Ed in Az

Pre and Post Op stories...

Here I am still alive and kicking! Waiting for the incision to heal! It is a month long healing processes before the big day that is, Activation day!
Ok I promised you the details on what goes on before and after the surgery!.

Well, you have seen my previous post I made the night before the surgery with picture of me :) I wished I got a hair cut like Bruce Willis had (referring to Die Hard) but oh well. I'll tell you why soon.

After I posted, I went to bed, guess what? I didn't sleep good enough at all because I woke up way before I intended to wake up at 5am so I guess I was too anxious? I'll say!

Jun 26th
As I was done dressed up, My brother came.. We left at 5:30am and we were to report to UMC Ambulatory service.

We were called into Pre-op room, they started taking blood pressure, temperatures and asking me some informations then directed me to my bed. I was instructed to put on hospital gown...
(warning, photos ahead.. not for faint of heart!)

I got settled into bed... with hot blanket. They sure keep all the blankets hot and cozy! Even it is summer outside, it was like 80 that morning (the peak is like 100's here in Tucson) BUT Air conditioned inside and they can chill you easily!

(click to enlarge) That's me after putting on gown, blanketed and waiting...
We got in like little before 6am and they had to process me first so we waited for like about hour and half or so....

(click to enlarge) Still waiting...

Then the surgery teams showed up.. first were anesthesiologist, Rob and his assistant.. the rest came in including Dr. Green...

(click to enlarge) the nurse (I forgot her name and what she does in O.R.) asking me to open mouth...

(click to enlarge) Me again waiting but got IV plugged into my wrist, wonderful new technology, Plastic needle! so you don't have to keep your hand/arm still because of stiff pointy needle! I recall back my first stay in same hospital here at UMC back in 70's I am sure my family remember that! (glass in my right elbow!) I had to keep my left arm out and straight and be very careful not to hurt myself because of that needle! but with this plastic needle in my left wrist I could use my left for anything like drinking or whatever.. amazing! well at first, I thought it was same old, I made my left arm stay where it is before wheeled into O.R. but I was wrong after I woke up.... I learned that after seeing the nurse took it out, I was like "oh wow! a plastic needle!"

Now, They were ready to wheel me into O.R. so Rob injected the anesthesia into IV tube as shown below... (he knows sign language thru his ex girlfriend because her parent are deaf I believe)

(click to enlarge) I could feel the cold fluid going in with the warm IV...

From that point, I think I started to get kinda sleepy when they wheeled me in..

(click to enlarge) nurse telling me to wave and I wasn't sure what I was doing in that picture, perhaps flashing a peace sign or whatever.. but at least I did wave... hehe..

While, I was in O.R., they had me moved from prep bed to surgery table. It had a padded head rest with arm rest.. they haven't turned on light yet.. so I was looking up at the lamp with my arms out on the armrest. Rob said he's putting oxygen mask on me for air.. few moment after that I was out, I haven't seen anyone like Dr. Green and others. Just Rob and his assistant. I was out before they started on me. Because, I have read that some were awake to see surgeon and his team before going into sleep.

No pictures from surgery, I will try to find out if I can get some that is if they do have any images from my operation.

I was told that my surgery ended at around noon since sometime before 8am and was sent to recovery room where I slept till 4pm or so the same day. Before I finally woke.. They had a several suckers on my chest to monitor my pulse and a wrap-around on my right arm to monitor my blood pressure... gee... I was told that wrap-around was pumping air every 5 minutes! I though someone was squeezing my arm as if to wake me up! When I woke up, 5 minutes switched to 15 minutes so I didn't notice the pump and nurse went and got my brother in... as we greeted each other, I felt it again, I looked at my right arm, ahhh pump! no wonder! I told him that it woke me up hehe.. so I asked him to take picture but I was sleepy.. because of anesthesia still wearing off

(click to enlarge) my bro snapped this shot as my eye closed. (after he saw this photo, he asked me if I was acting... I told him no it wasn't.. I told him I was still sleepy!)

Before, I was moved out of recovery room, I finally made my first trip to bathroom on my own feet! of course with Dave helping me.. Thank goodness, no dizzy or vertigo and even NO nausea! I feel good about that! Some of my family member may remember that I experienced dizzy spells in the past when I was in my teenager years. It is no longer the case anymore.

Dr. Green decided to let me go home the same day if I wanted to. They asked me that.. I was like umm I don't know.. umm we told him that I lived alone in my apt and my brother on other side of city. So We all agreed that I stay overnight so they moved to a room on third floor.

(click to enlarge) Toasting to successful surgery well, no liquid booze though.. just water! I was on clear liquid diet.. almost nothing to eat. Because they don't want me to have nausea, that's why I have that diet while staying there. I have requested for chocolate pudding or ice cream, they got me chocolate ice cream, no nausea so far! So far, I had beef broth, black coffee w/sugar, chocolate ice cream and orange popsicle. The others I didn't eat were gelatins, italian ice, cranberry juice and apple juice...

(click to enlarge) Showing off where IV went in... with plastic needle of course! with the drip regulator.. my first time was just iV pole with IV liquids no electronic gadget on it though.. big difference! it tells you how much was fed into me.. I think last I saw was something like 930mil so far.

My bro and I chatted for a while till about 8pm He left to go home and I went to sleep afterward... I thought I would sleep till 8 in the morning but no! They had to make round by checking on me every 2 hours! checking my pressure, temp and meals! It is like napping every two hours hehe..
They also added antibiotic liquid along with IV it was empty few hours later..

Jun 27th
In the morning, my bro Dave, came back and brought me newspaper, nothing to read but see Aspen fire as headline on front page. It was hazy outside due to smoke from there. later... my friend Roger Vass Jr. stopped by to visit me. we all chatted for a while waiting for Dr. to show up...

As Dr. Green and another Dr. named Anna stopped by to check on me.. Dr. Green took the "cup" off my head and removed the gauze pads as you have seen the previous pictures...

WARNING: not for faint of hearts!!! just had to warn you hehe..

(click to enlarge) Roger snapped this for me: cup and large gauze pads remove revealing small gauze pads over my incision and cottons in my ear canal. Now you know why they didn't cut/shave the hair off enough.. making me wish I got my hair like Bruce Wills before implanting me..

(click to enlarge) me without head dressing and a weird hair-do! LOL!

(click to enlarge) close up with gauze pads and cottons removed exposing completely showing that I have staples instead of stitches OR glues.

(click to enlarge) Chatting with my oldest brother David while Roger snap this photos. Roger leave afterward around 9am... We were waiting for go ahead to be discharged. We left around before noon.

Dr gave us instructions like no showering over the incision for 2 weeks tills staples comes off.. I can wash my hair like use wash clothes. I was given Rx paper and discharge paper.

Sorry no photos of me being discharged, we didn't think about that. As I was in wheelchair wheeled out of hospital, my bro tried to tell the nurse where he parked, we went to wrong side of hospital so we had to go thru maze again to get to other side... hehe..

Dave and I went to drugstore to pick up some Rx.. man, they are so expensive! 42 tablets of antibiotic pills cost 170 bucks! wow! 30 pills of generic tyendol w/codeine #3 only $14 We got those. we didn't buy generic nausea pills which cost $190! I didn't need that! Went home...

It was good to be home and had my solid lunch! so far I am good..

Jun 28th
As, I was making dinner, I felt first "ooze" and I contacted my surgeon, he assured me that it is ok and that's normal and make sure I apply ointment and put on gauze pads to asorbs oozes.. I did that.. here are photos which I emailed him after I felt them again before I went to bed... He saw it and said it looks great nothing to worry about... I guess I worry a little but I am ok!

(click to enlarge) all were taken within 15 minutes total.. so you can see that liquid was oozing.. that is not blood, just liquid... again, you can see why I complained about shoddy cut/shave since there are hairs under those staples..

Jun 29th, doing fine so far.. more close up photos

notice clean closure of incision with staples.. you may think it looks like lots of liquids over the inicisions, well those are Neosporin which I use as antibiotic ointments that has Bacitracin which my Dr says to use. You may notice that my earlobe looks like Mike Tyson bit my earlobe LOL! Dr said it was from the surgical equipment used to hold my ear forward, it may have rubbed or caused abrasion. I also apply Neosporin to it too.

Rest of this week, I have been resting nicely, from time to time, I experience shooting pains internally.. on the surface, nothing at all but "ouch" when I rub Neosporin because of staples! if they were stitches or glues I may not "ouch" though. On Tuesday, I visited Dr. Green for a quick check-up to make sure everything is ok. Since lately, pain during urination subsided, sleepy subsided and I seems to be normal myself again except my right ear.

I was kinda frustrated keeping my hair clean so on 4th (Happy Belated Fourth to you all!) morning, I decided to cut and shave my hair off, I hoped to get Bruce Wills style but not.. oh well I felt whole lot better, and good things is that it grow back anyway :)

(click to enlarge) After cutting/shaving my hair off this morning, showing off my head! Not that I want to look BALD not yet! I still have hair on it! You can see that I smile fine :) I managed to remove some of hairs that was under the staples.. so it looks almost out of way..

(click to enlarge) More of me later that afternoon on 4th, with glasses on.. you can notice that I didn't take right arm off, I just put the arms outside my ears so it don't rest on top.

I guess that's enough for now.. looking forward to Wednesday the 9th for staples removal!! so I can shower fully! (so far I showered below my head so I don't get my incision wet).

As for activation date, it may be on 28th of July, but I am waiting to hear from Audiologist at UofA Hearing Clinic this week.. I only learned the date two friday ago and as soon I get offical word, I'll let you all know...

I better hit the sack now!