Second switch on last Friday was more eventful than the first.
Hooking me up to the computer, Jackie started by going through all the electrodes again, upping the sound to a higher level 'just tell me when it is comfortable...' she said starting at electrode 22, then 21, then 20, going all the way back down to 2... I discovered Electrode 1 is perma-off as during the testing after the operation, it set off the facial machine. No one told me that! When it was switched back on, I was expecting things to be higher more definition, but disappointingly it wasn't. It was basically just the same just... louder. Trying to adjust a few things Jackie tried a few combinations but I wasn't noticing any major difference only the voices did go from squeaky to underwater to monotone-nasal... urgh! Jackie decided to try out a few sentences and I was to repeat was I hearing, counting the number of correct words Jackie announced I was hearing 12% using my CI. I was so shocked! Pre-CI with the hearing aid I was getting 21% in my left ear... a drop from 21% to 12% wasn't how I estimate myself to be going.
Sensing my disappointment, Jackie had an idea, and switched off the implant to try a different map. When she switch it back on, I swear, I heard her say almost CLEARLY "Well, how is that?" the second she spoke I was about to respond excitedly when my entire left side of my face just crumbled into a gigantic twitching frenzy. Jackie went pale "oh sorry!" and immediately switch the implant off. "Hmmm, there's an electrode that is causing trouble, we need to find out which ones and isolated them." But my time was already up and I had to go to AR, Jackie decided to leave it til the next appointment.
Before she left, I was back on the new map that we had measured out. She switched me back on the old map from the first switch on, it really hit me just how low the old one was in contrast to the new one! Hmmm, okay that has got to be positive right?
Heading into AR with Catherine the speech therapist, she asked how I did in Mapping session, discussing the 12% score I got for 5 sentences. Catherine pointed out that I was only '4/5 words' short of 21% and not to be too hard on myself, apparently it was perfectly normal for new CI'ers to drop back <10% and grow back up and beyond their score after a few months. Her best advice to me was to wear the implant as often as I can (which I am doing) and follow the listening exercises as much as possible. This will require a lot of free time that I am already tight for coming up to Christmas. I got an audio book to listen to with the book to read as I follow the audio, the plan is to train myself to recognise the vocal sounds. Sounds easy enough, but the hardest part is finding the time to do it... I have a hard enough time keeping a blog updated!
A next appointment was sourced for me the following Tuesday to find the rouge electrode. The re-tuning and mapping started again, each electrode was tested, higher and higher. By the time we got to the last electrode (2) I motioned it was comfortable to go higher, then all of a sudden my left eye started to twitch manically. It wasn't sore, just involuntary twitching. Jackie brought the level down and made a note on it in the file - Electrode 2 (E2) will not be going any higher in the future. A new map was created for me with E2 switch on low and another with E2 switched off completely and a third with E2 off for quiet places. Plus a new fourth programme with auto-sensitivity that adjusts the sensitivity in noisy places.
I went back to work on Monday, the clicking keyboards, the whirl of the photocopier-printer had me distracted. But the amazing thing was in the kitchen, when I went down to join two colleagues for lunch, there was a loud tapping noise. I couldn't join in the conversation at all it was so loud... Finally I copped on it was the clock on the wall! I had never heard that before! Telling my colleagues - both couldn't hear it at all - they were amazed that I found it annoyingly loud and distracting!
Like people's individual footprints noise, I have started to realise that vehicles have their own individual sound too. Some of them I actually hear them before I see them others they have to be on top of me - I'd see them before I hear them. But voices are still squeaky/cartoonish - I've given up on trying making sense of speech... it'll happen sometime I hope!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
First week's over...
I've worn my CI every day since switch on, the buzzing 'hum' is still there, with horns and other consistent noises. I'm getting used to it... I think(!) Voices are just like having conversations with Donald Duck!
There's been no major progress this week, apart from weird moments like standing at top of queue for toilets in a pub - hearing the click of the lock turning in the doors... discovering the keypad on my mobile phone still beeps although I have the keypad sound switched off. The sound of footsteps in public places - there's a general bustle of noise but the clearest thing coming above it is footsteps. As the week went along, I started to 'realise' that everyone seems to have their own different walking sound!
Straining to make sense of the sounds this week was really tiring. I took the week off work on the advice of Jackie that I would need it... she was right, I did need it. With less than 3 weeks to Christmas - I'm trying to cram in all my Christmas shopping while I'm off too. I've had no time since Halloween to do anything - its all been one mad rush... between that at the CI, I'm totally exhausted.
I'm getting LOADS of Deafie asking me how the CI is working, trying to be neutral as it is too early to pass judgement just yet. If you don't read this blog - don't bother asking as 'Ah its too early' is going to be my stock answer for the next while!
My 'second switch on' appointment is tomorrow to be followed by my first aural rehabilitation (AR) appointment. The aim of the AR appointments is to accustomise to the new sounds and train myself to recognise sounds better.
I am supposed to bring in a set of goals to work towards. I had a set of goals but after a week on the CI, I am not as optimistic in producing these in AR tomorrow! Have narrowed the choices down to:
1 - Use phone
2 - Follow the banter
3 - Hear the radio
Eeek... I'm still thinking I'm being tooooo optimistic, especially as I'm barely making sense at it is. Here's hoping the second switch on produces a more positive sound.
There's been no major progress this week, apart from weird moments like standing at top of queue for toilets in a pub - hearing the click of the lock turning in the doors... discovering the keypad on my mobile phone still beeps although I have the keypad sound switched off. The sound of footsteps in public places - there's a general bustle of noise but the clearest thing coming above it is footsteps. As the week went along, I started to 'realise' that everyone seems to have their own different walking sound!
Straining to make sense of the sounds this week was really tiring. I took the week off work on the advice of Jackie that I would need it... she was right, I did need it. With less than 3 weeks to Christmas - I'm trying to cram in all my Christmas shopping while I'm off too. I've had no time since Halloween to do anything - its all been one mad rush... between that at the CI, I'm totally exhausted.
I'm getting LOADS of Deafie asking me how the CI is working, trying to be neutral as it is too early to pass judgement just yet. If you don't read this blog - don't bother asking as 'Ah its too early' is going to be my stock answer for the next while!
My 'second switch on' appointment is tomorrow to be followed by my first aural rehabilitation (AR) appointment. The aim of the AR appointments is to accustomise to the new sounds and train myself to recognise sounds better.
I am supposed to bring in a set of goals to work towards. I had a set of goals but after a week on the CI, I am not as optimistic in producing these in AR tomorrow! Have narrowed the choices down to:
1 - Use phone
2 - Follow the banter
3 - Hear the radio
Eeek... I'm still thinking I'm being tooooo optimistic, especially as I'm barely making sense at it is. Here's hoping the second switch on produces a more positive sound.
Switch On... OMG!
Meeting Fran outside Beaumont at 1.45pm, she was coming in with me to film my video diary, I was running late and had two pieces I wanted to film before the 2pm Switch On appointment!
It was 2:15 before I got there - we were racing through the PTCs before heading down to the CI department. Jackie must have been thinking how odd I was for not being there early, never mind on time, hoping to get switched on sooner, and went off for a break! I had to wait 20 minutes before she came back... LOL!
I was brought into a room I had never been in before, and handed over the big yellow Nucleus Freedom box that I was given in the hospital. Talking all the stuff out, Jackie went through the list and noticed a few things missing, then went off to the store room to fetch spares.
She started with determining the magnet strenght I needed. "This one is the average adult size" Jackie explained waving a packet with the number 2 on the front. But it wouldn't stick, so off it came "let get number 3, you have very thick hair..." but 3 was no good either. Jackie opened a 3rd packet with the size 4 in it. I lifted up my hair and it stuck initially, but as I let my hair fall down the magnet came off! Jackie just laughed "well, there's one more size if that doesn't work you might have to have a bald patch!" and off she went to rummage through the store room again. Thankfully the last one worked... I think I would have cried if I had to wait til I had my bald patch before having the switch on!!!
Once the magnet was firmly in place, the processor was hooked up to the PC and the tuning started. The tuning was basically a series of sounds similar to having a hearing test, and I had to indicate when the level of each pip (that's what they sounded like to me - pips of noises) was comfortable. Some of them I was literally jumping at the sensation! Ow! Ooooh! Eeek! After only adjusting 5 or 6 of these pips Jackie turned to look at me... "Okay? This is it - I'm switching you on now!" I was stunned...the tuning was over already? That was really fast!
The switch on was electric, the power was overwhelming, it was like silence then a BooooOOOOOOOOOOOM! Like sonic waves going through my brain... The first think I noticed was a loud hum.
"eeeellll? Waaan do yoooo tiiiin?" Took me a moment to figure out that Jackie was talking to me. The sound was nasal, cartoonish and just not 'right'... as Jackie continued to talk to me I was getting more bewildered. WTF was this?!!!
"Do you hear a buzz?" I lipread her, the sound wasn't matching what I was hearing but I trusted my lipreading skills mkre right now... "Is the computer making a noise? Like a hum?" I asked, Jackie shock her head "no it isn't, the hum or buzz is the implant - its the world. The world IS noisy! Don't worry you will get used to it eventually!" used to it? OMG! It is horrible - I don't think I like this constant humming at all!
"Can you hear me talk?" Jackie continued, the cartoonish-underwater sound continued to evade my senses. Telling her what she sounded like, she nodded and adjusted a few settings on the PC... "How's that? Is that better?" hmmm a little - but you still sound weird! Cue laughter all around...
Fran continued to film us silently. Catching the camera, I signed into it "oh my god - this is just... NOT what I was expecting! Its nothing like what I had before... " Jackie asked how I felt, I was honest - its not perfect but I came in expecting nothing more than the same hearing I had before... nothing more. Jackie offered to test me with 3/4 sounds:
aa
ee
oo
sh
ss
I got more of them right(!)
Someone knocked on the door and I literally jumped, what was THAT?! Seeing Jackie turn her head to talk to the person at the door, I copped on that I had just heard knocking. But it didn't sound like knocking! Screechy-scratching more like, interspersed with that consistent hum... Jackie did a few more adjustments then announced that I was finished 'for today'... what?! She's sending me home with this hum that had started developing hooting and whoosing noises... urgh! I was certainly NOT impressed with it at all.
Reminding myself that I'm a long way off from perfect hearing and it will take time... that no CI'ee I met ever enjoyed the switch on, in fact Fiona pointed out the first 3 months were "awful" for her. Just have to grit my teeth and get on with it... it can only get better.
Asking me what my plans were for the week (as my next appointment was in 6 days time...) I mentioned I was going to the pub later for my friend's farewell do before flying back to her new home in Oz. Jackie then created a 2nd map for 'noisy places' encouraged me to use it in pubs and busy places. Along with a louder programme for 'quiet places' I had the base map plus another with two electrodes on different settings. And was sent packing with the bare supplies and a card outlining the various programmes on the processor and the lenght of time the batteries would last - 39 hours, just over 3 days.
Once outside, the hum wasn't as noticeable, there were other sounds but nothing was making sense. Fran asked if I would explain how I felt the the camera, a security guard interrupted us asking if we had permission to film, waving the signed slip from the Hospital Director he apologized and toddled off - I was so distracted signing to the camera because I kept hearing his footsteps as he walked away!
I drove to my friends' house in Swords for coffee, confessing my disappointment, they reminded me that getting new hearing aids is like that. We all need time to adjust "You need to give it time" very true. Vowing to keep the implant in as much as I can, the hum was still there, but every time it got noisy the hum went! Weird!
As I drove to town the noises in the car were heightened; the indicator was so loud, so sharp! The sound of the gears changing was scary, even though I was using my clutch - it still grinded as if I wasn't!
Parking my car 500 yards from where I was due to meet my friends, I had to cross Westmoreland Street, what an experience... with all the street noises - I started to feel overwhelmed, it felt like a rugby scrum was coming at me from all corners! I kept looking around me (and above to the sky too!) expecting to see something charging at me...But no, nothing! Walking down the street, I jumped as a group of lads passed me by talking loudly. It was as if they were shouting directly into my ear!
Meeting the girls in Starbucks while waiting for our table to be ready in Montys, I couldn't hear them talk at all - the noise was so great, it was drowning out their voices. I heard a chair being scrapped back - the sound came clearly above 'the noise' and registered itself with me first before I turning my head... I saw the owner get up and move the chair again. Yes it was definitely that! Wow!
After our meal we went to the Globe bar and by 1am I was too tired and overwhelmed by the noise of the music (it wasn't music - it was just 'ner-ner-ner-ner' noise!) and went home.
Taking the implant off that night I had a small tinnitus effect that died down very quickly. I keep reminding myself that its only early days... lets give this thing a fighting chance!
It was 2:15 before I got there - we were racing through the PTCs before heading down to the CI department. Jackie must have been thinking how odd I was for not being there early, never mind on time, hoping to get switched on sooner, and went off for a break! I had to wait 20 minutes before she came back... LOL!
I was brought into a room I had never been in before, and handed over the big yellow Nucleus Freedom box that I was given in the hospital. Talking all the stuff out, Jackie went through the list and noticed a few things missing, then went off to the store room to fetch spares.
She started with determining the magnet strenght I needed. "This one is the average adult size" Jackie explained waving a packet with the number 2 on the front. But it wouldn't stick, so off it came "let get number 3, you have very thick hair..." but 3 was no good either. Jackie opened a 3rd packet with the size 4 in it. I lifted up my hair and it stuck initially, but as I let my hair fall down the magnet came off! Jackie just laughed "well, there's one more size if that doesn't work you might have to have a bald patch!" and off she went to rummage through the store room again. Thankfully the last one worked... I think I would have cried if I had to wait til I had my bald patch before having the switch on!!!
Once the magnet was firmly in place, the processor was hooked up to the PC and the tuning started. The tuning was basically a series of sounds similar to having a hearing test, and I had to indicate when the level of each pip (that's what they sounded like to me - pips of noises) was comfortable. Some of them I was literally jumping at the sensation! Ow! Ooooh! Eeek! After only adjusting 5 or 6 of these pips Jackie turned to look at me... "Okay? This is it - I'm switching you on now!" I was stunned...the tuning was over already? That was really fast!
The switch on was electric, the power was overwhelming, it was like silence then a BooooOOOOOOOOOOOM! Like sonic waves going through my brain... The first think I noticed was a loud hum.
"eeeellll? Waaan do yoooo tiiiin?" Took me a moment to figure out that Jackie was talking to me. The sound was nasal, cartoonish and just not 'right'... as Jackie continued to talk to me I was getting more bewildered. WTF was this?!!!
"Do you hear a buzz?" I lipread her, the sound wasn't matching what I was hearing but I trusted my lipreading skills mkre right now... "Is the computer making a noise? Like a hum?" I asked, Jackie shock her head "no it isn't, the hum or buzz is the implant - its the world. The world IS noisy! Don't worry you will get used to it eventually!" used to it? OMG! It is horrible - I don't think I like this constant humming at all!
"Can you hear me talk?" Jackie continued, the cartoonish-underwater sound continued to evade my senses. Telling her what she sounded like, she nodded and adjusted a few settings on the PC... "How's that? Is that better?" hmmm a little - but you still sound weird! Cue laughter all around...
Fran continued to film us silently. Catching the camera, I signed into it "oh my god - this is just... NOT what I was expecting! Its nothing like what I had before... " Jackie asked how I felt, I was honest - its not perfect but I came in expecting nothing more than the same hearing I had before... nothing more. Jackie offered to test me with 3/4 sounds:
aa
ee
oo
sh
ss
I got more of them right(!)
Someone knocked on the door and I literally jumped, what was THAT?! Seeing Jackie turn her head to talk to the person at the door, I copped on that I had just heard knocking. But it didn't sound like knocking! Screechy-scratching more like, interspersed with that consistent hum... Jackie did a few more adjustments then announced that I was finished 'for today'... what?! She's sending me home with this hum that had started developing hooting and whoosing noises... urgh! I was certainly NOT impressed with it at all.
Reminding myself that I'm a long way off from perfect hearing and it will take time... that no CI'ee I met ever enjoyed the switch on, in fact Fiona pointed out the first 3 months were "awful" for her. Just have to grit my teeth and get on with it... it can only get better.
Asking me what my plans were for the week (as my next appointment was in 6 days time...) I mentioned I was going to the pub later for my friend's farewell do before flying back to her new home in Oz. Jackie then created a 2nd map for 'noisy places' encouraged me to use it in pubs and busy places. Along with a louder programme for 'quiet places' I had the base map plus another with two electrodes on different settings. And was sent packing with the bare supplies and a card outlining the various programmes on the processor and the lenght of time the batteries would last - 39 hours, just over 3 days.
Once outside, the hum wasn't as noticeable, there were other sounds but nothing was making sense. Fran asked if I would explain how I felt the the camera, a security guard interrupted us asking if we had permission to film, waving the signed slip from the Hospital Director he apologized and toddled off - I was so distracted signing to the camera because I kept hearing his footsteps as he walked away!
I drove to my friends' house in Swords for coffee, confessing my disappointment, they reminded me that getting new hearing aids is like that. We all need time to adjust "You need to give it time" very true. Vowing to keep the implant in as much as I can, the hum was still there, but every time it got noisy the hum went! Weird!
As I drove to town the noises in the car were heightened; the indicator was so loud, so sharp! The sound of the gears changing was scary, even though I was using my clutch - it still grinded as if I wasn't!
Parking my car 500 yards from where I was due to meet my friends, I had to cross Westmoreland Street, what an experience... with all the street noises - I started to feel overwhelmed, it felt like a rugby scrum was coming at me from all corners! I kept looking around me (and above to the sky too!) expecting to see something charging at me...But no, nothing! Walking down the street, I jumped as a group of lads passed me by talking loudly. It was as if they were shouting directly into my ear!
Meeting the girls in Starbucks while waiting for our table to be ready in Montys, I couldn't hear them talk at all - the noise was so great, it was drowning out their voices. I heard a chair being scrapped back - the sound came clearly above 'the noise' and registered itself with me first before I turning my head... I saw the owner get up and move the chair again. Yes it was definitely that! Wow!
After our meal we went to the Globe bar and by 1am I was too tired and overwhelmed by the noise of the music (it wasn't music - it was just 'ner-ner-ner-ner' noise!) and went home.
Taking the implant off that night I had a small tinnitus effect that died down very quickly. I keep reminding myself that its only early days... lets give this thing a fighting chance!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
One day to go...
I've been up to my eyes these last couple of days with work (am soooo behind work at the moment) I genuinely haven't had the time to sit down and think about how I am feeling...
But every time someone mentions it or I remember, my stomach does backwards flip!
I can't think or imagine what it will be like - I've just gone over my list here... I know its not going to be perfect on switch on - that it will be weeks, months perhaps, before I start to benefit from it.
Only a few more hours to go!
But every time someone mentions it or I remember, my stomach does backwards flip!
I can't think or imagine what it will be like - I've just gone over my list here... I know its not going to be perfect on switch on - that it will be weeks, months perhaps, before I start to benefit from it.
Only a few more hours to go!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
3 days to Switch On
I've not posted in a couple of weeks, it has been a tough few weeks... but none of it was implant related!
I went back to work on Thursday 19th November - too soon in my opinion, as I was very tired and unable to concentrate much with the raging tinnitus. A lot of family issues came up that necessitate taking day off on Monday 23rd to sort out things properly. Back into work on Tuesday and that was my first 'proper' day back work and I haven't looked up for air since!
Strangely enough I have had no further attacks of tinnitus since Friday 20th November... Not that I am complaining mind!
The numbness to the left of my tongue is still there, my taste has changed too. I'm not tasting sweet any more, thinking of chocolate my mouth no longer waters! But think balsamic vinegar, rich savoury meats, chili-spicy food, salty crisps etc and my mouth salivates like mad!!!
I really miss my left hearing aid - I really notice that its gone and keep putting my hand up to check if its 'switched on' or the battery must be gone only to feel the lump and the realisation that I can't wear HAs there any more! The scar has healed up - no scab (there was hardly any) left either thanks to Bio-Oil.
But in the mist of all this it just hit me today - there's only THREE DAYS to my switch on! Whooop! Whoop!
I know, I shouldn't be over excited, I keep reminding myself that most people don't like the sensation/sounds/experiences of first few weeks... they are disappointed, they find it hard to adjust, they experence regrets, then it starts to get better. I don't care - I just want to hit the ground, feel it all and start the work! It feels like limbo all this waiting for activiation - I have a CI techically, but as of yet I don't actually have one...
Hurry up Friday!
I went back to work on Thursday 19th November - too soon in my opinion, as I was very tired and unable to concentrate much with the raging tinnitus. A lot of family issues came up that necessitate taking day off on Monday 23rd to sort out things properly. Back into work on Tuesday and that was my first 'proper' day back work and I haven't looked up for air since!
Strangely enough I have had no further attacks of tinnitus since Friday 20th November... Not that I am complaining mind!
The numbness to the left of my tongue is still there, my taste has changed too. I'm not tasting sweet any more, thinking of chocolate my mouth no longer waters! But think balsamic vinegar, rich savoury meats, chili-spicy food, salty crisps etc and my mouth salivates like mad!!!
I really miss my left hearing aid - I really notice that its gone and keep putting my hand up to check if its 'switched on' or the battery must be gone only to feel the lump and the realisation that I can't wear HAs there any more! The scar has healed up - no scab (there was hardly any) left either thanks to Bio-Oil.
But in the mist of all this it just hit me today - there's only THREE DAYS to my switch on! Whooop! Whoop!
I know, I shouldn't be over excited, I keep reminding myself that most people don't like the sensation/sounds/experiences of first few weeks... they are disappointed, they find it hard to adjust, they experence regrets, then it starts to get better. I don't care - I just want to hit the ground, feel it all and start the work! It feels like limbo all this waiting for activiation - I have a CI techically, but as of yet I don't actually have one...
Hurry up Friday!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Stitches out!
Had a wee bit of a lie-in on Friday, basking in the silence free from the annoying tinnitus! Got up and cleaned my room, fresh sheets on the bed etc. I decided to wash my hair before I go in to the doctor - was really, really... REALLY! looking forward to having a bath and washing my hair this morning!
Had a bit of a strop when I realised some eejit had just went and used up ALL the hot water!!!!!! GRRRRRR! Instead of a bath had to use the electric shower. The bath had to wait... I was so cross, I was almost late for the doctor's appointment!
The new GP, Maya, was young, pretty, chic and pregnant; I felt so drab, fat and ugly beside her! I didn’t feel the stitches coming out at all. The Swine Flu Vaccine was another matter - it hurt like hell! Inspecting my scar, Maya thought it would benefit from staying dry for a week at least and asked me not to wash my hair til next weekend(!) Urgh!
Later on that evening I felt really cold, achy, run down and really miserable - a side affect of the vaccine I guess? I was still snapping at everyone too. By 6pm the tinnitus came stomping back with a vengeance.
Had to stay up and wait for my mum to arrive. She came back to Dublin for her cousin's wife's removal/wake and was staying with me til the funeral next day. Mum didn't arrive til after 12:30am... at 10pm I was so bored, I broke my self-imposed break from playing poker and started playing with my free player points (I deliberately emptied all poker accounts for this month!) on PokerStars. And won my seats in the Joe Cada 100k game (Joe Cada won the World's biggest and most prestige poker competition WSOP last week) and the Sunday 250k game! Naturally my mum arrives as I'm in all these... and the criticism starts. She really doesn't see what I see in poker, she thinks its 'correct' to gamble on 'any two cards' that it is not a sport, there's no skill in it, its all luck, gambling and vice! I just ignored her - just wait til I get my big win and lets see what she says then! LOL! The tinnitus was roaring away and I was dying for my bed.
I just hope this tinnitus is just temporarily due to stress of the operation, tiredness, overdoing things and being slightly run-down from the affects of the antibiotics pumped into my system last week. Would hate to see it continuing...
Had a bit of a strop when I realised some eejit had just went and used up ALL the hot water!!!!!! GRRRRRR! Instead of a bath had to use the electric shower. The bath had to wait... I was so cross, I was almost late for the doctor's appointment!
The new GP, Maya, was young, pretty, chic and pregnant; I felt so drab, fat and ugly beside her! I didn’t feel the stitches coming out at all. The Swine Flu Vaccine was another matter - it hurt like hell! Inspecting my scar, Maya thought it would benefit from staying dry for a week at least and asked me not to wash my hair til next weekend(!) Urgh!
Later on that evening I felt really cold, achy, run down and really miserable - a side affect of the vaccine I guess? I was still snapping at everyone too. By 6pm the tinnitus came stomping back with a vengeance.
Had to stay up and wait for my mum to arrive. She came back to Dublin for her cousin's wife's removal/wake and was staying with me til the funeral next day. Mum didn't arrive til after 12:30am... at 10pm I was so bored, I broke my self-imposed break from playing poker and started playing with my free player points (I deliberately emptied all poker accounts for this month!) on PokerStars. And won my seats in the Joe Cada 100k game (Joe Cada won the World's biggest and most prestige poker competition WSOP last week) and the Sunday 250k game! Naturally my mum arrives as I'm in all these... and the criticism starts. She really doesn't see what I see in poker, she thinks its 'correct' to gamble on 'any two cards' that it is not a sport, there's no skill in it, its all luck, gambling and vice! I just ignored her - just wait til I get my big win and lets see what she says then! LOL! The tinnitus was roaring away and I was dying for my bed.
I just hope this tinnitus is just temporarily due to stress of the operation, tiredness, overdoing things and being slightly run-down from the affects of the antibiotics pumped into my system last week. Would hate to see it continuing...
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Pain, tinnitus and tiredness...
I really overdid things last Monday/Tuesday after I came home from hospital.
My mum who had stayed up minding my children while I was in hospital had to go home to Roscommon on Tuesday night; I made most of her (while she was still in Dublin)on Monday to take me to another medical appointment (non-CI related) food shopping, bank, etc., as I wasn't allowed to drive. I love my mother very much but she has a different way of doing things, I spend most of Tuesday putting stuff back in their proper places! My clothes were mixed up - some of my good tops were in my pyjama draw, while the pyjama tops were ironed and hanging in the wardrobe! LOL!
By Tuesday evening the whole of my left side of face/ear/head started to throb painfully! I took two paracetamol - had nothing else and it barely took the edge of the pain... I got rip-roaring tinnitus in the left ear, which went on for hours! By 11pm I was so bad, throwing all caution to the wind, I took off in the car to the local 24 hour pharmacy to get a stronger painkiller. The pharmacist recommended Solpadine; I took it gratefully and zoomed the 2 miles back to my house. The Solpadine worked really fast!
They must have given me a slow-releasing painkiller in hospital, can’t believe I’m getting all this pain and trouble now! Am kicking myself for not asking for prescription leaving hospital.
Waking up on Wednesday morning, the throbbing was still there but the tinnitus was gone. Dosed up again on Solpadine, I plonked myself on the sofa with a blanket, barely moved from there all day! But the tinnitus came back in the evening. Urgh! I went to bed at 10pm totally fed up!
I rarely get tinnitus. Previous attacks usually start as a loud 'Ooooooo' in my ear gradually getting lower and lower til its just 'white noise' that fades after a few seconds. I tend to get them in my right ear more than my left. Previous attacks usually last about 3-5 minutes, no longer... This week the tinnitus is mindblowing! It's following in the same pattern, but in my left ear, the 'oooooOOOOOOoooo' keeps going - resonating high then low then high again. And lasting for hours! It's not painful - just annoying...
The rest and early night on Wednesday did the trick (or perhaps it was the Solpadine?!) I felt great on Thursday morning! Resting up all day, I wanted to be fit to attend Deaf Artist Jane O'Brien's art exhibition in the Loving Spoon Cafe that evening. Popping into my GP to make the appointment for Friday to remove the stitches and get the Swine Flu vaccine, the receptionist was astounded to see me. ‘You had the operation already?!’ Yes, my dear I did! We had a chat about the operation; I showed off my scar and secured an appointment the next day with one of the new GPs working in the Clinic. I usually see Dr Fiona or Dr Orla, but both were not available.
The exhibition was so interesting! As a deaf artist Jane uses a lot of deaf materials in her work. A set of (now obsolete) minicoms had been painted and devilled to create a interesting sculpture; ear mould impressions feature heavily in a most of the sculptures. She had several pieces that really intrigued me and I related a lot to. My favourite was the 'Big D/Little d' paint-sculpture – it really sums up the identity crisis that I struggled with as part of the Deafhood process – really wish I had the money to buy it!
Art is something I appreciate and love; I started out looking for a career in art before realising I wasn’t talented enough to continue. I count some well known artists as good friends including the renowned artist - Amanda Coogan. I enjoy going to Art galleries and losing myself in them... since the arrival of my children I haven’t devoted as much time as I like to artistic endeavours. My house is not full of the art work that, when moving in I had promised I’d fill the walls with! A resolution I plan to make good on in future...
Heading home after the exhibition the tinnitus came roaring back strangely this time I had it in the right ear! Then the throbbing started again. Urgh! No more outings for me for the next few days...
Rest! Rest! Rest!
My mum who had stayed up minding my children while I was in hospital had to go home to Roscommon on Tuesday night; I made most of her (while she was still in Dublin)on Monday to take me to another medical appointment (non-CI related) food shopping, bank, etc., as I wasn't allowed to drive. I love my mother very much but she has a different way of doing things, I spend most of Tuesday putting stuff back in their proper places! My clothes were mixed up - some of my good tops were in my pyjama draw, while the pyjama tops were ironed and hanging in the wardrobe! LOL!
By Tuesday evening the whole of my left side of face/ear/head started to throb painfully! I took two paracetamol - had nothing else and it barely took the edge of the pain... I got rip-roaring tinnitus in the left ear, which went on for hours! By 11pm I was so bad, throwing all caution to the wind, I took off in the car to the local 24 hour pharmacy to get a stronger painkiller. The pharmacist recommended Solpadine; I took it gratefully and zoomed the 2 miles back to my house. The Solpadine worked really fast!
They must have given me a slow-releasing painkiller in hospital, can’t believe I’m getting all this pain and trouble now! Am kicking myself for not asking for prescription leaving hospital.
Waking up on Wednesday morning, the throbbing was still there but the tinnitus was gone. Dosed up again on Solpadine, I plonked myself on the sofa with a blanket, barely moved from there all day! But the tinnitus came back in the evening. Urgh! I went to bed at 10pm totally fed up!
I rarely get tinnitus. Previous attacks usually start as a loud 'Ooooooo' in my ear gradually getting lower and lower til its just 'white noise' that fades after a few seconds. I tend to get them in my right ear more than my left. Previous attacks usually last about 3-5 minutes, no longer... This week the tinnitus is mindblowing! It's following in the same pattern, but in my left ear, the 'oooooOOOOOOoooo' keeps going - resonating high then low then high again. And lasting for hours! It's not painful - just annoying...
The rest and early night on Wednesday did the trick (or perhaps it was the Solpadine?!) I felt great on Thursday morning! Resting up all day, I wanted to be fit to attend Deaf Artist Jane O'Brien's art exhibition in the Loving Spoon Cafe that evening. Popping into my GP to make the appointment for Friday to remove the stitches and get the Swine Flu vaccine, the receptionist was astounded to see me. ‘You had the operation already?!’ Yes, my dear I did! We had a chat about the operation; I showed off my scar and secured an appointment the next day with one of the new GPs working in the Clinic. I usually see Dr Fiona or Dr Orla, but both were not available.
The exhibition was so interesting! As a deaf artist Jane uses a lot of deaf materials in her work. A set of (now obsolete) minicoms had been painted and devilled to create a interesting sculpture; ear mould impressions feature heavily in a most of the sculptures. She had several pieces that really intrigued me and I related a lot to. My favourite was the 'Big D/Little d' paint-sculpture – it really sums up the identity crisis that I struggled with as part of the Deafhood process – really wish I had the money to buy it!
Art is something I appreciate and love; I started out looking for a career in art before realising I wasn’t talented enough to continue. I count some well known artists as good friends including the renowned artist - Amanda Coogan. I enjoy going to Art galleries and losing myself in them... since the arrival of my children I haven’t devoted as much time as I like to artistic endeavours. My house is not full of the art work that, when moving in I had promised I’d fill the walls with! A resolution I plan to make good on in future...
Heading home after the exhibition the tinnitus came roaring back strangely this time I had it in the right ear! Then the throbbing started again. Urgh! No more outings for me for the next few days...
Rest! Rest! Rest!
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