March 25, 2009

So, I have had a bit of a reprieve from insomnia, until the last few nights. Here's my whine..."It is so aggravating!"
Today/yesterday really. Thomas had an appointment to: adjust the settings of his cochlear implant, receive and set up a new FM/blue tooth system for his cochlear, and to be evaluated for the need for a cochlear implant in his other ear.

My side note here is that the appointment took two hours and I forgot to bring a stroller for Kaylyn. Kaylyn, has become a busy explorer. It was a long two hours...

Anyway, Thomas was able to get the FM system for his cochlear and he is so happy about it. The FM system works with blue tooth compatibility with his cell phone. so that when he answers his phone, he can now hear whoever calls directly in his cochlea. The device can also connect wirelessly to an mp3 player and any electronic device with an ear jack(I think that's what they are called.) He also has 2 different microphones, with different ranges, that he can use in groups, or in a meeting at work that should help improve how much he is able to hear during a group discussion. This is all very exciting for him.
Because Thomas speaks so well, even I forget often just how much he misses. Without the FM system today, he scored 0% when he was tested on how much he could hear with background noise. When tested with the FM system, he scored 73%. For a person with normal hearing, that's not so great. That is a person missing over a quarter of a conversation. For Thomas, that number is HUGE!
It's so fun to see something make him so tickled and happy. Right now, he is kinda like a kid in a candy store. :D Try calling him sometime! He might just hear you!