Where are The Blakelys?
I can't believe I haven't updated this blog since June! Such a slacking blogger! The Blakelys are still doing well, thank the good Lord! We have been very prosperous in our garden this summer and canned many-a-vegetable! I have pickles, tomatoes, soup starters, pears, spaghetti sauces, and so much more just packing my storage room shelves for this Fall and Winter.
Since I have taken on a second job, I basically work full-time hours just at a more random schedule so that I remain home with my family as much as possible...makes for one tired mom, but aren't we all? Gage is doing well (as far as I know) over at the hi...
Source: Cochlear Kids - September 23, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Authors: Val Source Type: blogs
The Beach
We are back from the beach! The kids had fun, I had fun, the rest of the family had fun...
My big mistake? Putting sunscreen on the kids while they were wearing their cochlear implants! When they took them off, I didn't think to put it on behind their ears and BOY DID THEY BURN!! Gman isn't even able to wear one of his, it's that bad. Yes we have ways of attaching them to the shirt collar but at home, they are happy with or without. (Source: Cochlear Kids)
Source: Cochlear Kids - June 4, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Authors: Val Source Type: blogs
Almost High School
I've made it through IEPs for next year without tears. I begged and pleaded with the faculty to fail my sixth grader so he doesn't have to go over to that high school building next year, but they refused! For the next three years, I will have children in two different school buildings, several miles apart which will be a challenge but we'll survive I'm confident.
Gman will have classroom notes provided to him since he relies heavily on speech reading. He did great with AVT (Auditory Verbal Therapy) when he was younger but with several replacement/revision surgeries on his implants, he relies on speech reading to help him ...
Source: Cochlear Kids - April 27, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Authors: Val Source Type: blogs
Goldenhar Boy
So I was lying on the O.R. table (it was actually more like a doctor's office-I had no anesthesia) trying to think of anything to say to drown out that LOUD snipping as the surgeon removed skin and tissue deep within my foot (another skin cancer). I blurted out (in a voice that was a little too loud for the awkward quiet) "So where did my other doctor go?" Realizing instantly my voice was off key and too loud I tried to retract some composure as my blood pressure soared with every SNIP, SNIP, SNIP!!!! "I mean, Dr. C? She's not here anymore right? She always used to ask me questions about my Goldenhar Boy."
She knew exactl...
Source: Cochlear Kids - March 22, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Authors: Val Source Type: blogs
Swimming with Cochlear
We were invited, along with a few other families, to try out the waterproof swim gear coming out soon from Cochlear. You really can't see the bags from this photo because Gman needed a swim cap to hold them on his little malformed ears but other kids were able to wear them with a small band holding them in place. Are they completely ready for the market, not exactly but with just a few small touch ups I think they'll be a huge hit.
Did they work? YES! They did the job. His implants did not get wet and for the first time, he could swim, and go under water, and still hear wearing his processors the whole time with only...
Source: Cochlear Kids - February 24, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Authors: Val Source Type: blogs
Not so Good
Well, we thought we were doing great.....however, after MAPping both children today, we popped them into the booth and obviously from the chart, they hear great with their cochlear implants...
(You need them to hear within or above the speech banana if at all possible which both of my kids do, thankfully)
...the bad news? They don't hear great in noise. In fact, you can see from the numbers over to the side, that they both drop to less than 1/2 of clear understood speech. Brook uses an FM in class and she does really well with it, however, little man has abandoned this as of fifth (really fourth) grade. So, he's tryi...
Source: Cochlear Kids - February 12, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Authors: Val Source Type: blogs
Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction
I finally got around to reading the final reports sent from UAB from that study my kids participated in for kids with hearing loss to test their vestibular (balance) system. Here's what was determined: they both have Bilateral Vestibular Hypofunction. Gage is a little more severe as expected and Brook can compensate with some of her issues. For example, she can figure out how to balance and an unlevel floor when she can't hear or see....poor Gage however, falls completely over, can't balance at all. She knows how to use her sense of feeling to adjust her balance, Gman falls back without any chance of staying on his feet. T...
Source: Cochlear Kids - January 5, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Authors: Val Source Type: blogs
The joys of Goldenhar
According to the latest data (collected by me today) Brooklyn has 24 teeth, which is probably normal, she is now nine years old. Gage on the other hand has a total of 19. There are a couple of more that will likely come through but at this point I don't see past 21 teeth in his near future and the ones he does have, aren't actually full healthy teeth. They are called pegs. Despite his wishes to be able to go to the dentist and just walk out with a cleaning, that simply doesn't happen for him. There's always talks of other procedures, other appointments, other doctors, and future surgeries.
This is all a direct result of h...
Source: Cochlear Kids - January 2, 2013 Category: Other Conditions Authors: Val Source Type: blogs
