From Unilateral to Bilateral?

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gidget6kids

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How many of you guys have had unilateral loss (or their children in my case) and after time, lost hearing in the "good" ear?

Without knowing his medical history and no way of ever finding out, this question is on my mind.

My son, just turned 7 (he came to America from Ethiopia, a year and a half ago). According to his testing, the audiologist said that he has probably been deaf since birth because his ear "looks beautiful."

Just wondering if I need to be watching out for this.

Thanks
 
It can happen, but it is considered a very small risk.
 
That is GREAT! Adoption is such a beautiful thing, but the medical uncertainty isn't so fun.

His left ear is perfect....we just have to protect it and having hearing tests done a couple times a year.

His right ear.....no sound, at all.

Thanks for your input.
 
I was born with Unilateral (totally deaf on the right), and it became bilateral hearing loss (deaf right, hoh left).

I had chronic, almost constant ear infections as a child which almost certainly contributed to some of the hearing loss I have on my left side.

I also have APD (Auditory Processing Disorder) which you might want to keep an eye on as it's slightly more common than "average" for those born with Unilateral Deafness.
 
Can you explain Auditory Processing Disorder?

He was sick, constantly, in Ethiopia. I mean, constantly, but as to official diagnosis of what he continually had, I don't know. All the kids were sick and there were 83 in the orphanage.

He, however, has not had an ear infection since coming to America, so that is good. He really hasn't been sick, at all.

Thank you for your knowledge!
 
gidget6kids said:
That is GREAT! Adoption is such a beautiful thing, but the medical uncertainty isn't so fun.

His left ear is perfect....we just have to protect it and having hearing tests done a couple times a year.

His right ear.....no sound, at all.

Thanks for your input.
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On the other hand at least the HOH thing isn't THAT big of a deal KWIM?At least its not psychological issues or something worse
 
deafdyke said:
On the other hand at least the HOH thing isn't THAT big of a deal KWIM?At least its not psychological issues or something worse
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That was a huge fear of mine. He went into the orphanage at 3, we adopted him at 4, then he was stuck in ET for 15 mths after that while we fought to bring him home. I was terrified he would be "institutionalized." Lucky for us, his nannies were amazing and took excellent care of him.

He is a blessing to everyone he meets.
 
gidget6kids said:
That was a huge fear of mine. He went into the orphanage at 3, we adopted him at 4, then he was stuck in ET for 15 mths after that while we fought to bring him home. I was terrified he would be "institutionalized." Lucky for us, his nannies were amazing and took excellent care of him.

He is a blessing to everyone he meets.
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Exactly...........or RAD!
 
deafdyke said:
Exactly...........or RAD!
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2 of my children have RAD.......they are 12 and 9, now. Adopted at 2 and 6. They were adopted from the foster care system. It has been a helluva a ride. They are doing much much better, but still a very long way to go. I'm going to get my Master's in marriage and family counseling. I'll graduate in Dec. I want to counsel with RAD kids and their families.
 
gidget6kids said:
2 of my children have RAD.......they are 12 and 9, now. Adopted at 2 and 6. They were adopted from the foster care system. It has been a helluva a ride. They are doing much much better, but still a very long way to go. I'm going to get my Master's in marriage and family counseling. I'll graduate in Dec. I want to counsel with RAD kids and their families.
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You are an awesome, awesome, person. Two kids with RAD? I'm sure having a stable and loving home is very beneficial for them. (I used to be a nanny for a pediatrician who adopted 4 special needs kids. The kiddo I was actually nannying had Down syndrome and was deaf but all the kiddos blossomed in the loving environment)

As for your son's hearing, it really depends on the type of hearing loss he has. It is entirely possible that he simply has unilateral deafness but was also constantly sick in his orphanage.if he has conductive hearing loss (middle ear problems) then illness can cause more problems.
Take your little dude to the pediatrician or an ENT for a definitive diagnosis. Your son will be great because he has such amazing parents.
 
Very sweet, thank you. My first daughter is a handful (read that: difficult), but she is much much better than she was a 7 yrs ago, so there is hope. It is just hard. She is one extreme and her 1/2 brother (now 9) is the other extreme. Makes life interesting.

I home school my kids (I have for 13 yrs) and they are 2 huge reasons why. We have tried private and public schools and it just is not good. Their behaviors intensify because their BM tries to see them. Very difficult situation.

He is deaf from the outer ear to the drum and then from the drum to the brain. They said it looked perfect so they are guessing that it was from birth. His official diagnosis is profound unilateral hearing loss in right ear with a recommendation of a cros or BAHA. We go on Thursday for an MRI to rule out tumors, then next week to fit for hearing aids.

In the orphanage, he was sick....they all were. It ranged from ear aches to strep and everything in between. I had never seen so much green snot flying as when I was there. It was so sad. Only the adopted kids got health care because there were so many children, and they simply couldn't afford to give medical treatment to them all.
 
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