Do you HEAR what I hear?

Do you hear what I hear...yeah I don't think so. It was last July I blew out my right ear drum. So the doctor said it would most likely heal on its own and there was nothing to worry about. At the time it did not cause any discomfort so we left it alone, about four or five months ago my ear started to bother me. Well the ear still had a hole in it and it started to hurt, the doctor told me it could be fixed, however, it would mean surgery...I was not excited about that thought.

So I was off to see a specialist, he then advised me of my options...he could do surgery or let it be. I don't do needles so the thought of surgery was not easy..the doctor started to explain the process of the procedure, he aburptly stopped as I about passed out in the chair. The date was set and we were good to go...

So big day had arrived, August 15 and it was time....I thought I was ready to go... Um I was unprepared to say the least.

We showed up @ 8:30 and we were scheduled for an 11:20 operation...they started the iv at 9 and then they let Joe & my friend Patty in the pre-opt. Area..we were able to watch tv and visit. So the nurse informed us we would be up in no time. Well that soon turned in to me not being wheeled back to surgery until after 1. That was the longest 5 hours of my life!! I was very nervous, but they gave my good drugs and I was out before I even remember why I was there.

I woke up in recovery room at 5:00 p.m. and I remember I was really hot. They cooled me down and let me go home by 6:30. It was a way longer day then I planned on...

So the road to recovery was suppose to be a few days of pain, and I would be up and around in no time. YEAH RIGHT!! I was laid out flat for four days with pain like none other. I called to get something else but the doctor said he didn't understand why I was in so much pain. He said he needed to do a check up to ensure there was no infection. There was no infection and stronger meds were given (percot). The doctor placed a spoung thing in my ear and it will b taken out the following Monday.

It's amazing how much I took for granted my hearing. The last week I have felt like a fish under water on one side and then everything super loud on the other side... walking was a whole different story...the balance was off...I had to really pay attention to what I was doing..the boys have had to help me walk or to go to another room...they have been a big help to me...

So with the post opt appointment, all looked great and the spoungy thingy was removed. The best part was that I was not in any pain when he removed the spoung. However, the ear pain was still pretty intense and I was not able to walk or drive completely at this point. It was decieded that I needed an additional week to heal and so that meant no work. In theory that sounds good but to do the normal things in life was a chore and overwhelming!

During my recovery we were showered with meals from our Ward family! It was actually really nice to be on the receiving end of that once!

However, it has been almost 4 weeks since the surgery and it has been 5 days of no pain medicine at all!! :) I have my balance back and am almost at 100%. I still can't bend over completely to get anything off the floor. I get crazy dizzy and then I can pass out. So we will leave that one alone for a little longer!

I can hear out of the right ear almost like normal, it is still just a little muffled but Doctor said that it should come back after 6 weeks.

So life is somewhat back to normal! :)