Post a Comment On: Micro Preemie Twins: The Story of H & E

[Image]Eden got her hearing aides on Wednesday. Doesn't she look good in them??? My mom says we could paint her face green if she needed it, and I'd still think she looks cute...it's true. What can I say? On the way to pick up the hearing aides in Ann Arbor I talked to our favorite nurse at the pediatricican's office. I had noticed Eden pulling on her ear again, and was worried that she might be getting another ear infection (or the last one still wasn't completely better). They wanted to check her ears so we made an appointment for Thursday afternoon. Good thing, because Eden woke up on Thursday morning with another raging fever and the same sad pitiful mood that she had the last time. I was right. The same ear is infected again (or still?) so she is going to have another round of antibiotics. Because of the infection and fever, we didn't put Eden's hearing aides on yesterday, so today was her first full day wearing them. I gotta say, they are REALLY a PAIN. The left one doesn't work well at all because it is constantly whistling and giving feedback. The right one is a little better, but still rings every time she turns her head to the right. Which is a lot, because not only does she not have the best head control, but she always wants to look around at everything.

[Image]At our first appointment with the audiologist at U of M Eden showed a noticeable response to sound at 95 decibles. That is really LOUD and at the limits of the equipment. So the loss is definitely in the profound range, but the good news is that at least they were able to elicit a response, indicating that her auditory nerves are likely intact and she should be a good candidate for a cochlear implant. With her hearing aides she responded to sound at 85 decibles. Still VERY loud. We have to give it some time before we can tell for sure what kind of benefit she gets from the aides, but it is pretty likely that she won't be able to hear speech or anything other than loud noises.

[Image]Hmmm...what else have we been up to? Well, both girls were evaluated by the school district and Early On to see if they qualify for early intervention services. A physical therapist from the district came to the house to do the evaluation. Based on the results Holland was ineligible for special education because, so far, her development is "within normal limits." Eden does qualify and will begin receiving physical therapy through the school district in the fall to help with gross motor skills. The tone in her arms and legs is good, with no tightness in her ankles or hips, but she has low tone in her neck and trunk. The PT brought a "feeder seat" out to the house for Eden to practice in. When she is laying on her back she tends to play out to the side with her head turned rather than reaching to play in front. When she sits in the seat it helps her to strengthen muscles while keeping her supported and bringing her to midline. She actually likes playing there quite a lot.

[Image]We are going to be attending a baby group for five weeks this summer (starting next Wednesday) with a PT, Occupational Therapist (OT), and Speech and Language teacher (TSLI) to start working on motor skills. Holland will be going with us:) A teacher of the Hearing Impaired is going to start coming to the house once a week to work with Eden starting next Thursday. And a private physical therapist is going to come to the house once a week to see both girls through the summer starting next Friday. Whew... So much for a "summer vacation."