Today we had Cole's second hearing test. This one was performed by an audiologist and speech and language pathologist from the program we've been referred to (ECHO - Expanding Children's Hearing Opportunities).
Cole and I sat an another sound booth as an audiologist who specializes in working with children, tried to get my 14 month old son to leave ear phones in his ears long enough to test his reaction to the sounds coming through. :) She was wonderful, patient and through as we sat there for a half hour playing with toys, listening to sounds and distracting Cole from touching his head or ears! She also placed a headband on his head that vibrated to try to train him to turn toward the side that he felt the vibration on. After many tries, she determined that he wasn't going to be quite as cooperative as we would need him to be in order to determine his exact level of hearing loss today, but we did get a bit more information!
After we left the sound booth, Ryder and John joined us in the "play room" where the boys played with the speech pathologist and John and I talked with the audiologist about where we go from here. Summed up in a few words....more and more appointments! He will need to have a ABR test done which he will have to be put asleep for in order to measure his brain's response to sound. Through this extensive test, they will also remove any congestion found and measure each part of the ear's response to sound (eardrum, middle ear and cochlea) to determine where his hearing loss is coming from. She said she did see a little bit of congestion in his middle ear, like you'd find if he had a cold, but even if his ears were completely blocked with congestion, she said she would've still seen SOME response to the sounds she was administering to him through the ear phones as they were very loud.
So now we have confirmed that he does indeed have a degree of hearing loss, and the test he has done on October 9th will give us detailed results as to how much and what we do next! I asked her what I could be doing at home with him in the mean time since much of my motherly instincts along with my teaching background want to do all I can to help my son NOW and not have to wait for further testing! She said he will eventually get hearing aids, and what we could do is take molds for them today and he could get his first hearing aids on the day of this next test, on the 9th! I was excited to have things progress as I want him to begin developing communication skills ASAP...cognitively, he's so ready for that and growing more and more frustrated with not being able to talk.
So we all watched as he had cute little molds made of the inside of his ears and in 3 weeks we'll have his first set of hearing aids to begin trying out. The only way that hearing aids would not be effective is if through the next test, they find no response at all in any part of his ear, but if there is any movement at all, hearing aids are our next step. So now we'll have to figure out how to keep them in his ears! I'm hoping if they do help him hear, he'll be so amazed at hearing sound for the first time that he'll want them in! She did say, that because they grow so much at this stage of development, we'll be having to make new molds almost every month for his hearing aids so they fit best in his ears. This is definitely a long and consistent journey we've begun!
In addition to his upcoming ABR test and hearing aids, he also has an appointment coming up with three of the speech and language pathologists on October 17th. I'm so excited that he is being cared for so well. We are getting amazing care in all areas of his development. What a blessing. Our appointment this morning lasted 2 hours! We left feeling so well cared for and that God had really placed a team around us to help navigate through these uncharted waters. :)
I have begun to feel tired through the journey though. I would be so thankful for prayers regarding much needed strength for each day. We are so thankful for the team of doctors here and wish family and friends were closer to help us through. I am reminded daily though as I do the homework I have to do each night for the bible study I'm going to, that the LORD is on our side. If He is for us than who could be against us! The following is an encouraging excerpt I read this week and it encouraged me...I pray it does the same for you too...
"Where we look - where we genuinely fasten our gaze - amid continual life challenges has a tremendous impact on how we feel. God wants our eyes fixed upward like someone down on her knees at His feet. We tend to focus on the most obvious. God wants to equip us with a vision that
sees higher, deeper and broader than our physical realities. According to Ephesians 1:18 we can have the eyes of our hearts enlightened. Perhaps that's the essence of true vision: seeing clearest of all with the eyes of our hearts." - Beth Moore, Psalms of Ascents Bible Study
Lord, give us the ability to see Cole with the eyes of our heart as you see him. What an incredible creation you've made in him and entrusted us with. Give us the strength and wisdom to parent him well. May others come to know You because of his life!
