Belated Update

I haven't posted here for a while as it is much easier to use Facebook. But I do like to use my blog as a more permanent and referable record of what's been happening.

Katya

We are now 2 years since we had the re-op for the infection in her right CI. So it looks like we are clear of that horrible part of our lives.

Katya's language has developed very very well. We are about to enter her last term at Kindy. She is stringing 7-8 word sentences together. Her world is verbal. She asks questions. She is constantly bossing Larissa around and telling her precisely what to do and what not to do.

She starts school at the beginning of the year and we have chosen Khandallah School because it is a bit smaller than Ngaio (half the size). We are currently working through the transition arrangements. It is amazing the amount of information you need to pass on to new people who will be teaching her. Fortunately we are likely to have Erin (our special teacher) move with her.

Larissa

Larissa is now two and a half. She seems to be gifted in her language which is great for pushing Katya along. She can hear a word once and then use it in the right context straight away. A bit of a human tape recorder. She starts Kindy at the beginning of next year. She's a bit feisty which can be a bit trying at the moment. She loves her big sister and just wants to do everything that Katya does.

Medic Alert Bracelet

Some time ago I read this article (http://cochlearimplantonline.com/site/?p=4076) which suggested that it was a good idea for anyone with a CI to get a Medic Alert identifier. The article talks about a case where a user had an accident and their processors were knocked off. They were also knocked unconscious and the hospital performed an MRI on them which ripped their implants out and destroyed their cochleas (meaning that they could not be re-implanted).
Low power MRIs are ok on CI users BUT the hospital needs to know there is an implant so they can bandage the users head. This secures the implant, preventing nasty stuff like this article talks about.
Anyway... the upshot of this is that I sorted a Medic Alert bracelet (as shown) for my daughter. It has the following etched into it:
BILATERAL COCHLEAR IMPLANTS/NO MRI SCAN
NO MONOPOLAR CAUTERY
HEARING IMPAIRED
Monopolar Cautery is an electrical device used in surgery to cauterize and uses the patients body as an earth, which again would be bad news for an implant.
Anyway, for a one off of $70 plus $30 every year after to keep an up-to-date electronic record linked to an ID number on the bracelet, it seems a good idea. Especially as my daughter starts school. There is a bit of form filling in required.