| CI Journey Journal--Pg. 2 (Cierra's Surgery) |
| Dec. 18th, 1999 |
| Hello to all of you! First of all, I want to thank all of you who have prayed for us! All of your prayers and best wishes were and are appreciated! Let me just tell you that your prayers have been answered! Her Nucleus 24 cochlear implant was implanted yesterday! The surgery was unremarkable! All of the fears that I had, were shattered with success!! It went wonderful! Of course, no surgery is fun...it was on of the hardest things I think I have ever done. It reminded me of giving birth, during the labor(in this case surgery), I was in pain (in this case frightened of Cierra having surgery), and thought that I would not want to do this again and that the pain was so tremendous(in this case, my daughter and the not knowing, and wishing it was me going through this and not her), but then when it is all said and done, and you see the results, it is a precious miracle! I must say to all of the parents whose child has had the implant, I have the deepest respect and appreciation for what you did and went through. These of course, are my feelings, but this was the hardest decision I have ever made in my life, and the only thing that helped me get through it(other that Jesus carrying me), is the drive and want and strong desire that Cierra wants to hear and communicate freely with EVERYONE! SHE is the one who wanted this so greatly! In fact, when we were in the pre-op room, I asked Cierra, "Do you really want to do this?" and she said, "YES!" Because at that instant, I was so scared, that if she would not have had that strong desire, I honestly think that I could have said, "forget it." She is so brave. And then in the recovery room, when she was in discomfort, I asked her if she was sad that she got the implant or happy that she got the implant, and she said HAPPY! That right there truly answered my question! For a 5 year old to say, while she is in pain and discomfort, that she is HAPPY that she went through this for the implant, that just shows me how STRONG the desire for hearing and communicating is in her mind. I am different than most parents for the fact that most parents I know, do not go into depth and detail about what will happen and explain every little thing, but I tell Cierra EVERYTHING! I tell her every little detail, so I know for her to want this after what she would go through, she wanted this badly. After this, I must say I would rather give it to a child when they are young, because they don't seem to have the WORRY and pre-conceived ideas that adults seem to have. I have talked with many adults, and it seems that it is harder for them because they are scared, but Cierra did not even worry, and in the pre-op room, the anesthetist said that they give children liquid medicine to help make them relaxed, but when they observed her, they said she does not even need it, because she is so at peace! I must say that Jesus(like in the poem "Footprints") carried me through this, and I know that this implant(for us) is from God! A complete miracle! They did an electrocochleography in the operating room and other tests before and after the surgery, they did a Neural Response Test(NRT) to show that the brain is responding to the implanted stimuli! THEREFORE, THIS IS GOING TO WORK! Of course, not to mention extremely hard intense therapy, but we do that in our everyday lives with our children, so I don't feel that it will be that much of a change for us, just auditorily now. By the way, Auditory Neuropathy should really not have that name, because it is my understanding that if it were to do with a dysfunction of Cierra's nerve, the implant would not have worked, so it truly must not be a neuropathy, but more to do with the inner hair cells in the cochlear or such, maybe it should be called Auditory Synchrony Disorder or something. Anyhow, Cierra did have nausea, but only because of the anesthesia, and she was up walking and coloring the first day. Today, 23 hours after surgery, we were on our 4 hour trip home! She is doing absolutely wonderful now! I am so relieved the surgery is done! A big weight is lifted off of my shoulders! We brought a model of the Nucleus 24 home for Cierra to practice with and show friends and such, and when she saw it today, she got the biggest smile! I thougt it would be a hard, long 1 month, but I must say, I don't feel that it will be that hard now, as I am so pleased with the way surgery went and I now can have patience! But it will be awesome when she gets hooked up! That will be Jan. 19. Her incision is better than I could have ever imagined! Dr. Facer did an absolutely wonderful job! In fact, when we wash her hair, nobody would even be able to see it unless you pulled up her hair to show them. It is right behind the ear with the curve of her ear, and he only shaved about 1/4-1/2 inch at most around the incision, so needless to say, I am very pleased! Anyhow, I am so thankful to everyone who has wished us luck and kept us in your thoughts and prayers, and to the professionals who have helped get us to this point, and most of all to God, who is the most gracious wonderful God, who loves Cierra very much and wants the best for His children. Cierra has such a strong relationship with Jesus and has talked with him all down this path! I know He is her strength and guidance! Thank you and God bless all of you! Merry Christmas! If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask, as I would be more than happy to answer! Sincerely, Misty Hauf Go to Page 3--Cierra's Hook-Up |