Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Two weeks post-surgery, one week pre-activation

I can't believe it's been two weeks since my surgery. The recovery process is winding to a close! The incision is looking great. No more stitches, no more scabs. It's a clean cut, getting lighter each day. I imagine the scar will be completely gone in a month or two. No rush, really, since you can hardly tell it is there.

The swelling is down by 90%, I'd say. There are some residual "bumps" in the area where the magnet will be latched on. But the swelling around the ear are all but gone. I'll be sleeping on that side with greater comfort in the days to come!

The dizziness has decreased dramatically, but still lingers. Any sudden movements can be disorienting. It's completely manageable, but I still need to take things slow. Not ready for the gym yet, and that's ok. I'm not crying a river about that.

That's pretty much it; as of today,  I have no other symptoms from the one-two punch of the surgery and the ill-timed cold that immediately followed it. Normal may be boring, but it feels terrific not being out of sorts!

A week from today, we will see where all of this takes us. I'll be going back to the Cochlear Center of NYU on 10/13 and receiving my Advanced Bionics processor. After some time of being hooked up to a computer, I will be activated! Mara plans to join me on this momentous day, the official beginning of my new hearing journey. The first voice I get to hear out of my new ear will be hers, and that just feels right.

Everyone's activation experience is different. Squeaky voices are common at the very beginning; some claim it sounds like cartoon characters are invading the world. So who will invade my world? Roger Rabbit? Donald Duck?

With my luck, everyone will sound like Elmer Fudd. All those W's will be impossible to lip-read.

Wead my wips!!

2 comments:

acmomma said...

Can't wait till next week to see what you can hear. Lots of luck!!!!

Anonymous said...

Hopefully Chip 'n' Dale will not make an appearance.