I really feel like a weight has been lifted for now. My apologies to Dr. C's office, St. John 's audiology, and the customer service line at Anthem. I know you all know me by name and are sick of me calling. Am I a pushy mom? Maybe... Crazy mom?? Hmm... I guess it just depends on how you look at it. I'm just advocating for my little girl.
We had our last audiology session before Sophie's surgery on Friday and she did great. It was an aided testing session and she tested similarly to her last aided session. With both hearing aids in, she is responding to speech at 65dB. This means that she can tell that we are talking to her and she can probably differentiate voices, but she cannot really understand what we are saying. It would be difficult for Sophie to learn speech with just her hearing aids.
She is also doing a great job at telling us when she hears a sound. This will be very important when she gets her implants and they have to be programmed and mapped. Everyone at Moog is very encouraging and calls her a little genius. They say that she is learning better than many of the older babies that attend school there. Not only is this comforting because it gives us hope that her speech delay will be minimal, but it is also an indication that her hearing loss is non-syndromic. Since we still do not know what the cause is, we are somewhat apprehensive that she may encounter other developmental delays that may hinder her ability to learn and to speak. However, based on what she has shown us in her first 7 months of life, she is a smart little cookie. We are quite hopeful and very proud of our baby girl!
Here is a picture of my little ladybug. Happy Halloween everyone!
Oh my goodness! She is so cute! Lily was a ladybug for her first Halloween also. So excited for your surgery date. Do you think your insurance will approve the surgery before 12 months? That would be wonderful...a step in the right direction for the insurance companies. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful news! I havent had internet in a few weeks & wanted to come check in to see if their was any news about the surgery! Congrats on getting a surgery date & congrats to lil sophia! Must be very exciting to have the date set in stone & know your baby girl is on the right track to the hearing world!! Still amazing results with aides in at 65db too! And way to go Mama for being a very amazing advocate for her! I am the exact same with Savannah! If it were not for the mama's or dads in some cases to speak for their child then sometimes things may not move as quickly as they do!
ReplyDeleteIs she being implanted with the Necleus 5?
She is super adorable & love her ladybug costume! Look forward to hearing about everything thats coming for your family & sophia in the following months! All the best & goodluck
Thanks, ladies! We got a verbal approval from the insurance company yesterday for bilateral impants. I'm excited, but will not breathe easy until it is certain. And yes, Melinda, she will implanted with the Nucleus 5. Isn't that the route you may go for Savannah's profound ear if needed?
ReplyDeleteThats wonderful that the insurance company has approved it!!! Will they implant her bilaterally in one op? I know here they only do 1 at a time for kids under 3. Yes definately the Nucleaus 5 for Savannah if need be. Just wasnt sure how it works in the US especially with all the insurance company things! :)
ReplyDeleteWe still havent got our referral appt to the Implant clinic yet..im beyond furious!!!!!!
Yes, they will implant both ears at the same time. In the U.S., the FDA has only approved cochlear implants for children over the age of 12 months, but many surgeons will do it sooner. Insurance companies will sometimes deny claims for children under a year old and I'm really happy it looks like we don't have to fight that battle!
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