Happy Halloween!

Here's a pic of Matt, in his school's Halloween "parade". Can you believe, he turned eight last summer, is in his seventh school, is mainstreamed in third grade now, and is doing GREAT! YEAH! Matt's finally making some good friends at his new school, too. Unfortunately I had to crop them out of the photo as I haven't yet asked their parents' permission to post thier pics yet.

Mat has now had his CI for five whole years! Nothing could have prepared me for everything we've been through. A bit of struggle at times, but amazing blessings, as well. I can only imagine what will come with the next five years. ;)

Whew! It's been a long time since posting!

We've had a busy summer, and the boys are settled into school. YEAH! I want to start posting here, again, thought I'd start with some more recent pics of the boys. Enjoy! ;)

FDA Approval of Advanced Bionic's HARMONY!

FDA Approval of Harmony™ HiResolution® Bionic Ear System

Source: Advanced Bionics
Publication Date: 9/28/2006
Author: Advanced Bionics

Natick, MA (September 27, 2006) -- Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) today announced the approval of its new Harmony™ HiResolution® Bionic Ear System (Harmony System) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Developed by the Company's Neuromodulation Group, the Harmony System delivers 120 spectral bands, 5 - 10 times more than competing systems, helping to significantly increase hearing potential and quality of life for the severe-to-profoundly deaf.

"The Harmony System represents the next generation of cochlear implant technology," said Jeff Greiner, President of Boston Scientific's Neuromodulation Group. "We have brought together unprecedented advancements in science, design and functionality for the user - furthering our commitment to restoring hearing and improving quality of life for those living with hearing loss due to permanent inner ear or auditory nerve damage."

Designed to enhance music appreciation and improve hearing in a variety of difficult listening environments, the Harmony System couples revolutionary internal sound processing (with the optional HiRes Fidelity™ 120) with the new Harmony behind-the-ear (BTE) external sound processor. Together, the two key components of the Harmony System are designed to provide significantly enhanced spectral resolution compared to conventional systems for a more natural representation of sound to help improve patient performance.

"With the new Harmony System, we are able to actively steer electrical currents with a high degree of accuracy, increasing the number of spectral bands from 16 to 120," said Greiner. "We are attempting to guide precise pitch information into the cochlea by taking advantage of surviving neural populations to help increase the user's ability to hear in noisy environments and to better appreciate the intricate sounds of music."

Read more info here.

Happy Birthday to This Blog! ;)

I just figured out that today is my FIRST anniversary blogging! Can you believe it?

Click here for my first post ever.

My (other blog-name removed) isn't quite as old, but I've posted and had more "hits" there than on this one. But, sigh... So much has changed in a year! How neat to have it documented in the blog. ;)

AB Recall

Yes, there WAS a recall a while ago. Supplier B's implants had a slightly higher rate of failure than Supplier A's internal parts. As soon as this was discovered, Advanced Bionics pulled all unimplanted internal parts and replaced them. I am impressed by their integrity and speed of action.

Did I freak out a little, wondering if my Little Guy was implanted by Supplier B's product. Yes, of course I did. So I called Sandy Mintz at AB (she has an implant herself!) and asked her about the recall. She said if there were any problems with my son's implant, we would have most likely known about it by now. We talked a bit more, and I immediately felt reassured and not worried about my Little Guy's implant. And I was even more impressed with the proactive actions on Advanced Bionics side of the issue.

I've also read about Linda's thoughts on this issue, and it helped reading about it from an adult user's point of view. As a parent, I enjoy hearing experiences and thoughts from adults who can better describe their feelings than my son. He has the VOCABULARY and SPEECH to tell me what he's thinking, but is an almost eight year old boy who likes to keep his thoughts to himself, too.

Well, bottom line is I'm not worried. We have since moved away from Little Guy's implant center, haven't heard from them, so I'm wondering if I'll get a letter from AB that he has Supplier B's internal part. How will I react if I get that letter? Right now I can tell you with certainty that it won't/doesn't bother me one iota. My son is doing fine, and I'm more concerned about how he will do with the 120-channel programming when it is released. Coming to an implant center near you, sometime in the future... ;)

Way to go, MATT!!!

Matt tested so well on five different standardized tests, all normed for HEARING children, that it's been recommended to fully mainstream him. His speech teacher said if Matt wasn't deaf she couldn't write an IEP for him based on his speech because he was doing so well.

I've started the ball rolling with the district, have a summer full of papers and tests, but I'm very excited for our son. He wanted to be around other deaf/hoh kids last year, but we'll have to find another way to do this. I think his needs to hang with friends in the neighborhood at home AND at school is growing much stronger in him. The poor kid, because of our military family lifestyle, this will be his seventh school, and he's just turning eight next month. You name it, we've seen it, all across the country. We've been amazingly blessed with wonderful teachers and therapists along the way!

Hmmm... I've been thinking about bilaterals for him, too. Last week I met some AMAZING adults who have bilateral CIs, and was just floored by hearing them talk about their experiences. I've also been keeping up with Little Jack's progress, too. I would like MATT to talk with the adults I've met, too, see what "bi-CIs" looks like. I look forward to reading research on improvements in speech recognition and other areas, how bilateral CIs help vs. having one implant. But, come on, I'm thrilled my boys can even do so well with one! Yeah, technology!

I'm a little more on the fence re: bilaterals for the Little Guy, as I wonder if he'll need MRIs in the future. SURE the magnets can be removed for an MRI, and I heard the procedure isn't too difficult, either. But I don't know if I'd want to mess with an MRI and TWO CI magnets. These are my very personal feelings, I wish things were a little different but that's life. I'll talk with his developmental ped doc and CI team more about this, see what they think.

In the meantime, we are ANXIOUSLY awaiting the arrival of the 120-channel programing. I have no clue when it will be released, but I'm patiently waiting. HOW EXCITING! Deb has blogged a little about this, and so has Dan. I can't wait to read more someday!

Oh, wait! The Little Guy may be going to his school five full days a week, maybe with a mainstream pre-K for 2 or 3 days/week if that all works out. I'm looking at other options for him, just to keep my mind open to everything around us.

As a mom, I can't wait for school to start again! Did I type that? Isn't that funny how perspectives change? When I was little, I lived for summers. NOW I'm TRYING to make summer fun for my little ones. I really, really, REALLY appreciate the amazing jobs my boys' teachers have done. I don't think I could thank them enough for their patience and expertise. Sigh... ;)

The Boys in Action

(video deleted)

Here are the boys in action! Sorry for the poor editing, I had to cut out some personal stuff. I was trying to give you a good idea of Matt's communication skills, but Chris continually steals the show. I'll try to do a video "interview" of Matt later and upload another video. Enjoy! ;)