Monthly Archives: July 2011

The Waiting Game Round #1

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Tomorrow is surgery day.  I just want it to be over and done with!  Am not a fan of waiting and waiting and waiting when it comes to things like this.  🙂

It’s going to be weird knowing that I will no longer have the residual hearing I’ve always had (surgery damages it).  Even though I didn’t really have much, I had something.  That something is how I “heard” the world for over 20 years with hearing aids.  After tomorrow, I will no longer have something that was such a big part of my life for a long time.

Then again, I get super excited when I see things like this (bilateral audio cable).

I will be able to listen to music with both ears…..woot!  I love music and the thought of getting a “double-dose” of it makes me happy!

Am really hoping surgery goes as smoothly (or even better) as it did the first time around.  I didn’t have any major side effects, infections, complications, etc.  Am not looking forward to sitting around the house for the next few days (hoping it will only be a few days and not a few weeks).  I was one of those weird kids who hated staying home sick from school just because I got so antsy and bored.  I always end up having a frustrated combination of not wanting to do a single thing because I don’t feel good and being antsy at the same time.  I like feeling productive!

Hopefully the implant will be placed where it’ll be almost symmetrical to my other implant on the head.  Of course over time the implant sometimes shifts and sometimes the surgeon simply has to place the implant in the best place.  Am just hoping it won’t end up in a wacky position compared to my other implant.  😉

Am just wrapping up a few things here and there.  Am also taking advantage of activities to release some energy before I’ll have to lay around the house.  Went to my last sand volleyball game of the summer last night since I won’t be able to play in our last game next week.  Am looking forward to my last gymnastics class of the summer tonight, but am hoping to sign up for the fall session since I’ll miss the last 3 weeks of the summer session.  Will also miss out on a 5K this weekend (Dennis and Jeff, good luck!).  Sometimes a person has to make small sacrifices for something big that they really want, hopefully those will be the only sacrifices I will be making.

Am also looking forward to dinner with the parents tonight!

Pre-Registration and the Hunt for Soap

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Need to pre-register online by noon tomorrow.

Looked for a regular old soap bar at Target today (see previous post) but didn’t have any luck.  So many scented and fancy soaps out there….what ever happened to simple unscented  antibacterial soap?

Also completed my EKG and bloodwork yesterday, I guess everything looks okay.

I forgot how much time is involved with just getting ready for surgery.

In the meantime am trying to get caught up with work stuff!

What’s Left to do for Surgery Day

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I already got my painkiller and antibiotics Rxs filled.  So nice they let me take care of that before surgery instead of having to deal with it on the way home from surgery.

Was told to stop taking Omega-3 Fish Oil (was taking them with my vitamins) until my surgeon gives me the ok  after surgery.

Need to purchase a regular old-fashioned Dial bar soap.  I need to shower (no shaving!) the morning before surgery with antibacterial soap.  That and a combination of not wearing make-up or lotion in addition to wiping down with wipes they give you before surgery helps prevent post-surgery infections.

Gotta go to the area hospital sometime this week for an EKG and bloodwork.

May or may not need a Pneumovex vaccination booster.

Gotta remember no food, drink, or gum after midnight Thursday night/Friday morning!

 

Scuba Diving

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In April I started the process of working towards my Open Water PADI certification and now all I need to do is wait for my PADI card to arrive!  I practically want to frame the card with all the money and time I’ve spent!  So worth it though.  It’s been one of my life-long goals since I was in the 1st or 2nd grade.

I had the opportunity to learn scuba diving from someone who is also a sign language interpreter.  HUGE HUGE HUGE help.  Most of the time I can wing sports without an interpreter although it makes it more difficult and frustrating.  I did NOT want to compromise on communication when learning scuba diving because one misunderstood information could cost me my life or health.  It was such a great opportunity to complete this course with someone who was fluent in sign language.

The process:

Online course:  15-20 hours

Pass written exam

5 confined dives (about 3 hours) which included stuff like the instructor turning off your air underwater…scary!

4 open water dives in Arkansas over 2 days

The thing I was the most concerned about was if I would panic because sometimes you start thinking of the worst thing possible that could happen.  You. Do. Not. Want. To. Panic. Underwater.

The nice thing about the PADI course and doing the dives with experienced instructors was that I learned what to do if something happens or if I find myself in an emergency situation underwater.

I’m way excited to start exploring oceans now….



I also learned quickly the importance of having good buoyancy control.  On one of the dives I let the air out of my BCD (“jacket”) too quickly when descending to 25 feet and dropped like a rock. My poor ears didn’t have time to equalize…owie…and I started drifting off to the 60 feet drop in the lake. I kind of scared Jeff (instructor) and he grabbed me…thankfully.  After that dive I slowly and carefully descended on the next dives 🙂

Pre-Op Appointment and Consent Form

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I had my pre-op appointment with my surgeon today.  It basically was less than a 5 minute appointment where he just listened to my heart, checked to make sure my immunizations were up to date, made sure I hadn’t been sick recently, and recorded the medicines I’m currently on.  Now I just need to wait to hear from the hospital as to what time I need to arrive in the morning next Friday before surgery for blood work.

I also signed the first of several consent forms I will have to sign.  It was a 3 page document that discussed what surgery would involve, what a CI does, and potential risks. Click on the pictures to make it easier to read.

I did not include the 3rd page because it had some personal information on it I don’t want the world to know.  🙂  The last risk listed that was on page 3 is that “minor growth changes in the skull of a child may require another operation to readjust or replace the device.”