Side Effect Week one

For people who are curious what sort of side effect that I went through in Week one.

Thursday 27th Nov :  The day of the operation.  talking too much was a sign of being nervous and trying to make people laugh.  Coming out the operation I was deffo sound very merry as I mentioned about having a nice dream. This could be the drug making me happy and relaxed.  5mins later  was demanding food and water.  The first 4 hours into the recovery, I had bad taste in my mouth (This is very common side effect) This soon come back after eating and drinking a lot.  The drug do make me feel so dry that I wanted to drink all day. This gave me excuse to keep going to the little room and I found out that my balance were all over the place. The nurse was so good to me and helped me walk across the room.  I am for one, hate asking for help but since I was in the hospital... I wasn't afraid to ask for help.. NURSE!!!!!    My balance went back to normal. Thanks goodness for that.  The worse bit of today was the tinnitus.  It was so loud I couldn't find a way to calm it down. No hearing aid for that ear since it was patched up in thick bandage. :(      No sleep at all due to discomfort.... I was so glad to bring my ipod with me so I could fall asleep.

28th Nov Friday..... Tinnitus did not calm down.  The air pressure was really tight.  Few odd dizzy spells whenever I got up too quick or looking down....  

 (what ever you do  Don't     Look    Down!!!)      

Bandage came off today and the doctor came to tell me that the operation went very well and need the xray to make sure its in the right place.    Surely enough it was. I then could go home with a little help from my friend, Simon, who lets me lend on him as we walk back home as long we pop by to the McDonald as I was very hungry. Always thinking of food! mmm    Think I got about 6hrs sleep sleeping on the wrong side.   it was very difficult to sleep on the side where I am not used to.  The drug would knock me out.  

29th Nov Sat :  Happy birthday to me!!!!!!   Tinnitus still not calm down. air pressure still very tight. took some pain killer to calm it down.  Since its my birthday and I am suppose to be resting, Danny came by to treat me a movie night while he munching my birthday cake....  charming! lol     After he left, I felt more tired so were pretty much sleeping all evening.   

30th Nov Sunday    Tinnitus starting to calm down a bit. Hair feel grogging. dry blood everywhere. good thing I'm not blond!   Nothing much happened this day.... How very boring. I was expected guests but they said they would come tomoz.

1st Dec Monday....   moping around wondering what to do.  My brother was supposed to come round. I was running around the flat looking for something to do. I would do my work but I could not focus properly.  get easily tired.   My brother and his family came round at last!  Something to do.  I was a bit concerned about climbing these stairs. I couldn't move my head very much due to the tape behind my ear.   My nephew certainly made me smile watching him doing some silly cute things.   I noticed that my brother was getting tired and wanted to go home.  I took this chance to get him to give me a lift to the nearer train station so I could go to Mam's. In Scotland!   "You are mad" my brother says.  "you can't go out there with your thingy exposed to the air! "   Forgive me for I have sin, for being bored at home but I don't care. I'm going out and no one can stop me.  

I managed to get to Scotland with no problem. Pretty much slept most of the journey.  Mam thoughts I was crazy to do it.  Well I am crazy anyway.    

2nd Dec  I slept well this time with no pain and my hair was still unwashed, all dry blood.  What can i do?  If I wash it too soon, there is a risk of infection?  There have been some theory about the hair oil have something in them that keep the ozone neutral and less chance of getting infection.  Best to leave it unwashed for few more days then.  no pain killer was taken 

3rd Dec Had enough of my hair looking a right mess.  I looked like a tramp. I can't be Audrey Hepburn with the hair like this, could I?  No This is no good.  I can't stop touching my ear.  its so numb it can't feel anything. I flicked my fingers to my ear to bring it back alive.  I did this all day!  :S   funny enough it did came back! :)     Mam agreed she would helps me to wash my hair.  well mostly on the left side (not implant area)   she was scared to touch let alone see it! poor mam!  she did well to get some washed.   Tinnitus have gone quiet although I can still hear it.   No pain at all

4th Dec   Couldn't sleep at all. could this be caused by washing my hair?   this could be the case! mmm    some odd dizzy spells  nothing else.  

5th Dec  Went home to Manchester to be ready for the Xmas lunch party tomoz  with Steve and the Bionic Manchester group. I'm looking forward to it.  slept on the train back. Think I have touched the part that, hurt a little.  Serve me right for sleeping on the implant area. oops

Thats pretty much of the week really!   All I can said is that the side effect do calm down quite quickly and make sure I was active as much as possible as well with plenty of rest, laughter, play with cats, treat Mam out for dinner, visited family. keep the mind off the pain.  Noone can believe how well I look.  I act as if it wasn't a week ago that I had the operation.  It certainly doesn't feel like a week.   

Next topic will be about the air pressure. Watch this space.

A day after the operation

Hello World!

The Bionic Manda is here at last. I am relief to be back home now the hardest bit is over. I never thought I would have gone through this, but first I must tell you how its went.

The day of the operation:- I went in to the hospital an hour half early. This would give you a clue of how much I actually get any sleep which was actually none whatsoever. I was so scared and were walking around the room trying to find a way to get some sleep but the operation was playing on my mind. My flatmate, Simon, didn't even get any sleep and were all worried. We then left the house at 5.30am and we had to be at the hospital. We pretty much walked most of the way. We got there an hour later, showed to the bed at the ward then were waiting to find out when I would be going under.

I was supposed to be second on the list but the person who was to go first did not arrived on time and were not nil by mouth longer. I was nil by mouth since 7pm the night before. I could carry on eating or drinking til midnight if I want to but thought it would be wise not to eat or drink anything after 9pm

So I was first to go and they prep me up. By this time I was shaking like a leaf. I was so scared but I knew I would be in their safe hand. I went in at 8.45am and were out into the recovery room at 11.15am. The nurse woke me up half an hour later and i was telling her that I had a lovely dream about the Coldplay gig. She was laughing. A girl who has gone for cochlear implant and she dreamed about music. That might sound a bit odd to her, I guess.

Anyway, 5 mins later I was back in the ward and I was demanding for food, drinks everything. I was so dry I could drink out of the horse buckle. I wanted anything and everything. The doctor came by and told me how it went. It was perfect he says. Excellent news. He told me that I would get some dizzy spells and some bad taste in the mouth. Some people get this for a while and there was no knowing how long it would last. I had them in the first 4 hrs and after that I was fine. The taste disappeared and that was because I was eating and drinking so much. The more I eat the better it taste. For the dizzy spells, well what can I say....I had to ask for the nurse to help me walk to the little girl room as my balance were all over the place. The more I visited the better my balance would be. I would advice everyone to do this when they go for the operation. Keep your body active as much as possible.

This is me, happy to be out of the operation and very much proud of my new hair style! My friends and family all thought I looked quite trendy and very cheeky. I do what I do best is entertaining other people including the people in the ward and the nurses. I could not sit in my bed too long as I was not used to sitting in one place. That just to show you how active I am! Anyway the ward was very cold at night and I couldn't sleep at all. Well I have managed to get at least 3hrs sleep with a little help from my ipod using my other ear. It was the discomfort of my head being so heavy from the bandage and the pressure i feel in my ear. It feel like as if I was on the plane and the air pressure was so tight I had felt like blowing my nose to pop it but I would imagine it would hurt. I would avoid this if I were you. There is some kind of white noise that I hear inside my head and its very annoying. I don't normally get them . This is what we called it the tinnitus. It make ringing type of nosie. a bit like marigine without the flashing yellow light. Before the operation and whenever that I don't wear the hearing aids and I'm fully awake, I would get a little tinnitus. Only very quiet but not annoying. This is usually mean that the brain is looking for it feed. A feed to hear. Once I have put on the hearing aids it would disappeared. Without the device the tinnitus would get worse. I would imagine I will have this until my switch on date. I can't wait.

Reading this back, I must admit that I am glad to be home before my birthday. Glad to have it all over and done with. Glad to know that I have many friends who have been very supportive. Thank you guys. My phone haven't stopped buzzing during my stay!

For those who are curious about the size of the scar or how much hair I have lost... well... it was massive! They have shaved everything! I am kidding! Nah its only small. They have shaved a little just behind the ear and the scar is around the same length at my ear. Just think of it, 8 years ago people had their operation and they had lost half their hair and now, its quite small. I'm really pleased!

To Simon, my flatmate, thanks for being there for me all the way and sorry if I have worn you out for being worried. Now thats over, we can begin the journey of the Bionic World. Here I come!