by Rebecca J on 2012-11-01
My cochlear implant surgery was 3 weeks ago. Hard to believe that much time has already gone by! A few days ago, I said to William, “Iʼm still figuring out what the new normal is for us,” and he just nodded. Weʼre still taking things one day at a time, in hopes that the new normal is less frustrating than the current normal and more full of sound than the old normal.
Iʼm mostly recovered from surgery. The vertigo is almost entirely gone, except I can get a little light-headed if I stand up too quickly or bend over too far. So, Iʼm still careful about that. My right ear is still numb, but my incision is healing nicely. My sense of taste is almost back, but some things still taste a little bland. But no trouble with spicy foods! And I still have a bruise under my right eye. It is the strangest thing — it doesnʼt hurt at all, but I still have a green spot on my cheek. You know what, though? Iʼm so glad to be back on my feet. Iʼve been catching up on laundry this week, and Iʼm itching to scrub the bathrooms. Itʼs such a nice feeling to be useful again. I donʼt mind the occasional sick day, but being in bed for almost two weeks is ridiculous.
In terms of where I am after implant activation, that has been pretty well documented here. I am having a hard time hearing. By the end of the day, I am so tired of listening to Emilyʼs chatter, especially since she tends to get shoutier towards bedtime. All sharp noises are pretty much the same volume, so I am especially sensitive to slamming doors, things falling on the floor, Emily singing, or Molly tapping blocks together. Because Iʼm not hearing a lot of variation in volume and little articulation between words, my days are strangely noisy and confusing.
Thatʼs where I am today. And every tomorrow will be just a little bit better than every today.
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