Post Surgery

 Brooke came out of surgery doing great.  She had a little nausea but nothing like the first time around.  She was in pain and the nurse gave her some pain melds through the IV.  Only one parent was allowed into recovery at a time so Scott and I took turns.

 Once she drank and ate some food...we moved to another room where we got her dressed.  The nurse wanted her to empty her bladder before we were allowed to leave.  We were given 2 prescriptions:  one for an antibiotic and one for Tylenol with codeine.  Scott went to get the car and Brooke and I waited to get picked up at the entrance of the Women's Hospital.

In the car for the 4 hour drive home.  I was expecting Brooke to sleep but she stayed awake the entire trip.  We had a couple bathroom stops and at one gas station she wanted to eat Oreo Cakester.....she ate the whole thing.  She complained quite a bit about the bandage but that was the only complaint!

October 2, 2012 - Surgery Day

 

Surgery Day

We woke up this morning to a very excited little girl!  She is ready and can't wait to get the surgery completed today.  First, we had a shower with out "magic soap" to get rid of all the germs on our body.  Brooke washed up really well so she wouldn't get sick!



The doctor wanted us to pull her hair away from the surgery site.  I really don't know if this matters but we did as we were told.  I put a braid in her hair and pulled it towards the right since the implant will be placed on the left.

We arrived at UNC Women's Hospital at 9am.  We had to take a number and wait until we were called to register.  At registration, we got ID bracelets, one for Brooke and one for me.  They checked our hospital card, and verified our insurance.  They gave us directions to the children's surgery floor.

 Brooke wanted me to wait to take the picture so she could fix her hair

 

Once we checked in at the surgery floor, we went to the Operating Room Waiting Room until the nurse staff called us back to get ready. 

 

Once called back, Brooke changed into her hospital gown.  We talked with the nurse, the anaesthesiologist, the nurse again, a different nurse, the surgeon, the surgeon's resident, a medical student, the nurse again, and the anaesthesiologist resident.  We had to answer the same questions over and over and over again:  Yes, this is Brooke Miller.  Her birthday is 3/9/06, she does not have any allergies, the surgery is on the left,  we do know that she is getting a cochlear implant....



 

 

 

Dr. Buckman marked the left side ear.

 

 

The anaesthesiologist resident came and walked Brooke back to surgery.  She was happy and excited to go... she waved good-bye.  

 

Now, Scott and I head back to the Children's Surgery Waiting Room.  Once the surgery starts, it takes 3 hours.  The surgeon will come out when the surgery is over and give us an update.  Once she wakes up, the nurse will come to get one parent.   

Pre-Surgery

Brooke explains her cochlear implant surgery in this video clip:

 

 

Brooke's surgery is scheduled for 10:30 tomorrow morning.  After midnight, she can have nothing to eat.  She can drink clear liquids like apple juice or clear gatorade until 7am.  We have a special soap to wash with tonight before bed and again in the morning.

 

We will drive to Chapel Hill tonight and sleep in a hotel.  We need to arrive at 9am in the morning for check in.

 

 

Surgery Day....well not really

Today is the day we have been waiting for.....the day to get the second implant.....but it is not happening!  Let me tell you:

1.  At 3:30 Monday morning, Brooke woke up with a sore throat and was feverish.  When she woke up, we took her temperature.  It was 101.  Took is ten minutes later and it was 99.6 

2.  We watched her temperature throughout the morning and during out trip to Chapel Hill and it continued to go down to normal.  She didn't have any other symptoms of being sick and wasn't complaining about her throat any more.

3.  We arrived at 2pm for our appointment ans she felt good and had no fever.  We went through all the forms about "all the things that can do wrong in surgery" and signed the papers.  (I still can't believe the doctor goes through all those "horrible possibilities" right in front of the child.) 

4.  Then we moved to another room.  Talked with a resident about a study Chapel Hill is conducting on hearing before, during, and after implantation.  We agreed to the study in March for her first implant, so we agreed again  I signed those release papers.

5.  While waiting for Dr. Buckman to see us, Brooke amused herself by taking pictures of her funny faces!

 6.  Dr. Buckman came in, asked if she had been running any fevers in the last 24 hours, I told him about this morning and that was it.  He said he will not do the surgery.  It happened so quick!   He then explained the horrors that could result from doing the surgery while she has an infection:  infection in her ear, failure of the implant, her inner ear turning to "mush", loss of cochlea structure, possibility of not being able to ever re-implant a device, and more and more. 

7.  Brooke was devastated and sobbed in the doctor's office; she was so excited and was so crushed.

8.  Thankfully, we were able to reschedule for next Tuesday, October 2nd.  Just one more week. 

-

Almost time for our 2nd implant!

Just 3 more days!  Brooke has been doing a count-down all week!  She is so excited to be getting a second cochlear implant......she had been asking for since her first implant was activated!  Seriously...the day the first implant was activated she wanted another one.
On Monday, September 23rd, we will travel to Chapel Hill, NC to have her pre-op appointments at the hospital.  We meet with the surgeon at 2pm and then have a few other stops in the hospital to get make.  We will find out the time of the surgery at this appointment too,
We have reservations at a hotel that night.  Once Scott is out of work, he will come to meet us at the hotel. 
The next day, we head to the hospital.
I am so thankful we have the option of getting a second implant!  God is so good!  I am so thankful that Brooke wants to get the implant!  She has no fear and completely understands that going through a surgery is the only way she will be able to hear out of that year....and she wants to hear! 
Please pray for:
The surgeon - that he is healthy and ready for surgery, that he has a steady hand, and that the surgery goes smoothly
The hospital staff - that they show favor to Brooke, that they treat her with special attention, that they are prepared and ready to assist.
Brooke - pray she continues to not fear, pray she is calm and peaceful, pray she recovers quickly from the anesthesia, pray for her comfort and healing.  Pray the device works!
Mom and Dad - pray for safe travels, pray for peace as we put our daughter into a surgeon's hands, pray that we can be a witness of God's love to the hospital staff.

Audio Cable for CI

Brooke has never been very interested in listening to music or playing with her video games because it has always been very difficult for her to hear the words to the songs or the directions on the games.  Today, she wanted to listen to her ipod and was using headphones.  She could hear the music but complained that she could not understand the words. 

We has used the audio cable one before but at that time she didn't like! I pulled it out again today.

What a difference!

Immediately she said she could understand the words to the songs and said, "This song is about Jesus."   She says she loves the cord and it is fantastic!

The cord plugs directly into her processor and into her ipod.  She listened to her ipod for hours today!  It was great to see her able to enjoy music more clearly through her cochlear! 

Cochlear Implant #2....our journey. Step 1

We are in process of getting a 2nd implant for Brooke.  I didn't keep a record the first time since it was so new and scary for us.  I plan to record the journey to an implant this time.

For us, the first step is to have an audiogram and a word perception test by our audiologist.  On the report below, the "X" represents her left ear.  She has a moderate to profound to moderate loss in the left ear.  The "O" is her right ear without wearing the cochlear implant.  The "C" is how she hears with the implant and processor on!  As you can see, the implant is her best hearing.

Next, the audiologist did a word perception test.  She read 25 words, on at a time, to Brooke through a microphone.  Brooke could not see the audiologists lips.  Brooke has to repeat the word.  She did this with 28% accuracy.  To qualify for an implant, it must be 30% or below.  We are close to the threshold.  If this was the first implant, we probably would not do it yet.  But, since it is the second implant and she prefers her implant over her hearing aid, we decided to go ahead with the surgery and implantation.

Then we went to the hospital to meet with the surgeon.  He had to talk with Brooke and me to determine if she was a good candidate for implantation.  It was a quick 5 minute appointment but necessary for filing the insurance.  The surgeon, Dr. Buckman, gave us the go ahead.

Now, we wait for the insurance to approve the surgery and device.   Once that happens we can schedule the surgery.  Last time, it was about a 2 month wait for surgery so we will see what is available when they call.

Brooke is so excited to get another implant!  It is so much easier this time around since we already know what to expect and we will use the same brand and implant as the first time.  Choosing an implant is an overwhelmingly decision and it is nice we don't have to do that again!

More inspiration!

When U.S. Olympic diver Chris Colwill talks on the phone, he hears just fine. When he's hanging out with friends or teammates away from the pool, there are rarely communication problems. But when he steps to the 3-meter springboard, where he hopes to land his first Olympic medal in London, the game changes.
Colwill was born with 60 percent hearing loss. When he dives, he can't wear the hearing aids that allow him to hear at an 85-90 percent level. When the whistle blows announcing the next dive, Colwill doesn't hear it.
Read more here

This is a video of a deaf man who succeeded at his dream of becoming a firefighter.  I love these inspirations!

Inspire to be a doctor

Here is a story of a hearing impaired girl about to graduate from medical school.  She has a cochlear implant and has worked hard to complete her training.

Here is a sample from the article:
Hajjar will graduate this week from the University of Calgary’s School of Medicine, thanks to support from her classmates, staff in the department of medicine, and mostly her unfailing discipline, work ethic and relentless drive to become a doctor.
Humbly, she says much of it comes from the rewards of helping others.
“It still amazes me how grateful my patients are. And working with them, knowing I can help them, it really means a lot to me. That is what drives me.”
Find the article here.
Maybe Brooke will become a doctor!  :)

Inspirtation to deaf children

I saw this article this morning and found the story so inspiring! Here is a little of the story:

BEING born deaf has never stood in the way of Ipswich woman Ceilidh O'Sullivan's ambition.
The Peak Crossing 22-year-old, who completely lost her hearing as a teenager - was a successful BMX rider before she embarked on a mission to help deaf kids in Africa.

After receiving a life changing cochlea implant and learning to listen and speak again, Ms O'Sullivan joined the Boanerges Deaf Initiative and has since taken a key role in establishing schools specifically for deaf kids in the central African country of Uganda.

She has become the Australian representative of the not-for-profit organisation, which looks after the needs of 35 hearing impaired children in the capital, Kampala, plus another 90 children in the north of the country, and about 40 in the east.

"Deaf children are seen as a curse in Uganda - being deaf is viewed as a disease," Ms O'Sullivan said.

"I felt I had to go there to teach them that deafness is OK and it is not a sickness."

I would LOVE to compile a collection of inspirational stories of deaf people who change the world! I think it would be great for Brooke to read one day!

Go here for the entire story

Outcomes of Children with Hearing Loss Newsletter

I got this newsletter in the mail today....and to my surprise it has a picture of Brooke! How cool is that! Click the picture to read the newsletter......

Sight Word practice

Draw a hopscotch board outside. Fill each square with a new sight word. Then play hopscotch having your child read the word she hops on! We have been working REALLY hard on sight words lately. Click my other blog to see all our sight word practice.