Time off work

[Katie]

Hello all, 

I have SSD and am going to get my CI in May.  My other ear hears almost normally, currently I wear a CROS device.  I am a STAT nurse and am wondering what you all recommend as far as taking time off work post activation (from what I understand the surgery and recovery are not too bad, most people can return to work within the week).  I have great benefits so if I need to take time off it is not a problem.  I am interested in the initial activation period and those first couple of weeks.  Would it be better to be home and in a controlled noise situation?  Or throw myself right back into work because the way things sound and the hard work my brain will have to do will not be so overwhelming.  My job is quite hectic and is mostly responding to bedside emergencies so I need to be fully present and capable of focusing on the task at hand. 

Thanks so much!

[Michi]

Hallo, ich bin nach der Aktivierung sofort wieder arbeiten gegangen. Ich bin Köchin und arbeite in einer sehr lauten Küche. Es war und ist sehr schwer mit den Lärm zurecht zu kommen. Aber je mehr man sich damit befasst, desto leichter wird es. Es ist aber bei jeden anders. Ich drücke dir die Daumen, das alles gut wird. Du wirst auf jeden Fall, viel Geduld und Übung brauchen. Mfg Michi 

[Mary Beth]

I was a teacher at that time and only took activation day off.  Being surrounded by the sounds of our everyday lives helps us on our journeys.

[Anthony Canada]

I went back to work two days after but I work in an office setting. For at least two weeks after I could feel the increased blood flow if I walked very much and I could not bend down or lift anything over my head. I did not walk great distances or lift weights for at least a month after surgery. I don't see how you'd be able to run down a hall, flip a patient or do any of the lift saving fast tasks your job requires without ending up a patient yourself. Your surgeon should be able to give you a realistic expectation. Can they give you modified duty where you only chart or do something administrative?

[Tim]

@Katie Welcome in advance to the CI world!  I'm SSD also and was implanted/activated in January 2023.  Perhaps a little similar - I was using a bone conduction device instead of CROS prior to the CI. 

I agree with @Mary Beth.    Taking the day off for activation is sufficient. It would be nice to have a few extra days to get comfortable with the gear and to get a little intense practice but not at all necessary. Right after activation you should be doing about as well at work as you were doing in the days before activation w/o CROS maybe better. The first few days of work with the CI will be extra exhausting. 

I think @Anthony Canada is on the mark about the time post-implantation but it seems like you already had a plan there.  Like Anthony, I have an office job and was able to join zooms the day after surgery, just nice to leave camera off so I didn't scare people with my rough, unshowered look with the big ear protector. 🙂  I was back to work with remote meetings very quickly but I would be much more conservative if I had a hectic nursing job.  Also, good to role model being a compliant patient following your doctor's orders in terms of time off for  returning to work.  (I have family members with and without medical backgrounds that are are terrible about following doctors orders.)

It took a few months before I could say that I felt like I had substantial improvement in noisy environments.  At about the 6 month mark, I was running a loud international conference in Mexico and couldn't imagine doing it without the CI.  Certainly not as high stress as a hospital environment but perhaps similarly hectic, loud, and noisy.

[Kylie]

I wouldn't take any additional time after activation. Just get back to it, you will adapt quickly to the new sounds. Just expect everything to be surprisingly LOUD. But I think you will enjoy the immediate improvement to sound location, compared to the cros. This will be amazing at work but I don't think overly distracting.

I would take maximum time for the surgery instead. There can be headaches, dizziness etc at the start for some. So if you can take 1-2 weeks then, that's great.  I had a headache until the staples were removed because the skin being pulled tightly, but otherwise no real pain or other symptoms. Others did have more symptoms so it's a bit unpredictable.