Monday, August 11, 2008

The night before Amanda's hook-up

Here are some photos from today...the day before
Amanda's activation.  It's actually here.  Her hook-up will really happen tomorrow.  

What a journey it's been!  It has taken us so much to get this far.  
        And here it is.  Here we are.  

Amanda has been asking for this moment since she was 10 1/2. She has just turned 14.  All this time.  She didn't waver.  She didn't give up. This is what she's wanted for 3 1/2 years and 
it is now here.  The night before.
 
Amanda has never heard anything.  Never ever. Not once. We wonder how she will respond to her very first sound.

We imagine amazement...then enjoyment...and hopefully with lots of input and practice, understandment.  Yes, I know it's not a word, but it should be!
 
We hope her activation will bring positive results and that she'll be able to incorporate sound into her life in ways that are enjoyable and productive.

The time is almost here.  The first step is only 16 hours and 34 minutes away.

8 comments:

Amy said...

Ooh never ever? What about hearing aids?

I'm going to warn you it might hurt because if nerves goes unsimulated for long period of time it could be sensitive and hurt so if that happened, ask audiologist to start her off on really low that its comfortable and slowly increase it over time, its best way to do it.
Otherwise, best luck in world for her!

Anonymous said...

What great pictures!! The day is here...now to just wait for the actual time to arrive. :)

I remember you mentioning that Amanda was getting something probably like tinnitus after her surgery, although it was (obviously) hard for her to describe. Did that eventually go away for her?

I was just thinking of her this morning because my tinnitus did change quite a bit after surgery (the sounds became different) and I can't imagine what I would think of it if I had never experienced it before. LOL!

Counting down the hours and minutes now,

Wendi

Anonymous said...

It was great seeing you all yesterday evening. I am so excited for you Amanda!

Remember to take it slow and enjoy the process...

You are all in my prayers, keep me posted. Hope to see you soon til then...

God Bless and Be Well,
Doreen

Janet said...

Hi Jennifer & Amanda!
One hour to go! Can't wait to learn how it goes for Amanda! I'm really excited for her!

Janet

Shari said...

Good luck, Amanda!!

Debbie/Steve said...

Send my best wishes to you as today's your BIG day. Look forward to hear all about your hearing journey.

Anonymous said...

Amanda,

I am so excited for you!! I didn't know you were getting the CI, but I think it's awesome. My rommate at Gally had one, and she loved it. I agree with everyone, you should take it slow, and try not to be too overwhelmed! Good luck, and maybe I will see you around at Disneyland :)

Elizabeth (Keig) Briggs

Jennifer Bruno Conde said...

Thanks you guys! I will be posting her activation video when I get it edited and captioned. THANKS everyone for all the comments throughout the day!

Amy, yes we were well aware that things might be frightening to her...mostly because we've been reading the CI blogs and Hearing Journey Forum by Advanced Bionics. Amanda ended up getting a very soft couple of programs.

Wendi, we asked Amanda about the tinnitus yesterday and she said it had gone away. During activation she kept talking about feeling instead of hearing. She had some significant twitching so that reinforced the feeling aspect. Not sure what she is actually hearing, but she seems to be enjoying it.

Doreen, yes it was great seeing you Monday evening. And thanks for taking the beautiful photo of us in my Monday night post!

Thanks, Janet! I did get all messages as they were posted since my Sidekick is set to receive comments as they come in. That's why we were able to approve the comments and they could be posted.

Shari and Debbie, thanks! You'll be able to see it in action once I get some sleep and get the video ready for posting.

Liz! Good to hear from you! Definitely hope to see you soon! Disneyland would be great!!

Jennifer