OT: Halloween and Surgery
Rodjk #613
Implant. This device will allow him to hear, as he was born completely
deaf. The process involves shaving a niche into his skull and then
running a wire to his cochlear in the auditory system. An external
receiver will pick up sound and transmit it to his auditory nerve,
allowing him to hear.
The surgery went very well, and initial testing shows that the device
is functioning and his brain is receiving signals. However, the device
will not be activated till the end of the month to allow for healing.
Sean did very well before, during, and after the surgery. His only
problem was some after-effects of the anesthesia which resulted in his
being unable to keep down food. But by Tuesday morning he was drinking
and eating and was released from the hospital. All along, he was his
usual cheerful and happy self. If all goes well, he will have a second
surgery sometime in February to place an implant in his left ear.
It is interesting that he did not seem at all bothered by the head-
gear/bandage or the IV. He did not, even once, pull on the gear or the
IV. He did have some fun playing with the IV tube, but did not pull on
it or try to remove the needle from his hand.
I have added some pictures to our Picasa page. The photos start with
us arriving at the surgery floor at Texas Children’s Hospital, making
a new friend, waiting in his surgery outfit, meeting the doctor and
the nurses who would perform the surgery, waking up in recovery,
recuperating and finally going home.
http://picasaweb.google.com/rjkardo/Cochlear#
Just for fun, I also added some pictures of our Halloween. This was
the night before we brought him in for surgery.
We did a “Star Wars” family, with Sean as Chewbacca and Jason as Darth
Vader.
http://picasaweb.google.com/rjkardo/Halloween#
Rodjk #613
felangey
to hear the world for the first time....gets to hear his Mum and Dad for the
first time.
Fantastic Rodjk. Let us know Sean's progress.
reilloc
I know there are deaf tennis players and some pretty good ones; however,
to be able to hear the sound coming off the opponent's racket is to have
critical information. I hope this works out for him and you four enjoy
long lives on and off the court.
LNC
Patrick Kehoe
> On Monday, 01 November our son Sean had surgery to receive a Cochlear
> Implant. This device will allow him to hear, as he was born completely
> deaf. The process involves shaving a niche into his skull and then
> running a wire to his cochlear in the auditory system. An external
> receiver will pick up sound and transmit it to his auditory nerve,
> allowing him to hear.
>
> The surgery went very well, and initial testing shows that the device
> is functioning and his brain is receiving signals. However, the device
> will not be activated till the end of the month to allow for healing.
>
> Sean did very well before, during, and after the surgery. His only
> problem was some after-effects of the anesthesia which resulted in his
> being unable to keep down food. But by Tuesday morning he was drinking
> and eating and was released from the hospital. All along, he was his
> usual cheerful and happy self. If all goes well, he will have a second
> surgery sometime in February to place an implant in his left ear.
>
> It is interesting that he did not seem at all bothered by the head-
> gear/bandage or the IV. He did not, even once, pull on the gear or the
> IV. He did have some fun playing with the IV tube, but did not pull on
> it or try to remove the needle from his hand.
>
> I have added some pictures to our Picasa page. The photos start with
> us arriving at the surgery floor at Texas Children’s Hospital, making
> a new friend, waiting in his surgery outfit, meeting the doctor and
> the nurses who would perform the surgery, waking up in recovery,
>
> Just for fun, I also added some pictures of our Halloween. This was
> the night before we brought him in for surgery.
> We did a “Star Wars” family, with Sean as Chewbacca and Jason as Darth
> Vader.http://picasaweb.google.com/rjkardo/Halloween#
>
> Rodjk #613
Wonderful news... absolutely wondrous... my thoughts and prayers go
out to Sean and your entire family... thanks for the info... made my
week!
P
pltr...@xhost.org
<rjk...@gmail.com> wrote:
>On Monday, 01 November our son Sean had surgery to receive a Cochlear
>Implant. ...
That's great -- hope it continues to go well.
Looks like he was popular in the hospital. Has a little bit of
resemblance to Valentino Rossi, too!
-- Larry
g...@risky-biz.com
> On Monday, 01 November our son Sean had surgery to receive a Cochlear
> Implant. This device will allow him to hear, as he was born completely
> deaf. The process involves shaving a niche into his skull and then
> running a wire to his cochlear in the auditory system. An external
> receiver will pick up sound and transmit it to his auditory nerve,
> allowing him to hear.
>
> The surgery went very well, and initial testing shows that the device
> is functioning and his brain is receiving signals. However, the device
> will not be activated till the end of the month to allow for healing.
>
> Sean did very well before, during, and after the surgery. His only
> problem was some after-effects of the anesthesia which resulted in his
> being unable to keep down food. But by Tuesday morning he was drinking
> and eating and was released from the hospital. All along, he was his
> usual cheerful and happy self. If all goes well, he will have a second
> surgery sometime in February to place an implant in his left ear.
>
> It is interesting that he did not seem at all bothered by the head-
> gear/bandage or the IV. He did not, even once, pull on the gear or the
> IV. He did have some fun playing with the IV tube, but did not pull on
> it or try to remove the needle from his hand.
>
> I have added some pictures to our Picasa page. The photos start with
> a new friend, waiting in his surgery outfit, meeting the doctor and
> the nurses who would perform the surgery, waking up in recovery,
>
> Just for fun, I also added some pictures of our Halloween. This was
> the night before we brought him in for surgery.
> Vader.http://picasaweb.google.com/rjkardo/Halloween#
>
> Rodjk #613
I too am happy that your son is doing well. As you are possibly aware,
there are those who may, after finding the name of the procedure
online, write to you with less positive intentions.
Some among the deaf refer to such surgery as disfigurement and even
genocide - an attempt to wipe out deaf culture. I doubt that this
represents a majority opinion, but even some less extreme people
might try to tell you that you have now labeled your son "defective"
in some way that will hurt his self-image.
I hope no such people feel the urge to butt into a stranger's life.
As for me, even if the sole benefit of the procedure was a better
chance of my child avoiding oncoming vehicles, that would be enough.
Easily enough. That it would also give him a better chance of
interacting with the world at large, rather than just deaf culture,
would also be enough reason to do it. I wish you all the luck.
Vari L. Cinicke
> On Monday, 01 November our son Sean had surgery to receive a Cochlear
> Implant. This device will allow him to hear, as he was born completely
> deaf. The process involves shaving a niche into his skull and then
> running a wire to his cochlear in the auditory system. An external
> receiver will pick up sound and transmit it to his auditory nerve,
> allowing him to hear.
>
> The surgery went very well, and initial testing shows that the device
> is functioning and his brain is receiving signals. However, the device
> will not be activated till the end of the month to allow for healing.
>
All the best to Sean and your brave family. I hope the integration with
the CI goes well.
--
Cheers,
vc
Rodjk #613
> On Nov 4, 9:28 am, "Rodjk #613" <rjka...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> > On Monday, 01 November our son Sean had surgery to receive a Cochlear
> > Implant. This device will allow him to hear, as he was born completely
> > deaf. The process involves shaving a niche into his skull and then
> > running a wire to his cochlear in the auditory system. An external
> > receiver will pick up sound and transmit it to his auditory nerve,
> > allowing him to hear.
>
> > The surgery went very well, and initial testing shows that the device
> > is functioning and his brain is receiving signals. However, the device
> > will not be activated till the end of the month to allow for healing.
>
> > Sean did very well before, during, and after the surgery. His only
> > problem was some after-effects of the anesthesia which resulted in his
> > being unable to keep down food. But by Tuesday morning he was drinking
> > and eating and was released from the hospital. All along, he was his
> > usual cheerful and happy self. If all goes well, he will have a second
> > surgery sometime in February to place an implant in his left ear.
>
> > It is interesting that he did not seem at all bothered by the head-
> > gear/bandage or the IV. He did not, even once, pull on the gear or the
> > IV. He did have some fun playing with the IV tube, but did not pull on
> > it or try to remove the needle from his hand.
>
> > I have added some pictures to our Picasa page. The photos start with
> > a new friend, waiting in his surgery outfit, meeting the doctor and
> > the nurses who would perform the surgery, waking up in recovery,
> > recuperating and finally going home.http://picasaweb.google.com/rjkardo/Cochlear#
>
> > Just for fun, I also added some pictures of our Halloween. This was
> > the night before we brought him in for surgery.
> > Vader.http://picasaweb.google.com/rjkardo/Halloween#
>
> > Rodjk #613
>
> I too am happy that your son is doing well. As you are possibly aware,
> there are those who may, after finding the name of the procedure
> online, write to you with less positive intentions.
>
> Some among the deaf refer to such surgery as disfigurement and even
> genocide - an attempt to wipe out deaf culture. I doubt that this
> represents a majority opinion, but even some less extreme people
> might try to tell you that you have now labeled your son "defective"
> in some way that will hurt his self-image.
>
> I hope no such people feel the urge to butt into a stranger's life.
>
> As for me, even if the sole benefit of the procedure was a better
> chance of my child avoiding oncoming vehicles, that would be enough.
> Easily enough. That it would also give him a better chance of
> interacting with the world at large, rather than just deaf culture,
> would also be enough reason to do it. I wish you all the luck.
The hospital did a good job of counseling us on all sides of the
issue. We were recommended to watch "The Sound and the Fury" about a
family with members on both sides of the issue. It is an interesting
debate, but we decided to go ahead with the implant for Sean.
How is your son doing? Any advice you would give to a family just
going through this?
The email associated with my account is 'live' or leave a comment on
the picture page. Thanks!
And Thanks to those who have wished us well in the process.
Rodjk #613
Paul J Gans
>Rodjk #613
Best wishes to Sean, you, and your entire family.
--
--- Paul J. Gans
drew
> Implant. This device will allow him to hear, as he was born completely
> deaf. The process involves shaving a niche into his skull and then
> running a wire to his cochlear in the auditory system. An external
> receiver will pick up sound and transmit it to his auditory nerve,
> allowing him to hear.
>
> The surgery went very well, and initial testing shows that the device
> is functioning and his brain is receiving signals. However, the device
> will not be activated till the end of the month to allow for healing.
I hope the implants work well for your son and that he recovers
quickly.
It is always difficult to see your children in any kind of discomfort
but in this
case it is all for the good. We can only hope that improvements will
continue
in related areas as for example to assist the visually impaired with
implants that
transmit visual information directly to the brain.
How old is Sean? I would be interesting to find out how he responds
to the
first sounds that he hears and how he will interpret them. We take
the world of
sound and light for granted when we have always seen and heard. I
wonder what
it is like to go from a world of silence to a world full of sounds.
I would think it could be a little overwhelming at first.
g...@risky-biz.com
I didn't mean to imply I had been in the same situation. I have a
daughter with normal hearing, although at 15, her "listening" is
severely impaired. But I have had kids jump out in front of my car
often enough, then jerk back at the squeal of the brakes, to know what
my decision would have to be.
For what it's worth, I'm in the middle of a long-term health issue
right now. I see kids with similar conditions. They seem to take it in
stride. There's less projecting it all into the future than we adults
burden ourselves with. I'm sure your son will have the odd setback,
but will do fine in the end.
Rodjk #613
Ah, my bad. I misread what you wrote.
> For what it's worth, I'm in the middle of a long-term health issue
> right now. I see kids with similar conditions. They seem to take it in
> stride. There's less projecting it all into the future than we adults
> burden ourselves with. I'm sure your son will have the odd setback,
> but will do fine in the end.
Thanks. As long as there are not too many complaints I will continue
to post updates. Also, my email is 'live' so feel free to write or
leave comments.
Thanks again to everyone who has responded!
Rodjk #613
Rodjk #613
> On Nov 4, 9:28 am, "Rodjk #613" <rjka...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On Monday, 01 November our son Sean had surgery to receive a Cochlear
> > Implant. This device will allow him to hear, as he was born completely
> > deaf. The process involves shaving a niche into his skull and then
> > running a wire to his cochlear in the auditory system. An external
> > receiver will pick up sound and transmit it to his auditory nerve,
> > allowing him to hear.
>
> > The surgery went very well, and initial testing shows that the device
> > is functioning and his brain is receiving signals. However, the device
> > will not be activated till the end of the month to allow for healing.
>
> I hope the implants work well for your son and that he recovers
> quickly.
Thank you... :)
> It is always difficult to see your children in any kind of discomfort
> but in this
> case it is all for the good.
It still hurts to see him in those pictures. The first one of him in
recovery is still tough to see. Luckily, he is a very happy and social
child, and the innate happiness (and the urge to flirt) soon came out.
He showed some discomfort through the day and would not allow us to
set him down, but by the following morning you would not know that he
had been through anything. (Other than the scar, that is...)
> We can only hope that improvements will
> continue
> in related areas as for example to assist the visually impaired with
> implants that
> transmit visual information directly to the brain.
>
> How old is Sean? I would be interesting to find out how he responds
> to the
> first sounds that he hears and how he will interpret them.
He is 17 months old. Jason is one month younger.
< We take
> the world of
> sound and light for granted when we have always seen and heard. I
> wonder what
> it is like to go from a world of silence to a world full of sounds.
> I would think it could be a little overwhelming at first.
Hello Drew, thanks for your comments.
We will be recording his first reaction later this month and I will
add it to my YouTube channel. If you do a search on YouTube now, you
will find a lot of video's showing children getting their implant
turned on. They are fascinating to watch, and each child's reaction is
different.
Rodjk #613
el cid
> Implant. This device will allow him to hear, as he was born completely
> deaf. The process involves shaving a niche into his skull and then
> running a wire to his cochlear in the auditory system. An external
> receiver will pick up sound and transmit it to his auditory nerve,
> allowing him to hear.
>
> The surgery went very well, and initial testing shows that the device
> is functioning and his brain is receiving signals. However, the device
> will not be activated till the end of the month to allow for healing.
>
> Sean did very well before, during, and after the surgery. His only
> problem was some after-effects of the anesthesia which resulted in his
> being unable to keep down food. But by Tuesday morning he was drinking
> and eating and was released from the hospital. All along, he was his
> usual cheerful and happy self. If all goes well, he will have a second
> surgery sometime in February to place an implant in his left ear.
>
> It is interesting that he did not seem at all bothered by the head-
> gear/bandage or the IV. He did not, even once, pull on the gear or the
> IV. He did have some fun playing with the IV tube, but did not pull on
> it or try to remove the needle from his hand.
>
> I have added some pictures to our Picasa page. The photos start with
> us arriving at the surgery floor at Texas Children’s Hospital, making
> a new friend, waiting in his surgery outfit, meeting the doctor and
> the nurses who would perform the surgery, waking up in recovery,
>
> Just for fun, I also added some pictures of our Halloween. This was
> the night before we brought him in for surgery.
> We did a “Star Wars” family, with Sean as Chewbacca and Jason as Darth
> Vader.http://picasaweb.google.com/rjkardo/Halloween#
>
> Rodjk #613
Thanks so much for sharing this. I confess that many times I retreat
into an attitude close to Ted (unibomber) Kaczynski when I consider
'marvels' like _almost as effective as diet and exercise_ Lipitor.
It's
refreshing to hear personal stories about actual medical advances.
Shakes
> On Monday, 01 November our son Sean had surgery to receive a Cochlear
> Implant. This device will allow him to hear, as he was born completely
> deaf. The process involves shaving a niche into his skull and then
> running a wire to his cochlear in the auditory system. An external
> receiver will pick up sound and transmit it to his auditory nerve,
> allowing him to hear.
>
> The surgery went very well, and initial testing shows that the device
> is functioning and his brain is receiving signals. However, the device
> will not be activated till the end of the month to allow for healing.
>
> Sean did very well before, during, and after the surgery. His only
> problem was some after-effects of the anesthesia which resulted in his
> being unable to keep down food. But by Tuesday morning he was drinking
> and eating and was released from the hospital. All along, he was his
> usual cheerful and happy self. If all goes well, he will have a second
> surgery sometime in February to place an implant in his left ear.
>
> It is interesting that he did not seem at all bothered by the head-
> gear/bandage or the IV. He did not, even once, pull on the gear or the
> IV. He did have some fun playing with the IV tube, but did not pull on
> it or try to remove the needle from his hand.
>
> I have added some pictures to our Picasa page. The photos start with
> us arriving at the surgery floor at Texas Children’s Hospital, making
> a new friend, waiting in his surgery outfit, meeting the doctor and
> the nurses who would perform the surgery, waking up in recovery,
>
> Just for fun, I also added some pictures of our Halloween. This was
> the night before we brought him in for surgery.
> We did a “Star Wars” family, with Sean as Chewbacca and Jason as Darth
>
> Rodjk #613
I really admire your attitude and calm through this tough situation.
My daughter is now 3.5 yrs old, and I still remember feeling nervous
every time she had any discomfort - whether it's the flu or a bout of
food poisoning. Parenting is stressful and a full-time job.
I wonder how our friends like Whisper, bob pulled it off. :-)
reilloc
I just watched some of these videos and it's more than fascinating; I
can't imagine having turned on in my head a sense I didn't know I had.
For a very young child who doesn't know that's not the way it works for
everybody it's probably not as dramatic as it would be for an adult
who's never had that sense before in his life.
I'm really looking forward to hearing about Sean's experiences.
LNC
Mitchell Coffey
> Implant. This device will allow him to hear, as he was born completely
> deaf. The process involves shaving a niche into his skull and then
> running a wire to his cochlear in the auditory system. An external
> receiver will pick up sound and transmit it to his auditory nerve,
> allowing him to hear.
>
> The surgery went very well, and initial testing shows that the device
> is functioning and his brain is receiving signals. However, the device
> will not be activated till the end of the month to allow for healing.
>
> Sean did very well before, during, and after the surgery. His only
> problem was some after-effects of the anesthesia which resulted in his
> being unable to keep down food. But by Tuesday morning he was drinking
> and eating and was released from the hospital. All along, he was his
> usual cheerful and happy self. If all goes well, he will have a second
> surgery sometime in February to place an implant in his left ear.
>
> It is interesting that he did not seem at all bothered by the head-
> gear/bandage or the IV. He did not, even once, pull on the gear or the
> IV. He did have some fun playing with the IV tube, but did not pull on
> it or try to remove the needle from his hand.
>
> I have added some pictures to our Picasa page. The photos start with
> us arriving at the surgery floor at Texas Children’s Hospital, making
> a new friend, waiting in his surgery outfit, meeting the doctor and
> the nurses who would perform the surgery, waking up in recovery,
>
> Just for fun, I also added some pictures of our Halloween. This was
> the night before we brought him in for surgery.
> We did a “Star Wars” family, with Sean as Chewbacca and Jason as Darth
>
> Rodjk #613
I'm glad the surgery went well. Best wishes to your son and all of
you!
Mitchell Coffey
Javier González
> On Monday, 01 November our son Sean had surgery to receive a Cochlear
> Implant. This device will allow him to hear, as he was born completely
> deaf. The process involves shaving a niche into his skull and then
> running a wire to his cochlear in the auditory system. An external
> receiver will pick up sound and transmit it to his auditory nerve,
> allowing him to hear.
>
> The surgery went very well, and initial testing shows that the device
> is functioning and his brain is receiving signals. However, the device
> will not be activated till the end of the month to allow for healing.
>
> Sean did very well before, during, and after the surgery. His only
> problem was some after-effects of the anesthesia which resulted in his
> being unable to keep down food. But by Tuesday morning he was drinking
> and eating and was released from the hospital. All along, he was his
> usual cheerful and happy self. If all goes well, he will have a second
> surgery sometime in February to place an implant in his left ear.
>
> It is interesting that he did not seem at all bothered by the head-
> gear/bandage or the IV. He did not, even once, pull on the gear or the
> IV. He did have some fun playing with the IV tube, but did not pull on
> it or try to remove the needle from his hand.
>
> I have added some pictures to our Picasa page. The photos start with
> us arriving at the surgery floor at Texas Children’s Hospital, making
> a new friend, waiting in his surgery outfit, meeting the doctor and
> the nurses who would perform the surgery, waking up in recovery,
>
> Just for fun, I also added some pictures of our Halloween. This was
> the night before we brought him in for surgery.
> We did a “Star Wars” family, with Sean as Chewbacca and Jason as Darth
> Vader.http://picasaweb.google.com/rjkardo/Halloween#
>
> Rodjk #613
Stupid internets, so dusty they make my eyes water...
Congratulations, man. I hope everything goes awesome for him and your
family.
bob
wrote:
i'm not a parent so don't pull it off.
bob
bob
<rjk...@gmail.com> wrote:
IMO good decision to give hearing to your kid. but recall, being wrong
is what i do. btw, if your wife can bother to keep fit, why can't
you???
bob
Paul Ciszek
In article <4cccb3f1-9118-41f4...@y31g2000vbt.googlegroups.com>,
el cid <elcid...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>Thanks so much for sharing this. I confess that many times I retreat
>into an attitude close to Ted (unibomber) Kaczynski when I consider
>'marvels' like _almost as effective as diet and exercise_ Lipitor.
>It's
>refreshing to hear personal stories about actual medical advances.
Bionic ears, bionic eyes, and Dean Kaman has even developed a brain-
controlled motorized arm. Now if we can just get rid of the cheesy
sound effects...
--
Please reply to: | "Evolution is a theory that accounts
pciszek at panix dot com | for variety, not superiority."
Autoreply has been disabled | -- Joan Pontius
Shakes
> On Thu, 4 Nov 2010 12:23:17 -0700 (PDT), Shakes <kvcsh...@gmail.com>
Oops, sorry.
felangey
> is what i do. btw, if your wife can bother to keep fit, why can't
> you???<
I suspect it has got sweet fanny adams to do with you.
Sao Paulo Swallow
> On Monday, 01 November our son Sean had surgery to receive a Cochlear
> Implant. This device will allow him to hear, as he was born completely
> deaf. The process involves shaving a niche into his skull and then
> running a wire to his cochlear in the auditory system. An external
> receiver will pick up sound and transmit it to his auditory nerve,
> allowing him to hear.
>
> The surgery went very well, and initial testing shows that the device
> is functioning and his brain is receiving signals. However, the device
> will not be activated till the end of the month to allow for healing.
>
> Sean did very well before, during, and after the surgery. His only
> problem was some after-effects of the anesthesia which resulted in his
> being unable to keep down food. But by Tuesday morning he was drinking
> and eating and was released from the hospital. All along, he was his
> usual cheerful and happy self. If all goes well, he will have a second
> surgery sometime in February to place an implant in his left ear.
>
> It is interesting that he did not seem at all bothered by the head-
> gear/bandage or the IV. He did not, even once, pull on the gear or the
> IV. He did have some fun playing with the IV tube, but did not pull on
> it or try to remove the needle from his hand.
>
> I have added some pictures to our Picasa page. The photos start with
> a new friend, waiting in his surgery outfit, meeting the doctor and
> the nurses who would perform the surgery, waking up in recovery,
>
> Just for fun, I also added some pictures of our Halloween. This was
> the night before we brought him in for surgery.
> Vader.http://picasaweb.google.com/rjkardo/Halloween#
>
> Rodjk #613
Best of luck to Sean! Let us know what happens when they activate it.
I hope it's all good. Great photos, too.
bob
wrote:
>On Nov 4, 2:39 pm, bob <stein...@comcast.net> wrote:
sorry about what? i can be a parent any day i choose to...
bob
bob
wrote:
he seems like a good enough chap, hate to see him lose his nice wife
due to the old spare tire, eh? :-)
bob
chris thompson
Wait until she's a teen. It gets worse before it gets better (I hope!)
Chris
Whisper
>>
>> Just for fun, I also added some pictures of our Halloween. This was
>> the night before we brought him in for surgery.
>> Vader.http://picasaweb.google.com/rjkardo/Halloween#
>>
>> Rodjk #613
>
> I too am happy that your son is doing well. As you are possibly aware,
> there are those who may, after finding the name of the procedure
> online, write to you with less positive intentions.
>
> Some among the deaf refer to such surgery as disfigurement and even
> genocide - an attempt to wipe out deaf culture. I doubt that this
> represents a majority opinion, but even some less extreme people
> might try to tell you that you have now labeled your son "defective"
> in some way that will hurt his self-image.
>
> I hope no such people feel the urge to butt into a stranger's life.
>
> As for me, even if the sole benefit of the procedure was a better
> chance of my child avoiding oncoming vehicles, that would be enough.
> Easily enough. That it would also give him a better chance of
> interacting with the world at large, rather than just deaf culture,
> would also be enough reason to do it. I wish you all the luck.
>
>
I don't think anyone gives 2 fucks what you think about it.
Please refrain from posting anything that isn't positive.
Whisper
>> The hospital did a good job of counseling us on all sides of the
>> issue. We were recommended to watch "The Sound and the Fury" about a
>> family with members on both sides of the issue. It is an interesting
>> debate, but we decided to go ahead with the implant for Sean.
>>
>> How is your son doing? Any advice you would give to a family just
>> going through this?
>>
>> The email associated with my account is 'live' or leave a comment on
>> the picture page. Thanks!
>>
>> And Thanks to those who have wished us well in the process.
>>
>> Rodjk #613
>
> I didn't mean to imply I had been in the same situation. I have a
> daughter with normal hearing, although at 15, her "listening" is
> severely impaired.
I think you'll find all teens are severely impaired when it comes to
listening to parents.
Whisper
> < We take
>> the world of
>> sound and light for granted when we have always seen and heard. I
>> wonder what
>> it is like to go from a world of silence to a world full of sounds.
>> I would think it could be a little overwhelming at first.
>
> Hello Drew, thanks for your comments.
>
> We will be recording his first reaction later this month and I will
> add it to my YouTube channel. If you do a search on YouTube now, you
> will find a lot of video's showing children getting their implant
> turned on. They are fascinating to watch, and each child's reaction is
> different.
>
> Rodjk #613
>
That is pretty cool - I'll have to look some of those up.
Actually I was having a discussion with a friend the other day about
'blind from birth' people being given the gift of sight, & what an
awseome documentary that would make. Looks like science will make this
a reality within 5 yrs. It would be mind blowing to see their reaction,
after never having any concept of what sight is.
Whisper
I got lucky with the gene pool & have had relatively smooth ride so far,
but yeah some folks do it tough. I guess as parents you do what you
have to do, but when I see parents with kids suffering from eg cerebral
palsy I get instant reality check.
Shakes
:-) You mean all the sleepless nights when they are sick, and our
struggles to push the antibiotics down their throat etc. are the
easier parts ? Shudder !
Shakes
Good for you. How about ear infections, flus etc. ?
Giovanna
> We did a “Star Wars” family, with Sean as Chewbacca and Jason as Darth
> Vader.http://picasaweb.google.com/rjkardo/Halloween#
awwwwwww they're very cute!!!!!!!!!! Jason=Darth Federer ;-)
hope everything goes well!! they're very lucky to have lovely parents
like u guys~~
Walter Bushell
<1993468a-6c70-40c8...@n10g2000prj.googlegroups.com>,
Shakes <kvcs...@gmail.com> wrote:
Oh, yes. "Objective apprehension" is the term used to describe the
mental state of parents of teenagers.
--
The Chinese pretend their goods are good and we pretend our money
is good, or is it the reverse?
g...@risky-biz.com
I agree that Rodjk will find that no matter how much technology has
progressed in the intervening years, medical science will not have
cured adolescence. Let's hope young Sean's therapy will leave him
prepared to sass his parents with the best of them when his time
comes. :)
I did some reading up. The technology has progressed so much since I
first read about it. The early devices had as few as four electrodes
and rudimentary processing. They were, if I remember correctly, seen
only as an aid to lip-reading and a means to allow the user to be
aware of danger signals, like vehicles, sirens and shouts.
But even those relatively crude devices, coupled with the tremendous
processing power of our brains, produced much better speech-
recognition than anyone dared hope. Today's multiple electrodes and
sophisticated processing promise much more. Not "regular hearing" -
users who had lost their hearing as adults confirm this - but a
functional way, especially for those caught early, to learn and use
spoken language.
Some manufacturers even advertise that they have begun to optimize
their processing to make some sense out of music. Hype? Maybe. But if
they've moved on to that, the more necessary functions must be getting
sophisticated indeed.
It all sounds very exciting. Raising a child is an unpredictable
adventure, different for each child even without an obvious challenge
like Rodjk's. The great thing is that whatever difficulties his
parents may experience, Sean is quite likely to get on with being a
kid, experiencing his own "normal" and too busy to devote time to the
worries they may have.
I wish him and his family the very best.
Greg Guarino
pltr...@xhost.org
>I too am happy that your son is doing well. As you are possibly aware,
>there are those who may, after finding the name of the procedure
>online, write to you with less positive intentions.
>
>Some among the deaf refer to such surgery as disfigurement and even
>genocide - an attempt to wipe out deaf culture. I doubt that this
>represents a majority opinion, but even some less extreme people
>might try to tell you that you have now labeled your son "defective"
>in some way that will hurt his self-image.
Yes, it's a very controversial topic here in DC among the student body
at Gallaudet U, even today. What a pity.
-- Larry
Javier González
If your wife would leave your over a spare tire, she wasn't a keeper
anyway.
drew
>
> >> >I wonder how our friends like Whisper, bob pulled it off. :-)
>
> >> i'm not a parent so don't pull it off.
>
> >> bob
>
> >Oops, sorry.
>
> sorry about what? i can be a parent any day i choose to...
Really? What's the trick? Voluntary binary fission or does your
species
have a very short gestation period?
Having watched the heart rate go up then down then up again on the
fetal monitor
for hours and hours before my first was born I can only say that the
choice was
all his.
All I could do was wait and pray.
Whisper
>> but yeah some folks do it tough. I guess as parents you do what you
>> have to do, but when I see parents with kids suffering from eg cerebral
>> palsy I get instant reality check.
>
> Good for you. How about ear infections, flus etc. ?
>
I have a wife.
Robert Carnegie: Fnord: cc talk-origins@moderators.isc.org
Most of us who hear don't remember doing it for the first time, but it
must be weird. I suppose it is that /something/ is happening inside
your brain and you don't know why, or what it is. I suppose it takes
a long time, that we don't think about, to associate sounds and
visible or other-sense physical events?
And people who got the faculty of sight, physically, as adults, as!lso
find it very hard to manage. Probably, again, most of us start
confused, at birth, and learn. (E.g., how to focus.)
Plus, if the parts of our brain cthat are "prepared" for one of these
functions are not used, there is a persistent argument that they get
borrowed for something else. And logically that's going to mean that
a restored sense and the other function that borrowed its brain space
are both going to be still impaired.
And, cochlear implants aren't the artificial sensory equivalent of
high-definition TV. At best, it probably sounds like listening to the
world over a telephone line, 24/7.
But, y'know, good luck.
g...@risky-biz.com
Read more carefully.
Rodjk #613
Exactly. You make some very good points, both here and below.
> Plus, if the parts of our brain cthat are "prepared" for one of these
> functions are not used, there is a persistent argument that they get
> borrowed for something else. And logically that's going to mean that
> a restored sense and the other function that borrowed its brain space
> are both going to be still impaired.
The doctors pointed this out. They have the best success if the
process is completed by age 3. After that, it gets more difficult. Not
impossible, but more difficult.
> And, cochlear implants aren't the artificial sensory equivalent of
> high-definition TV. At best, it probably sounds like listening to the
> world over a telephone line, 24/7.
>
> But, y'know, good luck.
Thanks. One thing to note is the doctors and counselors did a great
job of hammering that point in...this is not the same as hearing the
way you and I know it.
But it will allow some hearing, and possibly even very good hearing.
We met, in the course of our training, a 3 yr old girl who had her
implants done at about Sean's age...if her mom had not pulled her hair
back to show the implant, you would never know that she had been deaf.
She could hear, distinguish voices and spoke very clearly.
That, of course, is an excellent case; but it gives us hope and a goal
to shoot toward.
Again, it was hammered into us that this is not a simple chore. Just
the surgery and the implant are not enough. Years of training and
therapy are still to come.
We are aware of the work to come, but think it is worthwhile.
Rodjk #613
Shakes
LOL !!
Patrick Kehoe
Exactly!
P
Patrick Kehoe
That isn't likely to happen...
P
reilloc
Impaired by, perhaps, some objective, comparative definition but if it's
what I know, it's what I know.
>
> And, cochlear implants aren't the artificial sensory equivalent of
> high-definition TV. At best, it probably sounds like listening to the
> world over a telephone line, 24/7.
I don't think so. How do you know the world doesn't sound that way to me
already and always has? My hearing isn't what it used to be but nobody
who sees me walking down the street knows that. Sometimes I don't even
know that. How *is* it possible to know what you're not hearing unless
you have somebody else there to tell you otherwise or it's something you
know you've heard before and it now sounds different?
>
> But, y'know, good luck.
Somebody, above, made a reference to deaf culture and the potential for
hostility from its members and that's interesting to me. There's no way
I can say they're wrong except to contend that they don't know what
they're missing; however, they do and it's just as valid to say that
it's I who doesn't know what he's missing, if anything.
Something taken away from you can be missed but can you miss something
you never had or is it that you're *missing* what you're told you could
have or ought to have?
LNC
drew
>
> Somebody, above, made a reference to deaf culture and the potential for
> hostility from its members and that's interesting to me.
You've probably seen it but if you haven't , watch the film "Children
of a Lesser God".
There's no way
> I can say they're wrong except to contend that they don't know what
> they're missing; however, they do and it's just as valid to say that
> it's I who doesn't know what he's missing, if anything.
>
> Something taken away from you can be missed but can you miss something
> you never had or is it that you're *missing* what you're told you could
> have or ought to have?
Sometimes the world of sound is just noise and it can be disturbing.
But on balance
I'm glad I have the ability to hear....and listen.
Rodjk #613
I have never seen "Children of a Lesser God" but I have heard of it.
Amazing that it did not occur to us to watch it. Maybe this weekend...
This is the documentary that I mentioned before:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/soundandfury/
There is a sequel, but we have not seen it yet.
Rodjk #613
Rodjk #613
> On 11/5/2010 5:24 AM, Rodjk #613 wrote:
>
>
>
> > < We take
> >> the world of
> >> sound and light for granted when we have always seen and heard. I
> >> wonder what
> >> it is like to go from a world of silence to a world full of sounds.
> >> I would think it could be a little overwhelming at first.
>
> > Hello Drew, thanks for your comments.
>
> > We will be recording his first reaction later this month and I will
> > add it to my YouTube channel. If you do a search on YouTube now, you
> > will find a lot of video's showing children getting their implant
> > turned on. They are fascinating to watch, and each child's reaction is
> > different.
>
> > Rodjk #613
>
> That is pretty cool - I'll have to look some of those up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDD7Ohs5tAk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCZ3CBmYZfw
Just a couple of video's. The second one has the child burst out
crying...
Hearing for the first time can be upsetting, I guess...
There is a lot of information available. Texas Children's offers three
types, Advanced Bionics, Cochlear and Med-El. We went with Advanced
Bionics.
> Actually I was having a discussion with a friend the other day about
> 'blind from birth' people being given the gift of sight, & what an
> awseome documentary that would make. Looks like science will make this
> a reality within 5 yrs. It would be mind blowing to see their reaction,
> after never having any concept of what sight is.
That would be amazing. Just what we have learned from the hearing part
is amazing, I would think that the vision part would be even more
exciting.
Rodjk #613
bob
<rjk...@gmail.com> wrote:
>On Nov 5, 1:46 pm, drew <d...@technologist.com> wrote:
>> On Nov 5, 2:09 pm, reilloc <reil...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> > Somebody, above, made a reference to deaf culture and the potential for
>> > hostility from its members and that's interesting to me.
>>
>> You've probably seen it but if you haven't , watch the film "Children
>> of a Lesser God".
>>
>> There's no way
>>
>> > I can say they're wrong except to contend that they don't know what
>> > they're missing; however, they do and it's just as valid to say that
>> > it's I who doesn't know what he's missing, if anything.
>>
>> > Something taken away from you can be missed but can you miss something
>> > you never had or is it that you're *missing* what you're told you could
>> > have or ought to have?
>>
>> Sometimes the world of sound is just noise and it can be disturbing.
>> But on balance
>> I'm glad I have the ability to hear....and listen.
>
>I have never seen "Children of a Lesser God" but I have heard of it.
>Amazing that it did not occur to us to watch it. Maybe this weekend...
seen it a few times, made marlee matlin a star. IMO she and he type
are of no less a God than anybody else.
bob
bob
wrote:
>On Nov 4, 7:27�pm, bob <stein...@comcast.net> wrote:
>
>>
>> >> >I wonder how our friends like Whisper, bob pulled it off. :-)
>>
>> >> i'm not a parent so don't pull it off.
>>
>> >> bob
>>
>> >Oops, sorry.
>>
>> sorry about what? i can be a parent any day i choose to...
>
>Really? What's the trick?
there is no trick involved.
> Voluntary binary fission or does your
>species have a very short gestation period?
our species takes approx 9 months.
>Having watched the heart rate go up then down then up again on the
>fetal monitor for hours and hours before my first was born I can only say that the
>choice was all his. All I could do was wait and pray.
was this an abnormal birth/pregnancy? AFAIK, most people I know are
capable of reproducing, including myself, if i so chose. probably too
old to be a good dad now though.
bob
bob
i take it you have the old spare tire. :-)
bob
reilloc
The god of language has damned you.
LNC
bob
what language? spoken english?
bob
Javier González
Currently? A truck one ;)
I'm currently working on getting rid of it while it's still easy to.
Excersising is hard with the busted knee, but losing weight is a
matter of mostly diet, which is the good and the bad part.
And my wife, $deity bless her heart, has stuck with me, from visible
ribs skinny to my current portly condition. She is a keeper ;)
bob
yes, you're a lucky man. no doubt. with my bad personality, if i don't
try to stay trim, i'm out the door pronto. lol. :-)
bob
Robert Carnegie: Fnord: cc talk-origins@moderators.isc.org
> On 11/5/2010 9:20 AM, Robert Carnegie: Fnord: cc
> talk-o...@moderators.isc.org wrote:
> > functions are not used, there is a persistent argument that they get
> > borrowed for something else. And logically that's going to mean that
> > a restored sense and the other function that borrowed its brain space
> > are both going to be still impaired.
>
> Impaired by, perhaps, some objective, comparative definition but if it's
> what I know, it's what I know.
>
> >
> > And, cochlear implants aren't the artificial sensory equivalent of
> > high-definition TV. At best, it probably sounds like listening to the
> > world over a telephone line, 24/7.
>
> I don't think so. How do you know the world doesn't sound that way to me
> already and always has? My hearing isn't what it used to be but nobody
> who sees me walking down the street knows that. Sometimes I don't even
> know that. How *is* it possible to know what you're not hearing unless
> you have somebody else there to tell you otherwise or it's something you
> know you've heard before and it now sounds different?
A couple of examples I can think of are:
"The Mosquito", a super high-pitched whining electronic device that
shopkeepers use to discourage loitering teenagers - and mothers
shopping with infants who are also distressed by it: also used /by/
teenagers as a cell phone ring tone that is inaudible to most
teachers. (We lose hearing of higher pitch first... I'm not a teacher,
I'm not saying that the job has that effect.)
The occasional observation that what you think somebody said is
probably not what they meant to say. Like mondegreens, but in
conversation. (This happens reading text, too.)
Oh, and the gross inferiority of a not unacceptably expensive hi-fi
device or system, that an aficionado perceives and you don't... but
that's lucky for you, eh?