Bad News, Good News.

No, we haven't heard back about the job Kerry is applying for.

This is other news.

Tate and I were early risers today, because he had appointments in Seattle.

Fun times.

I mean, who doesn't enjoy getting up at oh-dark-thirty

and driving for a couple hours in the rainy dark?

Tate had another round of appointments at Seattle Children's,

which is theoretically only an hour and a half away,

but not if you want to arrive by nine,

when everyone else is going to work.

I should make Wyatt write up some kind of exponential equation

to demonstrate how much longer the drive would take

for every minute later we left home.

(I probably shouldn't admit that we once made the trip,

ninety miles, in an hour and sixteen minutes.)

Not so today.

Arrrgh.

By leaving the house at 6am we managed to arrive just before eight,

when the sun - could we have seen it -

was just rising.

Good thing we both like to read.

Though I would much rather have been home,

sitting on my 'winter throne',

and sipping a cup of tea!

Instead, we had an interesting day.

First, the bad news.

Tate has lost more hearing.
Significantly more hearing.

I can't say I was surprised as I'd been noticing a lot more
What?s and Huh?s.

While his left (CI) ear is doing wonderfully,
(he scored 100% on the AZ-Bio, for those of you who know what that means),
his right ear...
his HA ear...
previously his good ear...
is failing.
He's lost the high frequencies completely,
making it very difficult to understand speech.

I am so thankful he was implanted when he was,
and that he's done so very well with his CI.

So thankful!

For the last year or so we've kind of been in limbo.

Knowing that his hearing loss is progressive,

and wondering how and when it would progress.

Hearing with a HA is different from hearing with a CI.

It's a bit more natural for lack of a better word.

And we didn't want to take that away from him.

The CI surgery will usually eliminate any residual hearing,

so it's not a step to take lightly.

But at this point, Tate is getting little benefit from the HA.

He's not understanding speech with it.

Maybe, maybe it helps him localize sound,

but that's about it.

So what's the good news?

I'm glad you asked ;D

The good news is two-fold:

1.  Now our course is clear.

Before we were unsure, but now

clearly

he hears better with the CI than the HA.

And...

2.  As of yesterday,
our insurance covers a second implant.

Oh my gosh,
do you know how that gives me shivers?
Good shivers?!

Even better, Tate is positive and at peace with the decision.

He's been through it before,
so he knows what to expect
of the surgery,
the weirdness at first,
the adapting and the therapy.
And the benefit... oh, the benefit!


He understands that he will be

totally deaf.

I have to tell you, that scares me a little
Okay, a lot.

But not Tate.

Really, he's already there.
At night, when his equipment is off,
he's in a silent world.

So, we've started the ball rolling
and I'll keep you posted.

I'm excited!

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped,
then shall the lame man leap as an hart,
and the tongue of the dumb shall sing for joy.