Summer Fun and a Surgery Date!

Summer is in full spring around here!! My precious "niece" and "nephew" are here for 2 1/2 weeks and we are making the most of very minute! It's very, VERY frustrating that I can't hear them as well as we became accustomed to. For instance, I can't understand them in the car when I'm driving and they are adjusting to getting my attention and looking at me when they talk. We are still having a blast though! This is my third post-Esteem summer and the joy of being in the water and hearing is still new to me. I love being able to play. We are spending lots of time in the pool.  At Disneyland, the kids and I got to play at the splash pad. We rode Splash Mountain...and no one had to cover my ears!

My mom, dad and I took the kiddos to Disneyland for a few days and had a great time!!  I was worried about the noise bothering me but it wasn't too bad. The worst part was when Brynna and I rode Tower of Terror by ourselves. It's tough to depend on a 5-year-old to tell you what's going on...especially when she's quite imaginative. :) Overall, it was a fantastic trip!

While we were in Southern California, I went to see the amazing Dr. Shohet. It's seriously so nice to walk into the office and be greeted by name. I've never felt so welcomed in a doctor's office! Gavyn was quite disappointed that Dr. Shohet was not going to cut my head open that day because he wanted to watch. Brynna, on the other hand, was relieved to meet him and find out that he is nice even though "chopping people's heads open is NOT nice!" I was thrilled that they got to meet him. They don't understand what an impact he has made on their lives...

So the big news is that I am having surgery to replace the sound processor July 24 or 25! Shockingly, I'm terrified. The surgery will be a bit more complicated than I had anticipated and I will be under general anesthesia. I HATE general anesthesia. I'm catatonic for 10 days after every surgery, the breathing tube hurts my throat and I tend to get sick and/or pass out. Plus, this will be a different anesthesiologist than I've had for all the other surgeries. I loved him! The worst part, though, is waking up. See, I'm really nervous this time. I know it's very possible that there will be complications and I won't be able to hear. Waking up and not knowing how things went is terrifying. I'm dreading that so much. Last time, even though the result of the surgery was devastating, I felt much better just knowing what was going on the whole time. Of course, my surgeon is wonderful and he will tell me everything I want to know when I wake up, but I won't be coherent enough to understand. Knowing that had made me VERY scared instead of excited. The day after the appointment, I cried most of the day. If all goes well, I'll be able to hear immediately, but I won't know it because of the wonderful ear bubble. Fun times!

Obviously, being able to hear again is worth whatever it takes...but I am really bummed right now. :-( The past few months have been so challenging that it's tough to be optimistic.