CI surgery pennding and I'm nervous

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Mister Ben

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Well I'm late deaf and have lost 99% of everything in left ear. Still have 11% left in the right.

2 weeks from now I'm having the CI surgery done ( thanks V.A.) and I'm getting royally nervous about what to expect with post op. I'm having to go this alone because ........... well because. ( long story but thats life sometimes)

The operation is 2-3 hours long: Is waking up going to be tough compared to being out for 1 hour ( longest I've been under ) ?

Is this going to hurt like the dickens and make driving 140 miles to home a nightmare?

How long with the pain ( if any ) last ?

What kinda pain is it anyway ? Hurt ... burn...... what ?

any other input about what to expect would surely help me some .
 
Any surgery can cause anxiety. Just try to relax. I know that is easier said than done. I wish you all the best and may your surgery go without any complications and may your CI provide you benefit.
 
You should be nervous! They are drilling a hole in your skull.

It is not recommended that you drive home alone. Regardless of your current situation, have someone to drive you home and watch you for 24-48 hours after surgery.
 
oooh you should NOT be driving home after your surgery yourself...someone else should be driving you home. Sometimes you are a bit dizzy after surgery so driving yourself isn't a good idea. I am also looking into CI so I can't tell you how it feels..but I have been under anesthetic for more than an hour and I've come out fine..everyone is different. But there are CI threads here and surgery tips u just gotta search:) or ppl will post! What company did u go with for your CI?
 
If you are not fit to drive the hospital should not release you unless you have someone with you. Generally they will not even allow you to leave by yourself.
 
My doctor assured me they will not let me out of the hospital till he's sure I'll be able to drive. I know some people get out overnight while others can stay up to 3 days.

I forgot what type CI the V.A. is installing ( Veterans Admin )
 
I'm pretty sure I'd be correct when I say that everyone was and will be nervous before their CI surgery. I know I sure was. I just got mine turned on a little over a month ago so it's very recent.

But I'll also add this. If my insurance would allow me to get my other ear done next week I'd do it in a heart beat and I wouldn't be as nervous this time around.

Of course all of our experiences are going to be a little different. But let me sort of recap my experience and some of the things I felt and went through during the process.

An hour before surgery they hook an IV up to me along with a bunch of wires. This is common with just about any surgery. All you've got to do during this time is just lay there. They'll likely talk to you at this point and explain what's to come and what will happen after it's all over. My advice during this time is to relax as much as you can.

I woke up from surgery and felt no pain. Of course you're drugged up but I was conscious and I remember it all. Of course the meds make it a pretty pleasant experience. LOL But no pain or discomfort yet. Just felt a little funny to have this bandage on my head.

The next day I couldn't wait to get the big bandage off because my ear itched. I'm talking about inside my ear canal and of course I couldn't get to it because of the bandage around my head. You have to keep this on for 24 hours. But I felt no pain. Just a little annoying itch from time to time. Taking the big bandage off was a big relief. But time went by fast because I slept a lot and the pain killers kept the pain away. So I felt no pain at all.

After the big bandage was removed there's still a small bandage over the stitches. This wouldn't have bothered me at all but there was a little dry blood on the end of the bandage that was kind of scraping the back of my ear. This was easily remidied by wedging a little gauze between it and my ear. So that wasn't a big issue either.

For the first few days I also felt a little, well a little stoned or something. But it wasn't so bad. I could still watch TV and I even came to this forum and posted the day of my surgery.

By the 4th or 5th day I was already getting anxious to get the processor and start hearing. So after the first week I still had to take it easy of course but I didn't feel like I'd gone through anything major recently. Never at any point did I feel any real pain.

Now I'm in no way belittling the surgery and the process of getting a CI. It's a tough thing to go through and I'm lucky in the my experience could easily be described as the best case scenario. I mean I had zero complications. Not everyone is that lucky. But at the same time the chances of things going wrong are very small with this compared to many other surgeries. The things that can go wrong rarely go wrong. Not impossible but also the odds are against them happening because the procedure is more common today.

Anyway, just wanted to share my experience to say that what you are feeling is normal and common. That I felt the same way and at the end I look back and realize that it wasn't bad at all and I'd do it again in a heart beat.

Ron Jaxon
 
Thanks so much for your detailed imput Ron. Thats exactly what I wanted to hear ( no pun intended ) . I had bone spurs removed from my shoulder about 10 years ago and that was the worst. if I knew what it felt like to get shot then thats how I would describe that memory.

But I kinda had it in my mind that this would be alot easier for some reason and you pretty much verified that its not much of a big deal. I mean other than the fact that I could get meningitus , which is easily treatable nowadays.

What bothers me is now they're gonna give me the loopy shot b4 surgery, thus turning me into a drool factory and then try to talk to me and tell me what to expect ? :shock: Should I pretend to understand what they're saying during all this or just start singing " wasted away again in margaritaville" ? :hmm:

Hellooooo? Deaf guy here...... They're gonna do surgery on me too ? :P

Thx again Ron

( if anyone has anything else they can add to this please let me know now )
 
mostly what they hook up to an IV before surgery is sometime a drug to calm you done but usually it's just plain Saline solution so your properly hydrated etc :) so u won't be loopy when they talk to you before surgery:) and then they will likely mark which ear ther are doing etc as well before :) good luck!
 
Mister Ben said:
Well I'm late deaf and have lost 99% of everything in left ear. Still have 11% left in the right.

2 weeks from now I'm having the CI surgery done ( thanks V.A.) and I'm getting royally nervous about what to expect with post op. I'm having to go this alone because ........... well because. ( long story but thats life sometimes)

The operation is 2-3 hours long: Is waking up going to be tough compared to being out for 1 hour ( longest I've been under ) ?

Is this going to hurt like the dickens and make driving 140 miles to home a nightmare?

How long with the pain ( if any ) last ?

What kinda pain is it anyway ? Hurt ... burn...... what ?

any other input about what to expect would surely help me some .
Click to expand...


As others have stated, don't drive yourself home, that day or even the next.
If not for yourself for others on the same road.

You haven't said but what part of the country are you in?
Get some help with this, maybe the VA, VFW, church, or if you are old like me maybe a local old folks group.

Please at least ask for help with this.

Wish you the very best.
 
I agree, have someone else drive you home that day. I had someone drive me home when I had the ci. And didn't drive till the following week, and even then was still basically just a short distance drive. You may want to also have someone stay with you within the first day or two.
 
Best of luck on your surgery! Hope that you heal quickly!
 
Mister Ben said:
But I kinda had it in my mind that this would be alot easier for some reason and you pretty much verified that its not much of a big deal. I mean other than the fact that I could get meningitus , which is easily treatable nowadays.
Click to expand...

Most insurance companies require a shot for that at least two weeks before the surgery..the V.A. should be able to take care of that w/o trouble. My drugs were great..I called them the best cocktail EVER. Out in a flash and awake just as fast w/o being groggy or anything. The pain wasn't that bad..quit taking the pain pills after the first 24 hours, tylenol worked fine after that. There was some itching as the incision healed but it wasn't bad at all. One thing some doctors don't tell you is about the "ditch" behind your ear that forms after the surgery. It is where they have threaded the CI under the skin to just behind the ear where they drill..it can be sensitive..not painful..for a long time. Had that all done November of 2008 and I am getting the other ear done next month..
Having someone else drive you is a MUST...no matter what..even if you have to hire a cab..
 
I"m out

Dear Friends,

Forgive me in advance for any typing errors that may come up in this post. I'll do my best to avoid any.

Well Friday the 5th @ 7:30 am I had my CI surgery. We must keep in mind that I am 49 years old as of February so the effects of this operation I feel vary greatly depending on the persons age.

Needless to say this experience royally sucked for me. 4 Weeks agao the VA gave me a pneumo-vax shot and I thought the small after effects of that would be the worst. Boy did I fool myself. :P

Pre-op I barely remember due to the flood of sedation they put me on. I have a thought of a gas mask being put on me at one time but I can say for sure if it was real or a dream.

Now I do remember waking up in ICU feeling totally nauseated and extremely loud tinitus in the recipiant ear, coupled with the pain I was at the edge of "oh someone please kill me now". Thats when a nurse plugged something into my IV tube and force fed me something. When I asked what it was she replied with something I can't recite and quickely added " its for the pain'. Then proceeded to put something else behind it...... this I remember.......Morphine. :roll: Never had morphine b4 but I'm not to sure I'd want it again.

I was pretty much in and out for the remainder of the day and that night.
About noon on Saturday I felt up for a walk and soon found myself trying to walk straight lines which I did well with by I had not much confidence in. They wanted to send me home that afternoon. Of course I reminded them I was driving myself and there was no way possible......... not feeling this way.

The next morning after a rough night of little sleep I was walking striaght lines with the best of em. I felt goo enough to drive the 1 hour trip home. But 6 hours latter the Doctor said yeah ok. Now please pardon my lingo here....

You dumb quack. Everyone feels great after they wake up but not 6 hours latter. Needless to say I promised the best nurse in the world that if I felt I had to stop that I would do so and check into a motel and wait to continue the next day.

The trip sucked rocks. I took my time and took breaks when I needed too and the 1 hour trip took me 3.

Leasons learned. I should have had my brother fly down from wyoming to help me. I will never ever do something this stupid again without more support.

I think 2 more days and then I'm going to go up to my place in the Georgia country and re-coup there. Yes I hae friends living on the property 10 acres away to assist me.

For now I need to lay back down.

Mr. Ben
( No I'm not always this stupid ) :lol:
 
Mister Ben, all the best to you on your recovery and the adventure ahead. Need to ask you: Are you from Colorado and someone known as BBF at a deaf video site?
 
Tousi said:
Mister Ben, all the best to you on your recovery and the adventure ahead. Need to ask you: Are you from Colorado and someone known as BBF at a deaf video site?
Click to expand...

I used to live in Westminster CO 20+ years ago.......... but I live in East Coast FLA now. Nope........ I've not used a deaf site other than this one.
 
Enjoy the Georgia country and get some fresh air and enjoy the fresh spring views
!!!

Will be almost 2 years since I had my CI surgery. Best of luck to you Mr Ben...
 
I'm having a surgery on 23rd. I was reading on several website about what you should do and don't. Have you took Advil or Claritin D or Allergy medicennse before surgery? I heard that it will be more painful or will cause more complicate during the surgery. Is that true? I have been taking Advil and Claritin-D all my life but now I have been taking tynelol last week when I had a headache not because of my doctor told me. I just found out through website.
 
I wonder how many of you had to be on oxygen mask? never could figure out why during my childbirth (I was awake, but they put it on me later) AND my cochlear implant. During my implant surgery, I woke up with oxygen mask. I have asthma, but I didn't think they would put it on me if I am not flared up. Is it a safety precaution or something? I'm just curious if this just common.
 
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