...More of That Road

The surgery was smooth, and I was prepped against my real fear - nausea during recovery, which I'd experienced before - so it was really about being patient (no pun) for the moment.  There was some pain, but nothing like I'd expected.  I would find out later that I was on morphine and oxy-whatever at this point; I had to ask for it once again overnight, but after that first 24 hours, I was fine with just Tylenol for about four days.

There's really only one way to bandage the head, by wrapping things all round it just to hold whatever area in place.  As I write this I'd almost forgotten, but it really was the most annoying thing, and no way to look normal with all that going on.  At one week I had the staples/stitches removed and everyone was very pleased, and I was rid of the bandages, finally.  I told them all about the pineapple discussions...

There were a few side-effects to all this tunneling around the skull and ear, and there are enough possible ones with this surgery that most recipients experience a few of them. I've had a couple myself, and at the end of the week dizziness jumped in and dominated the stage.

I was most concerned because it started so late, when I was now feeling well along.  It turned out to be temporary, subsiding after about two days, and I felt well by the time I was heading back to work.  As usual, the collective feedback from other CI recipients gave me the perspective I needed not to panic, and to realize that what I was feeling was quite mild within the range of others' experiences, that it should be temporary and work out well.

The other side-effect is altered taste.  There's a jumble of nerves running around the vicinity of the inner ear, and this is a common outcome.  People have described it as a metallic taste, probably/hopefully subsiding over a period of a few months.  Another way to describe it is the remaining effects of novacaine after the dentist's office, when it's almost, but not completely, worn off, along the side of the mouth and tongue.

This is an annoying one, because it's always there, and affects a pleasure center (ah, food!).  But it does seem to be following the curve, and I can hope it will be gone at some point.

For work the next week, I wore a series of baseball caps.  They covered up a little, and seemed more distracting than parts of my head would have been without them, which I thought was a good thing in this case.

It was interesting to try to figure out who knew what.  I know there's chat among friends at the office (in which I could never participate, unfortunately), and the few people I told directly about my procedure, I also gave permission to pass it on.  But I didn't broadcast any announcements, considering there may be those who keep to their own affairs, and wouldn't prefer it.

Now back in the office, there's a minor reorientation with each person I see, depending on what they knew or guessed already -- "there's a hat, I heard something happened, but oops, he still can't hear, wha...?"

After a week, I had enough hair back and another followup with a clean bill of health, that appearances are back to barely-hearing normal.  Now it's just a matter of waiting a couple more weeks until ... Activation Day!