I can hear

She has something to smile about.

When Katie decided she wanted surgery to make her little ear the same size as her left ear it was because she wanted her ear pierced.  Her little ear had ripped twice and the second time around wouldn't heal and it was affecting how she felt about herself.  November 2011 we started the long process of surgeries.

By the time the fourth surgery happen in August 2012, Katie started to get excited about the possibility to hear out of that ear.  She hears pretty good in one ear.  I had been told by the audiologist that the only thing this really would do is balance it more, that she shouldn't hear anything that she hasn't already heard.  Katie was very sadden after the surgery to find out that we had complication and couldn't put the hearing components in as we had hope.

She was told we had another option.

So we checked into it.

With having a brother and sister having bilateral cochlear implants, myself and my parents having hearing aides, plus Erin being deaf, we have a lot of exposure to different hearing and equipment

The option that Katie had was a Sophono.  It is an more newer option.

When we started to talk to Katie about it, she became excited for it, more excited then I thought she would, because the focus for her has always been she wanted to pierced the ear again.

Friday we saw the audiologist who is also Erin's audiologist

Jenny explaining what the Sophono is.  The one that she has is the now older version.  There is a new one that is just coming out.  The company listen to what people had to say they like and dislike about the old one.  The current one looks more like the behind the ear one.  The new one is smaller and more rectangle shape.  She explain some other things to Katie

Jenny showing Katie how to turn it on and off, the volume control.  Jenny was so good in how she explained it to Katie and frequently would ask Katie if she had any questions before moving onto the next step

Katie is trying one out, so she will be wearing an headband for a week to see what she thinks of it.

Jenny showing Katie what it looks like on your head.  It was cool they had this to help kids to visualize what it would look like.

This is what it currently looks like.  That black thing you see under the sophono is the magnet that you will use to hold the sophono in place.  There are 5 different strengths.

Jenny showing Katie the old way they used to do it, they used to use a screw and snap it on.  They have discovered a lot of problems with infections and skin irritation with it, so they stopped using it.

The picture is suppose to show the person what they put under the skin.  We were told it is about a 20 minute surgery and it is pretty flat.

Katie just having it put on.  You can see the band a little bit.  She had her left ear plugged and was solely on the sophono.  Jenny started to ask her some questions.  Some of the questions were soft that I didn't even hear her.  Jenny was moving around in her chair and not looking at Katie, and Katie was able to pick everything up that she said, and had smiles on her face.

I can't get the picture to go upright.  If you look just below her ear (that is the finish product), you will see the sophono.  Normally it wouldn't be this low, but with the head band it happen to be.  The Sophono rest on the boney part.

What the device looks like. 

The actual Sophono and the magnet that you clip it onto the head band.

Jenny filling out the paperwork for us to take this home and try it.  If we lose or break it, it will cost us $7,800.  Ouch.....I told Katie to guard it with her life.

I am hoping this Video will work.  I had a lot of problems uploading off my Iphone onto my computer and onto the blog.  If the video doesn't work, I also have it on my FB.  In this video, it shows Katie coming up to me, with a book, fanny it.  She said it sounds so cool, I never heard that before.  This brought tears to my eyes, I didn't think she was missing out much in the hearing world, but she was and for her to discover new sounds is so exciting to watch.I am not sure why she hasn't has she does have hearing in her left ear.  She also heard her shuffling her boots (uggs) across the floor quietly and said she wasn't able to hear that before.  In the van, she sit way back, usually I have to raise my voice loudly for her to hear me, not with the sophono on, she could hear very well. 

When we got home, Katie came in from outside, she said mom, my farts are loud.  That poor girl probably been passing gas at school, not realizing she not doing it that quietly.  She also went to the bathroom and said peeing was loud too.  She informed Dave and I that when we have our private conversations, she will be able to listen on. 
When Jenny came home, Katie fitted it onto Jenny.  I have a video (which wouldn't upload) of her hearing it for the first time.  Jenny's hearing has always been better then Katie's.  Jenny first words were "this is so loud", we lowered the volume down and she still said it was loud.  This got her excited for her surgeries and really wants them now.  She has to continue to be patient.

We decided to have Dave and Monika try it out.  Monika said it sounds a little bit like a robot sound, but that she could hear really good with it.  Dave said the same thing.  I took my hearing aides out and tried it.  Didn't hear nothing.  I adjusted it a couple of times and still didn't hear anything.  Erin tried it and she also didn't hear anything.  Erin had a friend staying the night who is also deaf.  When put on her, she could hear out it,  She said it was loud.  That was so interesting as she is deaf, Erin is profound hard of hearing and I am hard of hearing.  I am not sure if it only works on certain hearing loss or not.  I sent an email to the audiologist asking her about this. 

Katie gets to use this for one week and then has to return it.  She will have to wait for about 4 weeks or so to have the surgery providing that my insurance company will pay for it.  I am hoping because they paid (after the deductible) all the surgeries.  Jenny told us that she wasn't sure if we will get the older version or the new version at that time.  If we get the older one, when the new one comes available we will be able to exchange it.

Like the cochlear, she won't be able to wear it in sports or rough housing.  An  cyber friend (and also has a son from Katie's orphanage) of my told me after I had written about Katie going to get Sophono, that her daughter has one.  She said that they were surprise with it not staying on and so forth.  I knew this walking into the office as my brother and sister's have come off.

I am very excited for Katie and soon Jenny with this.  Katie is loving this equipment and it will be hard for her to give it up and have to wait for her own one.  I pray that she will be approved by my insurance and I know I wouldn't be able to afford it otherwise and to see the pure joy that Katie is having of learning and hearing new sounds that she wasn't familiar with. just makes me so happy for her.

Please say a prayer that things will continue to go her way to help her with this journey.