Here We Go Again

Look at this happy face.

She is always a ray of sunshine, but the poor thing has been suffering from fluid in her ears -- she has actually suffered a temporary hearing loss because of it.

So...we finally got to see the specialist today and the verdict was another set of tubes.

I hate the idea of her having surgery again, but at the same time, I know it will be such a relief to her.

She has been complaining that it  hurts or that she can hear her own voice in her ears -- a little katie echo.

Not to mention, because she can't hear...she's the loudest girl around -- by a lot.

So...April 8. We'll keep you posted.

O Happy Day!

It has been a long road, but we were notified this week that the school went ahead and purchased the equipment  Emma needed to be able to hear in class.

O happy day! 

I wasn't sure how it would work, but after trying out the system and seeing the HUGE difference it made in Emma's life, the school agreed that she needed the equipment. And it's hers for as long as she's in middle school.

Of course, we have to do this all over again when she starts high school, but i'll fight that battle when we get there.

This is the transmitter. The teacher wears this around their neck with a little microphone.

This is the receiver. Emma wears one at the bottom of each hearing aid and it puts the teacher's voice right into her hearing aids. She can hear no matter what the noise in the classroom.

Good News, Bad News

Well, we took Emma in for another fitting on her hearing aids.

They couldn't do all the testing the first time because she had too much wax in her ear (and of course this will continue to be a problem as the hearing aids push the wax back into her ear - who knew?)

So, we took her to the doctor who did a very thorough job (just ask Emma) cleaning her ears out. She did not enjoy this!

Anyway, prior to making the adjustments to her hearing aids, they did a hearing test. So here's the bad news. She has lost even more hearing!!! Just since we did the original test in December. So, they are going to do hearing tests more frequently now to determine if she is still losing sounds.

The good news is that her hearing aids work great and she is hearing a lot better. The other good news is that her slight case of OCD is finally paying off because the doctor feels very strongly that Emma is very reliable and consistent during testing, so they have very accurate measurements.

So, all in all, it's mostly okay and we are dealing with it.

Also, the school agreed to have the county hearing specialist meet with Emma's teaches to discuss her hearing loss and strategies for helping her cope.

Baby steps!

Six Million Dollar Daughter (Almost)

So, today was the big day!

Miss Emma can hear again. Woo hoo!

We were supposed to get the hearing aids last week, but they were back ordered, so she had to wait a whole other 7 days to get her hearing aids...but it was worth the wait.



And aren't they so cute? They are little pink, behind-the-ear hearing aids, and her ear molds (the part that fits into her ear) are made of clear plastic with pink swirls in it.

And, they aren't just cute...they even work!

Emma has already noticed a big difference in what she can hear and what she can't...it is so wonderful.

I think it will take some time for her to really get used to them, but we are working with a wonderful audiologist and I think that we will have it down in no time.

It was so fun to watch Emma REALLY hear...she was so happy to know that she wasn't missing anything. The cutest was when the audiologist gave her a stuffed animal who also was wearing hearing aids. It was really sweet!

Now, between Emma's glasses, her retainer, and her hearing aids, she is walking around with just about $7000 worth of stuff on her head. Sheesh.

But...she's worth it.

The hearing aids are really the latest in technology...they actually communicate with each other so Emma is able to localize sound...which means, rather than making everything louder, the hearing aids are actually stereophonic...they make the sound louder in the ear closest to the sound...something you and I take for granted, but something that people with older hearing aids cannot hear!

They will also dampen really loud sounds and block out some of the background noise around her so that she can better hear what is in front of her...so, if you want to talk to Emma, and you are someplace noisy, make sure she is facing you so that she can really hear you.

Really, she hears pretty well now. Noise is going to continue to be her nemesis...but we will work with her teachers (hopefully, they will work with us) to ensure that she has the best experience possible.

So, if you run into her, ask to see her hearing aids. She is pretty excited, and so are we!

THIS IS MY CHILD

Emma is always asking me why there aren't more posts about her. I told her they were coming...I just didn't realize it would be like this.

She has been diagnosed with a bilateral hearing loss in the mid frequencies. This means that she has lost some hearing in both ears, in the range that people normally speak in.

So far, the loss is mild, but the doctors think is it possible (perhaps even likely) that her hearing will continue to get worse, and that it may be quite some time before the hearing loss stablezies.

I know that it isn't the end of the world. And I know that for all the problems that she could have, this one isn't the worst.

BUT she is MY child.

The hardest part was when the doctor allowed me to hear like she hears, and even with a mild loss, she misses a lot.

Imagine walking around with your fingers in your ears, trying to hearing everything that is said around you. If it is quiet, it probably isn't too bad, but add some noise (like 25 other 3rd graders) and you are going to miss more than you realize.

And now, as we now go through the process of fitting her for hearing aids and making accomodations for her at school, I can't help but feel a little...lost.

We met with the school and I spoke with a school district hearing specialist...and so much of it didn't seem right to me. It felt like they spent more time talking about what they couldn't do for her, than what they could.

Basically, what they said was, until she starts to fail they can't help her.

WHAT?!?

Because she is currently a good student, there isn't much they are REQUIRED to do. They are only required to provide services to kids who are doing poorly.

Now, I understand part of this. There are limited resources, and you can only help so many people. But even if all they said was, "We are going to assign someone to monitor her progress, and if, in the future, she needs help, we will be there," I could have at least felt good about that.

Instead I am left to feel like we are in this alone and the school is relieved that this isn't their problem yet.

Luckily, Emma has a really good teacher who I think will work with us...and we will get a little more educated, and do a little more educating.

Because, by golly, THIS IS MY CHILD.