Monday, November 20, 2006

November 20, 2006 - Switch On Day!!!!





Big day for all of us today - Aiden's Implant was switched on!! So, the answer to the big question everyone has been asking us, "What do you think Aiden will do when they turn it on?" is....
Well... He cried. Yup, cried. Not just little tears - big, big heartfelt crying. Poor little guy. They have been telling us at CHEO for months that this was a possible reaction, but I REALLY never thought that would be his reaction. I was betting on no reaction, or smiling. Not crying!!! However, everyone there reassured us that this was totally normal. Aiden has never had the sensation of hearing before, and it is very foreign and probably pretty scary so I guess his crying isn't too surprising. As we were told, we brought lots of toys that he likes to keep him occupied and happy - so these came out right away. If you can beleive it, a Ziploc bag of Q-Tips (this is something he is ALWAYS into at home, and I don't normally let him play with them!) seemed to be the most popular. Followed by a new shape sorter game, chocolate covered raisins and a tape measure.
The Audiologist took things very slowly. When he turned the implant on, he started with it hooked up to a computer and playing soft to loud beeping sounds to test where Aiden's threshold of hearing is. Then, he did the "mapping" of the implant based on what Aiden can hear, and then hooked him up! But, everytime there was sound coming through to the Implant, Aiden cried. He was sad for a pretty long time, and then his AV Therapist suggested that we let him wander around. Well, as soon as he was on the move, he was happy again! He wandered around all over the place (with the implant on - hearing!!!) and really seemed to pay attention to the sounds around him. They put him in the sound booth for a test, and got really really good responses from him. So, it works!!!

We were at CHEO for about 2.5 hours. And, by the time we were ready to leave, Aiden had had ENOUGH. He was so tired. We got him home (to Grandma & Grandpa's) safe and sound and put the Implant on again when we got here. When the Implant was turned on here, he cried again - but this time seemed to settle down and get used to it pretty quickly. We have control over the volume, and we can turn it up or down if he is upset or not. The Implant got knocked off his head (or pulled off) a few times. When we have to put it back on again, Aiden cried a bit every time. So, that is going to take a bit of getting used to for him (and us). At CHEO, they said that the crying response should only last a couple of days, and then he will be more used to the stimulus.

Aiden is sound asleep in bed right now (early to bed for him tonight!), and we'll try again in the morning. But, what a huge day for us all!!! We are happy that this day is finally here, and we can't wait to talk to that boy in the morning :>

Note: The first picture here is of the Audiologist putting Aiden's implant on for the first time (not hooked up yet).
The second picture is of poor Aiden once the Implant was turned on.
The third picture is a pretty good view of the new Implant.
The fourth picture is of Aiden following a toy puppy that his AV Therapist was pulling downt he hall once he was a bit happier. You can see his Implant's "harness" in this picture (which holds the processor). I don't think we'll use this very often - it's pretty cumbersome, and the processor's pouch has a clip that works pretty well on Aiden's pants.

4 Comments:

At 6:55 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

HOORAY IT WORKS!!!!!!! Congratulations to all of you an a successful turn on!!!!! I am so sorry that it has been tough on Aiden. The poor little darling. The first picture of you holding him is a heartbreaker. Imagine someone assaulting his senses like that and putting all sorts of sounds into his world. I hope the next few days pass more easily and he grows accustomed to sounds. You get full points for creativity with the bag of Q-tips. Good thinking. I will call you as soon as I can.

 
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