view my Carrying Our Crosses entries Jun. 9, 2006 - 1:30 PM

     Hearing is something, I have discovered, that we take for granted until we have a problem with it. It is amazing how God has primed the brain starting in utero in preparation to process sound. While our little ones are growing in our wombs their auditory cortex is being stimulated by the sounds of our blood flow and our heart beating. Fascinating enough, this early stage is preparing a place for the beginnings of language. The longer a child is without auditory input the more difficult it is for the brain to learn how to process sound. There is truth to the old adage - if you do not use it, you lose it. What I have found most interesting is there is a clear difference between hearing and listening. A cochlear implant enables a deaf child to hear. The sound goes in and is sent to the brain. The difference is what the brain actually does with the information it receives. In the early stages for an implant child if they are not - listening - the brain does not retain the information thus responds as if they never heard the sound. Then when they deliberately listen, they need repeated exposure in order to create memory space in the brain, so when they hear the sound again they with recognize it, thus the sound will have meaning. It is such a laborious process when God’s template is broken.

     That being said, the kids were officially hooked-up with their second implants on Wednesday. The surgery a month ago implanted the software. The hook-up connects them with the hardware (the stuff you see on the outside). Putting the two together provides them with sound. Naively, most people say - great, they can hear now! You already know that is false based on the information given above. Associated with going through the lengthy process of learning to listen are bi-weekly visits to the CI audiologists to fine tune their “maps”. Maps are computer programs which slowly in increase the stimulation of nerves and how many. For example, if you turned on the brain to full sound capacity without increments it would probably feel like an electrical shock full of pain and fear. My description comes from watching my son's face this morning as he experimentally tried his old processor (fully loaded) on his new implant (on it’s first baby step). The audiologists mistakenly told us this could not happen between new and old. Learn something new everyday.

     Here is a catcher….the second implant requires the same lengthy process as the first. When my son only has his new implant on he is as good as deaf for what he hears. The sides of the brain process sound independently and both side need to be functioning almost equally before localization can happen. Yes, another thing we take for granted, being able to know where sound is coming from with out looking.

     Give thanks to God everyday, every moment you hear the beautiful and not so glorious sounds of your world. It truly is a gift, not something to be taken for granted.

Blessings,

Andrea

1 Thes. 5:16-18

view my Carrying Our Crosses entries Mar. 30, 2006 - 10:53 AM

    Yeah! I’m back and it is only one day later! Along with my 3 eldest, I wake up early in the morning in order to do my devotions before the chaos of the house sets in. Well, my time with the Lord was enriching and the house is still quiet, so let's chat!

    Life is full of ups and downs isn't it? I believe the Lord gives us this rollercoaster life experience to allow us the opportunity for growth and to become more dependant on Him. Two of our children were born deaf. Along with their deafness came a handful of other medical problems, both children having the same symptoms. Well, back in December another symptom was discovered (RP-Retinitis Pigmentosa) and with this we learned that all the "medical symptoms" are actually a syndrome. Our 2 children have Ushers Syndrome Type 1. This means that along with being deaf they will also go blind. The rate in which they lose their vision can be different for each but it is predicted to happen before they are 20 yrs old.

    We are praying everyday for acceptance of this handicap carried by our children. We are praying for our own personal emotional strength in order to be there for these children in the future when they need to draw from our strength. May they come to have a deep faith at an early age so they may lean on God's strength to get them through the tough days which lay ahead.