Kay had her six-month checkup with her audiologist, and overall, it went well! I’ll admit, I’m not the best at making sure she wears her BAHA (hearing device) consistently. Part of that is because she seems to hear just fine without it, so it’s hard to tell how much of a difference it actually makes. And sometimes, it’s just not worth the struggle—definitely a “pick your battles” situation. Lol.
Her audiologist reassured me that the more Kay wears her BAHA, the more noticeable the improvements in her hearing should be. It may even help with her speech development. Kay’s speech is already improving so much every day, though we’re working on getting her to slow down when she talks since she gets so excited! At school, her teacher gives her short breaks from the BAHA during louder activities, like playground time and choice time. The challenge, however, is getting Kay to put it back on afterward.
To help with this, her audiologist added a new program to the device—a built-in noise cancellation mode. Now, with the push of a button, sounds won’t be as overwhelming, making it easier for Kay to keep her BAHA on even in noisy environments.
During the appointment, her audiologist attempted a hearing test, which can be tricky because it requires placing a small tube with a wire inside her ear—something Kay is not a fan of. Thankfully, with a little distraction, she tolerated it well. As expected, the test confirmed hearing loss in her left ear. There was some hope that as she grew, her ear canals would expand and improve her hearing. But after our recent visit with the ENT, that doesn’t seem to be the case—her ear canal is fully visible, meaning the hearing loss is permanent. We’ve known this since she was born, but I understand wanting to hold on to hope.
With some new tips from her audiologist, I’ll do my best to encourage Kay to wear her BAHA more often. I explained that, honestly, Type 1 Diabetes has taken over so much of our daily life that her hearing device hasn’t been my top priority. The last thing I want to do is push her on one more thing, and I know her teachers already have so much to keep track of in the short 2 ½ hours she’s at school.
Once Kay turns five, we can explore the possibility of a cochlear implant. That would require further testing, and I’m still unsure if it’s the right path for her. Thankfully, we have time to think about it.