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Lyra Repplinger

@lyraryanrepplinger

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Purveyor of all things lovely...

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One of the first times I realized that my mere existence had significant value to my patients was when a mom asked me if I had a boyfriend or husband. When I said yes and started sharing a little bit about him, her eyes welled up and her face broke with emotion. ⠀
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Startled, I asked if she was okay. She took a few moments to wipe her eyes, nodded her head and said, “This means my son will be able to have a girlfriend and find love some day.” ⠀
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My heart broke instantly. My patient's mother had created stories in her mind that no one would want to be with her son because he struggled hearing conversations. A story that he wouldn't be loved or to have someone to love and create a family with. ⠀
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I powerfully felt as if my living (constantly learning and even thriving) with a hearing loss had given her the image of her perfect son back. I thought, "He's always been perfect."⠀
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Her son looked at me a little bit embarrassed - he had always been a quiet but confident teenager. With a half smile/half frown, he laid his hand on his mom's knee and said "She worries too much!" ⠀
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I've said it before and I'll say it a million times again: "Parents, I believe it's harder on YOU than it is on us." ⠀
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I looked at both mother and son. "You can do ANYTHING you want to do, you can BE anyone you want to be and you can HAVE anything you want. If you can imagine it, all you have to do is figure out how to make it happen." His eyes shone in agreement and with motivation.⠀
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I remember seeing my own mama crying one day and asking her what was wrong. She told me she wished that I didn't have to deal with hearing loss - that she would take it on for me instead. I don't remember this but my mom tells me I looked at her and cheerfully said, "It's ok, maybe this is the way God meant for me to be." She says they stopped looking for answers/trying to “fix” me after I said this.⠀
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You never know how much of a difference you can make in someone’s life just by being YOU. ⠀
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Leave a 🌟 because you know you make a difference in this world - as a mom/dad, as a son/daughter, as a brother/sister, as a friend, etc. I hope to see SO many 🌟🌟🌟!

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Facts/Myths Busted!⠀
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1. Brain surgery - An internal implant is placed under the skin behind the ear and an electrode inserted into the cochlea. No part of the brain is touched. ⠀
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2. Evaluation - Healthcare providers PROVIDE and recommend options. You could even go as far as scheduling the surgery date and change your mind that it's not for you. ⠀
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3. You will not wake up from surgery and be able to hear. You will not activate and everything is crystal clear. Time and adjustments will still be needed. Aural Rehabilitation is highly recommended. ⠀
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4. A CI is not a natural device that replaces your ear. It is a medical device that serves to help/assist. It is surgically implanted and bypasses the outer and middle ears to directly stimulate the hearing nerve and communicates with your brain.⠀
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5. Your doctor knows when - Unfortunately audiology is still super specialized. Most PCPs know a little bit about a lot of topics. If you feel like your hearing aids aren't giving you enough, take initiative to investigate further and schedule an evaluation to find out if you are a candidate.⠀
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6. Last Resort - With recent advances in technology, cochlear implant candidacy criteria has changed. It is no longer only for those who are profoundly deaf bilaterally but are now beneficial for those with moderate/severe hearing losses, single sided deafness and high frequency only hearing losses.⠀
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7. Not only for kids/babies! Many think that older brains cannot adapt or benefit from new technology but it absolutely is possible!⠀
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8. Not for everyone! Criteria is still specific and evaluations are considered on case by case basis. The choice to undergo surgery is not one to be hastily made!⠀
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9. MRI - again, advances in technology have made it possible for MRIs to be completed on CI recipients. Each manufacturer has different levels of MRI tolerance and some implants have the option to remove/replace the magnet. ⠀
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Leave a 👋🏼 in comments if you ever pondered these questions! Hope this helped ease some of your concerns!

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Do you know someone with hearing loss? Do you get frustrated when trying to communicate with them? Have your intentions been good but tactics didn’t work? ⠀
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Here's some helpful Do's and Don'ts!

Leave a 👂🏼if you plan to try something new from this!

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Have you ever been frustrated with your hearing aid or CI program but didn't know how to communicate the problem to your audiologist? Here's a tip sheet created by popular request! ⠀
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Know that we are here to help you - but sometimes we need to work together to reach that goal! ⠀
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If you've ever been a parent you know that each and every child has their own preferences, personalities, likes/dislikes - this is similar for hearing perspective! One person might like a certain filter or frequency while another absolutely hates it. ⠀
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We are constantly learning about new technology and programming strategies so let us worry about what tools to use. ⠀
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The more that you tell us about what you like or dislike about a certain sound/situation, the better we can help you! ⠀
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Save this post for future reference! Would you like me to make it into a PDF available to print?

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This question is often asked by parents and relatives of patients and the curiosity is real! ⠀
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Anyone can listen to a CI processor's microphone but because a cochlear implant is a surgically placed device, ONLY the recipient can understand and experience what the delivered sound is like.⠀
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Hearing aids are miniature sound amplifiers. Sound comes into a microphone and out of a speaker for anyone (with at least some hearing) to hear.⠀
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A cochlear implant on the other hand - doesn't actually amplify anything. The cochlea's job is to convert acoustic information into electrical and hand it off to the auditory nerve. ⠀
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The CI external processor takes the place of the outer and middle ear with its microphones and computer chip. Then the internal device/electrode delivers the electrical signal directly to the nerve. ⠀
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It's common to see patients in awe of or annoyed by the new squeaky and fricative sounds they now have access to due to two reasons: ⠀
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1. New recipients likely haven't heard or had access to high frequency sounds ever or in a while. ⠀
2. Because of something called tonotopic organization, the CI electrode covers the high frequencies first. ⠀
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These are some responses that I've heard from recipients regarding the sound at the beginning of their post implantation journey. ⠀
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My own initial experience isn't on there because I can't think of a specific word for it. For me it sounded like the the stretchy graphics on the television screen when a character goes into or comes out of a dream in an 80s sitcom. 🤷🏻‍♀️🤣⠀
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Because every cochlea, nerve and brain is different - there's no way of knowing how things will sound for a recipient. It's simultaneously nerve-wracking and exciting. I've seen so many different emotions ranging from fear, dislike, overwhelm, exhaustion, relief, joy, gratitude, wonder and exhilaration!⠀
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Hope this gives CI users some words to help describe sounds - and non recipients a little bit of insight into our hearing world! ⠀
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Would it help if I created something/dialogue for CI users make the most of their programming appointments?

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My friend, @lyraryanrepplinger ,featured this Savory Watermelon Salad on her "Pretend Cooking Show" today. It was amazing!!!

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Happy Birthday to the best volleyball mom I know! @lyraryanrepplinger I love that no matter how long it’s been, we always pick up where we left off and laugh til it hurts! I love you and hope you enjoy whatever special gourmet meal Ryan prepares!💕🎂🎉

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What a fun work day followed by @theparishtucson take out. 😋

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NOW BOOKING, CLASS OF 2021
What a great year this is going to be!
Thank you @brianmountportrait for putting together this fun video and for capturing all of these senior sessions! ❤

#vchs #dchs #valoreagles #mvhs #trhs #chs #denverseniorphotographer #5280 #coloradoseniorphotographer #denvr #colorado #castlerockphotographer #cvhs #seniorszn #senioryearmagazine #inspiringteenmagazine #seniorstyleguide #classof2021 #classof2020

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Passed this award onto two wonderful ladies tonight. #medelinmotion #workfamily #southwest #kickass

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90% of the time I’m consumed with the notion that as a mother I may not be doing enough to ensure that my kids are experiencing all the joys that this life has to offer. Then unexpectedly- I’m given this gift. This gift of observing her joy in simplicity. A sewing machine. A song. And an evening of creating gifts for others.
#TheseAreTheGoodOldDays
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#girlmom #traditions #carryon #daysofold #singersewing #kenmoresewing #castlerockphotographer #monumentphotographer #coloradoemotivephotography

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This... this was magic ✨ .
#shethinksshesakardashiannow @lyraryanrepplinger .
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#castlerockphotography #christmasminisessionscolorado #winterphotography #girlmom #momgoals #momtog #momtogcommunity #momtogs #winterwonderlandphotoshoot

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