HitH Day...

... or, Hole-in-the-Head Day if you will... was yesterday, Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014... but I think I can be excused not actually writing anything then.

So how did it go? Well, I'll tell you. Very smoothly.

Scheduled for 12:15, they wheeled me to the 'holding room' dead on the button. The surgery gown was lying on the table all morning so I'd dressed appropriately earlier. These things are really only for modesty as they ride you around in your bed and they are quite hysterical really. A nice shade of peach, the front is what my mother would have called a pelmet. The back only reaches your waist and buttons at the neck only. Short sleeves for easy access to veins I suppose :)

I sat there for an hour and watched seven of them all go ahead of me one by one. I really wasn't at all nervous and the nurse driving me there even remarked on my humming to myself... 'are you a singer then?'... Hah no! But my girls will tell you I'm always doing it... at the strangest of times. I'm not always aware of it and that's usually when they ask 'is that a real tune then mama?' But this time I was singing a wee song to myself so... not that it will have been recognisable! I just mean, it definitely wasn't nerves. I had to be next though as now had the place to myself.

It was a long hour but I filled the time by making an arse of myself as per. I needed to pee - I'd been before leaving but...! Anyway the lovely male nurse brought me a bedpan. Now your Dutch bedpan differs from your British... it resembles more a deep wide-brimmed frying pan with a lid. But it is equally awkward to perch on and having swung my legs over the side, the bed gaily rolled away from under me! It wasn't on the brake! I persevered and had one leg on the floor while it rolled some more and well... you can imagine. It must have been the curtain billowing out that caught the nurse's attention as he then came running, not happy at his colleague who clearly omitted to brake haha... No accident of any kind happened... just a huge dent to any dignity I had left hahaha. God these guys and girls are saints... heroes. When you've been handed a wet washcloth to wipe, in lieu of toilet paper, by a smiling strange male... well I suppose that's the least of his tasks over a shift eh?

Shortly after that and having the monitor stickers placed around my body, I was wheeled into theatre. I saw no instruments of torture but if I'm honest I didn't look haha... I'm not completely daft! Climbed over onto the table and got positioned nicely so as my head was at the end and I was covered in a cosy heated blanket. Shook hands all around as per, gave name, rank and number to Dr Topsakal and ensured him I knew what was being done and on which ear (previously marked with an arrow on my neck!). All very thorough.

An intravenous whatjamacallit was put in my right hand (sparing my left as still dodgy) and the aneaesthetic was then ready to be administered. Byebye world! My letters are duly written and will duly be shredded when I get home. If I get hit by the proverbial bus before then they'll still cover me :)

The nurses tell you everything they're doing... really cool! A see-through mouth and nose cap was placed over my face and this blows whatever into you... 'breath normally...' but of course being told that, you take a deep breath. Now anyone will tell you, I don't 'do' drugs... not out of any sense of 'now now' finger-wagging, just... well my body just doesn't seem to tolerate a high of any sort. So unfair! haha But my closest encounter with a hash cookie resulted in an upside-down-on-the-loo-with-knickers-at-ankles-and-a-pishy-floor episode not to be repeated! Probably for the best as me stoned in charge of my bike is not to be imagined... witness the too-much-wine fiasco... but that's another story and I blame P entirely! hahaha.

So anyway... I immediately felt my head going sorta wooly. Oh me no like this! Wooly-headed is kind of my thing in a way hah! but no, not this. I said so too! Then I went completely deaf (kinda ironic! Although my hearing aids had been taken back to the ward from the holding room already, I do still hear a wee, wee bit... witness all the shouting in my ear up to now). I was just about to say 'have gone deaf'... when I woke up! All done and now in recovery! Kind of a trip!

Another male saint... and another pee! No catheter thank goodness but do now need... sigh... it's ME, the walking pisspot! This time I managed to wet my bloody gown! Don't ask! hahaha. This meant a change of course. So why not get the tits out now Caroline eh? Again, least of his worries eh? 'Oh, you shouldn't have done that' he says? He tucked me all in!

But, I'm feeling fine actually. Vaguely lightheaded, wouldn't want to walk yet, slight nip by my ear. Nothing major at all. Topsakal and the crew come to check on me. I'm told that the test to the CI was perfect and no complications arose. Was about 1.5-2 hours in theatre from 13:30 so now with waking included it's 4:30pm. Doc says without me prompting that he would let J know. I get a new pain killer intravenously so when that's done I can get wheeled back to the ward.

About half past five, am back in my room and txt J to come... poor guy hadn't been told yet and had only just called the desk. (Topsakal told me earlier that he'd passed the message to the ward doc who is supposed to call. I told him so he knew that this didn't happen! Is my one and only complaint but quite an important one. They tell you you will be called so J went past his rule of doing what you are told... you know they are busy etc and he's the last one to be a bother - the home-front should be informed!) Anyway, he was now on his way, but it's a 1.5 hour trip with good connections so it was after seven before he got here and visiting is until eight. He'd been frantic with not hearing... always thinks the worst the man! So I was glad to be awake and cheery for him and able to tell him all about things.

I have a nicely bandaged turban on my head covering one ear. We took some photos which I posted to FB and will attach here at some point too. It was well after 10pm before J was home and had walked the dog. A long and stressful day for him... more than me really as I was out of it for a while :)

A big thumbs up... just back in the room from recovery, and just in time for my tea! :) 

It's now Thursday and after a not tooo bad night, light out at one a.m.... had to ask for extra painkillers though as the toothache-like pain was getting annoying... I was wakened at 7am as my new roommate has an early op at eight and needed to be ready. I pulled my bandage down over my eyes and managed another hour or more before they woke me for brekkers. Everything is your own choice and it's a large one. Very impressed. Probably wouldn't win a Michelin star but very edible. Evening meals all chosen via this overhead computer/tv.

I've had to be rebandaged as it was all wonky and loose with sleeping in it so also got a photo of my half Mohawk... wondering if I should do the other side? ;) hehehe My whole ear has a running stitch up the back, that's all. Should have arranged a facelift while they were at it eh? I can neither see nor feel much of a bump where the implant is so am curious where the magnet for my Rondo will go... curious and excited. Stitch to be removed by Topsakal in one week, then a further two weeks until Switch On Day!

Bonny it ain't... but being behind my ear, not like it gets seen.

Doctor Topsakal has been again as mentioned and explained more. The wire I have is 26mm long instead of the full 32mm (so not a huge difference) but this helps ensure less damage, or at least as little as possible to my remaining hearing level. The further into the cochlea, the more chance... makes sense. I am to get a hearing test with and without my hearing aids (both) tomorrow. All going well I will be sent home and L will collect me - us - and drive us home in style. Am feeling good if a tad lightheaded, but ok. Whole bunch of docs has now been and had me doing exercises to prove I can move my jaw and neck. Oh, that reminds me...  J collected my meningitis vaccination yesterday... 76 bucks! I suppose that's nothing in the grand scheme of CI things after all but still... sheesh. I bloody forgot (!!) to get it in advance but am told two weeks after op is good too... so.

Now just waiting on my visitor, P and then J later. Will eat my ample lunch of rye bread and cheese. Appetite not diminished but never sure if that really means anything with me as 'I like my grub' as most folks are fond of telling me! :) More tomorrow... or the next day.