deniz ilter Posted December 20, 2016 Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 Hi everyone, glad to be here... I have a daughter with CI on left ear, she has her one&only CI 3 years ago and now she's about to be 5 years old (in 3 months) Some doctors and Medel people say that she should have her second implantation. But because it has been 3 years after the first implantation and she's at the age of almost 5, we hesitate to have the second CI surgery. Is there any other children, who have had the same case? If she would be older, like 7 years old or sth like that, we think that if she would want it, we would do it, she could draw her own way. But as she's still 5 years old, the decision is ours to make... and we do really really scared and bewildered about the decision... Can you share some case studies, your case or some academic research about our situation? Thx a lot for your interest... Regards... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Cara Mia Posted December 22, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted December 22, 2016 Hi Deniz, You can use the key words like "Bilateral cochlear implants in children" to find a lot of information, opinions, results of scientific research on this topic. In general, that publications tell you that, besides the common benefits of bilateral CIs, children with two CIs usually have better speech development and less behavioral issues related to hearing impairment. That means, that children with bilateral CIs have better performance in school related to their academic results and social skills. I am absolutely respect the children's right on self-determination. But, honestly, I am not sure if it is much easier for 7 years old to make the decision about getting bilateral compare to 5 year old. Sure, it is easier to explain benefits to an older kid, but each age has its own fears and difficulties that affect kid's abilities in understanding and decision making. Of course, I don't know your daughter. But I believe that 7 years it is still not the age when kids can decide if they want or not to have a surgery. It can be too much burden on their shoulders to do that. Another moment why I am not sure about waiting for two years.... doing so you can miss a very important period of active cognitive development when your daughter can get more benefits from bilateral hearing. Any way, good luck in your journey. I am sure you find the best solution in this your situation. Happy holiday season for you, your family, and especially your daughter. deniz ilter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted December 23, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted December 23, 2016 Hi Deniz, I have read blogs by CI users who had been unilateral for many years before getting the second CI. Some of these people have great results and others have less stellar results. These are blogs by teens who received their CI before bilateral CIs were an option and then received their second CIs years later. Search on the internet and you will find them too. Hearing with two CIs is so much better for me than hearing with one CI. I am thrilled being bilateral. Young children's brains are primed for language development. Wishing you the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deniz ilter Posted December 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2016 Thank you very much for your kind thoughts. I should say you that, we've read o lot of research on internet but unfortunately none of them still could make us decisive. We are still searching for more... Dear Cara, sure it would not be her decision if she would be 7 years old but I believe her self motivation would be in the process to help us make the decision. Because what she's going to do and how she's going to behave after the surgery is where we hesitate. I believe if she would motivate herself it would help her and us a lot about the situation. Thank your again for sharing your thoughts, it helped a lot... I will share here our final decision and the process. Happy season holiday to you all, Wish you all the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes Mary Beth Posted December 23, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted December 23, 2016 serach for and ask to join the FaceBook group called Med El Cochlear Implant Discussion Group There are active parents on there who have been in your situation. Post your question and they will share their experiences. deniz ilter 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HearPeers Heroes hadron Posted December 23, 2016 HearPeers Heroes Report Share Posted December 23, 2016 Denis Ilter, I sent you a mail message with links to recent research papers on bilaterall implanted children. Mary Beth 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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