========================================================== HearingExchange News - Important News and Information on Hearing Loss August 6, 2002 ========================================================== Hello HearingExchange Members, Thank you for subscribing to HearingExchange News! We currently have 2,642 subscribers. Help keep others informed on important issues related to hearing loss, please forward this newsletter to anyone you think would be interested. Subscription and removal information are at the end of the newsletter. If the links don't work or you are an AOL user please copy and paste the links into your browser. - - - - - - - - - - - - Letter from the Editor - - - - - - - - - - - - As you may remember from the last issue, my cochlear implant surgery was performed on July 18th. My surgeon was Dr. Noel Cohen at NYU Medical Center in New York. He and his team were able to do a full insertion of the Nucleus 24 Contour and all the electrodes are working. This Thursday and Friday (August 8th and 9th) are my activation dates. I am very excited for it, even though my recently implanted 6 year old daughter has told me, "Mommy, you won't hear well the first day." With tremendous patience and hard work I am looking forward to hearing better in the next few months than I have in recent years. Be sure to check the links below for important news about cochlear implants and meningitis. If you or your child have a cochlear implant, talk with your surgeon and family doctor immediately. Have a good week, Paula PS: LATE BREAKING NEWS FOR CLARION COCHLEAR IMPLANT RECIPIENTS ---------------------------------------------------------- Advanced Bionics® has just announced a Bacterial Meningitis Vaccination Reimbursement Program to facilitate vaccination and remove any potential barriers North American CLARION® users may have in obtaining pneumococcal meningitis and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccines recommended in the FDA's July 24th announcement. Click here for more information: http://www.bionicear.com/vaccine/CU_reimburse.html FDA Public Health Web Notification: Cochlear Implant Recipients may be at Greater Risk for Meningitis ---------------------------------------------------------- July 24, 2002 - The FDA has become aware of a possible association between cochlear implants and the occurrence of bacterial meningitis. At least 25 cases of meningitis have been diagnosed worldwide in children and adults ranging in age from 21 months to 63 years who have undergone cochlear implantation for severe to profound deafness. A total of 9 known deaths resulted from these cases. At this time, 2 out of 3 companies have reported cases of bacterial meningitis in patients who have been implanted. FDA is following up with all the manufacturers of cochlear implants. Surveys of cochlear implant centers currently underway suggest there are additional, unreported, cases of meningitis in the cochlear implant population. Read the full text here:: http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/henews-072902a.htm Letter from Advanced Bionics to Persons Considering the CLARION® CII Cochlear Implant Device ---------------------------------------------------------- Advanced Bionics has recently suspended distribution of its Clarion® CII with Positioner device and is waiting for approval of a new device without the positioner. In the interim, they have issued a letter detailing their actions and recommendations for cochlear implant candidates. Click here to read the letter : http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/henews-073102e.htm More News on Cochlear Implants and Meningitis ---------------------------------------------------------- HearingExchange has been carefully watching the recent meningitis scare. Scroll down on the main page of the site to the "News" area for several other articles on this topic and other news. Read them here: http://www.HearingExchange.com Paula's Pearls Article: "Considering Cochlear Implant Surgery? Read this First!" by Paula Rosenthal, J.D. ---------------------------------------------------------- The decision to undergo cochlear implant surgery to increase access to sounds and possibly to speech has become one of the most important decisions deaf and hard of hearing people and their families can make. Technological advancements and extensive research is showing more positive outcomes in cochlear implant recipients than in previous years. Public awareness and education about cochlear implant surgery has increased, yet people are still feeling overwhelmed and unsure about how to proceed. (Use the link below to continue reading.) Did you know? Paula's Pearls articles are syndicated and available for reprint. All the articles are listed on the main page of HearingExchange. If you would like to reprint or distribute them to your organization, site or hearing health care professionals, send me an email at reprints@hearingexchange.com . Read the full article here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/featured_article_073102.htm Nation's First Online Master's Degree in Deaf Education Offered ---------------------------------------------------------- The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) has awarded full Master’s Degree accreditation to a collaborative, web-based Professional Distance Learning Program between the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education and John Tracy Clinic. For further information, click here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/henews-072902b.htm House Ear Institute Receives More than $4 Million in Grants ---------------------------------------------------------- LOS ANGELES - July 23, 2002 - Scientists at the House Ear Institute (HEI) were awarded three research grants and contracts to conduct cochlear implant studies totaling more than $4 million in the first and second quarters of 2002. These grants fund scientific research that advances auditory implant technology and our understanding of how implant users perceive and interpret sound. Read the complete release here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/articles/henews-072402.htm New Workshops for Professionals in Deaf Education Offered ---------------------------------------------------------- The Moog Center for Deaf Education in St. Louis has lined up several new workshops for teachers who work with deaf and hard of hearing children. Several professionals and parents I know who have attended Moog's workshops say they are "outstanding" and a "great value." By attending, you will also be able to observe Moog's teachers and students in their progressive and successful learning style. Interested? Click here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/workshops.htm New Book ! "My Baby and Me - A Book about Teaching Your Child to Talk" ---------------------------------------------------------- Betsy Moog Brooks, Director of the Family School at the Moog Center for Deaf Education has written an insightful and informative book, "My Baby and Me - A Book about Teaching Your Child to Talk." This beautiful, professionally printed book is in loose-leaf format and can be customized with your child's name. It is filled with ideas for ways to teach your child to talk. The notebook format is intended to help parents become and stay organized by allowing space to add audiograms, IEP information, etc. For more information on this book and others, click here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/store/ Featured Site: Deaf Education ---------------------------------------------------------- Interested in deaf education? Visit the Deaf Education site for Educational Enhancement for the Field of Deaf Education. Spend time browsing to find jobs in deaf education, scholarships, professional organizations, seminars, papers and more. Click here to visit the site: http://www.deafed.net Ask the Parent Support Expert - Lisa Simmons of IdealLives ---------------------------------------------------------- Q: Our daughter has a genetic birth defect and has worn bone conduction hearing aids since birth. We recently moved and had to switch insurance companies. I am looking for information on how the best way to approach the HR dept to have hearing aids, speech therapy, and reconstructive surgery included on the insurance plan which is not currently covered. She will have to undergo several reconstructive surgeries. Thank you for your help. Read Lisa's answer here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/experts/parent_support.htm New, Improved and Multiple Chat Rooms NOW AVAILABLE ---------------------------------------------------------- We are pleased to announce new and improved chat software at HearingExchange. We now have several rooms available to you simultaneously. All the rooms are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Stop in whenever you can and meet new people to discuss mutual interests in hearing loss. Rooms include: Hear We Are - a general chat room, Cochlear Implants, Multiple Disabilities, Auditory Neuropathy, Cued Speech and others. Check out our scheduled chats here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/chat_schedule.html How to Use our Chat Rooms ---------------------------------------------------------- Chatting is easy, simply go to the link below and enter your name or a screen name in the Login box that pops up. You may need to download Chat Space software the first time. Your email address is never shown. If you have trouble accessing, please try using a different web browser and/or re-booting your computer. We appreciate your persistence and know that it will be worth it! Click here to try chatting now: http://www.hearingexchange.com/chat.html Participate in the HearingExchange Community ---------------------------------------------------------- Are you looking for ways to get involved at HearingExchange? We offer many great ways to do so. Remember, our site continues to expand and thrive because of its members. So join us! Find out how you can get involved at HearingExchange here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/get_involved.htm Paula's Journal on Her Daughter's Hearing Loss - NEW Excerpt! ---------------------------------------------------------- One of the most discussed topics for cochlear implant users and their families is whether to keep a hearing aid in the unimplanted ear. There are various pros and cons to this discussion. It is important to learn to listen to new sounds the cochlear implant can deliver that hearing aids cannot. Yet, it is equally important for many people to hear from all directions, not just on one side. To continue reading the 11th chapter of Paula's Journal: http://www.hearingexchange.com/journals/display.cgi?id=2&sort=date&storyview=toc&chapter=11&cat=5 NEW Journal! Modern Hearing: Life with a Cochlear Implant ---------------------------------------------------------- I have just begun my own hearing loss journal. Here's an excerpt: I went to the hospital for pre-testing and an admissions interview a few days before July 18th. The big day came quickly. I was scheduled for the second cochlear implant surgery that morning. Several medical professionals came into the exam room and asked questions and marked their charts. The wait seemed interminable. Finally, I was told to put on my hospital gown and socks and accompany a nurse to the operating room. I walked down what seemed like back alleyways of the hospital, passed many people in hospital scrubs and several operating rooms. They pushed open the door of one and I glanced around at a room full of machines, busy people and a narrow operating table. I fleetingly thought about calling it off, it was so intimidating! Then I thought about how much I really wanted and needed to hear better. I had been waiting four years for this day, it was no time to turn back. To read the full chapter and the one that follows, click here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/journals/display.cgi?id=15&sort=&storyview=toc&chapter=1&cat=2 FREE Hearing Loss Journals Available ---------------------------------------------------------- Interested in creating your own hearing loss journal? Several members have started theirs. Don't miss out! I find writing to be both therapeutic for me and helpful for others. Join me in journaling, you'll be glad you did! Register and start a journal here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/journals/stories.cgi?sort=date&cat=stories HearingExchange Bookstore Supports our Site ---------------------------------------------------------- Have you seen our Bookstore lately? We offer over 30 books on hearing loss for adults and children. You don't need to search Amazon and Barnes and Noble, we've done it for you! Buy through us and help support HearingExchange. View our great selection of books here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/bookstore/index.htm Until Next Time... ---------------------------------------------------------- Your input is always welcome at HearingExchange. Please send your comments, suggestions and any news related to hearing loss to mailto:feedback@hearingexchange.com. Best regards, Paula Rosenthal, Publisher HearingExchange - http://www.HearingExchange.com For People with Hearing Loss, Parents and Professionals To modify your subscriptions, click on the "unsubscribe" link below, make your changes and click on "submit." All email addresses are kept strictly confidential. (c)Copyright 2002 HearingExchange, a division of Taylor Rose, Inc. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to reprint and redistribute this newsletter as long as it is reprinted in its entirety, is unedited and includes this copyright. To view past issues of HearingExchange News, click here: http://www.hearingexchange.com/newsletter_archives.htm ========================================================== HearingExchange a division of Taylor Rose, Inc. P.O. Box 689 Jericho, New York 11753 Web Site: http://www.HearingExchange.com Email: publisher@hearingexchange.com Phone: 516.938.5475 Fax: 516.937.7207