Activation Day #1!

What an exciting day for us!! The day started out with a trip to the doctor for Elli. She had been running a fever since last Thursday night, hardly would eat anything and developed a bad cough. So finally I called the doctor yesterday right at 8:00 and was able to get her in at 8:50. She has/had influenza. She was vaccinated so this must have been a different strain. She remained fever free all day yesterday and went back to daycare this morning.
Briggs activation appointment was a little disappointing for us but the day ended great! He was scheduled for x-rays, his post-op and activation all at 1:00. Those went perfect and it's positioned perfectly in his cochlea and right up to his nerve. We LOVE Dr. Lusk!! The x-rays and the post-op took an hour so we didn't get to the activation until 2:00. I assumed we'd be allowed 2 hours for his activation but once we were in the car at 3:00 it dawned on us that they needed to be done by 3:00. That would explain the audiologist talking a mile a minute and really rushing through the process. She was VERY nice and informative but it felt VERY rushed. Basically two hours worth of information and testing was done in one hour. Parents only get that "moment" once and we were very disappointed that is was so rushed. So what they did was put Briggs external device on his head and then hooked him up to the computer. Since babies can't tell you what they're hearing and if it's too loud or too soft they have to test based on the nerve response through the computer. The great news... all the electrodes are working and responding like they're supposed to be and his nerve responded to all the pitches - which is best case scenario. They programmed or "mapped" 3 maps for him. The first being very conservative and soft, the second still being very conservative but a little louder and the third still being very conservative but a little louder. They only tested his response yesterday on the first map with the volume half way. He showed no response. We weren't disappointed that he didn't respond b/c we were prepared for that and know that Boystown is extremely conservative when activating people. We were disappointed that they only tried on the first map. So she continued to show us all the equipment and gave us our homework. We were to go home and turn up the volume and watch for response and if there was none then turn it to the second map and gradually turn up the volume and if we see nothing to turn it to the third map and gradually turn it up. So we went home and did just that. We noticed some things but didn't feel they were consistent so we kept moving along. We were on the third map and Briggs was sitting about 4 ft. from me and between us was a plastic doctor kit of Elli's. He had taken everything out of it. I picked up a little plastic cup of Elli's and tossed it in the bucket. He jumped and got a very confused, scared look on his face (a mix between a deer in the headlights and about to cry). So I took it out and tossed it in there a second time. He did the exact same thing, jumped again and got an even sadder, scared look on his face. So I did a third time and he jumped again and started bawling. It was AMAZING to FINALLY see him react to sound!!!! I can't even describe what that felt like. We know everything is working in there, it's just a matter of finding the right map or volume for him and then of course his brain adjusting to all this change and figuring out what's going on. It's a process that does not happen over night and takes time and patience. The next couple years are going to packed with teaching him but it'll all pay off in the end. So we go back today and I have A LOT of questions!! I'll post again tomorrow. I emailed the media guy to see if he could video today's appt. as well because I want to catch him responding on video. Hopefully we have more time to spend testing him today!!

Smile!

This picture explains it all... Briggs has been "posing" for his pictures for a while now but I'm just getting around to posting a picture of it. Whenever I put the camera up to take his picture he gets a big, fake, cheesy smile and after the flash goes off he goes back to what he was playing with. It's hilarious! He is such a happy kid!

Wednesday is the BIG day! We are SO excited we can hardly stand it! I'll post again Thursday to let everyone know how it went.

Surgery #1

Sunday night....

The nerves started in for my mommy as she raced around the house getting every ones bags packed and explaining to my sister what was going to happen the next couple days. She finally went to bed at 10pm.

Monday....

I woke up at 1:00 a.m. hungry (I could eat 24/7) and thankfully they extended the eating time so my mom was able to give me a 7 oz. bottle of apple juice. YUMMY! My grandma and grandpa came over at 4:15 and my mom and dad, grandma and I left for Omaha at 4:30. My grandpa stayed behind so he could get my sister up and off to daycare. We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 and got checked in. The nurse came in and asked her questions, weighed me and listened to my heart and then I got my cool jammies on. Then my mom, dad and grandma took me to the play room so I could play for a while. I was SO smiley and happy and just playing away. Dr. Lusk came in right at 7:00 and talked to my mommy and daddy and gave my mommy a big hug b/c she started crying. He made a purple mark on my right side and reassured my mommy that I would be just fine. Dr. Lusk is an amazing man and so caring! Then the anesthesiologist came in and was SUPER friendly and made me giggle. He brought a really warm blanket and wrapped me up. My mommy kissed my cheek and the doctor carried me away. I don't remember much after this so I'll let my mommy take over. :-)

Briggs was taken to surgery right at 7:10 a.m. Of course it was very emotional for me. The nurse came in at 8:00 to give the first update and said the doctor had made his incision. I asked about the i.v. and she said it took several attempts and finally Dr. Lusk got it in. Poor little guy had holes all over his hands and feet. He's just so chubby that it was difficult to get it. The nurse came back a little after 9:00 and said his vitals were stable and he was doing great. She came back again at 10:15ish and said he was just finishing up and audiology would be in to check the device before he closed the incision. She came back at 11:00 and said he was headed to recovery. The anesthesiologist came in and said he did great and was sleeping for a bit. Then the audiologist came in and said that all the electrodes worked and that his nerve responded to all the pitches!!! That was the best news and she said it was best case scenario and he's doing great! We talked about the activation and what to expect and that was very exciting as well. Briggs was brought back to the room at 11:30 and he was beside himself. It was very hard to see him that way and he could not get comfortable. He was screaming and inconsolable. Finally after a couple hours he was given some morphine and that calmed him down and put him to sleep. I think he was so upset because he was hungry and didn't want to feel that way anymore. After the morphine wore off he started improving. It pretty much just got him over the hump. He pretty much had a bottle in his mouth the entire afternoon. He had a great night and woke up about every 3 to 4 hours and just wanted to eat. He wasn't fussy really at all. We left the hospital about 8:30 Tuesday morning and he just continued to improve!! He is back to good ole Briggs already and doing great!!

Dr. Lusk is amazing and I can't even begin to explain how blessed we are to have him! He has done over 500 cochlear implants and over 40 in the past 10 months. He specializes in pediatrics and has done mostly pediatric implants. He did an AMAZING job with Briggs surgery. His incision is tucked right behind his ear and you can't even tell where the implant is! He took such great care of Briggs and me. :-) He is so caring and I trust him with everything I have! Even with all the experience he has he still insists on taking his time with the procedure and to not rush through it and to do one at a time for the sake and safety of the child.

During surgery my mom, Nick's mom and step dad, Nick's brother Doug and his wife Yay sat with us all day. My sister in law Bre was there and two of my best friends Maria and Raynah surprised me! They all sat with us for a couple hours as well. THANK YOU SO MUCH to all of you for being there!! It meant SO much and you helped the time go by quicker. Later that evening my dad and Elli, our best friends Ben and Miranda, and Nick's nephew Luc and his wife Sarah also came to visit. We received several phone calls from our friends and family and all of it means the world to Nick and I! We are SO fortunate to have such a HUGE support base! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all of you for your prayers and support!!!

Briggs activation is next Wednesday, April 1st!!! Less than a week away!

We do this surgery thing all over again in less than 5 weeks. Briggs left ear is scheduled for April 27th. Please start praying for us!!

On our way to the hospital with my new ball!

Here I am in my stylin hospital p.j.'s!

Here I am playing in the play room before my surgery. I was having so much fun!

This is right when I got back from surgery. Nothing could make me comfortable.

First time I opened my eyes. I had a bottle in my mouth for about 4 hours straight. I was SO hungry after surgery!

I love my ball but it's still not making this yucky feeling go away!

My first smile! This was taken Monday night about 7:30. My dad had my new ball on his head and I thought it was pretty funny!

My daddy didn't know his face was going to be in this picture. He was watching t.v.

My face is so swollen from that silly i.v. fluid! They put a whole bag in me!

Tuesday morning... back to my ornery self already!!

Drinking from my sippy cup!

Tuesday morning after we got home... FINALLY some REAL food!! His poor little face was so swollen from all the i.v. fluid but the swelling was pretty much gone by Tuesday night.

Mr. Briggs Tuesday night. He recovered so quickly!

The incision

The incision goes along his ear but you can't see the bottom of it b/c his ear is hiding it so well!

Briggs Surgery Details

It's hard to believe Briggs surgery day is finally here! I just got off the phone with Boys Town and they gave me all the specifics. Briggs surgery will be at 7:00am Monday morning. We check in at 5:30am which means we leave Lincoln at 4:30am. That's good though because he is the first surgery of the day and that means they'll be on time and we'll get it over with! I won't be able to sleep anyway. :-) Briggs will be away from us for about 4 hours. The actual surgery will be about 2 hours with an hour of prep before and an hour of recovery afterwards. We will be staying over night and coming home Tuesday. The nurse told me no visitors under age 14 are allowed. That panicked me a little because we were planning on Elli coming to visit her brother that evening. So of course I asked if Elli could come and she said absolutely! Phew!! They want to keep as many germs as possible away from all the kids. She encouraged us to bring personal comfort items for Briggs and of course I started choking back the tears. She said whatever we bring will be taken back to surgery with him and will be with him when he wakes up in recovery. I would be so grateful for your prayers during this time. Pray that Briggs stay healthy and that surgery goes perfect! Pray that he's protected during surgery and recovers quickly. Pray that I won't have a breakdown :-) ... okay so we all know I will be a wreck but I will be fine and I know Briggs will too. Pray that Elli doesn't feel left out during all this. We really appreciate all the support and prayers from everyone! We are so lucky to have all of you! I will be sure to update the blog as soon as possible! Please feel free to call or visit if you'd like at any time. :-) Anything to keep my mind occupied!

Pre-Op #2

Briggs just had his pre-op with his pediatrician and we got the go ahead. It's hard to believe his surgery is 5 days away! I am VERY excited but also VERY nervous! I know he'll be fine and he'll bounce right back but no one wants to put their child through surgery. C.I.'s will change his life and we are SO excited to watch his language skills develop! I probably won't be posting again until after surgery so please pray for Briggs and the rest of us!

Pre-Op #1

On Tuesday we headed to Omaha for Briggs last consultation and pre-op with Dr. Lusk before the surgery. He went through all the information parents need to know and we asked our questions. Then we went to the other location to do behavioral testing (sound booth) on him. Once he's implanted he'll do the sound booth testing very frequently (in the first couple years) so they want him to be "trained" and familiar with the room before implantation. He showed consistant responses so they were very happy. This is only the second behavioral testing he's gone through and the first one was so short. Next Tuesday (17th) we have his pre-op with his pediatrician and then surgery is that following Monday. It's so surreal to think we're already here. I don't think it's fully set in yet. We've never been through any type of surgery as a family so this is all new to us. I'm going to be a complete wreck the day of his surgery but I'll have Nick and my mom and my sister-in-law and possibly Nick's brother to help me get through. The more the merrier!!! Anything to help keep my mind off of it and make the time go by quicker. Please pray for Briggs and that he stay healthy this week and next. If he gets any illness that is bacterial (that requires an antibiotic) then surgery will be pushed back 6 weeks! We DO NOT want that to happen... we are SO close! I'm being VERY anal about germs right now. Two weeks ago he had roseola and last week a cold so we need to keep him healthy!!

We have surgery dates!!!!

WOW this has been an exhausting process!!! The GREAT news.... we have surgery dates!!! Our surgeon prefers to do two separate surgeries. He's a perfectionist and does a very small incision and says babies heal so much quicker with separate surgeries. AND most importantly... Briggs will be activated a week after surgery!! I know and he knows that he'd be able to implant both sides in one surgery but we completely trust him and it's very comforting to me to know that he won't be under anesthesia as long and he'll be taking his time to get it perfect! So Briggs first surgery is scheduled for Monday, March 23rd (less than 3 weeks away) and his second surgery is scheduled for Monday, April 27th. Briggs activation for his first ear will be Wednesday, April 1st and activation for his second ear will be Wednesday, May 6th (his 1st birthday!!!). The activation will be live on the Internet if anyone wants to see him hear for the first time! I'll post more on that closer to the time. He might not respond to anything because they are very conservative when introducing him to sound. They start very soft so that he doesn't get scared. Anyway, VERY exciting time!!!!