Activation Successful!

Just a quick not to tell you that Gwyneth's cochlear implant activation was successful!  It will take some time for her to get used to this new device on her head, and probably a few months if not more before we begin to see her speech improve because of her new hearing.  We'll return a few times over the next several months to have the audiologists adjust the settings until they get it exactly right for her needs.

If you want to learn more about the exact implant system Gwyneth has, you can read about the Cochlear Nucleus System here.

Gwyneth's last photo pre-activation!

Gwyneth's new hearing!

Gwyneth's new friend, a koala with implants just like hers!

Highlight of our trip...Gwyneth bumped into a North Carolina hero in the lobby at Duke...do you know who this is?

Nate

Cochlear Implant Activation Tomorrow!

We are so excited about Gwyneth's activation tomorrow!  We have no idea how she will react...she has enough hearing in her left ear that we don't expect it to be too dramatic.  We know that kids her age often have a difficult time adjusting, and considering she has had almost no hearing in her right ear for at least a few years, we are anticipating she might not be too happy with it at first.

We'll let you know how it goes!

Nate

Cochlear Implant Surgery Report

Warning...a photo with blood below...

Gwyneth's surgery went very well.  Took about 3 hours, and before they woke her up, they tested the device and took an x-ray to make sure it was positioned and working correctly.  It was an outpatient surgery, so we were at our hotel no more than two hours after the surgery ended.

Gwyneth always wakes up from anesthesia very grumpy (we've been told some people react this way).  She remained grumpy until she fell to sleep late that night.  She was feeling a little better on Friday morning.

Tricia spent Friday morning at Duke beginning the transplant evaluation process.  And, we were back home by 3:30 that day.  By bedtime last night, we had weened Gwyneth off the heavy pain meds and she was showing signs of "normalcy".  This morning, Gwyneth woke up feeling much better, and we were able to take her bandage off.  By bedtime tonight, she was full of energy and laughter...amazing how quickly she recovers.

We return next week for a post-op appointment to make sure everything is healing well.  In 3-4 weeks, we return again to activate the cochlear implant and run some tests to get it set up to best help her.  We are very excited!  Thank you for your prayers!

Nate

In Surgery

Nate

Cochlear Implant Surgery

After about a year of research and discussion and prayer, we have decided to move forward with a cochlear implant surgery for Gwyneth.  While she only has moderate hearing loss in her left ear, she has all but complete hearing loss in her right ear.  Because of her hearing loss, her speech is very delayed, and only those who spend a great deal of time with her are able to understand more than a few of her words.

Gwyneth will receive an implant only in her right ear and will continue to use her hearing aid in her left ear.  The surgery is schedule for tomorrow, July 19, and about a month later we will return to the hospital to have the implant "activated".



Nate