. In spite of that rather ominous-sounding title for a blog post, I'm feeling great after having had Cochlear Implant surgery two days ago. The family and I spent a relaxing morning at the hotel and left for the hospital at around noon. Upon arrival, I met my parents at reception, and we all went upstairs to check in at the surgical suite. I was running slightly late, so I went straight in to the pre-op room.
I changed into a hospital gown - not the ones I remember - but one with a hookup for heated/cooled air to keep me at a comfortable temperature. The nurses were helpful as they got me ready - took my weight and vital signs, inserted an IV line, and went over the paperwork. Everyone I talked to asked me to confirm which ear was being implanted. Between that, the pink sign hanging on my bed saying "left sided procedure" and the big purple "X" Dr. Chan drew on my ear, I was pretty sure they would get it correct.
Dr. Chan stopped in to see me twice (the second time so that Josephine could meet her for the first time). She was so very helpful and patient in answering questions - it made such a huge difference - especially as my family was much more nervous about the whole procedure than I was.
I changed into a hospital gown - not the ones I remember - but one with a hookup for heated/cooled air to keep me at a comfortable temperature. The nurses were helpful as they got me ready - took my weight and vital signs, inserted an IV line, and went over the paperwork. Everyone I talked to asked me to confirm which ear was being implanted. Between that, the pink sign hanging on my bed saying "left sided procedure" and the big purple "X" Dr. Chan drew on my ear, I was pretty sure they would get it correct.
Dr. Chan stopped in to see me twice (the second time so that Josephine could meet her for the first time). She was so very helpful and patient in answering questions - it made such a huge difference - especially as my family was much more nervous about the whole procedure than I was.
With my family around me, we said a prayer for the surgery and relaxed. Before long, it was time to go. I took out my hearing aid for the last time and handed it to my daughter. The last thing I remember was being wheeled through the corridors to the operating room...
For some reason, when I woke up with my family around me, I thought we were going bowling. Apart from a slightly scratchy throat and a feeling like someone had smacked me in my left ear, I felt just fine. No dizziness. No nausea. A lot of hunger - I hadn't eaten in quite a few hours, so I do remember asking Josephine for rice, meat stew, etc - unfortunately what I got was some Jello, chicken broth, graham crackers, and ginger ale.
Because the surgery was in the afternoon, and the hospital was so far from home, I stayed overnight at the hospital. I dozed off-and-on throughout the night. The pressure bandage was more uncomfortable than painful, and the pain medication really helped a lot. In the morning, I had breakfast and then it was time to go home. The kids hadn't eaten breakfast though, so we stopped to eat before going home. I was still pretty hungry, so I had a second breakfast. The trip home was uneventful - I had what is called a "pressure bandage" on my head. basically, just some gauze wrapped really tightly. It was uncomfortable and painful at times, but no big deal - just basically a headache
For some reason, when I woke up with my family around me, I thought we were going bowling. Apart from a slightly scratchy throat and a feeling like someone had smacked me in my left ear, I felt just fine. No dizziness. No nausea. A lot of hunger - I hadn't eaten in quite a few hours, so I do remember asking Josephine for rice, meat stew, etc - unfortunately what I got was some Jello, chicken broth, graham crackers, and ginger ale.
Because the surgery was in the afternoon, and the hospital was so far from home, I stayed overnight at the hospital. I dozed off-and-on throughout the night. The pressure bandage was more uncomfortable than painful, and the pain medication really helped a lot. In the morning, I had breakfast and then it was time to go home. The kids hadn't eaten breakfast though, so we stopped to eat before going home. I was still pretty hungry, so I had a second breakfast. The trip home was uneventful - I had what is called a "pressure bandage" on my head. basically, just some gauze wrapped really tightly. It was uncomfortable and painful at times, but no big deal - just basically a headache
Now, here I am on Friday morning, well, noon actually. We took the pressure bandage off, and that makes a huge difference in terms of being comfortable. My daughter washed the surgical wound with hydrogen peroxide, and now I'm wearing a different, much more comfortable bandage on my ear. My family all have some pictures - but I'll post those tomorrow.
Now, back to the title - for me, being deaf in the ear that wasn't implanted, I'm now officially deaf. The implant that I received has, as expected, removed all hearing that I did have in my "good" ear. So far, I have been getting along just fine with lip-reading. We do have a little electronic thing called a "boogie board" for people to write on it they need to tell me something.
All in all, the surgery was pretty much uneventful - which is what you want in a surgery! I'm now happily resting at home, with my family taking care of me - starting a new period of waiting - for the day when I return to the clinic to have the implant "turned on" for the first time.
The journey has begun...
Now, back to the title - for me, being deaf in the ear that wasn't implanted, I'm now officially deaf. The implant that I received has, as expected, removed all hearing that I did have in my "good" ear. So far, I have been getting along just fine with lip-reading. We do have a little electronic thing called a "boogie board" for people to write on it they need to tell me something.
All in all, the surgery was pretty much uneventful - which is what you want in a surgery! I'm now happily resting at home, with my family taking care of me - starting a new period of waiting - for the day when I return to the clinic to have the implant "turned on" for the first time.
The journey has begun...