CJ's Hearing Test Update...and a New Surprise!

I realize CJ had his hearing appointment on Friday and I haven't had a chance to update since then. Suffice it to say I'm glad Spring Break is D.O.N.E.

I'm pleased to report that his hearing appointment went VERY well. It appears that the internal part of his device is working just fine, so that's really great. He did need to have his volume turned waaaaaaay up. When we were done with the appointment, the aud. asked him how he liked the changes and he said "I'm delighted! When can I get a processor for my other ear?" I'll take that as a really great sign that things are better. The hearing aid ear is so/so. I don't think that there's a big change in that ear since we last had it tested, but I think he's really starting to discover what the implant can do for him and preferring it. We are still really on the fence about whether or not it's best to implant the other ear. I know what he wants. I just don't know if it's also what we want for him.

One thing we're working on with him is teaching him when to set his processor for the FM and when to turn it off so he can get better quality when he's not using the FM. He is a little bit confused about how and when to do that, so we'll keep working with him. Sara has done an AMAZING job of teaching him to say "I'm sorry. I didn't hear you. Can you please repeat that?". He's really great about that during conversation, so that's a great start. I'm working with him on saying "Can you please check to see if my FM is working? I can't hear you." He mentioned that he thinks sometimes his music and PE teachers don't use it, though he did say Mrs. Lackey is good about remembering it. Since she's his key teacher, that's probably most important. I think we do need to work with her just a little to help remember to check his processor to see if he's set for the FM or not. The way he talks about it, that really does help him with the background noise.

Anyway, that's the updates for now. I'm excited to report that they're good updates. In other news, (here's the surprise referred to in the title) Rachel had her hearing tested today with Betsy and Valerie, and they did find a bit of a conductive hearing loss in the lower frequencies. Her audiogram looks a bit like Liam and CJ's, but with measurably better hearing than them. She can clearly hear those higher frequencies better than the lower. They checked thoroughly and found nothing to indicate an ear infection or blockage of any kind. When they did the bone hearing test (I know that's not the right term for it), she did great. We have an appointment for her with the ENT in a few weeks. We'll be watching to see what needs to be done next. We've already contacted Sara to let her know what is going on, and will speak with the school district tomorrow to decide how to proceed.

She was tested at birth, given an ABR as a baby, and then tested again at around 2 1/2 years old. There was no indication at that point that anything was wrong. Does that indicate that she might be like the boys with a progressive loss? It would definitely explain why she talks so loudly. I always just figured it was because she's a SuperMom kid and in this house you have to be loud if you want anyone to hear anything you say. Even the cat is loud here. I think the plan right now is to follow her hearing closely, consult with the ENT, and work on qualifying her for speech with the school district. She's always qualified for speech even as a 2 year old, but I opted not to pursue it here because I figured she could catch up in Kindergarten. Way to go, Mom. I'll be collecting my Mother of the Year Award soon.

Okay, so there you go. I'm sure that's all far more information than you all ever wanted.