tonicmomof3
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- Jul 16, 2012
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On Friday the 13th we were given confirmation that my almost 11 month old daughter has hearing loss. She failed both OAE's in the hospital when she was born--they said that it could either be from fluid in the ears from birth or because she was on antibiotics (they thought she had an infection, so they gave them to her as a precaution--blood work ended up negative), so they sent us home and wanted us to come back and repeat it shortly after leaving. We went back and had it repeated, and again, she failed, which gave us a referral to the Audiology department. She had two ABR's, the last in December at 4 months old and we were told that she has no OAE's but her ABR was normal, which can happen (the Audiologist that did her testing had the same thing and she hears with no problem) and recommended that we do a repeat ABR at a year old.
I started noticing that once she became mobile (about 6-7 months old) she would not respond to us when we called her. I told her doctor at her 6 month appointment, and a Nurse Practicioner at her 9 month appointment the same thing, to which they responded that she was probably just a busy baby and didn't have the time to respond to us. The past few weeks my concern grew because there were times that I clapped, yelled, called to her and she didn't turn her head--the best example was that I had shouted at our dogs while holding her and she never turned her head or startled. She also didn't speak, only doing high pitched shreaks instead of sounds. I decided to schedule her test earlier than one year because I didn't want to wait the extra few weeks, I wanted to know now.
We went in Friday morning and I discussed with the Audiolgists my concerns, things I have noticed. They put us in a soundproof room and called to her and made noises at different levels, the highest being 90 decibiles, and again she didn't startle or turn her head. They confirmed what I had already knew/suspected, that she does indeed have hearing loss. Even though I already pretty much knew that was the answer they were going to give me, it was still devastating to hear. I cried off and on all day, and what made it harder was that my hubby was out of town with my oldest son so I had to deal with it alone.
She is scheduled for a sedated ABR next Wednesday to determine the extent of the hearing loss, and what our next steps will be. I know that we'll be able to handle whatever it is that we're thrown, it's just very overwhelming at this point. We have no family in the area, and two boys (10 and 8) on top of all this to take care of. We have not changed the way we interact with her, although I am attempting to teach her some baby sign language, but it's not like she really cares or wants to take the time to watch and learn!
So, that's my/our story--sorry it was so long. I have a feeling I will be on this board a lot once her ABR is done asking a TON of questions! Looking forward to getting to know you all and getting some good advice and help!
I started noticing that once she became mobile (about 6-7 months old) she would not respond to us when we called her. I told her doctor at her 6 month appointment, and a Nurse Practicioner at her 9 month appointment the same thing, to which they responded that she was probably just a busy baby and didn't have the time to respond to us. The past few weeks my concern grew because there were times that I clapped, yelled, called to her and she didn't turn her head--the best example was that I had shouted at our dogs while holding her and she never turned her head or startled. She also didn't speak, only doing high pitched shreaks instead of sounds. I decided to schedule her test earlier than one year because I didn't want to wait the extra few weeks, I wanted to know now.
We went in Friday morning and I discussed with the Audiolgists my concerns, things I have noticed. They put us in a soundproof room and called to her and made noises at different levels, the highest being 90 decibiles, and again she didn't startle or turn her head. They confirmed what I had already knew/suspected, that she does indeed have hearing loss. Even though I already pretty much knew that was the answer they were going to give me, it was still devastating to hear. I cried off and on all day, and what made it harder was that my hubby was out of town with my oldest son so I had to deal with it alone.
She is scheduled for a sedated ABR next Wednesday to determine the extent of the hearing loss, and what our next steps will be. I know that we'll be able to handle whatever it is that we're thrown, it's just very overwhelming at this point. We have no family in the area, and two boys (10 and 8) on top of all this to take care of. We have not changed the way we interact with her, although I am attempting to teach her some baby sign language, but it's not like she really cares or wants to take the time to watch and learn!
So, that's my/our story--sorry it was so long. I have a feeling I will be on this board a lot once her ABR is done asking a TON of questions! Looking forward to getting to know you all and getting some good advice and help!