ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => Inquiries => Topic started by: coloradokidd on November 27, 2007, 04:46:53 pm
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Hi , My 17 year old son is going in for translab on Monday. I have had this teary disposition all day. The reality has sunk in..... Anyway what is the best alarm clock for someone with ssd? I am trying to get everything ready beforehand. Is there anything he will need after surgery? We have 6 children and am trying to get Christmas shopping done as well be prepared for after the surgery. thanks
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On flights I have taken recently I've looked at the magizine "Sky Mall". They have an alarm clock called the Sonic Boom, for individuals who have a hard time hearing their alarm.
http://www.skymall.com/shopping/detail.htm?pid=102244829&c=
Hope it helps...
Joe
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There are websites that sell alarm clocks, as well as smoke detectors, baby monitors, doorbell alarms, you name it for the deaf and hard of hearing. If you check out the website for the League for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, they may have a link on there. They have some that come with a vibrating bed shaker that goes under your pillow, others that have strobe lights and some that hook directly up to a lamp in the room.
I was recently looking for that type of baby monitor. My husband is in the Navy and once we transfer back to Virginia he will be out to sea for about 6 months, so I won't be able to rely on him to hear if the baby wakes up. As far as the alarm clock goes, I have a 5 year old who makes a very effective one. I just entered something like 'alarm clock for the deaf" as a search on my computer and came up with a bunch of places to chose from, and the prices aren't that bad. Also, a medical supply store may be able to order them for you.
Good luck to your son on Monday. i will keep him and the rest of your family in my thoughts. I hope Santa brings you all something nice this Christmas. Sounds like you could use a nice getaway to spa or something - good heavens - 6 kids!
Please keep us posted on his progress.
Lori
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I kinder type of alarm is the clock radio tuned to a favorite station and turned up high enough to be heard through the good ear on a pillow. At least the loud music is not quite as punishing as the big boom. I use the radio approach. One could use a CD recording of a favorite piece that is set with a timer, too! The key is to have the sound very close to the bed pillows.
There is a small vibrator/pillow speaker for under the pillow that wakes you up too.
The SSD patient sleeps on his back or his good ear at first because the incision side hurts.
Get a lounger chair, and a cheap shower chair.
The new patient needs a quiet room for resting. TV can be quite annoying when it is loud.
Stock up on eye libricants (the brand used at the hospital for AN patients).
It will be okay for you Mom. God Bless your 17 yo son.
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I usually hear the alarm .. (I have it on full blast) .. and when I dont my wife gets me up ..
but when I was 17... getting up was the worst... if I had SSD then --- I'd still be sleeping ;)....
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get him a puppy, the puppy will wake him if he doesn't hear the alarm :)
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We bought our daughter an alarm clock with the mattress shaker. We bought it off the net for around $80. It works really well. She has a roommate and doesn't want to wake her with a booming alarm. I looked into vibrating wristwatches, but they don't seem to vibrate long enough to really wake a heavy sleeper. I was surprised at how well it vibrates the whole bed.
I'll br praying for your son. I've found that it's easier, somehow, to "offer it up", as a parent.
Six children? My sister has 6 adult girls...I still marvel at how she did it!
God bless.
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Directly after surgery, waking up was not a big priority. And, I tended to keep my good ear down while I slept. Now; I am totally deaf, and I have had to get a new alarm clock like Lori describes. Here is a link to the model I purchased: (http://www.harriscomm.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=42_123&products_id=17080 (http://www.harriscomm.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=42_123&products_id=17080)). It can be set to make a very loud alarm or no sound at all, just vibration (which is how I use it). It works well (too well if you ask my wife!! :)
Jeff
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I have the Sonic Boom alarm clock, bought thru Harris Communications. It works really well and doesn't even wake my husband on the other side of the bed (though he is a heavy sleeper and I'm not).
Harris has lots of products for people with hearing loss. It's worth looking through the web site.
Katie
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Oh my, a Sonic Boom. For those of us who aren't morning people, that sounds like torture!
I think I'll take my daughter's cold little hands in my face instead. :o
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My wife grumbles when I set the alarm at 3am or some ungodly hour to go fishing ... so I've set to have myself paged at 3am and left it on vibrate only ... and wear my pager in bed.. and then get up and out without a sound .. works like a charm ... ;D ;D 8)
Does he have a newer cell phone? Most phones have an alarm and a vibrate mode ;D
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I'm going to have to look into the Sonic Boom. My solution to hearing the alarm clock, ever since my incision healed, is to sleep on my AN side so I can hear the alarm with my good ear. I'm not sleeping well at all, since for most of my life I've slept on my non-AN side. It's hard to teach an old dog new tricks ;D
I learn something new every day from this forum - thanks guys!
Coloradokidd, hope your son's surgery goes well on Monday. I didn't realize you had made a treatment decision - I remember your posts asking about radiation vs surgery. I'll keep him and the rest of your family in my prayers. I hope his recovery is swift and uneventful.
Jan
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Thanks Jan. The decision was tough, but after three opinions we made our decision. This is such a difficult time and I am trying to be strong for my son. We are trying to keep things as normal for the rest of the family. Thanks for your support and prayers.
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Thanks Jan. The decision was tough, but after three opinions we made our decision. This is such a difficult time and I am trying to be strong for my son. We are trying to keep things as normal for the rest of the family. Thanks for your support and prayers.
I remember the posts when you were making that decision. I think you have done well, and I'm sure he will do just fine.
I can't help remembering when I was 17, even though it was long ago now. You said you are trying to keep things normal for the rest of the family; I suspect he will want you to keep things as normal as possible for him as well. I would suggest letting him sleep all he wants until Christmas, he will probably need the rest. After that, wait until he oversleeps once or twice before springing the super-sonic/vibrating/flashing-lights alarm system on him. It will go over better if it is in response to an actual need, not just a maybe need.
So I say give him an XBox or something for Christmas, and be sure to tell lots of ear jokes at the family dinner, humor always helps. If he actually needs a different alarm clock (and he probably will), let that unfold naturally, so the changes don't overwhelm him.
Best wishes to both of you, and to your family.
Steve
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Johnson's Baby Shampoo! Closing your eyes in the shower sure makes the shower spin and makes you dizzy, so this was invaluable to me at first till I got used to closing my eyes while shampooing my hair. Also the shower chair helped alot. I didn't have access to a shower chair at first so I used the JBS.
Capt Deb(http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee60/Captdeb_photos/pirate2.gif)
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I have the alarm clock from Harris Comm (a site suggested to me by my neighbor who's daughter is deaf) and it's worked for me great since I got it. I actually got it before surgery, as half the time I never heard my alarm before I was cut. It works great. You don't need a fancy one, just one that has a shaker. I think they think I must be blind too, as the numbers are huge on mine! :D
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Johnson's Baby Shampoo! Closing your eyes in the shower sure makes the shower spin and makes you dizzy, so this was invaluable to me at first till I got used to closing my eyes while shampooing my hair.
Capt Deb
Good point, Capt. Deb. The first time I showered after having my stiches removed, I was so anxious to wash the "goop" out of my hair that I lathered up like crazy. Next thing I knew, I had shampoo burning my eyes, which caused me to close them, which caused me to lose my balance. If someone would have just told me to use JBS, I could have saved myself a lot of aggravation.
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Love the idea of the bed shaker.... will keep it in mind if my husband gets tired of waking me up in the morning. Now if they made an alarm with the smell of coffee..... I would have no problem waking up ;D.
Margaret
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By now you have probably solved this problem but I thought I would respond just in case there are others looking for an answer. My husband travels for business and it was then that I noticed I was sleeping on my good ear and not hearing the alarm clock. I wasn't sleepine well for fear I would not hear the alarm. I bought the bed shaker online from Radio Shack. It is the best thing I could have done.
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I use a Shake-Awake that my friend bought for me b/c I, too, did not sleep well when my hubby traveled for fear that I wouldn't get the kiddos up & to school. Then I would be more tired and that would just cause more troubles! My sweet hubby gets me up most of the time, but now I use my Shake-Awake to get up early to go to the gym. It was only about $25 and works GREAT -- I haven't even had to change a battery!
K