It’s Closing Time…. in the Post-op.

Now if this recovery room were a bar, I would have had the reputation of the night.

After 3 anti-nausea meds and several long naps, a very drowsy, puky me was the last gal being wheeled out of the recovery room. Even on the way home, I was being held up as I zig-zagged way to my front door and puked 3 times. I am pretty sure I was gaining the reputation of being the neighbourhood drunk.

The operative word here is “excavate.” When the surgeon comes out and tells your family that he had to “excavate” the otosclerosis foci (spongy hard mass) in your ear to even get to the cochlea, you know there was a lot of drilling going on in your inner ear while you were sleeping. It had taken longer than normal to settle my weary head enough so that I could head home. 

The Surgery

At the start of the day, it was an early morning, a smooth check-in, plus a lot of waiting. I had arrived with two of my biggest supporters: My mom and my boyfriend, Sam. Needless to say, it was a full day of surgery, so they both got to know each other well that day. 

It all starts in the surgery admission room where you check-in and get a number. That number is unique to the patient and will move across the board as the patient moves through different stages of the surgery. This is a great way for your loved one to track where you are throughout the day. 

After I received my number, someone came to get me for the costume change (a wonderful blue surgical gown), I was then led to the pre-op room. In pre-op, I check-in with a nurse that checked the usual vitals went over key information for the file, and I insisted that I keep my hearing aid or a pen and paper to communicate. In the end, I could only keep one, so I chose the HA. It was a wait, but I could sit with my family before I was wheeled off to the Operating Room.

The Reality Hits Me

I had to remain on a hospital gurney in the hallway outside the Operating Room as a team was cleaning the Operating Room. I lay there for about 45 mins in the surgical gown and a blanket to keep me warm. 

The surgeon was the first to see me and came over to do a quick chat about the procedure. He went over a detailed account of what will happen, I asked my questions, and then he went into the rehab part of the healing again. I reaffirmed that he recommended 7-10 days off of work for recovery. (I missed to clarify if he actually meant days in total or “days off” – either way, I already created a plan with my new job). 

He mentioned that most people take a month off to become accustomed to the Cochlear Implant as they learned to adjust to the new sense. I said that I had just started a new job… His tone became intense. He became very passionate about explaining the importance of evolving this sense and relearning to hear just like the process a baby would go through. Also, he reviewed the intensity of rehab study he expected of me. 

One after another the nurses then came over, checked my charts and all asked to same questions. Name. Stats. Allergies… 
One month off of work was all that was in my head…  I just started this fantastic job that I love… but this is my new sense… the debate and thoughts bounced back and forth as I stared at the white walls. I had so many nervous thoughts running through my head as I was being wheeled into that operating room. 

Finally, I arrived into the OR full of women nurses, my gown adjusted to accommodate for many electrodes to monitor my ECG. I then had some weird reflective blanket that was draped over my body, then a big white hose that connects near my feet. I ask: “What is that?”… Next thing I know it inflates the whole blanket to keep me warm… Like a giant bubble… cool!

The nurses were informative, cheerful, comforting and quick on their feet. I removed my hearing aid, as it was time to sleep. 

Post Op

I open my eyes, and I see two nurses, and I feel great. Within seconds I am calling for a bucket and puke once, twice… The nurse asked if I want something to help with nausea. 

My one regret was saying yes twice to the nausea meds (which turned out to be three meds) because next thing I know, I had a nap for two hours, then stuck upstairs for another 45 mins while they attempt to find a porter to get me down to Post-Op. 

Thankfully the Surgeon was gracious and updated both my family and myself in the separate locations. The surgery was SUPER successful. The surgeon had a skip in his step about the entire thing. I admire his passion for what he does, but let’s talk about rehab… 

As I was wheeled down to see my family after 5pm, a nurse intercepted and steered me right into the emergency X-ray. I COULD NOT get up for the x-ray as I was so tired and dizzy – so there was a little improvisation on their part. They take this x-ray to make sure the CI has been placed in the right place during surgery. 

I was then wheeled down to post-op where Mom and Sam found me. The place was EMPTY, all except for two nurses. They shut down the lights and let me nap to wear off nausea. 

Luckily for me, my support team was patiently waiting to wheel me out and take me home. 

Little did I know then, but the extra sleep that day was going to help me in the next few days.