Two Weeks Post-Op Update and Picture Comparisons

Today is 2 weeks out from my surgery!  This week, things have been getting much easier and my pain is pretty low.  I don't take any pain killers over night, but I do usually need one tylenol in the afternoon or evening if I've been moving around a lot.  Speaking of moving around, I do still find that a certain amount of walking helps my pain.  Interestingly, now that I'm in a lot less pain, I am realizing that my rib area is pretty swollen.  I can barely touch my right foot to tie my shoe if I lean to my right!  It doesn't hurt, but I just can't do it.

I also find that I can sleep in normal positions in bed as long as I don't sleep on my right side (I have a foam cushion I keep around the new ear, held on with netting over my head).  Even with some pain in my chest, I can pretty much move completely normally now.

My new ear is constantly changing size, shape, and color.  When the mold first came off, either the reason the mold got so loose was that the ear was swollen and pushing it off, or the loose mold made the ear balloon up.  It lost a lot of swelling in just a few hours, but now everyday it gets better.  I notice it most in the dip where my "canal" (not going into my head, just a low spot to make it seem like there is a canal) will be.  The bump in front of the ear is starting to show too as the swelling goes down.  It's hard to believe that bump is the cartilage from the top of my microtia ear!  It's so neat!

Neither ear hurts much.  Some times it feels like I have dried plaster on my ears, so that when I move my head, etc. it pulls the skin a bit and just feels stiff.  Unfortunately, I am having some itching that I can't scratch, presumably from the healing and dissolvable stitches that were put in to hold the carved cartilage to my head (inside the ear).  It doesn't last long, but does come back during the day.  I hope it finishes soon!

The ear is still numb obviously, but I am aware that it's there.  Sometimes I feel like I have tape on my side and it's falling off my head.  I am getting more feeling back in my head, but where the nerve flap was taken I obviously don't feel a thing.  Dr. Griffiths did say over time I will get some feeling back there, but not completely.  But since the new ear sticks out farther, it's more important that the ear has feeling than the area right in front/above the ear.

I go back to see Dr. Griffiths tomorrow morning, and will hopefully find out more about when I get to come home.  I should also be getting the flashdrive with my surgery photos on it.  I can't wait to show you them, the pictures of the carved cartilage are amazing.  Overall, I'm very pleased with my ear so far.  It's gross and swollen still, but it's only been 2 weeks, and I know it can take about 12 months before the swelling is all gone.  Still, the shape is surprisingly smooth compared to other ears I've seen this far out from surgery.  I did know that going in to this, even with an amazing surgeon, ears can turn out badly since everyone is so unique.  I felt like I was making the right choices, but you never know.  So, I hope for good results and keep myself prepared for any results.  So far, everything has far surpassed my expectations!

However, now that the ear is looking more like an ear, I am experiencing a bit of an appearance crisis.  I am really glad now that I had that photo shoot.  I REALLY like looking in the mirror and seeing two ears and therefore more symmetry in my face, but it's extremely weird to have such a different look to my head after living one way for 25 years.  It wasn't a big deal when the ear was really swollen and didn't look much like an ear from the front, but now that from the front they look pretty similar, it's weirder.  It's definitely going to take some time getting used to.  I take a lot of pictures of my ear (since that's the only way I can see it up close) and try to take a look in the mirror straight on after I use the restroom so that I can work on adjusting to such symmetry.

The other interesting thing is my eyes.  I will try to ask Dr. Griffiths tomorrow.  Basically, my right eye was always squintier than my left when I smiled.  But, since surgery, it's backwards!  My right eye stays open a LOT better now, but my left eye closes up.  I'm not quite sure what to make of that.  I always seem to have one squinty eye, I wish I could just have both eyes all the way open when I smiled!

I'll know more after my appointment tomorrow, but everything has been healing well so far.  Now, it's mainly just a waiting game with the swelling...which is a VERY long game!  I can't wait to come home and see everyone!  I am having a great time out here and will really miss Heidi, Rosalee, Heidi's Husband, and Heidi's friend Amanda.  I have enjoyed seeing a little bit into deaf culture (VERY surface, but still, it's nice to see that way of life).  Having unilateral deafness is interesting.  I am very much part of the hearing world, but I can relate to a lot of deaf problems because, basically, half of my head is deaf.  I understand more about what it's like to be deaf than I thought I did prior to this trip.  I have also learned more about how much my BAHA has totally transformed my shyness.

Heidi, Amanda, the girls, and I went to a large craft fair.  I was still early in my recovery and I didn't put on my BAHA.  I basically spent most of the time walking ahead by myself.  Occasionally I'd get frustrated that I couldn't really hear and partake in their conversations, but then I'd feel that I was content and enjoying being in my own little world.  Afterwards, I realized that if I had had my BAHA on, I don't think I would have been all by myself.  I would have been participating with my friends.  However, since for 24 years all I knew was deafness on one side, I realized I managed to basically "brainwash" myself into believe I like being a loner and going into my own little world in crowds and becoming a wall flower.  I have never - not even at that craft show after having a BAHA for a year and a half - considered that that contenedtness was more about my hearing loss than my personality!  That was a big revelation for me.  I've noticed that in the past year I've become extremely talkative and outgoing and really really love talking to people, but I've been going through other major life changes and blamed it all on those things.  I'm starting to give more credit to my new ability to hear for that transformation as well now.

Well, I always have things to update, but I can never think of them all, so I will end here for today.  And of course, here's some pictures from this week.  I've been staying at Heidi's house since Tuesday, hence the reason I'm behind with my pictures!  Enjoy!