countdown to CI surgery!

SkullChick said:
Ooh I forgot to add one more thing.
My boyfriend told me that as soon my name moved from OR room to recovery room (have computer screen in waiting room with list of people name and where they are) he saw one snowflake fell and then started snowing and I thought it was awesome cuz he know I wanted snow badly and I got it as soon I got out of OR room and I said "it might be an sign that this is successful?" lol I don't know I just couldn't help but think its really cool lol.
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I love snow. Usually got plenty of it in Spokane where I grew up, but not so much here in Seattle. Anyway, congratulations on being implanted; here's hoping that your recuperation is nice 'n smooth the rest of the way.

Wow, this is hard for me to believe, but by the time you and Lady Sekhmet get activated, I'll be just two weeks away from my own first implant surgery.
 
Welcome to the "other side!" I bet you are glad to get that over and done with. Now comes the hardest part - the recovery and wait to get switched on.

It sounds like your boyfriend is a real keeper! :)
 
Well, I have some pain today, not too bad just cotton-ball fullness in ear, little sore where its drilled, and inside the ear and stiff neck and slightly headache on left forehead from stiffness in neck. Still feeling sleepy lol. How long till you guys can move your neck normally?
 
Happy to know your surgery went well. Sleepy is normal from both the effects of the anesthesia, and the stress on your body from surgery. Take the opportunity to rest and recover. I hope the snow is a good sign!
 
Congratulations on the procedure; I guess the real work begins at activation. Best wishes with that; hope you get a good audie.
 
SkullChick said:
Well, I have some pain today, not too bad just cotton-ball fullness in ear, little sore where its drilled, and inside the ear and stiff neck and slightly headache on left forehead from stiffness in neck. Still feeling sleepy lol. How long till you guys can move your neck normally?
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It can vary from person to person. I noticed I could move my neck about a week after surgery. Some people recover faster and some never have it at all. Remember those pain pills given to you are given to you for a reason.

I took the pain pills for the first three days, and then after that I didnt need them at all. But still had the stiff neck, which didnt really bother me, cause all I wanted to do was sleep too.

I slept alot for the first 3-4 days, then after that my energy started returning little by little.
 
Today is little better, I'm starting to get my energy back and feel more alert. Oh and yesterday around early afternoon I suddenly got my appetite back and I was STARVING all day lol its good thing right? Cuz I was losing weight and I need get it back up. But pain's same, stiffiness in neck is slightly better today I can turn my head left and up now little bit lol. Only pain I'm feeling is tender and sore where implant is and I still have this strange fullness in my middle ear feel like someone left cotton ball inside my middle ear and forgot to take it out lol ack and I'm not sure if my imagination is running wild from painkiller but I think I felt cold sensation in ear 2 times when I moved my head down in left direction (remember I got implanted in left ear) hm weird, oh well. And my throat is a lot better today. Hmmm not sure what else to add.....
I wonder if any of you ever done something little weird or being goofy or whatever while you're high on painkiller? I had vicodin and I was little silly and one time I went downstair brought my pillow for no reason and my boyfriend was like "uh why you....... go back to bed honey"
And all day yesterday I was making jason laugh I didn't know I could be this funny haha well I'm gonna go eat and take medicine now and be comedian :giggle:
 
i added 2 pictures one of my incision and one of my bandages in my blog so go check it out my blog link is in my signature
 
SkullChick said:
Only pain I'm feeling is tender and sore where implant is and I still have this strange fullness in my middle ear feel like someone left cotton ball inside my middle ear and forgot to take it out
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If you still have your bandages on, they probably put in some type of absorbing gauze to absorb the dry blood. If not, they probably put some type of material near the ear drum to help reduce blood coming out, and swelling of the ear drum. I think after a while, you go back to the surgeon's office, and they will remove it. I have the same thing, i hate the "fullness" of the ear. When I went to see my surgeon, that's how I found out. Perhaps it's the same for you?

As for your stiffness in the neck, stretch it out little by little, a week later, it's still slightly sore if I move it a certain way, but much better. Same goes for the mouth, I could only open it slightly, but had to excerise the mouth to make it open further.
 
No wonder you have joined Star Wars -- Congratulations with the surgery.
 
I have few questions,
I have pain in my inside elbow but I don't know why my IV was in my wrist, any idea why it hurt when I stretch it out? Have it ever happened to you, have IV in place but other place ache afterward instead?
And I have one bump on other side of my head its tiny pencil eraser size bump on my right side of head but my implant is on left side, any idea why? Ever happened to you? Please answer those, thank you

Hope I'm not only one that's experiencing odd things. And hope its nothing major and goes away soon
 
SkullChick said:
I have few questions,
I have pain in my inside elbow but I don't know why my IV was in my wrist, any idea why it hurt when I stretch it out? Have it ever happened to you, have IV in place but other place ache afterward instead?
And I have one bump on other side of my head its tiny pencil eraser size bump on my right side of head but my implant is on left side, any idea why? Ever happened to you? Please answer those, thank you

Hope I'm not only one that's experiencing odd things. And hope its nothing major and goes away soon
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nothing about experiencing odd things because everyone varies has different experiencing with these odd things! like I am right now myself :)


Wendy
 
SkullChick said:
I have few questions,
I have pain in my inside elbow but I don't know why my IV was in my wrist, any idea why it hurt when I stretch it out? Have it ever happened to you, have IV in place but other place ache afterward instead?
And I have one bump on other side of my head its tiny pencil eraser size bump on my right side of head but my implant is on left side, any idea why? Ever happened to you? Please answer those, thank you

Hope I'm not only one that's experiencing odd things. And hope its nothing major and goes away soon
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My IV was on the top of my hand. It hurt for a month after. Since it was my first major surgery, I had a bladder surgery a few years earlier, I questioned everything. I did not have a bump. I would hope it might be from the way your head was laying during surgery. I just had problems with my throat from the tube.

Rest. I hope tomorrow you feel better.
 
SkullChick said:
I have few questions,
I have pain in my inside elbow but I don't know why my IV was in my wrist, any idea why it hurt when I stretch it out? Have it ever happened to you, have IV in place but other place ache afterward instead?
And I have one bump on other side of my head its tiny pencil eraser size bump on my right side of head but my implant is on left side, any idea why? Ever happened to you? Please answer those, thank you

Hope I'm not only one that's experiencing odd things. And hope its nothing major and goes away soon
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I had pain in my inside elbow because they strapped my arms down when they did the IV preparation AFTER I was knocked out with the gas. They just stretched the muscles. Maybe the bump on the other side of your head is from all the gadgets and tubes and stuff that they have laying around. They literally stretch your head and neck to the other side so maybe its a bruise? I wasn't really paying much attention to my other side. I was trying to hunt the implant down in my head to make sure it wasn't floating around. :)
 
contradica said:
I had pain in my inside elbow because they strapped my arms down when they did the IV preparation AFTER I was knocked out with the gas. They just stretched the muscles. Maybe the bump on the other side of your head is from all the gadgets and tubes and stuff that they have laying around. They literally stretch your head and neck to the other side so maybe its a bruise? I wasn't really paying much attention to my other side. I was trying to hunt the implant down in my head to make sure it wasn't floating around. :)
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Haha yeah about hunting for implant, hmm I think doctor/nurses accidently bumped my head against something when moving me to other bed or I might had reaction that I didn't know I had while I was knocked out and hit head on something cuz its gone now, and my arm pain is gone as well whew I was getting little worried lol.

Well I'm doing great now, stiffness in neck is almost gone, only have random sharp pain in ear that last few seconds and goes away and tightness type ache if I bend down or lean my head low like laying down to go sleep that's it, also I stopped taking vicodin yesterday and took tylenol and worked like charm yay! And I also washed my head (shhh) 3 days earlier than I'm supposed to but I had to wash I couldn't stand it lol it was beyond disgusting and slimy, was starting to get sticky (I have fine hair so it get oily fast) of course I was being super careful washing my hair and didn't let any water touch my incision and ear and now I feel sooooo much better now, 2 more days till post-op appt to remove the tapes! And 22 more days till activation! (22 seem like million days away ugh)

Also I wonder if any of you tried stick something to your magnet to see if it stick? And did it stick? I tried few things and none worked :( lol I just don't believe I have CI in my head I thought being in hospital would hit me but NOPE so activation day will be when I believe I have it in my head :giggle:
 
SkullChick said:
Also I wonder if any of you tried stick something to your magnet to see if it stick? And did it stick? I tried few things and none worked :( lol I just don't believe I have CI in my head I thought being in hospital would hit me but NOPE so activation day will be when I believe I have it in my head :giggle:
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You need a strong magnet. The magnet men, look like gingerbreadmen, that teachers use in the classroom do work. My daughter tried to stick them to me after surgery too.
 
Tomorrow is my post-op appt, finally will take tapes off its getting itchy and sticky goopy inside tapes yuck! my incision need to breath and then I'll be able to shower too I know I did washed my hair 3 days ago but its dirty again lol.
Hurry up Time! My activation appointment is too long from now AHH I'm jealous of those people who got activated only like a week after surgery lol oh well.
So at activation appointment, my audiologist told me it will be 4 hours! Why on the earth she need whole 4 hours? What exactly happen in activation appointment?
Like sit there get magnet on, wait for beep and then adjust comfort level with beep, set basic programs, turn on live to see if I can hear her voice and then show me stuff in cochlear america box of stuff like cable, phone jack, etc then done? I think it should be only like 1 hour-2 hours not 4! Hm we will see what she will do that takes so long! Lol
And I also want it bad so I can believe implant is in my head by seeing magnet goes on my head and stay there then heard beep then I'll believe it
Ahh! Time suck its too slow
 
SkullChick said:
Tomorrow is my post-op appt, finally will take tapes off its getting itchy and sticky goopy inside tapes yuck! my incision need to breath and then I'll be able to shower too I know I did washed my hair 3 days ago but its dirty again lol.
Hurry up Time! My activation appointment is too long from now AHH I'm jealous of those people who got activated only like a week after surgery lol oh well.
So at activation appointment, my audiologist told me it will be 4 hours! Why on the earth she need whole 4 hours? What exactly happen in activation appointment?
Like sit there get magnet on, wait for beep and then adjust comfort level with beep, set basic programs, turn on live to see if I can hear her voice and then show me stuff in cochlear america box of stuff like cable, phone jack, etc then done? I think it should be only like 1 hour-2 hours not 4! Hm we will see what she will do that takes so long! Lol
And I also want it bad so I can believe implant is in my head by seeing magnet goes on my head and stay there then heard beep then I'll believe it
Ahh! Time suck its too slow
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It goes by so fast - you won't believe it. Also you get your implant turned on fast. So deep breathe and relax! Here is what happen with mine

1. Go in and open all the boxes to put implant together.
2. fill out warrenty cards and get all the paperwork done.
3. Put on implant and then the real work begins. Listening to tones and adjusting setting. AB has 3 setting, Cochlear has 4. Takes a lot of time to get it set the first time. A lot of questions about how you feel and if it is hurting. Also allowing time to get use to the implant. Tell audie if you feel sick or any twitching. Anything adnomral tell them.
4. Have the people around you talk alot. You need to adjust to the sound of their voices. You will be listening to them so hear them

Above all - enjoy, it is a wonderful experience. Nothing else compares to it.

Welcome to the dark side, Valerie
 
post-op appt was today and i updated my blog with 3 pictures of my incision without tapes go check it out my blog is in my signature click on it :)
 
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