Post-Op update!

[Janine6]

Hi everyone,

Had my operation today at 2pm and am now back home sat in bed (it's 9pm here).

Feeling fine but sore - like bad toothache - so am counting down the hours until my next painkillers!

I didn't have the same-day switch-on in the end.... there was another lady first in the queue before me and her operation took a long time unexpectedly (5 hours - I was worried she had died!) so mine was delayed and there wasn't time to switch me on. However, in the end they also decided to wait 2 weeks for the switch-on due to the swelling, which I'm quite pleased about - I can't imagine having a magnet attached to my head at the moment, it's too sore.

One thing I wanted to ask those of you who have already had the operation.... I have quite a lot of fresh blood coming out of my ear canal and wondered if you experienced the same thing? I'm a bit confused as the operation doesn't involve the middle ear, so wasn't sure why I have blood coming from it. Any ideas?

Thanks for all you kind wishes.

Janine

[bigguns]

 Abot the blod, go back to hospital immediately!   Let´s hope it´s old blod from surgery. You was sent home too early I think.

What hospital and country was it?

 

Wery god thing they finally decided to wait with the swith on, I was really worried (for you) for the crazy idea of switch on before the wound has healed properly.

 

Good luck

/Fredrik

[Janine6]

Day 1 after surgery - woke up feeling fine this morning, no pain really and didn't need to take any painkillers through the night. Just got a big lump on the side of my head, but otherwise I feel good.

Re the bleeding, it's still there but getting lighter in colour. I may give the hospital a call later on. I'm wondering if my eardrum has burst due to the trauma of the surgery, but I'm not too worried. I'm taking antibiotics, so that should clear up any infection.

I think that most operations in England are now performed as day cases as most people recover better at home (and it probably saves them lots of money too!). My surgeon is featured in the Med El Brochures, he's very experienced and I'm sure he knows what he's doing. Yes, I'm glad about the delayed switch-on, plus it gives me something to look forward to! Perhaps when he did it last time if was purely for the newspaper exposure

 

[GUILLARME]

Hello Janine,

 

I'm happy for you. I hope it will be a succes when they will swith-on the external processor.

 

Can you post some pictures, please ? I'm worried, my husband is not satisfied, he would prefer I stay with cross system (Phonak).

 

Best regards.

[Janine6]

Rang the hospital about the bleeding and they asked me to come in to be checked out. Just made the 3 hour round trip and am home again! There is a little sore/cut inside my ear canal which is allowing a build up of blood and watery substance from my mastoid bone to escape. They said it's nothing to worry about and should clear up in the next few days.

Whilst I was there I saw my surgeon. He said my operation only lasted 40 minutes and was very successful. However, the tip of one of the screws went into an air pocket in the bone, so he wants to allow more time for it to integrate into the bone before I use the external processor. He wanted me to wait 4 weeks, but the audiologist is then on holiday, which means I can't be switched on for 6 weeks! A bit disappointing, but I guess it's something to look forward to at the end of May.

Right, I'm hopefully going to put my feet up now and recuperate!

[Janine6]

Aurelie, I don't have any photos as yet, but will post some in a few weeks time. If you look in one of the other posts in the Bonebridge section there are a few photographs submitted by other people that may help you.

[Regula]

Bonjour Aurélie!

 

If your husband is worried, show him Frederiks and my post-op pics. You will find them in the thread Bonebridge/BB-surgery-3-weeks-today.

 

And if he continues to be worried, hey, it's your hearing and your decision, not his. I found that very few people understand what it is like to be deaf on one side.

 

I tried the Phonak Cross Hearing aid for 4 weeks ( a new model that came out in 2012), and didn't like it at all, it disoriented me, and I found it very tiring to have my good ear filled with the artificial sound from the other side. BB gives you a more natural hearing experience, I get less tired in noisy situations.

 

Have they given you a BAHA with a headband to try out? That way, you can find out, how the Bonebridge works. BB gives you better sound than the BAHA headband, though.

[Regula]

Hey Janine,

Good to hear your bleeding is nothing to worry about. It must be disappointing to have to wait 6 weeks for the activation, but time passes quickly, and today - 2 months after switch-on, I have a hard time even remembering what it was like before I got the BB...

 

And, do put your feet up, read your favorite book, forget about household chores and cleaning up for a few days, just dealing with being sore is tiring enough for the first few days.

[GUILLARME]

Hi Janine and Regula,

 

I've tested the BAHA headband, I hear well with it, so I hope it will be better with the BB. I'll see the surgeon the 3 may, so I hope he can operate me, because I can't live anymore like it.

 

Thank you all.

[Janine6]

Day 3 post op - spent much of the last two days asleep and now have a slight burst of energy! I'm trying to keep myself in bed though to avoid doing too much. Still losing some watery orange substance from my ear canal, but it seems to be getting less over time. Have stopped taking painkillers now, just on antibiotics for one more day. Really want to wash my hair as I feel grubby, but I can't. I was pleased to note that they didn't have to shave any of my hair off too! My ear feels very rubbery and it's like it belongs to someone else, but they did say to expect some short term nerve blockage.

 

Regula - when you take your BB off at night do you feel really deaf? I imagine that if hearing is so much better with the BB that it feels so much worse without it. Is it scary not being able to hear when you take it off?

 

Aurelie - good luck with your decision. I agree that it must be a personal choice - you need to try the BAHA test kit and then you will know what sort of hearing it could give you. When I tried it I made the decision immediately that I needed this level of hearing to get the best out of life.

 

Janine

[Janine6]

Day 5 post op. Decided it was time to resume normal life today after spending a few days in bed. Not a great idea. Went to a busy supermarket and half way round felt sick/dizzy/faint/tearful/overwhelmed - not like me - and had to come home. I think the moral of this story is to ensure plenty of time for rest and don't try to get back into your normal routine too quickly. Not easy when you have 3 children and are not used to lying around though! I'm now back at home with my feet up again and a glass of wine in my hand (is that allowed? I'm not on tablets any more...)

[Ivana Marinac]

 

Hi Janine and Regula,

 

I've tested the BAHA headband, I hear well with it, so I hope it will be better with the BB. I'll see the surgeon the 3 may, so I hope he can operate me, because I can't live anymore like it.

 

Thank you all.

Hi Aurelie,

 

I have read your questions.

Yes, you can expect that your hearing will be better with BB implanted than BAHA on headband. Bone conduction hearing is much more than listening through the skull bone.

I will soon put a topic about technical data of devices we plan to use. For you, as you have a single side deafness if I have suspected well because you use CROS system this could be a substantial improvement. I am not connected with Med-EL - I am a medical doctor but also a BB recipient candidate due to the naturally malformed middle ear. A surgeon in my country is preparing to do this op. It will be slightly different than it is in case most of people hear but I have to say that I am little bit surprised with data that an op lasted 5 hours - my surgeon implant a CI device for an hour and half.

 

Regarding your question - you can wear a device as long as you want. I am wearing a hearing aid on headband since I remember and now, after so many years I can tell - it is not pleasant experience. Constant pressure made some horrible headaches so I prefer to put off my hearing aid during the night. Holding it only if I am on call. I can not say it is big difference to be deaf at all. Sometimes, I prefer to relax a little bit of all sound around me although I enjoy in the world of sound very much.

So - you will see what is good for you. Do not bother about this stuff too early.

[Janine6]

Sorry to confuse Ivana, the 5 hour operation was not a BB but was a bilateral middle ear implant and the patient had some health issues. I'll be really interested in your comments as a doctor, particularly in terms of after-care as I was not sure what to expect.

[GUILLARME]

Hi Ivana,

 

Thank you for precisions, but I can't stay with only one side hearing, because it's no more possible with my work, I can't all understand when I give a meeting. My family and friends accept my problem, but at work, it's not the same.

 

The headband is not very confortable all day, I can hear well but it's squeeze me.

 

So, I will wait my next meeting with surgeon, and see.

 

Best regards.

[Janine6]

Photo of my ear exactly 1 week after surgery. I can't believe what a good job he has made of it!! I took the dressing tape off today because it was itching and was expecting to see a row of stitches but there is hardly anything there, I'm so pleased. The second photo shows me 4 hours after surgery when they took the bandage off. I feel so much better today, it's amazing what a bit of rest can do for your recovery.

[bigguns]

Hi Janine!

 

Seems like as many ways to do that as there are surgeons. if you compare with my photos.

Your cut is much closer to the ear.

 

/Fredrik

[Janine6]

Yes Fredrik, they look very different. I wonder if that means the processor will be much closer to my ear? Guess I'll find out in 5 weeks (and counting!).

[Janine6]

Switched on yesterday!

I think the sound is set quite low as I can't hear as well as with the BAHA headband, but there are options to increase the sound level at my next appointment. My audiologist was keen to ensure the sound was balanced with my 'good' ear and that sounds weren't too loud. I think I can hear conversations that I previously couldn't, but it's difficult to tell. My family have still had to repeat themselves sometimes. I think it will take time for my brain to realise what I can now hear that I previously could not.

I'm pleased with the size of the processor - it's smaller than I remember - although it sits only a few millimetres from the top of my ear so it is a lot closer than I expected. The magnet doesn't feel so strong, and I have already knocked it off my head whilst putting my seatbelt on! I hope I don't lose it. There are stronger magnets available for it though. It's very comfortable to wear - I don't feel it at all - and it is hidden nicely under my hair so it is not visible (but I wouldn't be able to wear my hair up with it on).

I'd be interested to know how long other peoples' batteries are lasting - the BB instruction book suggests 3 days.

Janine

[bigguns]

Hi Janine!

 

I have to be short, no time.

 

1. There are 4 input levels to chose from. I´m on n:o 4 now and its not too strong. (I wrote about these levels before)

You probably was set to level 2 to start with. Also there are ALOT of adjustments to do in the software. I´ll really hope for your cause your audiologist now how to deal with them.

 

2. Magnets, I have the n:o 5, it´s the strongest. Otherwise it fell off too easily, thats not god.

 

3 . I have tested batterys from several brands. I´ve got them to last for atleast 70 hours and more.  3 days battery last is for CI´s.

 

4.  I´ll hope there will not be any problem with puting on glasses for you now, with the reciver on. Regarding the close attachment of the implant.

 

/Fredrik

[Adam]

Janine,

CONGATULATIONS on your activation. Usually the audi starts you out at a lower level then builds up over 4 weeks or so. Everything will sound louder but then over the week it will start to get softer as your brain adjusts.

Kind of like in cooking when you temper say milk and eggs to make custard.

What you have to do is add a little of the VERY hot milk to the eggs at a time. If you add all the milk at once, it would be way too much and scramble the eggs. adding a little at a time will gradually increase the temps, then you will be able to dump in the rest.

I think the mapping is the same way. If they started with the volume where it will eventually be, that would be too much for our brain to handle.

[GUILLARME]

Hello Janine,

 

I'm happy for you, I imagine it must take some days for to become used of hearing with the processor. I'm sure it'll be a success.

 

Bye

[Matt]

 

Janine,

CONGATULATIONS on your activation. Usually the audi starts you out at a lower level then builds up over 4 weeks or so. Everything will sound louder but then over the week it will start to get softer as your brain adjusts.

Kind of like in cooking when you temper say milk and eggs to make custard.

What you have to do is add a little of the VERY hot milk to the eggs at a time. If you add all the milk at once, it would be way too much and scramble the eggs. adding a little at a time will gradually increase the temps, then you will be able to dump in the rest.

I think the mapping is the same way. If they started with the volume where it will eventually be, that would be too much for our brain to handle.

Are you saying your brain is like custard?

[Ivana Marinac]

 

 

Janine,

CONGATULATIONS on your activation. Usually the audi starts you out at a lower level then builds up over 4 weeks or so. Everything will sound louder but then over the week it will start to get softer as your brain adjusts.

Kind of like in cooking when you temper say milk and eggs to make custard.

What you have to do is add a little of the VERY hot milk to the eggs at a time. If you add all the milk at once, it would be way too much and scramble the eggs. adding a little at a time will gradually increase the temps, then you will be able to dump in the rest.

I think the mapping is the same way. If they started with the volume where it will eventually be, that would be too much for our brain to handle.

Are you saying your brain is like custard?

 

Matt - funny...

[Adam]

Matt that is pretty much a given i guess.

[Peach]

 Hi Janine, I am a BB recipient implanted April 25 and was activated on May 10th. I'm glad they started you off at a softer sound level. Mine was set louder than it should have been and made me wonder why I did this ... Like I needed yet another hole in the head ... Ha ha . Anyway I've been back last Tues and had things adjusted and what a wonderful difference! There will still be some adjustments needed along the way I gather but now I'm actually enjoying my new sense. As for the batteries, the ones that came with mine have lasted a 6-7 days so far, but then it's only been 13 days ... I'll be checking out different brands soon. Have a great day!