Today is the day that my daughter gets her second cochlear implant. I have to admit even though I have already been through this same surgery 12 years ago with my daughter, I was still nervous going into the hospital and waiting for her to have her surgery done. My daughter was born with a severe to profound hearing loss in both ears. In 2001, she received her first cochlear implant only on her right side and at that time doctors typically implanted only one side. Cochlear implants were still fairly new. At at the time, the evidence proved that only one cochlear implant was sufficient for recipients to be able to here. The doctors suggested that we wait to see if the technology would improve before deciding to implant her other ear. After careful consideration, we decided that it was now time for her to get a second cochlear implant.
Disclosure: This blog post is for informational purposes only. The opinions reflected in this post are my own and based upon my own experiences. If you have any questions about cochlear implants and surgery, please contact an ENT doctor who specializes in cochlear implants.
Over the last 12 years, the technology has changed and the electrode has gotten smaller. The smaller electrode goes into the cochlea, which is the snail shaped part inside of your middle ear. The smaller electrode doesn’t damage nearly as many of the hair cells that are inside of the cochlea. The hair cells inside of your ear are responsible for changing sounds that you hear and turns them into electrical signals that your brain can understand. Once a hair cells inside of your cochlea are damaged the damage is permanent. The hair cells don’t regrow or regenerate so once the damage is done it is done. Damaged hair cells lead to hearing loss and tinnitus.
Comments
14 responses to “My Daughter’s Second Cochlear Implant Surgery”
I am sure you are relieved it is over. Hoping it all goes well and that recovery is easy 🙂
Yes, I am glad the surgery part it over with. She is doing great and starting to feel better.
Wishing her the best on her recovery! Hang in there!
Thank you Courtney, she is a trooper.
I am looking forward to hearing about her reaction to being able to hear out of her left ear! Thankfully my kids haven’t had any surgeries but I can imagine the anxiety that must cause!
I haven’t decided if I want to video her reaction yet or not. Either way I will try to post about it. 🙂
I am amazed with all that can be done with modern medicine –wishing your daughter a speedy recovery.
I am so thankful for modern medicine. She is able to hear because of technology. Thank you for the well wishes.
It’s good to know that her surgery was a success. Wishing for her speedy recovery! 🙂
Isn’t technology amazing? My brother is hearing impaired and has worn dual hearing aides all his life. I’m so happy your daughter will be able to hear! God Bless!
Yes, Taylor technology is very amazing.
Wow! This is amazing what she’s gone through and that surgery has gone well! I’m very happy for you guys!
Thank you Lexie. I can’t wait to share her reaction to hearing for the first time out of her left ear.
[…] I am thankful that my daughter was covered through Tricare (military medical insurance) so we haven’t had to deal with any issues with getting the services that we needed for my daughter, especially, when we decided to get her second cochlear implant a few years ago. You can read about it here. […]