Post surgery healing

[artkup]

Could someone point me to a good resource of what the healing process for a single Cochlear Implant surgery may be like?

 

Thanks,

 

Art

[jpl2ci]

Art, here goes. You will be wearing either a gauze bandage around your head, think The Mummy or a gauze filled cone with an elastic strap for around 48 hours. You may experience some discomfort but there is better living through chemistry. Do not try to go back to work on Friday if your surgery was Tuesday!!! Your incision will be healing for several weeks, anywhere from 2-4 weeks. There may be some minor swelling on your head, but ice bags, frozen peas, etc help. Take it easy is an excellent mantra. Everybody seems to have a slightly different recovery experience. My first felt like I was semi-drunk/hungover from the anesthesia the first time but the second surgery with Propofol was wonderful. I was activated 14 days after surgery first time and 10 days later on the second. Activation is interesting in that you don't know what to expect. Take high hopes and low expectations into that first session. Your audiologist will activate one maybe two programs and give you some tips. You will have a succession of mapping sessions at first and as your brain gets acclimated, your mapping sessions will become less frequent.

If you are offered hearing therapy, RUN do not walk to the sign up sheet! You will be learning to hear again and professional help is a tool to be utilized.

[Adam]

Art,

That can be a tough question to answer as each one of us is a little different.

 

What seems to be close to just about all of us is it is usually an outpatient procedure but some like me had to spend the night.

Does it it hurt? Well it is surgery so yes there is some discomfort but it really depends on your tolerance. If you stay on top of the pain meds for the first day or two, maybe three, you should do ok.

The thing that bothered me the most was the compression bandage they put over my ear. The strap on my forehead gave me a headache.

Some people have some dizzieness for a day or two. I did not have any of this.

Some complain of funny taste on tongue or a numbness which goes away eventually. I did not have this either.

You should have your legs under you so to speak in about a week or so. I did find it uncomfortable to sleep on the side of the surgery so didnt get much rest as that is the side I normally sleep on.

the incision for me healed pretty quickly but I tend to do that with any cuts. How fast that happens for you will depend on the skill of the surgeon and how quickly your body can repair.

Swelling will be at its worst the first week or teo then go down to where it isnt really noticable after about 3 weeks or so. again each person is different here.

I would touch base with your doctor as well as he/she knows your medical history better than anybody and could probably give you a more accurate picture.

I hope this helps.

 

Adam

[artkup]

Well it looks like surgery is scheduled for Oct. 10th.  Wish me luck.

[Adam]

AWESOME!! Less than a week away. i know you have to be excited

[Sandy]

That's great Art. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

[weimar]

wondering how you're coming along, Art.  I agree wholeheartedely with John Lee's assessment of the healing process.  Mine was pretty painful for the first couple of weeks because I had some weird "spikes" of pain that would occasionally dart through my ear canal "kinda sorta behind the ear."  It sucked but eventually weakened before dissipating altoghter.  Another difference from John Lee's post is that I was not activated until 30 days after the surgery - everyone's is different.  I would definitely emphasize the professional help aspect - I saw a speech pathologist for a year after activation (once a week at first and then once every couple of weeks towards the end).  I really feel like this was a major benefit to my success with the implant.

 

Hope you're doing well and that you're well on your way to better hearing by now - keep us posted!