1 week post op...

It has been exactly one week since the surgery.  Hard to believe.  Time has gone by fast, but slow all at the same time.

I am doing okay overall.  Maybe going a bit crazy because I am not used to sitting around.  It is definitely an adjustment.  Especially since it is spring time, and therefore gardening season!  I am itching to get out there and start separating my perennials!!  Nothing like digging in the soil after a long, cold winter to make you feel productive and lift your spirits.  I have hired 2 talented ladies from Girls in the Garden to get things started until I am allowed to bend and lift.  

The worst issue right now is tinnitus and a feeling of pressure behind my ear.  It is equivalent to a really bad headache localized to the right side of my head.  Which is accompanied by a symphony of ringing, roaring and buzzing that reaches a crescendo, then wanes after a few minutes.  I highly doubt that anyone would want to attend this concert...

It dramatically worsens if I bend over, get up too fast, and/or when my left hearing aid picks up a loud noise.  Therefore, I have been leaving my hearing aid off most of the time and will need to avoid busy, loud environments, at least for now.



DISCLAIMER: If you are queasy about blood or staples etc. do not scroll down or click "Read more".  I have posted a picture of my incision with staples (1 week post op).  It is actually not too bad with minimal blood.  I have included it mainly to document the recovery process, and to help others visualize what their incision might look like 1 week after the surgery.

What is a Cochlear Implant?

A cochlear implant (CI) is truly a miracle.  Did you know that it is the only piece of medical technology invented so far which has been proven to restore one of the 5 senses?

A CI is different from a hearing aid, which simply amplifies incoming sound to make it loud enough for an impaired ear to hear.  Modern "digital" hearing aids have the ability to manipulate sound (called frequency "transposition" or "compression") to optimize the listening experience.  However, this is often not enough for those with severe to profound hearing loss, who may have no to few functioning inner ear hair cells left.  Unfortunately, I fall into this category.

A CI bypasses the damaged inner ear by sending electrical signals directly to the brain via the auditory (hearing) nerve. 

Thank you everyone!

I would like to thank everyone for all of their support!

I am so fortunate to have an amazing, supportive network of people around me: friends, family, and coworkers.

I have been the lucky recipient of beautiful flowers, delicious cupcakes, thoughtful cards, supportive words in person, via Facebook and/or by email.  So many people have sent positive thoughts my way and have told me often how excited they are for me.  It means a lot.

A few of the beautiful cards that I have received.

4 days post op...

Well, the last few days have been pretty good.  I have read so many different accounts of how people felt after the surgery, that it was hard to know what to expect.  At worst: extreme nausea and vertigo, bedridden for weeks, and/or complete loss of taste.  At best: back running marathons 1 week post op!

I was anticipating something in between (especially given that I do not really run marathons in peak form anyway!).

As expected, there is lots of pain behind my ear, where the staples are.  As instructed, I took the bandage wrap off the next day, applied polysporin and placed gauze over top.  After 3 days, I was able to leave the area completely open.  The picture below is how I looked after the bandage wrap came off.  It was a relief to take it off, as it was quite tight, and was pulling on the staples.

Day 1 post op

You can still see the arrow on my forehead pointing to my right ear.  We tried everything to get it off, but with minimal luck.  I eventually got most of it off with nail polish remover.

DISCLAIMER: If you are queasy about blood or staples etc. do not click "Read more" or scroll down any further.  I have included a picture of my incision with staples.  It's not too bad with minimal blood.  I have posted it mainly to help those who are curious about how much of their hair might be shaved off and/or how big the scar might be.

Surgery Day: Thursday, April 18, 2013

At long last, the day of the surgery arrived!   I had to report to Sunnybrook Hospital at 6:30 AM, which meant that we had to leave Brantford by 4:30 AM.

I packed an overnight bag just in case, but apparently most people go home the same day, unless you have complications (e.g. extreme dizziness, nausea etc.).  It is very interesting to read cochlear implant blogs from around the world and see the variety of care paths that various hospitals and surgeons follow.  Length of stay ranges anywhere from same day here in Canada, to overnight in parts of the UK or the USA, to 5+ days in Germany!  

I was not as nervous as I thought I would be.  I was actually able to sleep the night before.  I think I was just exhausted from working 7 days straight, going to Toronto for a pre operative appointment on Monday, then spending 2 days frantically cleaning my house and buying groceries so that everything was ready.  I was extremely paranoid that we would not get on the road on time, and/or would encounter traffic along the way.  Therefore, my poor cats had quite the shock when 3 separate alarm clocks vibrated at the same time!  I'm pretty sure my neighbours felt the earthquake as well!  

My Aunt Liz came to my house, then we drove in my car to pick up my Mom in Hamilton on the way to Toronto.  It was quite a dramatic drive - crashing thunder, flashing lightening and a torrential downpour.  I was so frazzled I couldn't even remember how to turn on my cruise control and windshield wipers to help out my poor Aunt who had never driven my Civic before.

We arrived at Sunnybrook without incident, and parked in the parking garage that is directly in front of the main entrance.  It was nice not to have to dash across an outdoor parking lot and get soaked.  20 minutes early!  A testament to my Aunt's driving skills.  We easily found the pre-admission clinic, registered, and settled to wait in the waiting area.

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center

SIDE NOTE: Parking at Sunnybrook costs $25.00!  I suppose this is to be expected in Toronto.  It makes me feel silly for complaining about paying $60.00 a month for parking at the hospital where I work.

Entrance to the MGround drop off and pick up area for Surgical Services