For some bizarre reason, the replacement for Erin's second fried processor arrived today. But the first one (which is a different color) won't be here until tomorrow. Apparently they canceled the first order and placed a single order for both, thus delaying the whole process by several days. Lovely.
Erin went 6 full days without sound on her left side. That is a long time for a 3 year old.
Long enough to decide she doesn't need to have two processors.
We had screams, we had tears, we had "No left processor, Mommy! It's still broken!" I actually got to the point where I was concerned that maybe there was something wrong with the map.
So, I put it aside, waited a bit, then used the time honored tradition of bribery to get her to allow me to put the processor on. (Amazing what a Princess Gummy Vitamin means to a little girl.)
I set the program on P1, her softest setting, and put the coil on. She was not happy, but she tolerated it the rest of the evening.
I almost feel like we're starting from scratch! I am not looking forward to the morning routine. I think we'll leave her on P1 for at least another day to let her ease back into it.
6 comments:
I think it is amazing that in such a short time - 6 days really isn't that long overall - Toes has to completely adjust all over again. I'm sure that she will quickly catch back up to where she was, but I wonder, what is the magic time frame? How long can you go without a processor and still put it back on the same program as before?
I would think that the implant manufactures would know this and work as diligently as possible to make that time frame happen. Or is it different with each individual?
You've provoked some interesting questions on my part. Probably many that there just aren't answers to. But I still find it so interesting that anytime there is a period - regardless of length -of no stimulation there is a regression.
I'd love to hear CI Adults chime in on this subject.
I really think the issues tonight were more related to her being 3 than to any sort of real regression.
I contacted her audi on Friday to see if she thought there would be an issue going the weekend without sound on that side and she felt there wouldn't be a problem.
My theory is that she got used to not having it and was annoyed with the change. I'll put her back to her normal program tomorrow night and see how it goes. I am just leery of sending her off to daycare at full power after such a negative reaction tonight.
Heh, heh. Sometimes my friend Chocolate Chip has to put the CI on my 3yo. ;-) You're in good company.
When Kevin's internal magnet broke last year, he was without his right side for a month (after surgery healing and everything). I thought he was ruined from every using his right side because he was so against wearing it. We did have to back off of the setting too. He was only 18 months at the time and couldn't communicate well enough what was going on, but I remember just holding the coil to his head while he screamed and cried. It was awful to me and I would be crying by the end, but eventually he took to it again. It took a while to get him used to wearing it without fits. It is amazing how quickly things regress when you don't wear the processor.
Good luck and hopefully this won't happen again!
Hi there! I'm an adult with bilateral CI's. I'm so sorry she had to go so long without her CI...that had to be really challenging.
For me, my hearing is drastically reduced if I'm only wearing one CI. I hear differently in each ear as well.
In the morning, sound is overwhelming. I have to turn the volume down quite a bit. It takes until mid-day until I can raise it to near the normal level. I imagine that going without the CI for 6 days would be like going without it overnight, just that much more intense. It's probably super loud for her right now. Is there a separate volume you can turn down, beyond having it on her softest program?
I use a different CI brand but I think the experience is pretty similar regardless of brand, so I hope that helps a bit!
~ Wendi
Adult Bilateral CI'er here.
How have she been doing since then? I can tell you that if I don't wear one of my CI for a day (sometimes the sounds gets too much, or I just want some silence for a while). Then I put it back on, it gets VERY loud and it hurts.
It does take a little while to get over it.
I suspect that it is just a little overwhelming for Erin. Next time if something similar happens such that she doesn't wear the CI for a day or two for whatever reason...I suggest you to put it on the softest program, turn down the sensitivity and volume to 0, then progressively go back up to normal.
How have she been doing now?
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