10/4 update

Today was a very busy day for the little guy. He had a 9am appointment with the audiologist so his last meal was at 4:30am... in case they had to sedate him for the tests. He did get a little Pedialyte at 7am to help his tummy feel less empty. He was tested for about 3 hours... such a patient guy, hardly fussed at all. The results of the tests were pretty much what was expected. Everett has profound deafness in his left ear. His right ear is marginally normal (meaning, it's in the normal range, but at the far end). He has an appointment with the ear, nose, and throat doctor in November. He also has a follow-up appointment with the audiologist. She wants to monitor his development to make sure it's progressing as it should.

After the audiologist's appointment we visited Margot's studio so Kathy could have some baby holding time. Then it was off to other studio to visit Lauren. Now it's off to visit Kassie. Lauren and Kassie hosted the baby shower for Margot's girlfriends. By the time today is over, Everett won't want to ride in the car for at least a day or so. Lucky parents, he's one of those kids that falls asleep once the engine is on and the wheels start rolling.

For those of you who are curious, he had 2 types of hearing tests:
auditory brainstem response (ABR) and otoacoustic emissions (OAEs).

For the ABR test electrodes are placed on the head, a sound-producing device is inserted into the ear canal and brain wave activity in response to sound is recorded. Everett's brain didn't register any change in brain activity when sound was introduced into his left ear.

The primary purpose of OAE tests is to determine cochlear status, specifically hair cell function. Otoacoustic emissions are inaudible sounds from the cochlea when audible sound stimulates the cochlea. The outer hair cells of the cochlea vibrate, and the vibration produces an inaudible sound that echoes back into the middle ear. This sound can be measured with a small probe inserted into the ear canal. Persons with normal hearing produce emissions. Those with hearing loss greater than 25-30 dB do not. Everett's left ear had no response.

Bachan