Cochlear implant and childrens services

More Interpreters Needed

I wish there were more people proficient at ASL. In Michigan, we could use a lot more interpreters. Currently, we have a new law that requires all sign language interpreters to be certified. If not, they can face up to 93 days in jail, and or a $500.00 fine. Pretty strict, but it protects the deaf community

Paul
ASL Deafined Blog | ASL Videos and ASL Lessons OnlineASL Deafined Blog | ASL Videos and ASL Lessons Online
 
frankiesmom said:
ok...the deaf education lady came out, and went over his audiogram. it was different than what i was told, in that his hearing loss whatever isnt in the 70 decibel range, it was 80-90. then she went full force on why we should get the implant..i explained our stance and she glossed over that and said that in 4 months, if hes not responding, we need to get a consult with the surgeon etc etc. i got an uneasy feeling about this lady..maybe im just paranoid *i am, its true!* but i am wondering if i could be turned in for "medical neglect" when i ultimately refuse this surgery?
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also, thank you guys!! thanks to lurking on here and talking with all of you, i was totally on her level, which surprised her a lot..she brought out these horribly dumbed down charts and this simplistic diagram of the ear..and she gravely told me that the hearing aids dont repair the nerve damage..!!! so condescending, these early intervention people are.
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No, you could not be turned in for "medical neglect." The lady's scare tactics on you is totally wrong and unacceptable. You have rights to make your own decision what's the best for your Deaf son. If you see the lady ever again, you can bluntly tell her, "I am mother and make a decision for myself and my son. Are you the mother of my son, huh? "No, you can not tell me what to do."

You can report her because you feel threatened by her. Please keep us informed.
 
well, i "fired" most of the early intervention people..now they are just paying for part of the deaf preschool that i am trying out. i already have other therapists and doctors involved, so the rest of them were pointless anyways. i do like his audiologist though..granted, she did bring up going to an "open house" about the implant, but she also seemed respectful of our choice to not go with that.
the deaf education lady wont be coming out again either. i dont need that kind of pressure!
 
frankiesmom said:
well, i "fired" most of the early intervention people..now they are just paying for part of the deaf preschool that i am trying out. i already have other therapists and doctors involved, so the rest of them were pointless anyways. i do like his audiologist though..granted, she did bring up going to an "open house" about the implant, but she also seemed respectful of our choice to not go with that.
the deaf education lady wont be coming out again either. i dont need that kind of pressure!
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What kind of pressure did the deaf education lady give you?
 
shes the one who totally ignored me saying that we werent doing the implant, and went on to say that she would get the consult for the surgeon set up blah blah blah..and then just went on and on about how its hard to learn sign language and we had to be sure and if we werent we needed the implant..she basically acted like i was an unfeeling jerk because i want to stick with just the hearing aids. i feel bad enough about this entire thing, i really cant stand anymore lecturing.
 
frankiesmom said:
shes the one who totally ignored me saying that we werent doing the implant, and went on to say that she would get the consult for the surgeon set up blah blah blah..and then just went on and on about how its hard to learn sign language and we had to be sure and if we werent we needed the implant..she basically acted like i was an unfeeling jerk because i want to stick with just the hearing aids. i feel bad enough about this entire thing, i really cant stand anymore lecturing.
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It's YOUR child, not hers. I can understand her stating her opinions but there's a difference between stating it & being pushy about it.

Honestly, I think you're making a good decision. If it was my son, I would definitely try out the hearing aids first & if they work, then why go through all that trouble of surgery when something simple works for him?

In a way, having hearing aids made me who I am today & I feel I've grown because of it. Plus, I don't judge others that are different from me because I know what it is like.

I'm now thinking about cochlear implants (18 years later) for myself. Only because my hearing is getting worst as I get older & hearing aids may not help anymore.

But if my son was completely deaf, I might consider doing if the help of hearing aids didn't help at all.

Good Luck! Don't let her put you down. Tell it to her straight & maybe she'll learn how to be a better speaker/listener to others.
 
the thing i worry about is if in the future, as an adult, if he will be able to afford the upkeep on them..from what ive seen, they are substantially more expensive to keep up than hearing aids, and besides that, i just think its something that he should be sure of. i truly think that early intervention workers are trained to think of lower income people are less intelligent than those that are cut from finer cloth. its very condescending, the way they talk to you.
 
Ugh, I really hate when people do that...

But I'm not sure how things work in your state but when I was in school (I just graduated recently.) They took care of my financial needs of my hearing aids here in NC.

I didn't have to pay anything to get new tubes/ear molds/get them fixed/ etc.

Hearing aids themselves are expensive but if it's a need, you got to do what you got to do. I have ordered some from ebay that just needed some adjusting but work good.

But as far as caring for them goes, if he wants to hear what's going on... He'll have to take good care of them. I personally HATE when I can't hear. I depend on my hearing aids & I know if I don't take proper care of them, it's a bad day. Lol.
 
i dont think they will help adults here in oklahoma..and he might be dirt poor and not able to get them redone or whatever they do with the implants..hearing aids seem doable without insurance.
his seem to be helping a bit..he is supposed to be in the 50-60 range now, whatever that means!
 
frankiesmom said:
i dont think they will help adults here in oklahoma..and he might be dirt poor and not able to get them redone or whatever they do with the implants..hearing aids seem doable without insurance.
his seem to be helping a bit..he is supposed to be in the 50-60 range now, whatever that means!
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Yeah, they say that the cochlear implants aren't 100% proven to work. They do work for some & not for others.

Which worries me... I wouldn't want to put all money & hope into something & it turn out to not even work!
 
right! if i knew it was guaranteed and he would be able to hear 100 percent, well yeah, i would do it..but he seems to be doing fine as he is..i dont want to mess with a good thing :) :)
 
they sure are...he is even wearing his glasses today, and i think that is because hes becoming accustomed to having things on his ears..so yay!
 
well guess what? I wear glasses like Frankie!
I have nearsightedness and the eye problems runs in my family though
 
a couple of my other kids wear glasses, and my husband wears them..i guess it makes sense. the eye specialist said his eyes were fine though..these glasses were primarily for getting his eyes trained to not cross.
 
Aw, I have to wear contacts cause glasses interfere with my hearing aids.

They just love to make them squeal away!

I don't like wearing glasses that much though cause if I look up or down, it's all blurry! But with contacts, I don't have that problem. Lol. =]P
 
i would sooner gouge my own eyes out than wrestle a toddler into some contacts, i think.
 
Taylor M said:
Aw, I have to wear contacts cause glasses interfere with my hearing aids.

They just love to make them squeal away!

I don't like wearing glasses that much though cause if I look up or down, it's all blurry! But with contacts, I don't have that problem. Lol. =]P
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LOL that's why I have small, tiny pedatric hearing aids that goes over my glasses :)
 
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