We have been in Christchurch for a cochlear assessment for Katya. All the specialist have concluded that the issue is not a skull issue but that Katya is just deaf.
Katya has now been accepted into the cochlear implant program. We now have a CT scan on the 10th Dec. We then hope Katya will be able to get the implants in the week before Christmas.
We are planning to get a bilateral implant (ie one in each ear). Unfortunately the government only provide one implant. We therefore have to find $25k for the second implant.
The benefits of the bilateral implant are that:
1) Better sound isolation. This means that she will be able to pick a voice out from background noise.
2) Better sound localization. This means she will be able to know where a sound comes from. This is not possible with a single implant.
3) If we don't do this now, it reduces the effectiveness of any second implant done in the future. Basically the auditory nerve needs stimulation to develop.
The cool thing about the implants are that within the next 6 months, Katya should have pretty close to full hearing. The difference is basically the difference between a laptop speaker sound vs. a high quality sound system. Still pretty good.
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