& anyone else having surgery

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Don't wear any jewelry to the hospital, because you are going to be

knocked out, and don't want to wake up with it missing. If you HAVE to

wear your wedding ring, have them tape it to your finger. Do not wear

anything of value. Leave your purse, wallet, valuables with your

hubby. But remove earrings, bracelets, anklets and whatever else you

have on.

Meanwhile, NO finger or toenail polish - they will make you remove it

prior to surgery because they check your nails for oxygen circulation,

and they attach an oxygen monitor to your finger. So save the manicure.

If you have those fake nails, get rid of those as well.

Slip on shoes, that don't need to be laced up or tied are great. You

might feel a bit dizzy after ear surgery, and if you can put your shoes

on without having to bend over, all the better. Tennis shoes or other

shoes that have non skid bottoms are also good to wear.

The button down the front shirt, and even slip on pants are good. You

want to make dressing and undressing as easy as possible.

Get easy to prepare foods so you can Nuke what you like while

recovering. Soft foods might be good for a few days. Have Terry learn

the phone number of the carry out places near you. What to make for

dinner? Make reservations!!

If you wear eyeglasses, bring a small screwdriver so someone can

remove the side bar on the side of your implant. Bring a ziploc bag to

store the screw and the sidebar so you don't lose them.

You can wear your hearing aids right into surgery if you'd like. They

will keep you awake enough to slide your butt onto the table. And you

can tell the surgeon to make sure he washes his hands. I did that, and

mine just laughed out loud. So I said, " And wash behind your ears, too "

His reply was, " Yes, Mother " .

Your post operative instructions should be written out. And they may

in fact be given to you when you go for your pre admission testing. If

not, ask for them at that time.

Dr. will inform you about driving. I was told none for a week because

if you get into an accident, EVEN IF IT IS NOT YOUR FAULT, you will be

considered at fault because of having had general anesthesia recently.

Dr. will also tell you about washing your hair. This is nothing to

fool around with. If you wash your hair before your incision is healed

you are risking getting an infection that is very difficult to get rid

of. Because water is NOT sterile. Even water in a hospital. I was told

10 days. Talked the Dr. down to 5, which is what he had in mind

originally. But I knew someone who got this pseudomonas infection and

had to be explanted because of it. So if I could go 5 days in the middle

of August, you can go 5 or so in February.

Write down the questions you have and ask them at the pre admission

testing. Make sure your pajamas also button down the front - 2 pieces

are good, so the top buttons down all the way.

Have books or videos to watch. Have the house cleaned enough so you

won't feel like doing anything. Personally, if I can still walk through

it, it's clean enough for me! Laundry will keep. Teach your children

to do dishes.

If your bed is on the second floor, you might consider setting up some

kind of sleeping arrangement on the ground floor. I slept a lot after

surgery. Sometimes for 2 or 3 hours then up for 5, then back to sleep

again. So have a pillow and blanket and stuff set up so you don't have

to run up and down stairs.

That's all I can think of. You'll do fine,

- The Original

Nucleus Volunteer

Post lingual - Auto Immune disorder

From: SHHH Frederick <shhh@...>

Subject: pre-surgery tips?

Hello Nucleus family!

I have been thinkin' about a lot of particulars. I'm a detailed =

oriented, melcholic personality who thinks far to much I'm sure. =

However, I did learn from the other a wonderful tip (wear a =

button up shirt when you go to get the surgery done because pulling =

something over your head will NOT happen easily). I learned from =

another CI lady that it's best to sleep in a recliner for a couple of =

weeks after your surgery. The two little tidbits of information got me =

to thinkin' there might be other things -- pointers if you will that I =

might glean from those of you who have " been there " .

So.... what do you wish someone had told YOU prior to your surgery? =20

Should I wear my wedding ring, jewelry, and hearing aids to the =

hospital?

How will you " hear " instructions for post-op care if you can't hear from

=

the implanted ear yet, but don't have HA's? =20

How soon after can I drive? Will I be able to go back to work in a =

week? How long before I can wash my hair?

Grin! I have so many questions, and I don't want to try to ask the day =

of my surgery! =20

Any tips or " wish I had known " type of comments are welcome!

Portis

Frederick, MD

Sugery date: 4/6/05

Sincerely,

Portis