Hayden is getting implanted!

Jason and I got an email late on Wednesday letting us know that Hayden has a surgery date for his cochlear implant. The surgery is for Monday, July 21st. Yep, Monday. We are so excited. We've waited for a long time to get this for Hayden and now it's finally here. The surgery is set for noon and is about 3 hours long with an hour in recovery. I'm insisting that he spend the night. His surgeon, Dr. Vrabec, does this surgery as outpatient, but his partner has the kids spend the night for observation. Most of the kids bounce back from surgery very quickly so I'm not expecting any problems, but just being cautious.

Before surgery, Hayden will have a small area behind his right ear shaved. A small incision is made and part of the skull is opened to create a nesting place for the internal device. There is also a coil that is fed into the cochlea. Then he's sewn up. That's the nutshell version, but you get the idea. After he's had time to heal (3-4 weeks), we'll go in and he will have the external component put on. The 2 devices are connected by a magnet, so it is easy to put on and take off. This first picture shows the behind the ear version. Hayden will grow into that, but for now he'll have the body worn.

The second picture shows how sound is normally received.
1. Ear canal: Sound moves through the ear canal and strikes the eardrum.
2. Eardrum and bones: Sound waves cause the eardrum to vibrate, sending the bones in the middle ear into motion.
3. Inner ear: This motion causes the fluid inside the inner ear (cochlea) to move the hair cells.
4. Hearing nerve: Hair cells change the movement into electric impulses, which are sent to the hearing nerve into the brain; you hear sound.

The third picture shows sound being processed with the cochlear implant.
1. Sound processor: External sound processor captures sound and converts it into digital signals.
2. Digital signals: Processor sends digital signals to internal implant.
3. Electrode array: Internal implant converts signals into electrical energy, sending it to an electrode array inside the cochlea.
4. Hearing nerve: Electrodes stimulate hearing nerve, bypassing damaged hair cells, and the brain perceives signals as sound

All of these pictures are from http://www.cochlear.com/. Here is a site that shows how AN kids hear and what the implant will sound like http://www.ucihs.uci.edu/hesp/Simulations/simulationsmain.htm.