My daughter's second cochlear implant - an update
By Carolyn, mum to bi-lateral implant user Lily, aged 9
Lily is wearing her new implant most of the time, but if she flicks it off when things get noisy then sometimes she doesn't remember to put it back on. She does complain it makes things too noisy at times - children running in school, electric toothbrush, fans etc. I have turned down the sensitivity and the volume and will mention it next time we go back to Manchester [Cochlear Implant Centre].
Meanwhile we have had excellent support from the charity High Hopes Foundation (more information about High Hopes). Dr Jo Edwards [CEO of the charity] has taken us to a new stage. Now that Lily can tell which words I am saying from a choice of up to 16 words! This is called closed set. We have moved on to me reading a book - a few words at a time and Lily lip reading me. I tried it without any implants and she was rubbish in comparison to using her new implant.
Also the quality of her voice is almost as good when she only has her new implant on. Last night I tried some phrases (without lipreading) she has not heard through her new implant. I have done this before, successfully with familiar phrases such as 'I love my baby daughter' and 'Where is your big brother?' This time out of blue I said 'I love Elizabeth Tyszkiewicz' [Lily's auditory verbal therapist] then I said 'I love Lise Henderson from Manchester' [the Manchester Cochlear Implant Programme co-ordinator]. Arguably the second one is easier as I have introduced the subject of Paediatric Cochlear Implant team members - but I was stunned that she got the Elizabeth Tyszkiewicz one correct immediatly.
I just have to get her to wear the new one on its own more. She did say yesterday she liked hearing with two ears.
