ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => Hearing Issues => Topic started by: grega on April 16, 2010, 09:10:57 am
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Hi all,
Yesterday, getting the baha implant/abuttment was a piece-o'-cake .... well, actually, only PB crackers about 5pm! It was a long day ... procedure was due to start @ 1pm ... but didn't till after 3 .... and all that time without coffee, water or snacks. The night before I pigged out till just before midnight so the hunger pangs would be at a minimum yesterday.... it worked!
All the people I met .... from check-in nurse to post-op nurse .... were delightful, and not afraid to laugh a bit at my questions, explanations (med'l history stuff) and observations. I sincerely hope that others have similar experiences.
Roughest part was having the electrodes pulled from my chest, but the nurse-puller immediately put her fingers on each site after the tug .... saying that's what happens during her "waxing sessions" ..... it worked! (but I didn't ask her any questions about that ;) )
Anyway, no pain or other complications .... and I'm ready to do a lotta yard work today (low 80's today!) .... but Suz has the whip out making sure that I follow doctor's orders and take it easy. And I'm ready to get this trubin off to see the healing cap.
Greg ;D
BTW .... a little bird suggested the "screwed-ya-day" moniker when I asked bout the baha "gotcha-day" moniker ... I think it fits, but will delete if mods object ::)
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I knew you'd do just fine! I'm sure the nurses were laughing WITH you, as well as AT you! :D
Who would have come up with such a name for abutment-getting day? ???
Save some yard work for tomorrow - it's supposed to be nice out again!
Lori
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You got the whole summer ahead of you to do yard work. Just take it easy and rest up. You don't want to overdo yourself for a few days. ;)
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Congrats on your "screwed-ya-day" ;D
Let us know how it works with the tinnitus when you can start using it, and have a nice relaxing weekend.
Lounge chair, soaking up the rays, reading a good magazine with a cold drink kind of weekend ;)
Maureen
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Thanks Lori, Moe & Kenny .... just had to fit that in ;D ..... for all your good advice! I am definitely relaxing today, and will do so this weekend.
Lori, two things .... maybe 100 miles further south it'll be nice tomorrow, but it's gonna be 25-30 degrees colder here :o
Also, think it was your partner-in-crime that first penned that moniker 8)
Greg
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Also, think it was your partner-in-crime that first penned that moniker 8)
GASP!! :o I get blamed for everything! Actually, I believe it was Lorraine (aka Lori) who came up with BAHA Gotcha Day as well as the new "moniker".
Glad to hear everything went well. Electrodes are a new one on me - never had them - not that chest hair is an issue in my case (despite those nasty rumors) LOL
Listen to your better half and let the yard work wait; sit back and eat the chocolate that came in your kit. Afterall, you just had a hole drilled in your head!
Best,
Jan
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Greg,
Great to hear that it was no big deal. Did you have local or general anesthesia? If it was local, were you freaked out at all by being awake? I am looking at the Baha more seriously now that my Phonak CROS hearing aids cannot be fixed. Also looking into the Transear. Thanks.
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Electrodes are a new one on me - never had them -
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That's because you have no heart! :D
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Congratulations Greg, Have a great weekend, but be careful with the yard work!
Mei Mei
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Did you have local or general anesthesia? If it was local, were you freaked out at all by being awake?
I had local and being awake wasn't freaky at all. It was a little surreal but very cool 8)
I didn't feel a thing!
Jan
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That's because you have no heart! :D
Guess each set of triplets only gets one - Kaybo was the lucky one in the JKL Trio :D
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G'morning all!
Thanks for all the favorable thoughts after the procedure! And love the friendly back-and-forth banter .... brings smiles and giggles, huh?
Julianne, I had general w/ no problems, and it wore off pretty much within about a half hour. Doc has not done baha with local .... and said he didn't mind if I sought out another doc if local was preferred. But I was OK with general ... worked fine.
Took off the turbin last night .... wow, what's that ugly thing on my head .... just padding over the site? But tapping on the center part of that protective cap sends loud tapping noises to the good side ... much louder than with the baha testers.
Need tips on what to wear over this ugly red protective cap while venturing out this week (work, church, store). I can only think of large piece of gauze, cause it's too warm for flexible knit cap. Thanks for any advice.
Greg
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You could cut some eye holes in a sheet and pretend you're a ghost...that should cover you up pretty well! ;)
Going with the gauze is probably your best bet. How come you got a red cap? Mine was white. How boring.
Lori
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How about wearing a bandanna? ::)
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My plastic cap was white also.
Grega -
here's a cool trick for when you are able to remove your plastic cap.
If you rub your fingertip very lightly over your abutment, you can actually hear the sound of your fingertip rubbing on it ;D
Kind of like a very small preview of the sound that is coming your way once you get to start wearing your device!
Jan
PS - LOVE the ghost idea :D
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Hello on this fine day ... S-Y Day +3 ! ;D
I thought I remembered someone saying previously that the healing cap was white .... it probably was when first slapped on with super-glue and duct tape. But since the inside of the turbin was not white ..... well, nuf said on that ;) ..... I'll doctor it up real nice so as not to arouse suspicion in public places 8) .... no one will ever know ::)
And Lori .... re the eyeholes in the sheet ..... maybe no eyeholes at all .... then I won't have to see curious faces and answer questions. Of course it might be a bit difficult driving carpool ..... but hey .... don't sweat the small stuff .... right?
Ken, I like the bandanna idea .... in something subtle ....
I wish you all a very good day!
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Ah! Thanks for the clarification on the color of your cap. Hope it's white now ;D
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Well, the small center circle is white, but not the rest of the stuff protecting the entire site .... 'bout 2" x 2". That gets changed Thoisday. Be here in no time. Till then I'll keep it covered with gauze.
Keep ;D- ing!
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I'm glad you think I have the heart!! ::) Guess I will be checking into a BAHA myself since we will be in a MAJOR medical center! Of course that will be down the road as I will get the girlies all settled first...
K ;D
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Kaybo, you DEFINITELY have heart! ;D
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WAY TO GO KAY! Wish you the best in your baha decisions and search .... but I'm guessin that, with J & L and others chiming in about their experiences, you probly feel real comfortable about it already. IMO ..... justifiably so ;D
Greg
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She doesn't really care about the BAHA - it's the Recovery Kit she's after! ;)
And who could blame her?
Lori
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Fun-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !!!!!!!!!!! :D ;D :D ;D :D
But a very wise choice in my book ! ;)
Greg
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Isn't there chocolate in there?? ::)
K ;D
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Kaybo,
I bet you could squeeze in the BAHA while getting the girlies settled. Sounds like you mulit task very well :)
I can't wait to try the BAHA again in the fall. All the doc needs to do is screw in a new abutment since I have the implant from AN surgery in 06. He has a new improved one, don't know if it is the BP 100 (or whatever someone says is the new one). He'll do this when I get my canthopexy. First the face surgery
So do I get half of a BAHA kit from Lori and Jan???? Just send chocolate!
Things are FINALLY coming together for me. Perseverance, and faith I guess. :) :) :) :) :)
Maureen
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Moe,
I think we can arrange something! ;)
Lori
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Greetings!
From Tacoma we just heard from Moe :D
And also from Texas: Kaybo :D
Production ain't slowing ...
When chocolate is flowing :o
Jan and Lori can "get 'er done" .... WHOA!!!! ;D
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Jan,
I think we need to have that printed on a business card! We've found our advertising manager! Should we tell him now that the pay stinks? ???
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Jan and Lori can "get 'er done" .... WHOA!!!! ;D
Grega -
I think you're watching a little too much of Larry the Cable Guy ;) :D
Lori -
I'm not sure it's within our business rules to send Moe just chocolate. If we start that "tradition" everyone will want some - BAHA or not ::)
Jan
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"send Moe only chocolate" ?!?!?! I didn't mean to suggest that .... sorry if you thought so. Anyway, rules IS rules, I hear tell, even if only on one side. ::)
Jan, be glad to modify that last line if you think copyright laws are a problem. 8) I'll let you two fill in the blanks.
Pay? Well, your baha enthusiasm is more than sufficient! ;)
OK - OK - OK All seriousness aside! Tomorrow .... one week after .... I get change of first protective stuff .... can't wait! ;D
Greg
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Good luck, Greg!
And don't worry, I've been through the BAHA so am exempt from the "kit". I have quite the selection of chocolate here too! Try to keep it the dark healthy good for you chocolate....
Cheers,
Maureen
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Thanks Moe for the thoughts!
Yep, Jan & Lori sent my kit with the dark stuff coupla weeks back .... wonderful! :D But much of it was ..... well, kinda melty :( .... and hard to actually discern one from another. ??? We had a few unusually warm east-coast days in the low 90's 8) so I immediately thought the sun and heat caused it .... but now I strongly wonder if the shipping company x-rayed it more than they usually do, seeing the return address. :o
Anyway, it was still good to nibble, albeit slow and slightly difficult .... and I certainly don't recommend a halt to them sending joy to other baha-ers. I'm really looking forward to being able to use other kit kontents as the days dwindle down to gotcha-day!
Darn the Fed-Ex-Rays .... full speed ahead!
Greg
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Actually the package was sent UPS (sending kits Fed Ex is way out of my budget range) and I don't know why they would x-ray it - so it must have been your warm weather. Sorry! Perhaps Lori and I should starting packing our kits on ice :D
The return address shouldn't have been suspect. I mailed it from work - and it's not like I work for the IRS or the government LOL
Jan
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Well, I suppose to be on the safe side, we could always replace the chocolate with something that won't melt......like maybe canned vegetables? :D
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NAW .... keep the chocolate! It's wonderful that you two brighten our lives with what's important ;D
And regarding the first baha dressing, which I'll get replaced today .... I woke this morning humming the Beatles' "Got To Get You Out Of My Life" and thinking ..... got to get this off of my head ..... da-da-da da-da.
Yep .... I was thinking da-da-da da-da! ::)
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Well if not canned veggies, maybe some nice fresh broccolli ;D
Grega -
you've got me a little confused here (yes, I know, Pooter would be laughing at this). What do you mean by your dressing replaced?
After one week, my little bandage and plastic cap were removed and that was it for dressings. At that point, I started putting "goop" (aka ointment) on my site.
Da-da-da da-da!
Jan
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you've got me a little confused here (yes, I know, Pooter would be laughing at this).
Jan
Ahh... you know me so well, Jan. I did let out a little smirk when I saw that. We still loves ya, Jan!
Brian
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Hey again .....
broccoli's good too ::) or do you mena chocolate-covered broccoli? :P
Dressing? .... I meant the gauzey patch held on by the plastic cap .... the one from surgery was really red-dy to be taken off .... and doc put back on another gauzy piece held on by the new cap (when he snapped it on .... wow, the noise on the good side!)
I askd doc to snap a cell-phone pic so I could actually see my new hairdo around the baha-butment.... :o
All's good he says..... that's good! ;D
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Putting a new piece of gauze and the cap back on is a new one for me. Mine what removed one week post op, never to return.
When do you get to remove that?
Chocolate covered broccoli ??? YUCK :P
Love ya, too, Pooter :-*
Jan
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I had my healing cap for 2 weeks and then it came off for good. My doctor gave it to me and said to keep it in case I ever needed it again. He wasn't sure why I would need it, but he said they charge a fortune for those little plastic things, so I might as well hold onto it.
If anyone ever needs a healing cap, call me...we'll make a deal! :D
Lori
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My doctor gave it to me and said to keep it in case I ever needed it again. He wasn't sure why I would need it, but he said they charge a fortune for those little plastic things, so I might as well hold onto it.
Seriously? The day my doc removed mine it pretty much popped off my head and rolled across the room under a desk or chair. He picked it up and threw it in the trash.
Good thing it didn't have any sentimental value to me :D
Perhaps you should have your cap bronzed and we can display it on a shelf in our garage surgery business along with some chocolate-covered broccoli ;)
Jan