Friday, January 11, 2013

Not the best news... and that thing I wouldn't tell you.

Hi to all my readers...
 
Here is what I didn't want to tell you till it was over.
(because it FREAKED ME OUT!!!)
 
Well about 6 weeks ago we went to Chad's pre-op
appointment and the ABI "team" said that when we
turn on the ABI they would have a nurse, Dr. and a crash cart.
 
I wish you could have seen my face! It said "EEEK! DON'T TELL ME THAT!"
 
I was alone with her and later that day Chad's doctor told him the same thing.
But... Chad does not hear well so he didn't hear it. (Thank goodness!)
 
I did not mention it to him.
 
So... We spent the last two days 3 hrs each day.
 
 
 (I tried to post pictures but something is wrong with the website.)

Well anyway... Wed they had a crash cart in the room and Chad
was curious about it. Then Thursday they got a different
crash cart in the room and they hooked him up
he asked "why am I hooked up to this AED?"
They said... just in case your heart stops.

He said "no seriously why?"

They said in case your heart stops... He then got nervous.

We went on and did the programing. 2 days... 3 hrs each day.
Exhausting...

There are 20 electrodes on the ABI and they turn each one on by
sending in a current and seeing how Chad reacts, what he feels etc.

He mostly began to feel faint as they got to a certain level.
So they would send in a current and then increase it
 and increase it and increase it
until he felt something. Usually he felt like he was going to faint.

Occasionally he felt something in his ear, or throat or at times elbow.

But the bad news is.. No sounds. :(

So the people from Cochlear and the Audiologist both are
going to do some research and we will go back.

We got home very late.

Then today we took him to get fitted for a hearing aid.
He was not happy about going to the doctor again.

That is our update. Thanks for reading! 

 


Saturday, January 5, 2013

4 More days...till we turn it on!

An ABI must be turned on.
 
It is going to take 2 appointments on
 2 different days...
 
Why?
 
Apparently it is exhausting to do.
 
We turn Chad's on this coming Wednesday.
I am still not going to tell you the scary
 part until we get back. 
(When it is over!)
 
Last week we also took him to get fitted
for a hearing aid. His doctor wants him to have one.
 
Do you know how much those things cost? 
Actually they are CHEAP compared to and ABI.
 
So 4 more days...