Bobby's hearing loss was picked up very early, when he was just a few weeks old. At first it seemed like nothing to worry about. He failed the Newborn Hearing Screening, but doctors said this was most likely due to fluid in the ears after the birth. Then, a few tests later, my husband Dan and I found ourselves back at the hospital, listening to a very concerned-looking paediatrician trying to explain Bobby's condition.
She talked to us for what seemed like an eternity about hairs on the cochlear and the inner ear, producing a 3D model and showing us the different parts. All the while I was wondering what on earth she was doing. Her final sentence was the kick in the stomach: "I'm afraid Bobby has profound hearing loss in both ears."
Initially, we felt very alone. Neither of us had any experience of hearing loss, but we wanted to do everything we could for Bobby. After many consultations, we learnt that due to his level of deafness, Bobby was not going to benefit from traditional hearing aids, but he could be a good candidate for cochlear implantation.
From our research, we knew that children who are born deaf are more likely to benefit from a cochlear implant if it is given as early as possible, so that their hearing and speech has an opportunity to develop in a similar way to hearing children. That's what we wanted for our family. We wanted Bobby to hear our soothing voices when he was upset; we wanted him to hear us laughing and talking to him.
We asked the consultant for an immediate referral and, thankfully, she agreed. But it wasn't straightforward. The assessment process took six long months, full of MRI tests, CT scans, more hearing tests and funding applications. Finally, all the professionals involved in Bobby's case met and agreed he was a perfect candidate for implantation. Surgery to receive his two MED-EL cochlear implants was booked for five days before his first birthday.
Preparing for surgery was scary. It was both the easiest decision of our lives and the most difficult. The surgery involved a six-hour procedure. Should we be putting our baby through such a major operation? During the months of assessments, we had spoken with many professionals and, more importantly, met with many parents and their implanted children, who all loved their 'special ears'. We decided it was the right thing to do to for Bobby and us as a family.
Although rehabilitation after surgery was tough, we had prepared ourselves for the long haul. We would do whatever it took to help Bobby make the best of his new ears. We saw a speech and language therapist and a teacher of the deaf every two weeks, but we wanted to make sure that we had explored all of our options. We found out about Auditory Verbal UK (AVUK), a charity that teaches deaf babies to listen and speak through play-based sessions. Thanks to additional funding from a trust and our local authority, Bobby was enrolled. He was 20 months old when he went for his first session and had no words. After the first day, he said something that resembled 'playdoh'. Age four, Bobby graduated from AVUK with the spoken language skills of a five-and-a-half-year-old.
We chose a path for Bobby that helped him to become a fantastic listener and talker. At every stage of his development, we wanted to make sure his quality of life was the best it could be.
Bobby's implants have made a huge difference to his life. He is a very happy, confident little boy. I'm not saying he wouldn't have been without the implants, but we are very happy with the choice for our family. Bobby is now thriving at a mainstream school with a hearing impaired unit. He has a large circle of both hearing and deaf friends, and enjoys everything life throws at him. We are very proud and we know great things are still to come.
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Guest post: Cochlear implants – "We wanted Bobby to hear our voices"
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MumsnetGuestPosts · 25/02/2016 12:35
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