{One Month Post Activation of Luke's CI}

Today we had our one month appointment.  Luke's CI has been activated for an entire month, I can hardly believe it!  We had to return our loaner pair of hearing aids.  I can't say enough good things about Oticon, the HA company that allowed us to use these very nice, very expensive hearing aids free of charge for the last 6 months.  They were such a blessing in the midst of the chaos of the last 6 months.  I have to admit, I was sad to give them back, I had a strange attachment to them I guess.  With their faded lion stickers that Luke picked the first week he had them...  Anyway, thank you Oticon!  (Luke will eventually where a HA again on the non-implanted ear (left) and we plan to purchase an Oticon because of their generosity).
Todays results were fantastic - especially for one month out.  In one test they give Luke a book with 4 pictures on each page of words that sound similar (boat, coat goat, etc) and Dr Austin goes on the other side of the sound booth and asks him to point to the goat for example but her mouth is covered so he can't read lips.  The week before he was implanted he scored 36%, meaning 36% of the time he selected the correct word.  Today, he scored 100%!!!  Seriously!  Another test is where they simply say a word and ask him to repeat it and the speech therapist listens for him to make the sounds.  The week of his implant he was at 24%, and today he was at 84%!  Obviously this is in a sound booth with no background noise or distractions, but if it's happening in there we know it will soon translate to real everyday life.  We can already see little changes at home.  One day while eating lunch Luke announced he had to go to the bathroom.  Once he got back there he yelled to me, "Mom I'm going poop, come wipe my butt!" And I responded, "Ok, just tell me when you are done!" and he answered, "Mom I heared you!"  I guess until then he thought I ignored him when he screamed to me from the pot!  Funny story, but such insight into what his world was like just 1 short month ago!