Looks like I need to call my ENT

[ncff07]

As already stated by others, each surgeon seems to do things a bit differently. Heck, even the same surgeon can change the way he does things, as was the case with Hear Again. Some use dissolving stitches, others use stitches that have to be taken out while others use staples or some even tape or skin glue. Getting the site wet varies by method of closure. For me, I had the dissolving stitches and was able to shampoo (very gently) after three days. For some it is a week or so. My instructions mentioned "packing" in the ear, but there was none. It was old info, and the surgeon no longer did that. I was told to use a cotton ball with antibiotic ointment but stopped after the second day as I had an allergic reaction. My surgeon said that was fine as long as I kept the area clean and dried gently after shamooing since I had prescription antibios.
Personally, I think they tend to forget to write things down, thinking it sufficient to just tell us. Hello!! We are severely hearing impaired and usually groggy after surgery. We can't be expected to remember it all. And family isn't always much better.

guess ill chalk it up to that. maybe they just forgot to tell me since he had one of his other dr's or residents come talk to me before he did. ill just let them know not to forget it with someone else. and we called and i cant wash my hair at all or get the incision wet or let water in my ear untill next friday when he takes it all out. and still have to use that cotton ball with ointment till then too. ill be glad when i can it feels icky! used a wash cloth today after i took a shower to try to clean my hair but didnt do much good. im just glad its over but these staples are uncomfortable!

 

[etalton]

guess ill chalk it up to that. maybe they just forgot to tell me since he had one of his other dr's or residents come talk to me before he did. ill just let them know not to forget it with someone else. and we called and i cant wash my hair at all or get the incision wet or let water in my ear untill next friday when he takes it all out. and still have to use that cotton ball with ointment till then too. ill be glad when i can it feels icky! used a wash cloth today after i took a shower to try to clean my hair but didnt do much good. im just glad its over but these staples are uncomfortable!

I was really glad my surgeon used the dissolve stitches. I do remember clearly telling my nurse to write everything down in detail for me. She promised she would, but never did. She gave my hubby instructions and of course, he forgot half of what she said.

 

[ncff07]

I was really glad my surgeon used the dissolve stitches. I do remember clearly telling my nurse to write everything down in detail for me. She promised she would, but never did. She gave my hubby instructions and of course, he forgot half of what she said.

if i ever do what the surgeon suggested if this one goes and works well to eventually implant the other ear ill know what to expect and what to ask for! and i think if i ever do the other side ill shave my entire head!

 

[etalton]

if i ever do what the surgeon suggested if this one goes and works well to eventually implant the other ear ill know what to expect and what to ask for! and i think if i ever do the other side ill shave my entire head!

That's not an option I would choose for me, but whatever works! I am still trying to figure out what to do with my hair. It is getting longer (after years of wearing it short) but still looks a bit funky on the implant side and it sticks out at odd angles at times over the coil.

 

[ncff07]

That's not an option I would choose for me, but whatever works! I am still trying to figure out what to do with my hair. It is getting longer (after years of wearing it short) but still looks a bit funky on the implant side and it sticks out at odd angles at times over the coil.

always keep mine short. the lady that cuts it always uses the clippers so it wouldnt take any time to grow back out and would feel better than waiting 2 weeks to wash lol

 

[etalton]

always keep mine short. the lady that cuts it always uses the clippers so it wouldnt take any time to grow back out and would feel better than waiting 2 weeks to wash lol

If you shop online, there are no rinse shampoos that do help quite a bit. Same for no rinse conditioners. You just put the product in your hair, keeping it away from the incision, lather and towel dry. Not perfect, but it should help. Not "dry shampoo" either. They are approved by hospitals.

 

[ncff07]

If you shop online, there are no rinse shampoos that do help quite a bit. Same for no rinse conditioners. You just put the product in your hair, keeping it away from the incision, lather and towel dry. Not perfect, but it should help. Not "dry shampoo" either. They are approved by hospitals.

ill remember that for next time. too late to order something through the mail now i go back friday so id see the dr before it got here and i dont want to go anywhere looking for it. went to the post office and grocery store yesterday and i got some of the weirdest stares ive ever seen in my life! guess people have never seen a guy with part of his head shaved with a bunch of staples! LOL mommy! its frankenstein!

 

[etalton]

ill remember that for next time. too late to order something through the mail now i go back friday so id see the dr before it got here and i dont want to go anywhere looking for it. went to the post office and grocery store yesterday and i got some of the weirdest stares ive ever seen in my life! guess people have never seen a guy with part of his head shaved with a bunch of staples! LOL mommy! its frankenstein!

I imagine it did give them pause for thought. LOL...You might try Walgreens or another pharmacy. I just like shopping online rather than running around since all those "conveniences" are 16 miles from my house.

 

[ncff07]

I imagine it did give them pause for thought. LOL...You might try Walgreens or another pharmacy. I just like shopping online rather than running around since all those "conveniences" are 16 miles from my house.

another pharmacy... the closest walgreens is about 30 minutes away...im already counting the days till i get this stuff out! think that packing is worse... gives me an ear ache.. that or the numbness with my tongue or the funny taste sometimes thats the pits.

 

[etalton]

another pharmacy... the closest walgreens is about 30 minutes away...im already counting the days till i get this stuff out! think that packing is worse... gives me an ear ache.. that or the numbness with my tongue or the funny taste sometimes thats the pits.

I would hate the packing, but I still had the feeling there was something in my ear..and there was...dried blood. It went away after a while, as did the numbness in the tongue and although I did not have a "funny taste" in my mouth, food tasted off for a while but that, too, went away. Is it a metallic taste?

 

[ncff07]

I would hate the packing, but I still had the feeling there was something in my ear..and there was...dried blood. It went away after a while, as did the numbness in the tongue and although I did not have a "funny taste" in my mouth, food tasted off for a while but that, too, went away. Is it a metallic taste?

i guess it could be called metallic. never tasted anything thats exactly the same. only thing close to compare it to that i can say is when i had a tooth get infected once and left a bad taste in my mouth. its close to that. but its not all the time now. almost the only time i notice it is when i smoke. and its just the left side where the numbness is. hopefully it will go away over time.

 

[etalton]

i guess it could be called metallic. never tasted anything thats exactly the same. only thing close to compare it to that i can say is when i had a tooth get infected once and left a bad taste in my mouth. its close to that. but its not all the time now. almost the only time i notice it is when i smoke. and its just the left side where the numbness is. hopefully it will go away over time.

It is due to a nerve, I think. My surgeon chose to "snip" the nerve while others move it out of the way. When the nerve is moved, it leaves a bad taste/metallic taste in the mouth. When they snip it, the numbness lasts a bit longer but the other nerves pick up the slack and though food tastes a bit off for a while, there is no bad taste.

 

[ncff07]

I would hate the packing, but I still had the feeling there was something in my ear..and there was...dried blood. It went away after a while, as did the numbness in the tongue and although I did not have a "funny taste" in my mouth, food tasted off for a while but that, too, went away. Is it a metallic taste?

its been a week today since the surgery... its sore still and my jar still hurts when i eat but i think that packing is the worst. that and the staples will come out friday so hopefully thatll take care of it.

how is yours doing? is hearing with the CI getting better as you get used to it? heard anything else new?

 

[etalton]

its been a week today since the surgery... its sore still and my jar still hurts when i eat but i think that packing is the worst. that and the staples will come out friday so hopefully thatll take care of it.

how is yours doing? is hearing with the CI getting better as you get used to it? heard anything else new?

Yeah, my jaw hurt like hell for quite a few weeks and though I didn't have the packing, I had that full feeling in the ear for about 4 weeks, then the blood clot absorbed back into the body. Once the staples come out you will feel a lot better.
As for me, yes, it gets better every day..baby steps. Hearing in noise is still terrible but I love watching tv now. I hook up my tv cable to my directv box and tune out the world. I hear tiny sounds in the background I haven't heard in a long time. I just wish voices sounded more human. They still sound like I am listening to chipmunks.

 

[LadySekhmet]

I hear tiny sounds in the background I haven't heard in a long time. I just wish voices sounded more human. They still sound like I am listening to chipmunks.

You will.

It did sound a bit "horrible" at first and high pitchy. Everything got better after the first "real" map. The first time you're activated is really a crude map, nothing added to it. Just your good ole' basic map. It's just so you can get used to the extra sounds, used to high frequencies, etc. After a month or so of activation, you should go back, and then get a map that would really tell you what you're hearing.

I went for 4 different mappings within 5 months, and I think I had a total of 6 or 7 maps for my left, 3 for my right, and I'm so damn excited about getting both maps to be done this Thursday...it's about time! I'm tired of not hearing the lows and the left sounds a bit "off" and too soft.

 

[etalton]

You will.

It did sound a bit "horrible" at first and high pitchy. Everything got better after the first "real" map. The first time you're activated is really a crude map, nothing added to it. Just your good ole' basic map. It's just so you can get used to the extra sounds, used to high frequencies, etc. After a month or so of activation, you should go back, and then get a map that would really tell you what you're hearing.

I went for 4 different mappings within 5 months, and I think I had a total of 6 or 7 maps for my left, 3 for my right, and I'm so damn excited about getting both maps to be done this Thursday...it's about time! I'm tired of not hearing the lows and the left sounds a bit "off" and too soft.

I have only had one mapping since the activation. And she only increased the volume to step me up gradually to noise. I am waiting for a call to go back, as she was going to time it to the arrival of my fixed/replaced spare processor, but it has been six weeks and I have heard nothing. I am up to P4 on this one and have been for the last three weeks.

 

[ncff07]

I have only had one mapping since the activation. And she only increased the volume to step me up gradually to noise. I am waiting for a call to go back, as she was going to time it to the arrival of my fixed/replaced spare processor, but it has been six weeks and I have heard nothing. I am up to P4 on this one and have been for the last three weeks.

have someone call them and see whats going on. my audiologist and i had set up appointments even before i had the surgery for activation, then i go back 2 weeks after activation for adjusting, then back 3 weeks after that for another mapping, then 1 more is already scheduled for a month after that.

 

[overthepond]

I had 4 mappings appointment and few mappings without appointment (i had few hitches), My appointments were made up until 6th month post activation on the day i came out of surgery. I am having last one tomorrow thats off my schedule. I don't know when's my next mapping after tomorrow.

ET I would chase them up...

 

[etalton]

I had 4 mappings appointment and few mappings without appointment (i had few hitches), My appointments were made up until 6th month post activation on the day i came out of surgery. I am having last one tomorrow thats off my schedule. I don't know when's my next mapping after tomorrow.

ET I would chase them up...

The reason she didn't set up a date this time was due to the fixing of my spare. Since I live over two hours away, she didn't want me to have to make an extra trip. I am going to fax her in the morning.

 

[overthepond]

Thats ok i understand your suitation but fixing a spare for 6 weeks!! Your audi probably slipped her mind and forgot all about you, sometimes we need reminding, a little chase up won't do any harm. A fax in the morning is a good idea.