2 weeks after

Tomorrow is 2 weeks after my surgery. Thought I would post an update as to how I am feeling. Overall feel pretty good. Still have some numbness on the right side of my face, very minor. The top portion of my ear is very numb, not sure if that will get better or here to stay. Had my check-up after the first week and doc said healing well and looked good. Really only missed 4 days of work. When you own your own company it is both good and bad. Somebody has got to be there to make sure that everybody gets paid but on the flip-side very flexible hours so that has helped. Still a long way away to turn on so just biding my time and working on a full recovery so there is no complications. I like to compartmentalize my life so I have stuck that in the back and am trying not to think of it or else it would drive me crazy.

Re-Learning to Hear

As my countdown for turn-on continues it might be a good time to remind myself what to expect. As excited as I am about this event this is really just the beginning in my quest to hear again. The example I gave in an earlier post about what it is like to hear with a cochlear implant is in a perfect world and with excellent results. It will be a totally new way to hear, unlike anything I am used to or compared to normal hearing. I will have to learn HOW to hear again and the journey won't be a short one. I look forward to this challenge and we all hope for the best.

Thoughts on Surgery

First off, thanks for all the warm wishes and words of encouragement, it is appreciated. Now that I can gather my senses a bit better I did have a few thoughts on my surgery. The first now that I think back is it never really hit me that I was having surgery until I was being wheeled into the operating room. I kid you not, even after getting hooked up to the IV an hour before, the thought never crossed my mind. Then here I am being pushed down a hallway, lying on my back looking at the blah white tiles that every hospital has on their ceilings and still not thinking I'm going for surgery. I'm laying there looking up at the ceiling then all of a sudden some numbers come up. Rooms 1, 2 and 4 are lit and I realize that OR #3 is my destination. I was thinking this is very similar to taxiing on a runway at an airport waiting your turn in line so you can take off. That's when it hit me, I'm waiting to take off! You get to this point and it's pretty well to late to back out but the nurse must have seen a change of expression on my face because she asked if everything was alright. I thought, NO its not alright, I'm going into surgery where they plan on implanting a foreign object into my head AFTER they carve a nice little hole in my skull so it will fit, NO I'm not alright! Of course this is just what I thought, my verbal response was a simple, I'm okay, just a little scared that's all. After reassuring to me that everything would be fine, in we went. I can't say enough about the staff at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, everyone I was in contact with was GREAT! The Resident Anesthetist was my liaison to the hearing world, he made sure I understood everyone and if I didn't he relayed it to me. Now in a world of mask its pretty tough to lip read but he made it a lot easier and said he would remove my hearing aid after I was asleep. Next thing I know I am waking up in recovery and like I mentioned in my earlier post, feeling not to bad. My hearing aid is back in and I briefly meet with my surgeon for the 3rd time that day, I would see him 4 times not counting the actual surgery, and he tells me everything went fantastic and they were very happy with the results. He also mentions that I may start to feel it a bit more after the medication starts to wear off, guess that's why they pay him the big bucks because he was right on. I have had 3 other ear surgeries so I knew what to expect in terms of nausea and how my body would react, I hoped for the best but got the same old, sick every time I lifted my head. Lasted for about 24 hours and although still feeling nauseous at least not throwing up anymore. So I'm on my way to recovery. Back at home and probably going into work tomorrow as long as I feel up to driving. Will keep you up to date, see my local doctor on the 24th to make sure all is headed in the right direction and looking forward to the week of August 27th when I will be hooked up.

Made it

Well day after surgery and I am feeling much better. Yesterday started out pretty good, I was amazed at how well I felt immediately following surgery. That didn't last long. I was sent home yesterday afternoon and started to feeling the overwhelming rushes of nausea that is associated with ear surgery. Hope that I have seen the end of that and can focus on getting better. Will post more when feeling up to it.

I'm Going In!

Big day's here, pretty excited and nervous. Made the trek to Vancouver on Sunday for my Monday morning operation. Doc says if all goes well should be back at hotel for dinner. See what happens. We kept pretty busy coming up to this day, it was planned, kept our minds off the anxiety of surgery and focused on other things. Already looking forward to activation day which is tentatively set for August 27th! I will try to post over next couple of days and let you know the progress. Next time I post I will have a mini computer in my head, cool!

Sometimes Frustrated.

This post is just to get something of my chest. It is a problem I come across frequently. The issue is this; why do so many people in the medical profession not know how to communicate with people that are hard of hearing? I am talking about the receptionist in the ENT's office that doesn't look at you when they speak. The doctor that specializes in hearing impairments that covers his mouth while telling you what the problem is. The audiologist that talks to fast to follow. Maybe I expect to much but of all people that should have the knowledge and patience to communicate with, I find it increasing frustrated when doing so. Here are some tips to help better communicate with those that are hard of hearing;
* Make sure you have the listener’s attention before starting to talk.
* Speak slowly and clearly at a normal loudness level. Do not shout.
* When something is not heard or understood, rephrase, do not repeat exactly. Continually repeating the exact words may not help.
* Help the listener by providing visual clues. Look at the listener and keep your hands away from your mouth. Do not talk while chewing or eating.
* Keep the distance between you and the hearing impaired person from 3 to 6 feet for best listening and lipreading.
* Sit or stand so the light is focused on your face, not glaring from behind.
* Eliminate as much extra background noise as possible for better speech understanding.
* Remember that even with a hearing aid the hearing impaired person may not hear or understand everything you say.