Well, tomorrow we find out if Norah will be able to hear sound with her Cochlear Implant. She gets the external device and her first mapping tomorrow. While the results at activation vary from little reaction to sound, to crying because the kids are afraid of the new sound at first, to they are happy to be able to hear again or for the first time.
Just getting a reaction is a good thing. Then the CI Audiologist can work on mapping from there, then they will start off low with Norah giving her about the same amount of sound as she got with her hearing aids. Hopefully, then they will give Lori and I three programs to turn up the cochlear implant during the day if Norah is doing ok. Then we go back the next day for some more fine tuning, and week after week she will be mapped to try to get her as close to that 20-30 DB across the board she needs for speech. This is not an instant fix, it will take a lot of work on the part of Lori and I and Norah’s willingness to work at listening to the world around her, and practicing making many different sounds with her voice. We still have high hopes for Norah to speak more and more words over the coming months. It has taken her six months to learn to say Mamma ,Daddy, up, bye-bye, so we are still going to be using sign language with her for a long time, maybe always, we will have to see what the next year or two brings.
With all she has been through we feel in the last six months she has come a long way already
on many fronts.
4 comments:
Oh, I'm so excited for her! I would bring your vide camera along, just in case there is some type of very cool reaction that you would regret not having recorded. Many prayers that tomorrow goes well!
I am very excited for you! When Jazzie was first activated there was not reaction at ALL! Nothing. In fact, there was no reaction for almost 6 weeks and I honestly thought that her implant was malfunctioning. However, one day she heard the phone ringing and that was the beginning of her amazing CI success story. I wish the same for your beautiful Norah :-)
Yeah!! Norah is such a beautiful girl and has come such a long way in a short amount of time. She is amazing. I can't wait to hear how she does and what her reaction is.
Hugs,
Carla
We'll be thinking of you this morning. Good luck little Norah!
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