Ear Surgery Update #2
Thursday, 28 February 2008 -- 8:11 amI finally got the last of the stabilizing gunk out of my ear on Monday.
I skipped the stitches milestone, because it turned out to be a non-event. I got the stitches out. That was it. This is where they cut the piece of skin to use to patch the eardrum. The only interesting thing is that it came from the base of my upper ear. And it doesn’t seem to show at all. Even if I get a scar, no one will be able to see it. And after a few weeks, I don’t even feel much of a rough spot there.
The cotton and stabilizing gel that made me deaf on that side ended up staying in for a few more weeks. According to the ENT, the longer that stuff stayed in place, the better it was for healing. I did feel some of the stuff around the outer part of my ear start to flake away, and by the end, it got quite itchy sometimes, so I was glad to have it out at last. Don’t ask me any questions about the removal process, because I was lying on my side staring at the doctor’s belly when I didn’t have my eyes shut, and I didn’t get much of a play-by-play. There was some light, and he stuck something in my ear, and there was a bit of pressure and a little heat. That’s all I can tell you!
So now the stuff is finally out. I can hear, but not perfectly. I think it’s better than pre-surgery, though. According to the ENT, it will take time to tighten as it grows into place, but he says the graft took well. That’s good. I wish he’d told me up front that I wouldn’t have 100% hearing right away, because it’s a little nerve-wracking!
The other big health news is that the air in Bombay is trying to kill me. If I spend too much time out and about, I feel awful the next day. Monday I spent most of the day in bed with shallow breathing and a terrible cough. But by Tuesday I was much better, thanks to all the rest, staying inside most of the day, and some fantastic cough syrup (made from “Dried Ivy Extract”). No wonder Lucas is such a big fan of cough syrup! I always thought it tasted yucky, but this stuff tastes great! I can’t wait for my next dose!
The strange side effect of all this is that my network connectivity has dropped to near zero, because even venturing down to the cyber cafe doesn’t sound like much fun. I’d rather just sit around at home where it’s clean and there are no cars blowing endless streams of exhaust into my lungs!