Cochlear Implants and Sports

So it's been a while, like a year, since I've updated on the Country Kids with Cochlear Implants. That's probably because I've gotten distracted and lazy and almost forgot I even liked to write during school "season" Brooklyn keeps us busy with her sports. She does well in school socially, keeps good grades, and is an athlete. She continues to play softball and volleyball each year and now that she's moving up to high school level, being in the 9th grade now, she'll be in the "big leagues" so to speak.

She has completed softball for the year and her team had a really good season with less than a handful of losses, and so begins volleyball. She will start workouts with the older girls upon her return from the beach and she really likes that part. She may groan and complain but she likes the feel of a good workout.

She finally got rid of the braces and the glasses and she looks forward to her first volleyball season without them! We continue to use double sided fabric tape to help secure her processors on her ears. This is her preferred method now, she gave up the small headbands but they could make another appearance when her first volleyball game rolls around who knows.

She still loves music and uses her over the ear headphones the ones that cost a small fortune or the higher quality ones at Wal Mart work just as well. Hopefully it won't take a full year to update on my two kids with cochlear implants! We wouldn't want you to think they are boring, they keep us full. 💗

Sports and Cochlear Implants

Though there are many options these days for kids who hear with cochlear implants AND also play sports, I'm going to show you what works for us. The trick is to know your options, and find what works for you and your child!

My daughter is our athlete. She is going on 14 (I know!!) and has had her implants for almost twelve years now. She became an athlete in 7th grade when she made the volleyball team. Her height is perfect for such a sport and after the season was over, she tried out and made the softball team. She is learning but doing well in both sports. Her teammates and coaches couldn't be more supportive and the encouragement has certainly boosted her assurance, and confidence.

I have (out of necessity) learned to do braids. One thing at the end of the season we learned is that double braids help hold the processors on. She has long hair and the braids on each side running behind the ears are great. I wish I could braid tighter than what I do but hey, practice will help that! She bought some skinny headbands that she says help also. At first she was simply pulling her hair back in a pony tail and using double sided fabric tape directly on her processors and that worked for a while but these other options were better due to sweat causing the tape to lose its stick. This basically got us through the majority of both seasons. We now know what to do for next year as she enters 8th grade playing both sports again.

If your child wants to play sports, go for it! Let the coaches know you are experimenting with head gear options and they may even have great advice!

Braces for Straight Teeth

Yes, you heard me right. There are braces for straight teeth. Why would someone want to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for braces when the child has great, and straight teeth? It's called impacted #11. That's the canine tooth. My Brooklyn is about to begin the whole process of getting braces, see an Oral Surgeon for a tooth extraction and try to pull down the impacted adult tooth. This was devastating news to not only us, but the Orthodontist who loved how pretty and straight her teeth are, but I looked at the X-rays and there is just no getting around it. It needs to happen, and happen soon.

Over the summer we have the bulk of the work completed followed by about two years or so of clear braces. She also has TMJ and will be under treatment for that as well. She already has cochlear implants, glasses and now adding braces too. I've tried to encourage her to try contacts really soon but she is nervous and says she isn't ready. With volleyball tryouts only a few weeks away, she may find out that if she makes the team, contacts may be the best option! I can't believe she is about to be in the 7th grade! Gage will be going into the 10th and he is only weeks away from getting his driver's permit! He too will visit the Oral Surgeon to give us an estimate of if/when he will be facing his much awaited jaw distraction.

Where has the time gone?

Spring Breakin' It

So what have The Blakelys been up to? It is best to do this in picture form. They were recently seen for an ear "tune up". Brook is still on a once per year or as needed basis. Gage is still as needed but seems to be going every 9 weeks or so which is a huge jump from our monthly visits from previous years.

What else is new? We've spent the first three days of our Spring Break in either Dental or Orthodontic offices (no surprise there), trying to get some things taken care of while we are all out of school. No word on when they think Gage will (or if it is out of the plan) need his jaw distraction. We are still in the infant stages of Orthodontia.

I no longer work at the elementary school, I have moved over to the high school. Brooklyn will be over there next school year so it made sense for me to go ahead while the opportunity was there to make the transition. It wasn't easy but everyone has seemed to have adjusted well.

We still love being at home and wouldn't trade it for any place on earth. We love the sunrises and sunsets, we love to spend time in the woods with campfires, four wheeling, and just enjoying family and friends.

Brook still loves babies (but real ones now, not dolls) and will scoop one up anywhere she can find one. I see lots of babysitting in her future as she approaches the teenage years. Gage is obsessed with building things. He is always, everyday, in his shed working on furniture or handmade guitars.

We lost our beloved dog Marley in a tragic accident so the husband adopted two puppies (both Lab mixes) and they could not be more adorable. The kids really love them!

Next on our list...Brooklyn tries out for JV Volleyball in May. We wish her the best of luck. She already worries about how she will keep her implants on as she jumps around the court. We know there are many sport options that can render this, she just needs something to worry about (smile).

Have a Blessed Spring Break

Swimming with Cochlear

We were invited, along with a few other families, to try out the waterproof swim gear coming out soon from Cochlear. You really can't see the bags from this photo because Gman needed a swim cap to hold them on his little malformed ears but other kids were able to wear them with a small band holding them in place. Are they completely ready for the market, not exactly but with just a few small touch ups I think they'll be a huge hit.

Did they work? YES! They did the job. His implants did not get wet and for the first time, he could swim, and go under water, and still hear wearing his processors the whole time with only a slight compromise in sound quality. The echo from the swimming area was a challenge anyway but if I took him down to the other end of the pool, covered my mouth so he couldn't speech read, ask him questions....HE COULD ANSWER THEM!!

He had to be very gentle before he put the swim cap on ducking under the water very easily or the coils (magnets) wouldn't hold. He tried the headband the other kids were wearing and it still wasn't enough but a swim cap held everything on great! The best part? He loved it. He smiled and said he liked being able to hear while he was in the pool. I watched him splash and make noises with some of the swim toys just to hear them. That was pretty awesome!

The only negatives I could see: I would prefer a brighter color (not clear) because we go to lakes a lot, should one come off, I'd like to see where it is. Also, the bottom of the product needs to be less "stiff". It rubbed into his neck and was uncomfortable. It didn't appear to be a problem with everyone depending on the child but more than one person had this issue. I like the fact that they will be affordable but we would probably use like 10 a day during summer with both kids and both ears so it would be nice if you didn't have to rip the bag open to get the processors back out and reuse them all day and just throw them away at the end of the day.

My friend Lisa was there also and she did her best to "drill" Cochlear for inside information on the N6's or the next processors due out in Fall from Cochlear. We are holding off to upgrade Brooklyn until the new ones come out so we are hoping they are as awesome as they plan. Sounded to us like they will be better for the kids in classrooms and possibly come with a lapel mic for teachers to use in place of FM systems since the new chip would make things easier for the kids changing environments. We shall see and our hopes are high.

Little Updates

Sometimes we move so fast from one thing to the next, I forget to update the blog. Brook and Gman got new bunnies...this makes for happy children since their other ones escaped out of the cage due to a faulty door latch

Gage made a guitar for music class at school. They were told to recycle things around the house and we had just built a shed out back so he grabbed some wood, took the strings off a real guitar and made himself a guitar. He did most of the work, his Daddy had to help with some of the sawing and putting the strings on but Gman did all the sanding, design work, pretty much everything else. The classes voted on their favorite ones and his was chosen to be displayed.

Yes, we are to this point. B stays in the pool. She swims at least an hour a day during the week and probably three hours a day on the weekends. She's very aquatic...

Gage again earned himself a slot at the county track meet where schools select their best long jumpers, fastest 50 yard dashers, etc. and compete against all the other area schools. This year, his long jump earned him 3rd place. He was so proud. He was very disappointed in himself last year when his nerves took over and he ended up jumping several feet short of his record. This year, he just ran and flew into the air. The other boys were way taller but he still placed! Way to go G! Unfortunately, it was so loud there he could not hear how far he jumped and I was at the other end so we'll just have to take our ribbon and know that he did well.

She Hit Not a Soul

I've been dreading this trip for a long time. In fact I rescheduled it twice before I said to myself GET THAT CHILD TO A DENTIST.  Most of you are long time readers of this blog and know how awful un-delightful our previous dental visits have been. (Click here if you wanna know just how bad it used to be "Rabid Child").

Anyway, it was her idea today to be a big girl. She had no intentions of hurting anyone and she wanted to just make it through the appointment and get back home. Well, no x-rays. They tried several times and were super sweet but B shut her mouth tighter than a clam. Not happening. But she hit not a soul! Improvement.

I left the room and the lady chatted it up with Brook and somehow managed to clean the top choppers. B tried to knock her hand down a few times but in a gentler way than she typically has done in the past. The lady didn't push Brook and for today, that's all they accomplished. The lady did come out, and she seems sensitive and I was worried B had hurt her feelings but after we talked she was fine. She felt like a failure but after I told her how wonderful I thought her accomplishment was, she was pleased and relieved. Brook wouldn't even sit down our first visit there (this is a new place we have started going to).

I have high hopes that this child will get all teeth cleaned on our next visit and possibly even some x-rays by age 10...? This is a very good dental office and they communicate well with my kids, with and without their processors on. We only remove them for the x-rays even if it's probably not necessary, we do it anyway.

Tomorrow we have the Homecoming Parade and we both look forward to riding and cheering in that. Big fun!

Cochlear Recall

So around September 1st or 2nd, Gage came home with only one processor on. He was missing his right and when I asked him why he removed it, he said, "Because it was clicking." Okay, so I put it in the machine, and it hasn't done it since. It could have simply been something in the room, he was only hearing it on the right side though so who knows.? So I never mentioned it to anyone other than his audiologist last week. She checked him out good and said everything looked fine.

Of course, it's been all over the web this week about the Cochlear recall on that device he's wearing on that particular ear. So naturally I'm a little nervous. But again, he's not had any weird sounds since. He just got that device last year after a Freedom failure so we're hoping it was a fluke and all seems well now.

Both kids are doing fine, if HE will do his homework and if SHE will behave. She's done really well up until this week so I'm hoping it's just a bad week.

And lack of new photos are because I still have no camera. I haven't bought one!!

So here are some from cheerleading I took w/my cell so sorry.

Brook and all her cheer buddies

Bullet Updates

• Had a great time at the PEEPs in the Park event Sunday. I love seeing all the families from Alabama who have children with hearing loss, reunite and share experiences and get "caught up".
• School is going fabulous for both kids. No disciplinary issues (so far) and they've even had to ride the bus a time or two and did fine.
• Gage is experiencing problems again. I noticed a sore on one of his large scars on the left side (the side that was previously infected with the staph a couple of years ago). We spent most of last year fighting symptoms and now they've started again. He's in so much pain today in fact, his teacher sent me a message saying he's removed BOTH ci's. I had already given him pain reliever and our doc is out of town. We plan on seeing him as soon as he returns to see what our plan of action is. As for now, his teacher can give him written assignments and he's comfortable with speech reading. As long as the pain is relieved by removing his ci's, we will make do for a few days.
• I have begun subbing again, and I love it. I'm actually enjoying the high school for a change. I haven't subbed at the elementary yet but this being my third year, all the kids are pretty used to me...and I know all their little tricks, lol.
• Cheerleading is going great and Brook loves doing the stunts most. We will perform our dance routine to "Dirty Bit" on Saturday so I'm really excited for the girls.

School is in session

We survived the first day of school. I admit I was a little giddy dropping them off. I was finally going back to the gym after the summer off!

We have reached a point where Brook is getting hand-me-down teachers that have already had Gage so all I need to do is show them how the mic works.

This year, B has a student teacher in her room as well so there's two instead of one, that's fabulous. The more the merrier. And I had to remind all teachers to remove the mic before they go to the restroom, but I assured them that if they forgot, my kids would have told EVERYONE what they heard thru the personal FM before she even had a chance to return to class...so I confidently told them it would likely only happen once...then they'd never do it again!!!! lol

Brook has her first football game on Saturday (she's a cheerleader) so this will be interesting to see how she does in front of the crowd/team/spectators. I am expecting nothing but good things this year! Last year stressed me out beyond the max so I'm looking for some calmness.

We are looking forward to PEEPS in the Park on Sunday. I love getting together once or twice a year with the other families of the state who have children with hearing loss. Big fun.....hope the weather holds out.

Cheer Crazy!

 I forgot to mention here (I put it on my other blog) about VBS. The kids loved it. They had a great time with other kids! Brook attended every day and couldn't get enough of the singing! She and her friend "A" here have A LOT in common and they will be CHEERING together too! I am an Assistant Coach for the team of OVER 20 GIRLS! Today, the Head Coach and I are going to get together and work on the dance routine! That's right, this little cochlear implant child will be dancing with her hearing peers and doing jumps and doing cheers and chants...I can't wait...she can't wait! I am teaching jumps to all three cheer groups at camp so I'm going to stretch now! I'm down to a week and a half and I've not practiced the first one! I do have backup ways of teaching in case I can't do it or break a foot or whatever.

Gonna be so much fun!

Track Day

Gage was so nervous. He jumped over 10 feet at school and was one of the fastest boys in his grade so he qualified to go to TRACK DAY. Once a year area schools get together and have their selected athletes (grades 4-6) compete in events such as tug-of-war, running long jump, relay races and more. He chose to do the running long jump and he also participated in the 440 relay.

He didn't bring home ribbons-most of the ribbons won from our school were by sixth graders, but he had so much fun. He was a nervous wreck having to run down the tunnel of people to perform his running long jump entry. He had two tries and only got about 7 feet or so ? but he did fabulous on the relay. They put him as second 'leg' so he wouldn't have to be the one to LISTEN for the whistle to start. He hopes he qualifies next year because he says he won't be holding anything back next year. He wants a ribbon!