhouses -- what a great present! I'm sure she'll enjoy it for many years. What a lovely child she is!

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  2. Hello,

    My daughter is around 1.5 years old. She got her bilateral implants when she was 9 months old. She is making steady progress though. She can now respond to name calling and can swing to music :-).

    For now all that we are doing to help her hear better is to take her audio verbal therapy 3 times a week and do our best to practice what is recommended on the Cochlear site in the therapies section.

    I am writing to you to get information on the following, could you kindly share your thoughts?

    1. From what I read, mostly from independent sources on the internet, that her cochlear hearing is NO WHERE close to natural hearing. However, our audiologist gives a different impression, as per him, there a just a few frequencies she will it difficult to hear. I am now confused. I want do all that I can for her to get the maximum benefit and be on par with her hearing peers. Is there a good source you know for me to extend my knowledge how she experiences sound and how I can prepare her to fill in the gaps if any?
    2.There a few books on Amazon on the lines of journey to hearing through cochlear implants. Did you ready any? Did you find any other resource beyond the cochlear sites useful?

    Thanks in advance

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