Verdict on Shannon

Last Thursday Shannon went in for her surgery to get tubes in both ears. She had a very hard time coming out of anesthesia, she was very upset and I could barely hold onto her. Steve felt bad because he has missed all of her appointments as well as the surgery because of work. I've been so grateful for my family especially my Grandma and her willingness to watch Conner while I've been taking Shannon to all the different appointments. The tubes worked very well and drained all the fluid out of her middle ear. Yesterday, which was Tuesday, she had her sedated ABR test to finally give us a definitive answer on her hearing. Once Shannon was put under, the test lasted about an hour and 45 minutes. When the audiologist was finished he said the results weren't as good as he was hoping. The higher the pitch the more severe her hearing loss, she still can't hear quite a bit of speech and the speech sounds she can hear are muted. He said she would need hearing aids in both ears, the hearing loss is because of a nerve problem. On Tuesday, June 5th, she will be fitted for her hearing aids. She will then meet with a team of specialists to get her caught up on development. An occupational therapist will come in after she gets her hearing aids to help her learn how to balance so she can stand alone and walk. A speech therapist is coming from the School for the Deaf and Blind to help her learn how to talk. I am not sure how often they are coming yet. I just have to remind myself this will be a long process and I have to try and prepare myself for this journey that we are all beginning. They have already cautioned me that it will be very frustrating but I will have to put Shannon's hearing aids in hundreds of times a day because she will take them out. That'll be fine as long as she doesn't put them in the toilet. I am excited for her to hear but I am a little nervous for her. I hope that being able to hear and having everything louder doesn't scare her. I am very grateful that she can now start to develop and learn even more, it really is going to be fun to watch her grow. Heavenly Father matched Conner and Shannon perfectly. He already is and will continue to be her protector as she goes through this trial and as she enters school, so grateful for families.