Becoming a cyborg (part 2)

Eventually, I began to feel almost human. My walks to the mailbox progressed to walks around the block (the shorter section). I ventured out shopping, because it's time for all the cool school supply sales (folders for 1 penny!). Then it was time to go to the doctor!

I had my appointment to have my staples removed about a week after the surgery. I was really looking forward to this. Have you ever had staples in your head and accidentally rolled over on them? Ouch. Just ouch. This is what they looked like:

Not for the squeamish...and what a bad haircut!

 They came out pretty easily and then we were able to discuss how I was doing. One of the reasons I selected the mid scala electrode was because it is supposed to preserve residual hearing. When I was at the beach in June, I could hear the waves (yay for low frequency sounds--and isn't it cool that sounds are produced by waves and I could hear waves???).  I didn't want to give that up. Unfortunately, I am hearing nothing--nada, zip, zilch--out of my implanted ear. The doctor said everything inside my inner ear is pretty swollen from the trauma of surgery, plus some people (read: me) have blood that accumulates there post op. The blood is keeping me from hearing. The blood should clear on its own in a couple of months. In the meantime, imagine the pressure of fluid in your ears...kind of like an ear infection but without the infected stuff. Sometimes it shifts around and it really hurts. The doctor said the blood would not be an impediment to hearing once activation day comes (July 26).

Dr. B: the Cyborg maker!

As you can see in the picture, I also received an oh-so-flattering (not) haircut. Since I don't remember the procedure, I asked Dr. B who was responsible for it. He said he was. I told him not to quit his day job. Now Dr. B has quite the reputation. Everyone says he's the best in Atlanta, but he has NO bedside manner, no humor, no personality...zip. He tries to be intimidating, they say. But, as I'm over 50, I'm so way past the "doctor as God" mentality that is so pervasive. So, when I go to see him, I try to be my typical witty self, regardless of whether or not I get a response. C'mon, he can't be that bad; he went to Wayne State, just like my dad. My mom went to him for a CI eval...she thinks he's cute. What do you think?  From the picture, you know he can smile. After my comment about his barber skills, he asked about any other issues. So I told him that my ear is numb. He looked at me funny, grabbed my chart, and flipped it open. He said, "Is this your signature?" I acknowledged it was. Then he flipped the paper over...it was the possible side effects disclosure form. What a riot...he does have a funny bone. I laughed the whole way home.

Cindy Winter-Hartley (proud Ranger Mom!!) and I

So at this writing, I have 11 days til I am a full-fledged member of the Cyborg Nation. I'm trying to stay busy so that activation will get here faster! Some things help: yesterday my dear sister-in-all-things-West Point-and-Army, Cindy, stopped by on her way through Atlanta. We had a brief visit and fortunately, she is very easy to lip read (because I'm really, really deaf now).  As a fellow Army mom, Cindy understands my heart...and my desire to hear so that one day when Matt calls home from some far corner of the world, I'll be able to understand what he says. Cindy is another dear friend whose been praying me through this journey. <3 her. 

You all sound like this to me...if I hear you at all.

But it's not all fun and games while waiting for activation. In Jawja, we start school ridiculously early...like in a few weeks. This week we are meeting to do some preliminary planning. How are you doing that, you ask? Aren't you deaf? Yes, yes I am. I came into the meeting this a.m. and explained to the teacher leading it just how deaf I now am. I can really hear like, well nothing. If someone has a deep voice, I can hear the prosody (rhythm, stress, and intonation of speech). Imagine Charlie Brown's teacher. That's what I hear if my eyes are closed (if that much). I am a decent lip reader if I am getting enough prosody. Soft talkers (i.e. many women teachers) do not have the prosody necessary for me to comprehend them. My friend Susan volunteered to be my "note taker" for the meeting. We set up our computers so that she typed into a program and it showed up on my screen. She kept me up to date with the "gist" of the meeting. Someone else took official minutes...this was off the record stuff like "now they're talking about organizing the lesson plans." Unfortunately, only a stenographer would have been able to keep up with the minutiae of a 6 hour long meeting. So, the chatter, the inside jokes, the banter...it was all lost to me. Don't get me wrong...it's not that I need all of that. Teacher meetings are often tedious at best. My friend did me a HUGE favor. However, trying to follow the conversation with lip reading was like a giant ping pong game. By the time I realized where the ball was, it was gone. Then there's the whole talking with hands over mouths thing...sigh. I came home utterly exhausted. I mean, I collapsed, fell on the couch, and slept a good while. I know...that sounds like torture. But wait...there's more! I get to go back and do it all again tomorrow.