I thought I would wipe out yesterday after making the move from the hospital to home.  We stopped and had lunch at a favorite restaurant on the way home, and then my kids all came over with dinner and we had a nice visit during the afternoon and evening.  I got to sit back and let the rest of the gang take care of food prep and clean up. That was nice!

 I never did  take a nap yesterday, but did go to bed fairly early.  I slept well in spite of not using my CPAP.  We had a call in to the doctor to find out how long I need to wait to use it again.  They forgot to call last night but let me know today (after apologizing for not getting back to me yesterday!) that it is ok to use it now.   I’m not allowed to sneeze normally or blow my nose until after my 3 week check up! Hard to remember sometimes!   I really feel pretty well all things considered.  I am a little tired right now.  I probably will take a little nap at some point today. I just showered (had a big shower cap on to keep my bandage dry) and it feels very good to be clean and able to use lotion and deodorant again!

 I haven’t had any real dizziness, but I have had a few kind of “whoa” moments where it felt like things were just slightly off, but I feel fortunate that it isn’t a major problem for me. My sense of taste is fine and the nerves in my face are also fine. Those were possible complications so I am thankful that so far I haven’t had any (just like we all prayed for!) The doctor told my family that it is possible that I will hear imaginary sounds during this time period. It could be buzzing or tinnitus, or it could be I think I hear a symphony or music playing or some other crazy thing! She said the brain can come up with some bizarre things while trying to figure out what is happening with this new input! Sounds wild! I have had some buzzing sounds, but that’s about it. I did note something interesting when I was in the recovery room. In the past there have been a couple of times I was unconscious and I remember the distinct feeling of waking up and realizing that the brain went from “nothing” – just blackness with an absence of any thought to “something” as in having normal conscious thoughts. This time there were many scenes in little picture boxes, each one overlapping the other. I don’t know what the scenes were, but I remember seeing them come to the foreground partially overlapping each other – sort of like fireworks do during the grand finale! different scenes kept moving to the front of the big “picture.” I am curious if that is a result of them firing up the electrodes during surgery to make sure they were working and that is just what my brain did with the signals. I really don’t know but it was very different from what I have experienced in the past. I find that interesting!

I took a pain pill last night before bed – pain wasn’t horrible, but it was a little uncomfortable and distracting, so I thought it would help me sleep.

 Tomorrow is the day the “turban” bandage comes off.  It will be interesting to see what my ear looks like a this point!

 I am feeling loved and spoiled and taken care of right now!  On Tuesday night a bag of encouragement was delivered to me by my sweet sisters in Christ.  It was full of small gifts and notes with encouraging thoughts to help build me up during this long ongoing process.  I was touched by that!  I will definitely be digging in and using it as intended.  I also received some lovely flowers and some sweet notes on Facebook!  I am so blessed!  Mom and my family are taking good care of me as well.  It is so nice not to have to worry about anything, and to be able to just rest and regroup!

 Since we only did one implant, I am able to use my hearing aid just like before surgery and my hearing is exactly the same at this point.  I wasn’t using the ear they operated on anyway, so nothing has been lost.  Activation day is scheduled for Dec. 3.  That is when the doctor will make sure the surgical site is completely healed, then I will begin working with my audiologist (who specializes in CIs) to activate and start the process of “mapping” my new device.  That will be an exciting time!  The most difficult part of this process, I believe, will begin on activation day.  I won’t be allowed to wear my hearing aid for 3 months at that point.  No hearing aid for me leaves me functionally deaf.  That period of time will last until my brain learns to recognize this new input as sound and then learns how to make sense of it. It is all exciting stuff for me! Right now I am going to just focus on getting well again and healing!

Thanks for the continued prayers! I have no doubt God is answering those prayers in positive ways for me! ho