So,looks like we are going to make it to the surgery table (thank god!).It is now 12.30 am and the surgery is scheduled at 9 am.
Rhianna is fast asleep on the hospital bed and I'm feeling so nervous about the surgery.She was admitted this morning and they ran full blood test and multiple check ups to make sure that she's fit to go in tomorrow.So we will probably be here for a couple of days (standard procedure here) for observation after the surgery.
It's not easy taking care of an active child who is not sick yet stuck in a hospital.Luckily they have a big play room with many toys so she's not that bored.Unfortunately the room is closed at 5pm so mom had to take over and entertain her from there on.Fortunately,mom is smart enough to bring a couple of new toys and dvds (thanks Barney!).
Anyway,Rhianna's beloved Mama Gee will scrub in and observe the surgery tomorrow.I opted not to.I'm not squeamish with blood or anything,but seeing someone drills into my daughter's skull is a different story altogether.
Soon Rhianna will be bilateral and another hearing journey will begin. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers!
p/s: will update with photos tomorrow.What else can one do when stuck in a hospital but blog?
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Twisted sense of humor
We finally received a surgery date for her second implant - April 28th !
Let's not discuss about how will she bond or learn to listen again with this new device.The thought of another switch on and multiple map sessions (as exciting as they are ) will make me hyperventilate.
Let's not even talk about the surgery process.I might need a tranquiliser to calm my nerves.
Today we'll talk about sense of humour.
I am a speech therapist who has not much experience working with hearing impaired children.Aside from my student and training years,I don't really take HI cases.It's not really my cup of tea.I'm more into autism and PDD and things like that.So what did God do? He blessed me with a deaf child.Now, I really had no choice but learn all the techniques needed to teach my child.
Getting the first CI was a bit too easy for us.The government funded the whole thing and we got it fast.We also got our favourite surgeon and audiologist even though they were very busy and very much sought after.So,where's the humour in that?
It took 3 adults to hold her down and stick that damned thing to the her head while she screamed bloody murder..and that thing tend to fall off every 5 minutes or so and the whole process would start all over again.It took her quite some time (like one whole month of screaming her throat sore) to bond with her first ear and now they are inseparable.
About a month ago in preparation of this pending surgery,I upped her prebiotics,give her daily doses of multivitamins,fish oil and extra vitamin C to build better immune system and possibly avoid cough and cold episodes.
Then,God decided to be funny again and sent us some virus just when I was about to pull her out from school and keep her at home.
So now she's sniffling and coughing and on various medication trying to meet the surgery date (we'll update you whether we make or not).
I've learned a lot of lessons on this journey with my daughter.I've learned a lesson in humility.We can always make plans but God will make the final call.I've learned to take things easy,enjoy the moment and worry less.I now understand that everything happens for a purpose..even the most impossible and difficult things.We just have to find the purpose God intended and fullfill it.
And I've also learned that He has such twisted sense of humour.
Let's not discuss about how will she bond or learn to listen again with this new device.The thought of another switch on and multiple map sessions (as exciting as they are ) will make me hyperventilate.
Let's not even talk about the surgery process.I might need a tranquiliser to calm my nerves.
Today we'll talk about sense of humour.
I am a speech therapist who has not much experience working with hearing impaired children.Aside from my student and training years,I don't really take HI cases.It's not really my cup of tea.I'm more into autism and PDD and things like that.So what did God do? He blessed me with a deaf child.Now, I really had no choice but learn all the techniques needed to teach my child.
Getting the first CI was a bit too easy for us.The government funded the whole thing and we got it fast.We also got our favourite surgeon and audiologist even though they were very busy and very much sought after.So,where's the humour in that?
It took 3 adults to hold her down and stick that damned thing to the her head while she screamed bloody murder..and that thing tend to fall off every 5 minutes or so and the whole process would start all over again.It took her quite some time (like one whole month of screaming her throat sore) to bond with her first ear and now they are inseparable.
About a month ago in preparation of this pending surgery,I upped her prebiotics,give her daily doses of multivitamins,fish oil and extra vitamin C to build better immune system and possibly avoid cough and cold episodes.
Then,God decided to be funny again and sent us some virus just when I was about to pull her out from school and keep her at home.
So now she's sniffling and coughing and on various medication trying to meet the surgery date (we'll update you whether we make or not).
I've learned a lot of lessons on this journey with my daughter.I've learned a lesson in humility.We can always make plans but God will make the final call.I've learned to take things easy,enjoy the moment and worry less.I now understand that everything happens for a purpose..even the most impossible and difficult things.We just have to find the purpose God intended and fullfill it.
And I've also learned that He has such twisted sense of humour.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
The MAP story
Rhianna hates MAP sessions.All of them.Period.If she ever cooperated in any of them,it was because she wanted to (not because you told her to) but she still hated them.If she ever dropped anything in the bucket when she heard a beep,she did it pouting.
I remember when she was just activated and we had to MAP her every other week - pure hell!
No amount of bribery (or threat) would make her cooperate.Luckily our audi Dr C is very patient and is very good at reading a child's body language in response to sound.Even luckier Rhianna's body language was not hard at all to read.She would play nicely with a toy and when she heard a beep, she turned and glared menacingly at the audi.I was quite sure that she growled and gnashed her teeth too but maybe that was just my imagination.
Anyway,last couple of weeks we had one MAP session (after 6 months of no MAPPING bliss).
On the way there,she told me she didn't want to listen to the beep beep sound.I told her she'd get ice cream,sweets and toys if she cooperated (bribery) but she just pouted.
Once there,she entered a mute zone and refused to talk to anybody.She answered questions by nodding or shaking her head and glaring at anybody who dared smile at her (charming!)
Inside, she cooperated fairly and when it was all over she was back to her old chirpy self much to the amusement of Dr C.
Now 2 weeks after, she is still adjusting to the new programs.I think this is the reason why she doesn't like new maps.All this readjusting to sounds is a bit tiring for her and it's making her cranky and a bit sensitive too.Trust me,a stubborn,sensitive and cranky child drains your energy very fast.
God have mercy on us.
I remember when she was just activated and we had to MAP her every other week - pure hell!
No amount of bribery (or threat) would make her cooperate.Luckily our audi Dr C is very patient and is very good at reading a child's body language in response to sound.Even luckier Rhianna's body language was not hard at all to read.She would play nicely with a toy and when she heard a beep, she turned and glared menacingly at the audi.I was quite sure that she growled and gnashed her teeth too but maybe that was just my imagination.
Anyway,last couple of weeks we had one MAP session (after 6 months of no MAPPING bliss).
On the way there,she told me she didn't want to listen to the beep beep sound.I told her she'd get ice cream,sweets and toys if she cooperated (bribery) but she just pouted.
Once there,she entered a mute zone and refused to talk to anybody.She answered questions by nodding or shaking her head and glaring at anybody who dared smile at her (charming!)
Inside, she cooperated fairly and when it was all over she was back to her old chirpy self much to the amusement of Dr C.
Now 2 weeks after, she is still adjusting to the new programs.I think this is the reason why she doesn't like new maps.All this readjusting to sounds is a bit tiring for her and it's making her cranky and a bit sensitive too.Trust me,a stubborn,sensitive and cranky child drains your energy very fast.
God have mercy on us.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Rapunzel's hair cut
Rhianna has always had long hair.After she watched the movie Tangled,she insisted that she be called Rapunzel.Recently however,her language developed more.With more language,come more ideas.With more ideas come reasoning ability.All these combined with a stubborn child resulted in a hair cut.
I love her long silky hair.She needs the long hair.Really.She's very active and a bit tomboyish so she needs the long hair to keep some girlish element.Also,I used to braid her hair tightly over the magnet piece to keep them from falling off everytime she went for her OT sessions or to the playground.
For the last few weeks however she started asking me for a hair cut.Reasons being:
1.All her classmates have short hair (except one girl but she didn't mention that,little stinker).
2.Short hair is cute (?)
3.Her name is actually Rhianna not Rapunzel (really?)
4.Everybody she knows has short hair (I'm not so sure about that)
Anybody who knows this child knows that there is no point in arguing with her.
So here are the pictures.
I love her long silky hair.She needs the long hair.Really.She's very active and a bit tomboyish so she needs the long hair to keep some girlish element.Also,I used to braid her hair tightly over the magnet piece to keep them from falling off everytime she went for her OT sessions or to the playground.
For the last few weeks however she started asking me for a hair cut.Reasons being:
1.All her classmates have short hair (except one girl but she didn't mention that,little stinker).
2.Short hair is cute (?)
3.Her name is actually Rhianna not Rapunzel (really?)
4.Everybody she knows has short hair (I'm not so sure about that)
Anybody who knows this child knows that there is no point in arguing with her.
So here are the pictures.
 | |
| Setting up the length.She wanted short short!Mommy said not too short please!So we compromised on shoulder length |
 |
| She wanted short bangs too |
 |
| Posing with her 'cute' short hair |
 |
| Again at home with her 'cute' short hair.Notice the fake butterfly tattoo on her arms? She's a future diva I told ya! |
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
We're still around
We're still around,just a little bit busy.
Rhianna is doing very well in preschool.I had a nice chat with her teacher who said that Rhianna is catching up very fast in her language skills.We just need to brush up on her pronunciation (she's due for another map next week).We're also going to do another language assessment on her to see how much has she gained.We wont be able to tell exactly where she's at in comparison to her peers as these tests are not normed (yet) in our country.But we would at least have some ideas of her language development.
We are also working on getting her a new ear which we hope would happen soon.We are now waiting for a surgery date from our Supersurgeon.We so love this surgeon for his superb skill and he is also currently one of the best in the region...So we'll wait until he's available.
So that's pretty much our update..and also, Rhianna decided that she no longer wants to be Rapunzel and had been nagging me for a haircut for over a week.So, today she got one at a salon and has been showing everyone who would look and telling everyone who would listen (on the phone) about her new hairdo.I'll try and post some pictures tomorrow.
Rhianna is doing very well in preschool.I had a nice chat with her teacher who said that Rhianna is catching up very fast in her language skills.We just need to brush up on her pronunciation (she's due for another map next week).We're also going to do another language assessment on her to see how much has she gained.We wont be able to tell exactly where she's at in comparison to her peers as these tests are not normed (yet) in our country.But we would at least have some ideas of her language development.
We are also working on getting her a new ear which we hope would happen soon.We are now waiting for a surgery date from our Supersurgeon.We so love this surgeon for his superb skill and he is also currently one of the best in the region...So we'll wait until he's available.
So that's pretty much our update..and also, Rhianna decided that she no longer wants to be Rapunzel and had been nagging me for a haircut for over a week.So, today she got one at a salon and has been showing everyone who would look and telling everyone who would listen (on the phone) about her new hairdo.I'll try and post some pictures tomorrow.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
