ear surgery

Hi, all! It's me in recovery land! :) So, Friday I went in for ear surgery. I had what is called a right stapedectomy. Basically, the doctor went into my inner ear after moving my ear drum and replaced the stapes bone in my ear (also known as the stirrup bone, and smallest bone in your body). Tim and I arrived at Methodist Hospital around 7:20, proceeded to check me in, get me changed into appropriate hospital attire (yes, one of those loverly gowns), and I went into surgery. I cannot tell you how excited about this surgery I was--I haven't heard out of my right ear for at least 3 years now, but noticed my hearing going bad 5 years ago! SO, needless to say, Tim and I were a bundle of fun at the hospital, joking and having a blast, while other people around us were as serious as could be. We met with my doc, anethesiologist, and numerous nurses while we waited for the surgical room to be prepped. The outpatient surgery center has recently been updated, and the laser the doc was going to use was new, which meant all the reps were there from the company that supplied the laser just to be sure it was all good. I was wheeled into the operating room in a wheel chair, and climbed up on the table all by myself, and soon enough I entered slumberland, and actually had a dream about two of the toddlers in my class at the preschool as I was coming out of the anesthetic. The surgery itself is pretty major, since they go into your inner ear and mess with your vertigo and hearing. Apparently after the surgery, my doctor came to Tim and told him that my inner ear had a bit of a different anatomy inside it--hence my inability to hear from it, but the surgery was a success. The doc had to move a pretty major nerve that goes to the mouth and affects taste, and in fact bruised the nerve, but asked Tim not to tell me, just to see if I'd notice. I guess that when you tell someone this nerve may have been bruised it affects taste, but if you don't tell them there is a chance they'll never know. I knew right away when the crackers I was eating after the surgery tasted like I just had a ball of nothing in my mouth. I can taste with the extreme left side of my mouth, but the top of my tongue and the entire right side of my tongue has no taste sensation right now, but it should come back in a few days. Food is all about super taste and texture for me right now--a weird thing. SO, the best news--I can hear out of my right ear now...but sleep so little at night because I'm not used to all the noises. I used to be able to turn over on my left side to sleep and be in a bless-ed land of extreme quiet. Now there is never quiet and I am amazed at how loud everything is. I'm hearing in stereo, and loving it. I do have some extreme dizziness all the time right now--pretty much anytime I move my head, and my ear still feels like someone dug around inside of it with an ice pick, but I think I'm doing great. I have some great pain pills! Also, all the sounds I'm hearing are going to be muffled for a few weeks as there is just going to be a lot of fluid in my ear. I'm trying to get as much rest as possible, and just take it easy this next week. If anyone wants to call and talk this next week, feel free--I'm just layin' around on the couch watching TV! :) I think the boys are just gettin' home from church and have lunch, so I should go! Tim's been fabulous through all this, taking care of me, taking care of Asher, and both dogs...it's been a lot for him! I love my man! Well, back to couch time! Too much sitting up really messes with my head! :)