the chatty boy's processor

So.... I've received a couple of inquiries about the speech processor that Lucas wears. Some thinks it's completely attached to his head (not removable) and other have just expressed surprise that there's a part to attach to his body. So, I thought I'd post a picture and explain:

Lucas has 2 processors - one is a spare (although we switch them monthly to ensure equal use). The one you see on the left is the standard behind-the-ear (BTE) processor, and the one on the right is the babyworn BTE processor. One of the reasons we chose Cochlear was the babyworn option. The babyworn is an "accessory", and it can be made into the normal BTE by simply twisting the bottom half and re-attaching the battery pack. Eventually, when Lucas is older and his ears are bigger and stronger, he will simply wear the BTE. Right now, the babyworn option is less heavy on his ear, it keeps the processor attached to him somewhere if it falls off his ear, and it allows me to change the settings without having to work directly behind his ear (which would be challenging with a wiggly boy like Lucas!).

The processor is completely detachable. The round part at the top attached to the cord, the coil, attaches via a magnet that is implanted under the scalp. That's the most important part of the set-up. As long as the coil is attached, he can hear. Lucas does not wear the processor when he's sleeping, or when he's bathing or swimming. In fact, when he's not wearing the processor, you'd never know that he had a cochlear implant unless you looked closely for the scar behind his ear.

On another note, Lucas has been so chatty lately... it's great! At first, I thought he was being fussy, but he's making happy noises! I think he's having fun listening to himself. Enjoy the short video - I captured some of his noises while he was playing this morning. We went and had lunch with Lucas's daddy today, and he was talking all through lunch, just like in the video!