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December1st

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Insuring Cochlear Implants

Posted in: Baby, Hearing Loss, humor, parenting

With the activation of Isla’s second cochlear implant coming up next week, several people have asked me about what we would do if either of Isla’s cochlear implants became lost or stolen. Well, knowing myself pretty well, I’m reasonably certain that a well-choreographed “freak out” would be in order. It’s a good question, and one that warrants a serious answer (in a hopefully humorous way, of course.)

Well, obviously if it’s stolen, you file a police report immediately. That’s the recommendation of the manufacturer, Med-El. Coincidentally, it’s also the recommendation of Jor-El (pictured)

His other insights are less helpful

The warranty for Isla’s implant covers the internal electronics (the part under her skin) against failure for ten (10) years. The external components are covered for three (3) years from the date of activation against “mechanical or electrical defect,” but not for “theft, loss or accidental damage.”

HOWEVER (and it is a BIG “however”) our warranty provides a “One Time Loss and Damage” option. Which basically means that if anything happens to the external components within three years from the date of surgery, the manufacturer will replace the external components one time only.

(DISCLAIMER: Bear in mind that this information is taken directly from the warranty for Isla’s implant and may not apply to other implants or implants from other manufacturers. Be sure to carefully review your own warranty for coverage and specific limitations.)

Another option is look into obtaining a rider or endorsement for your homeowners insurance policy. Some companies will charge an additional premium to apply broader coverage for things like cochlear implants and hearing aids. Talk to your agent for details and ask a lot of questions!

A third option would be seek coverage from other companies that specialize in insuring medical equipment. A Google search will start you in the right direction, but this will require a lot more research on your part since coverage, costs, and the reliability of the insurer can vary widely. Talk to other people who have cochlear implants and find out what they recommend.

Fortunately, Isla’s implant is working fine and we are constantly watching to make sure the exterior components haven’t mysteriously disappeared or been thrown in the lake in a fit of frosting-related toddler rage. We also use “wig tape” like the kind I use to keep my toupee in place to prevent the control unit/battery pack from sliding off her ear as she leans forward to check out her hilariously oversized shoes.

Adorable moments like this, frankly, scare the crap out of us

I’m checking with my homeowners insurer to see if they offer additional coverage. I’ll let you know what I find out. Likewise, if any of you have any experience with this, please feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to hear it.
November29th

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Calling Doctor Isla

Posted in: Baby, Hearing Loss, Minnesota, parenting

Patty & I brought Isla to the Minnesota Children’s Museum on Sunday for some much-needed “burn off all your excess energy so you can for-the-love-of-God take a nap” time. We have annual passes to the museum, so we tend to go there a lot.

As you can imagine, Isla loves any place where she cannot possibly run out of things to do. This time, she decided to hang out in the “Our World” exhibit, which includes a toddler-sized “Main Street,” complete with a mini doctor’s office. Considering how much time Isla has spent in the hospital, it was a bit of a relief to see her enjoying the surroundings. She couldn’t wait to try on the lab coat and play with the stethoscope. She even attempted to break my leg in the hopes that she could take a real x-ray! (I’m still a little disturbed by that.)

I know she’s just playing, but it’s amazing to watch her figure things out while also having fun. Patty & I aren’t pushy parents, but we just want her to know that she can do anything she wants to in her life. She’s becoming a more confident little girl every day, and something tells me that she won’t let a little thing like hearing loss slow her down.

I just hope I can keep up.
October31st

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More

Posted in: Baby, geek, Hearing Loss, Video

I’ll be honest, I can’t remember if I ever posted this short video of Isla doing the ASL sign for “more.” Well, if I did, here is is again.

I’m actually posting this to test out whether I can do a video podcast. In case you haven’t noticed (and judging by the stats, you haven’t,) I have a neat little Podcast over at iTunes. Whenever I post an original piece of music here on my blog, it automatically gets added as an audio podcast on iTunes. You can subscribe by clicking on the “iTunes Podcast” button on the right sidebar. Oh, and it’s free!

Well, I am attempting to see if I can add a video podcast as well. If this sounds very geeky and if I lost you 5 minutes ago, you’re finally starting to understand what a conversation with me is actually like. Either way, I hope it works, and I hope you enjoy the short (23 second) video.
October18th

3 Comments

Happy New Ear

Posted in: Baby, Hearing Loss, humor

Isla spent most of this summer listening…to everything. Her cochlear implant was activated in July, and it works like a dream. The implant is for her right ear, since that was the ear with the most hearing loss. As a result of being able to hear better, she is now vocalizing more and learning how to make the various sounds that will eventually develop into words. She is also attending speech therapy, as this is essential for learning how to hear, as well as listen. (Yes, there is a distinction between the two.)

Most importantly, Isla is happy. She loves learning new things and is excited when she can show off her newfound skills, such as book reading, book tossing, and book attempted-eating.

She has also moved on from simply laughing at her dad’s antics, to actually trying to crack me up as well. This is her scary face:

Kid’s got some serious comedy skills. There’s no way this will ever lead to something bad, right?

Right??
June17th

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Surgical Precision (Part 1)

Posted in: Baby, family, Hearing Loss

Our little girl came through her surgery with flying colors, which is a bit strange since flying colors are strictly prohibited in that part of the University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital. Everything went the way it was supposed to and the cochlear implant will be activated in a few weeks. Isla is sleeping and will be receiving much deserved cuddling/frosting for the foreseeable future.

Patty & I also want to thank everyone for their incredible support. Seriously, we’re lucky to know so many wonderful and kind people. We’re also keenly aware that this surgery is only the beginning of a long and challenging journey. After the recovery and the activation of the implant, Isla will need to learn how to hear. She’s a tough little girl, though, and she has two parents that will do just about anything for her. I plan to start by teaching her the difference between Mozart & Led Zeppelin and then working our way up from there.

Here are a few Wifey-Approved photos from the big day.
June13th

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One

Posted in: Baby, parenting

Isla’s first birthday was last Wednesday, June 8, but we celebrated with a family lunch-thing this past Saturday. All in all it was perfect day. We got to celebrate with our loved ones and Isla got to be the center of attention for once. She loves her (thankfully) loud gifts and despite the obscene amount of frosting in her system she slept like a miniature human that night.

I even found time to enjoy a bit of cake myself.

We needed this time with family to temporarily take our minds off Isla’s upcoming cochlear implant surgery. Patty & I both know that if the implant is successful, Isla will hear much better out of her right ear, which is currently just there for cosmetic reasons, apparently.

But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous as hell. Being a parent gives you a whole new set of things to worry about, and having your child undergo any kind of medical procedure makes it even harder. We understand that cochlear implants can be a controversial topic in deaf culture, but we have a responsibility to give Isla every advantage we can. She’ll eventually be able to choose her own path in her life, but for now, we have to make these decisions for her. With any luck, she’ll be able to hear me loud and clear while she chooses to ignore me.

Your mom and dad love you more than anything, Isla. And we’re doing the best we can.

Nom Nom Nom
May10th

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Beanie Baby

Posted in: Baby, humor

Quick, take a look at this picture:

Yep, that’s a baby, all right. More specifically, that’s Isla wearing a very cool hat that my friend, Jill Thiebault made. Jill is the owner and Head Yarn Guru at Jilly Beanies, and she hand-crafts beautiful hats for people of all ages. Isla loves hers and is grateful it was there to keep her head warm all winter long.

I’ve actually known Jill since my 7-year tour of Madison Elementary School in the carefree days of the 1970s (and early 1980s, I guess.) She’s a great person and she is very good at what she does. Go check out Jill’s website and see her amazing work.

Tell her Isla sent you.
May6th

9 Comments

The Next Step

Posted in: Baby, Hearing Loss

Anyone who has read this blog knows I’m a huge fan of casual, socially-acceptable expletives; it’s a hell of a way to make a point. Well, I’ve a had a crap-load of stuff going on in the last few months: Work, Music, Workmusic, and baby stuff. As you can imagine, the baby stuff has been the most challenging.

Our little daughter Isla is almost 11 months old and it seems like only yesterday that I was a strapping young go-getter, strapping another young go-getter into her car-seat for the very first time. I’ve learned a lot about being a dad, although off the top of head, I can’t recall much of it.

As I’ve mentioned before, Isla is deaf. She can hear some, but not much. In fact, subsequent tests confirm that she hears even less than we thought. To put it another way, her hearing is “way more lousier.” The hearing aids help, but they’re not the effective remedy we had hoped for, so Patty & I have made the decision to proceed with cochlear implants. Isla will never hear the way Patty & I do, but she will hear more, and that will help with learning and speech development.

I should probably be more worried, but I’m either very optimistic or completely oblivious. I’m understandably nervous about the procedure (as any parent should be,) but in the long run, I know this is going to be best for Isla.

A lot of people have commented the irony of me being a musician with a deaf child. I guess I don’t really dwell on that. I want Isla to experience as much music as she can, simply because I view it as a valuable part of the human experience. But the way I see it, a deaf child with a musician father is pretty lucky. Isla has a dad who understands sound and the role it plays in life. If she can’t experience a lot of it, I will do everything I can to fill in the gaps with art, nature, books and a ton of silent movies.

Patty & I make a great team, and like everything else in our lives, we’ll figure this out together. We’re also thankful for the incredible support network we’ve developed. The teachers, medical professionals, friends, and family members have been invaluable as we try to provide the best life possible for Isla.

I’ve been away for awhile, but I’m back. I’ll keep you all posted…and this time, I mean it.

Pew Pew Pew
March18th

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Sleep ‘n Stuff

Posted in: Baby, humor, parenting

I’m incredibly excited right now. This is…OK, I need to describe how…The thing is…

I’ll start again.

Isla slept through the night…the ENTIRE night for the first time in like, five months. I might still be a little groggy from all the uninterrupted pass-outitude, but I have never been this happy in my life, and I will likely be this happy ever again. I could be wrong however.

Isla also seemed to enjoy her first St. Patrick’s Day. We didn’t do anything exciting, really, but she thoroughly enjoyed her pulverized green peas and wadded green beans. She also had fun wearing the perfunctory green bib as evidenced by the following exhibit from our vast assortment of baby bib photos (which we maintain for insurance purposes, naturally.)

She also has one hell of a handshake

Patty has some Irish descent (I love her anyway,) so we’re not breaking any laws by allowing Isla to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Just needed to make that clear.
February3rd

2 Comments

Under The Sea(rs)

Posted in: Baby, humor, Minnesota

Patty and I took Isla to Underwater Adventure at the Mall of America recently. And by “recently,” I mean “sometime in 2011.” Isla loved the chance to see fish, unlike her previous indifference to meeting “Fish,” Mr. Abe Vigoda

Abe Vigoda is still alive

We had a great time and Isla really seemed to enjoy the experience. Nothing wacky happened during our trip to the mall, although Patty and I enjoyed a Cinnabon and I got into a slap-fight with the lady at Glamor Shots over a previously unresolved issue involving the best way to photograph a rhinestone -studded jacket, but that was it. Oh, and if you ever want to visit the Mall of America without all of the interpersonal jostling, I highly recommend you visit on a Wednesday morning. Just call in sick for work. Seriously, I’m totally cool with that.

Here are some aquarium photos, yo.

(You thought I was joking about the Cinnabon, didn’t you?)