On the road to recovery! :)
I would have updated sooner, but last night after the surgery I was just about unconscious. I went to the pre-surgery holding room around 1 and went through all the routine questions, the bloodwork, the IV, the oh-so-adorable compression stockings. Around 1:50 they informed me that Dr. Haynes was in the building and started pushing my bed towards the OR. The anesthesiologist was walking beside me carrying a syringe, and I asked him, "Did you already put that in?" and he answered, "yep, sure did". I told him, "Funny, I thought it worked faster than that!" and he just grinned. About five seconds later, he turned around and said, "Now it's gonna work!" and right when he said that, my arms and legs turned icy and then my brain went numb. I laughed and said, "Yep...it's working". I remember him wheeling me into the OR and seeing a machine with letters on it. They allowed me to keep my processor on all the way into the OR, and the last thing I heard them say was "Breathe into this mask". I heard them say it, though...cool!!
The surgery started around 2:30 and I was out by 4:30. Apparently I slept all the way through recovery and all the way upstairs to the room I was in. The first time I remember waking up I asked hubby what time it was and he said "6:20". I told him that I was in a lot of pain, and told him we needed to get home...HearingJourney has a CI chat every Thursday night, and my muddy brain determined that I should be there at all costs. About that time the nurse shot my IV up with morphine and I was out like a light again. I woke up around 7 and told him that we REALLY NEEDED TO GO HOME. He said, "Are you ready to go? to which I responded, "let me sleep another five minutes" and crashed again. Then I woke up at 7:40, and this time managed to stay awake long enough to throw clothes on, be violently ill, and climb into a wheelchair for the ride to the car. I told hubby to stop and get me a drink somewhere (I had a Sprite during one of my alert moments, but was too sleepy to enjoy it or find the straw without help). I suggested that he stop down the road a bit, since downtown Nashville traffic can be crazy...then I fell asleep again. I woke up at the Sonic in Murfreesboro long enough to order a Mocha Java Chiller, but fell asleep AGAIN with it in one hand and my BlackBerry in the other. Every now and then someone would send a text message and the buzzing would wake me up. I'd get a drink and then peer groggily at the BB to see who the messages were from, but I literally could not read 'em...too zonked. When we got home I realized while getting out of the car that the Java Chiller wasn't meant to stay with me...ugh! It still wasn't as bad as it was after my first surgery...I was sick nearly non-stop for several hours that time...but this time I was loaded up on Antivert, a scopolamine patch, and Zofran...so I had at least a LITTLE help...it could have been much worse!!
I had intended to visit the HearingJourney chat room as soon as I got home, but instead I crawled into bed, jeans and all, and went to sleep again. I woke up around 11 looking for medication, then took some and headed back to sleep. I tossed and turned all night long...the surgery was done on the ear that I usually sleep on, AND the turban I was wearing was so tight that it was making my other CI ear very sore. The best way for me to sleep with no pain was flat on my back...but I can't sleep that way! I finally woke up around 9 this morning and have spent the day taking it easy, playing on the computer, reading magazines, eating chocolate and DRINKING COFFEE. I took the headwrap off around 7 PM...it was SO TIGHT that it was really adding to the whole pain thing. I felt better almost immediately. My hair looks absolutely horrible, though! I was allowed to wash it after 48 hours last time. I forgot to ask him how long I should wait this time, but I'm going to wait until it's been at least the full 48 before I do anything.
I have just a little vertigo, not much...the pain has settled down a bit since the turban came off. The surgeon said that he didn't see anything wrong with the previous one when he took it out...but he told hubby that he thought that giving it another shot was the thing to do as sometimes a reimplant changes things regardless of the problem. He told me yesterday morning that he was moving it up higher on my head as well...it was a bit lower than the other one and I had problems with the processor rubbing on it when I was still wearing it. I haven't dared to really try to find it just yet...there's a big knot on my head but I don't feel like messing with it right now :).
I was so groggy the early part of today that I couldn't write anything...I had a horrible time typing, because my fingers, eyes and brain were not working together at all! Think they're slowly starting to play nice again now that all the post-surgery stuff is washing out.
I'm posting some pictures in the Picasa Web Albums...check them out! :) Some of them are BAD...I simply COULD NOT stay awake! I'll probably post more over the next day or so...stay tuned!
Thanks for the prayers and well wishes and all the cups of coffee consumed on my behalf yesterday! It meant so much to have you all behind me! Again, I apologize for not posting sooner...I intended to do it last night but I couldn't even type an e-mail...too zonked!
I love you all! :)
The surgery started around 2:30 and I was out by 4:30. Apparently I slept all the way through recovery and all the way upstairs to the room I was in. The first time I remember waking up I asked hubby what time it was and he said "6:20". I told him that I was in a lot of pain, and told him we needed to get home...HearingJourney has a CI chat every Thursday night, and my muddy brain determined that I should be there at all costs. About that time the nurse shot my IV up with morphine and I was out like a light again. I woke up around 7 and told him that we REALLY NEEDED TO GO HOME. He said, "Are you ready to go? to which I responded, "let me sleep another five minutes" and crashed again. Then I woke up at 7:40, and this time managed to stay awake long enough to throw clothes on, be violently ill, and climb into a wheelchair for the ride to the car. I told hubby to stop and get me a drink somewhere (I had a Sprite during one of my alert moments, but was too sleepy to enjoy it or find the straw without help). I suggested that he stop down the road a bit, since downtown Nashville traffic can be crazy...then I fell asleep again. I woke up at the Sonic in Murfreesboro long enough to order a Mocha Java Chiller, but fell asleep AGAIN with it in one hand and my BlackBerry in the other. Every now and then someone would send a text message and the buzzing would wake me up. I'd get a drink and then peer groggily at the BB to see who the messages were from, but I literally could not read 'em...too zonked. When we got home I realized while getting out of the car that the Java Chiller wasn't meant to stay with me...ugh! It still wasn't as bad as it was after my first surgery...I was sick nearly non-stop for several hours that time...but this time I was loaded up on Antivert, a scopolamine patch, and Zofran...so I had at least a LITTLE help...it could have been much worse!!
I had intended to visit the HearingJourney chat room as soon as I got home, but instead I crawled into bed, jeans and all, and went to sleep again. I woke up around 11 looking for medication, then took some and headed back to sleep. I tossed and turned all night long...the surgery was done on the ear that I usually sleep on, AND the turban I was wearing was so tight that it was making my other CI ear very sore. The best way for me to sleep with no pain was flat on my back...but I can't sleep that way! I finally woke up around 9 this morning and have spent the day taking it easy, playing on the computer, reading magazines, eating chocolate and DRINKING COFFEE. I took the headwrap off around 7 PM...it was SO TIGHT that it was really adding to the whole pain thing. I felt better almost immediately. My hair looks absolutely horrible, though! I was allowed to wash it after 48 hours last time. I forgot to ask him how long I should wait this time, but I'm going to wait until it's been at least the full 48 before I do anything.
I have just a little vertigo, not much...the pain has settled down a bit since the turban came off. The surgeon said that he didn't see anything wrong with the previous one when he took it out...but he told hubby that he thought that giving it another shot was the thing to do as sometimes a reimplant changes things regardless of the problem. He told me yesterday morning that he was moving it up higher on my head as well...it was a bit lower than the other one and I had problems with the processor rubbing on it when I was still wearing it. I haven't dared to really try to find it just yet...there's a big knot on my head but I don't feel like messing with it right now :).
I was so groggy the early part of today that I couldn't write anything...I had a horrible time typing, because my fingers, eyes and brain were not working together at all! Think they're slowly starting to play nice again now that all the post-surgery stuff is washing out.
I'm posting some pictures in the Picasa Web Albums...check them out! :) Some of them are BAD...I simply COULD NOT stay awake! I'll probably post more over the next day or so...stay tuned!
Thanks for the prayers and well wishes and all the cups of coffee consumed on my behalf yesterday! It meant so much to have you all behind me! Again, I apologize for not posting sooner...I intended to do it last night but I couldn't even type an e-mail...too zonked!
I love you all! :)
Comments