Immeasurably More: Back to Normal (for now!)

I finally feel like myself today!! The recovery from surgery has been very easy overall. It's nothing when you consider what I'm gaining. I do want to be completely open, though, because I know a few people who are considering getting the Esteem or who have upcoming surgeries reading this. It helped me to know what to expect! After surgery...

*My throat hurt. I had no idea it would hurt that bad. Apparently, the anesthesiologist puts the breathing tube in the throat for 4 hours with NO lubrication whatsoever. It hurt. A lot.

*You have to wait a long time for "happy juice." I thought they would give it to me as soon as I got to the surgery center, but noooo...they had to wait on the doctor to get there. It was worth the wait, though. :)

*My allergies improved. Seriously. I was not expecting this at all, but I'm super glad! I usually have horrible seasonal allergies but in the week since surgery, I haven't had any problems. I was told to expect them to be worse and my doctor wrote a few prescriptions but I'm breathing easier than I have in a loooong time! :)

*Bruising - oh my gosh. I knew my neck would be sore because of the way they have to position the head during surgery, but I had no idea I'd look like I'd been strangled. Fortunately, I find it funny. :) About 3 days after surgery, yellow bruises showed up all along my neck, from my ear to my collarbone. There was also some bruising around the ear itself. It is UGLY!

*No incision pain! I thought the incision would be sore, but it hasn't been at all. It's also not nearly as disgusting as I expected, though Brynna thinks my "ouchie" is "ucky!" :)

*The implant feels WEIRD. I know it's really very small, but it seems a lot bigger now that it's in my skull. :) I'll attach some pictures, but it's a flat, roundish device. Feeling it on my head is one of the creepiest things I've ever experienced. Anytime I brush my hair back, I touch it and get weirded out. :) Even more than that, though, is the feeling in my head. Until today, I felt it constantly. It hurt at first, but then it was just a constant pressure sensation. It felt like my skull was being crushed and the skin was stretching. I guess both of those are kinda true. :) On Easter, my brother's girlfriend wanted to feel the implant, but when she did, she screamed, "Oh my gosh, you have a giant lump on your head!" Hilarious moment! It's definitely an odd feeling. It's also wonderful because every time I touch it, I remember what a miracle this is!

*The sensation in my ear is odd, too. My outer ear is numb and will be for a long time. My ear canal feels strange, though. It kinda feels like I have a hearing in it, even though I do not. :) Also, ears get COLD. You don't know that when you wear hearing aids!

*Swallowing felt weird. You know that feeling when you're in the mountains and your ears are full of fluid? It was kinda like that. Every time I swallowed, the fluid moved around and it was a little painful and very weird. Today, I don't notice that at all.

*People are so nice when you're going to have surgery! :) I'm not gonna lie, all the sweet comments from people have been fantastic. (Narcissistic much, right??) :)

*Washing my hair is difficult. Obviously, it's hard to wash the incision site because it hurts to touch it, but I didn't realize how much the shape of my head would change. Seriously, y'all, it feels so foreign now! I actually have to think about how to wash my hair!

*I am tired. I don't know if it's lingering anesthesia or my body recovering from the surgery or just going back to work, but I am so so tired. I had a lot more energy today...and then it rained. At school. Know what's more exhausting than surgery? Teaching kindergarten when they don't get recess.

*It's still not real. I know that my whole world is going to change in 7 weeks. It's terrifying and exciting all at once. You would think that, with this giant lump on my head, everything would seem real, but it doesn't. All my life, I've worn hearing aids and all my life, I've been told I always would. That was fine. :) This whole journey is amazing in so many ways and I'm so thankful that God has brought me here...but it still seems like a dream sometimes.

*Sleep is impossible. I can usually sleep on either side, but with the implant, I can only sleep on my right side (not left side or back) or the pressure hurts. Of course, now that I can't sleep on my right side, that's all I want to do. :) Lack of sleep is probably the real reason I'm so tired.

*It hurt. The Envoy website says that patients experience pressure and not pain. That's a lie. But I'd rather experience the pain for months than go for one day without hearing aids. If you wear hearing aids, you understand that. Going without them is HORRIBLE. I'd rather go through the surgery and recovery many many times than deal with one day without hearing.

I feel really good today, a week later. I'm still tired but I don't "feel" the implant all.day.long. like I did before. I can bend over and swallow and chew normally now. I'm still bruised but really not in pain at all. I feel normal. But normal is about to change big time. :)