CI Dilemma #1

We've had our first dilemma...

Often CI children wear their body worn processors in a pocket(s) attached to the child's clothing. So, what do you do when your CI child spills a cup of milk all down his shirt less than 20 minutes before bed-time?

a. Leave him in the wet shirt so he can keep his ears on.

b. Remove his ears and wet shirt and call it a day.

c.

The diaper works too!

I have to say that we entertained the diaper idea for a few moments but I actually managed to keep both ears on while removing the wet shirt and putting on a new shirt. Man I'm getting good with his equipment!

Don't Forget to Register

The Ohio Chapter of the AG Bell Association will hold its annual meeting on October 27, 2007 in Columbus. Don't forget to register for this exciting event! Registration is open through October 17th.

If you have any questions about the meeting please leave a comment.

A Long Over Due Update on Drew

Life with two young children is quite busy these days. Add in a full time job and a lot of family activities and my blogging somehow falls behind. With that I have failed to update all of the exciting things that have been going on with Drew! Here are some things he has been doing over the past few weeks:

• Drew has been concentrating hard on his motor skills and has made tremendous progress in the past week. He can climb the stairs like a champ. He is all business and can get to the top of the stairs in about two seconds flat. He is also starting to walk with his walking toy and does well putting one foot in front of the other. I can not help but notice that he struggles with his balance. I feel that he has some underlying vestibular issues as a result of his hearing loss that are affecting him. I am concerned that he is not yet standing on his own, but I am thrilled with how hard he is working on his motor skills. I spoke to the pediatrician about this at Drew's one year appointment and he did not seem overly concerned about the fact that Drew can not stand on his own. He said that he will reevaluate him at his 15 months appointment and go from there.
• Another area of concern has been Drew's ability to chew solid foods. Whenever he put solids in his mouth he would chew for a little bit and then when the food would get to the back of his throat he would gag and act like he was choking to death. Seriously, it has been very scary at times. In the last week he has begun to really chew up food and swallow it without choking! In fact the last four nights he has eaten some solid food and not had one choking moment. It seems like such a minor thing but it makes life so much easier! When he can chew on a biter biscuit at a restaurant for 30 minutes it makes our dinner much nicer. I think now we will move at a fast pace with him transitioning from jarred baby food to solid table food.
• Drew's babbling is expanding daily. He has added the /s/ sound to his repertoire. He also will try to "moo" like a cow when we work with him on animal sounds. We are working on body parts right now, using baby dolls, Mr. Potato head and ourselves as models of the spacialilty of various body parts, like eyes, ears, mouth, etc. Drew is very interested in mouths and will always touch mine when I am talking to him. I'll be interested to see if this is the first body part he identifies on his own.
• Drew understands the words "up" and "eat". It is very exciting to know that he is actually able to hear and comprehend different concepts. If I ask him, "Drew, do you want up?" he will put his arms in the air and wait to be picked up. I love that Drew has made me learn to appreciate little things like this. I am now practicing little things with him like, "How big is Drew?" and then throwing his arms in the air while saying, "So Big!" He has so much fun with that one.
• Giving kisses is Drew's favorite pass time now and Drew's Dad and I are loving it! I got three kisses (and by kiss I mean he leans in with an open mouth and slobbers all over you!) when he woke from his afternoon nap and Drew's Dad got eight kisses before putting him to bed tonight. Drew does not make the kissing noise while giving the kisses, but he will make it in response to our kissing him.
• Drew received a lot of "learning to listen" toys for his birthday and we are loving all of them! He has a house, barn, trucks, zoo and lots of new books. We use them to practice things like open and close doors, animal sounds, and one step directions like "Put the dog in the car". Drew is very active now and really likes doing these activities (except when he is supposed to do them at therapy! He clams up at all of his therapy appointments.)

Drew continues to amaze us daily with the progress he is making. October 26th will mark the one year anniversary of finding out that Drew is deaf. This month has been hard for me as I reflect back on my emotions during this time last year. I will share more on that later. It's time to watch the Buckeyes vs. the Boilermakers. Go Bucks!

Publications Supporting Bilateral Cochlear Implants

The following is a list of links to different research studies or publications that we have come across which supports the use of bilateral cochlear implantation. We hope that you find them helpful.

• Let Them Hear Foundation - Research Supporting Bilateral Cochlear Implantation
  
  
• Let Them Hear Foundation - Research Supporting Bilateral Cochlear Implants in Children Under 12 Months of Age
  
  
• Cochlear - Rationale for Bilateral Cochlear Implantation in Children and Adults
  
  
• Cochlear - Should Patients Receive Two Cochlear Implants?
  
  
• Advanced Bionics - Bilateral Cochlear Implantation: Selected Bibliography of Peer-Reviewed Publications
  
  
• Advanced Bionics - Hearing With Two Ears: Technical Advances for Bilateral Cochlear Implantation
  
  
• American Otological Society - Cochlear Implantation in Both Ears May Improve Speech Perception
  
  
• MED-EL - Publications on Bilateral Cochlear Implantation With The MED-EL COMBI 40/40+ Implants
  
  
• Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery - Central Auditory Development in Children With Bilateral Cochlear Implants
  
  
• SBU Alert - Bilateral Cochlear Implantation (CI) in Children
  
  
• Healthy Hearing.com - Interview With Tina Chldress M.A., CCC-A, Audiologist, Bilateral Cochlear Implant User
  
  
• Vidyya - Cochlear Implants in Both Ears Help Deaf Localize Sound, Hear Speech in Noisy Backgrounds
  
  
• BBC - Doctors Hail Double Ear Implants
  
  
• HearingLossWeb.com - Bilateral Cochlear Implantation: Potential Benefits and Risks
  

Drew Is Helping Other Deaf Children!

At only one year old, Drew is already helping other deaf children to "turn on their ears".

A nine month old little girl in New York was scheduled for her cochlear implant surgery, but was later denied coverage by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield because she was under one year old. Their doctor submitted a letter explaining the need, and they tried to get help from the Let Them Hear Foundation, but nothing had worked. The family had their final appeal with the insurance company later that day and a family friend posted a plea for help on CI Circle:

I've heard there are studies supporting implantation under 12 months. Does anyone happen to know those studies offhand. I was hoping to put a few things together for them to take with them to their appeal this afternoon.

We saw her cry for help and emailed her, explaining that Drew had successful bilateral cochlear implant surgery at just under nine months while covered by Anthem. We sent to her a copy of Drew's approval of coverage letter and "Explanation of Benefits" from Anthem in the hopes that it would help the little girl in New York. We later got this response:

I'm happy to report that my husband's co-worker and his wife won their appeal with Anthem, so their daughter will be able to have her surgery as planned on Friday. Thanks for all your help and advice.

...I think Drew's EOB really made the difference. Thank you!

It feels great that Drew was able to help that girl, even though we don't know her or her family. If you or someone you know is denied insurance coverage for cochlear implants, don't give up! Please let us know if we (and Drew) can help you.