Side effects

Here’s me talking about my implant – after surgery but before switch on.

The night of my operation, I was trying to read my Kindle but found the words were all blurry. At first, I thought that perhaps I was tired, or the lighting was not good, but I realised it may be a side effect of the operation. I spoke to the nurse and she said this was normal and would pass. It did pass in about 24 hours.

The day after the operation, when brushing my teeth, there was a bit of blood. I started to cough up a little over the next few days. The nurse advised this was due to my having a breathing tube down my throat. The blood stopped after about a week and it was not much, very little.

My bandage was removed two days after my operation and the scar was left unbandaged to heal itself. This is how it looked – see bottom photo. So little swelling or redness. My surgeon is a genius! My mum was also very relieved. She was expecting to see a huge scar and a half shaved head!

(Some surgeons (especially abroad) tend to enter the head higher up with bigger scars (and staples rather than disposable stitches) and those pictures do have more bruising. However, in the UK, and in my case, entry is behind the ear and its much neater. Some of my friends have reported similar.)

I was able to go home two days after the operation but I was advised not to drive at first as I might feel dizzy.

I did have bouts of dizziness for about two weeks. I wouldn’t say these were extreme, only when I moved my head too quickly or stood up too quickly. I had no problems walking. I had been worried I would look like I was drunk but I was fine!

I was also very tired for the first week. I slept a lot, especially in the mornings.

When I washed my hair, I made sure I had someone to help me. I put cotton wool in my ear and tilted my head sideways to avoid getting water or soap where the scar was. I also covered the wound with a facecloth. After two weeks I felt able to wash my hair normally.

It’s now three weeks since my operation and I’m feeling much better. The tiredness and dizziness have mostly gone to be replaced with total frustration at not being able to hear anything. My family have been great and very patient, however some of my friends have said “is it working yet?”.

I don’t get switched on until next week so I look forward to sharing that with you!