Response to Questions galore

[Guest guest]

I've had a few questions asked of me, so I am going to respond to them all

together, and spare you a few extra emails:

1. Deaf Family: My family is deaf and hearing. My mother does not sign very

well, and communication is extremely difficult without being able to hear her

as I did until I lost most of my residual hearing from erthromycin. I'm

hoping that the CI will help our communication during the years we have left.

My

dad has also lost most of his residual hearing, and at first was aghast that I

was considering a CI. His response to this was much less than his response

to my getting my hearing ear dog 18 years ago (which was livid!). Now, he has

asked to " borrow " my implant so he can see if it works for him. After staying

with him post surgery, he now knows it can't be borrowed so easily! He will

go with me to activation, so he can see its not an easy process and will

require a lot of patience (something he is not known for...).

2. Nausea: I was given a prescription of promethazine to take with the

codeine based pain killers after surgery. With this, I didn't have any nausea,

thank goodness! I stopped taking the codeine based painkillers two days after

surgery because I need to be able to drive! (single mom, three teenagers..!).

3. Adoption: I first became interested in adoption when Berke started a

monthly column in the Silent News back in 1994. I adopted through a private

agency, and both of my adopted kids are from Colombia. I lived there twice

while going through the adoption process, and met some of the most wonderful

people in the world while there. maintains a deaf adoption network at

this

website for those interested: http://users.erols.com/berke/deafchildren.html.

She and I co-moderate a deaf adoption list serve here at too.

4. Deaf Oregon. Yes, Bill Brelje and Mark Azure are still in the network in

Oregon. The TPD program at and College folded a few years ago,

but we still have one at Western Oregon University in Monmouth.

5. Post surgery: I went to work yesterday. I am still wobbly, so it was not

an entirely " successful " day, but was able to participate in meetings and get

caught up with things a bit. Sunday was the worst for me so far, as the

numbness started to wear off, and I felt like I was coming off a major dental

job

with novocaine, times 10. Achey, sore, crabby, tender, and impatient. Every

day is a bit better. I do notice that when there are a number of people

moving around, I lose my equilibrium, so I wait til people have left the room or

the area, then navigate my way back to my office, one high step at a time! I

must look like a babe learning to walk. Hope this part passes soon. I had our

school audiologist (in the office next to mine!) show me on the video otoscope

how my incision and stitches look... they are healing up well.

Hope Jarom and have a good day today too. I'm off to work now.

Janet

[Guest guest]

Janet,

Thanks for answering al my questions! You sure have an interesting family in

terms of hearing losses. That was funny how your dad was thinking he could

borrow your CI.

I'll definitely look at the website. I would love to adopt a deaf child but

my husband is not at all interested in having another child at our ages (he's

almost 55 and I'm 45). I have a good friend in the process of adopting an HI

baby boy from Guatemala. They are still trying to get all the paperwork and $

together but they are nearly done with that. They hope to go in April to get

him.

I plan to ask for anti-nausea meds but I won't be asking for codeine

painkillers as they make me violently ill. We asked for those meds when my

daughter had a tonsilectomy. Unfortunately they also gave her codeine in

recovery which I didn't know about and she was so sick afterwards. It was awful.

What are Bill Brelje and Mark doing these days if the program at L & C has

folded? There was a woman there too but I'm drawing a blank at her name. She was

a good professor. I learned a lot from her.

That is cool that you could see how things were doing with your healing

process.

in SC