So, Thursday was our big day.......cochlear implant activation! We looked forward to this day since we first learned that he was going to need implants. We took the whole family to the audiologist's office so that they could be there (minus Leah who was battling hand, foot, mouth disease). Alex responded well to the noises and pointed at the screen like he was supposed to. We left with the challenge for him to work through 8 programs--which would increasingly give him more sound as he was getting more used to it. Well, we were in for a HUGE disappointment. About an hour after we left the office, his feet were covered in spots. He has a raging case of the hand, foot, mouth virus. He has had a fever since Thursday, and he can not stand to even look at the cochlear implant processor. What a huge disappointment we've had. So, the miracle is on hold until further notice, and I hope I do not run out of Tylenol and Motrin. Lance also mentioned tonight that his mouth is starting to hurt. Oh brother!!!!!
from the Children's Hospital this morning around 8:30 am. He now has a state-of-the-art Cochlear Implant installed on the right side. The surgeon said it all went well and that this new device (approved by the FDA on Sept 8th) is nice and thin. This means that you can hardly feel it under his skin. Yesterday Alex was so miserable and his incision was still draining so much that I couldn't imagine that he would be ready to come home today. But, oh, what a difference a day can make. He didn't even come home with a bandage around his head. He is crawling around and back to practicing his standing up skills. His face is swollen--and continues to swell. He always needs to be careful to not catch a cold until his ear is healed so that he doesn't have any more pressure in those cavities. I'll attach some photos from yesterday and today.
