hello!
I would like to share my surgery experience at HEI and hope this will help anyone in their own journey, whether it is at House/St Vincent's or any other facility.
The day before the operation was pre-op, it started early at 7.30 am with Dr Schwartz, followed by a series of balance and hearing tests. The water hearing test was most difficult for me as it felt like someone was hosing down my ear and then with my head spinning, I had to stare out of my eyeballs to that non-existent green light. In the afternoon, I met with internist Dr Stefan, followed by blood tests and chest x-rays with the day ending at 4 pm. Also took the opportunity to meet with Yolanda and Rita to finalize my paperwork. Yep! It felt like an 8 hour work day
And oh, don’t despair if St Vincent’s is not in your network, I found out on my last day that a guy is staying at Cedar Sinai Hospital where some House doctors are courtesy staff!
The day of the operation, I went back to House to meet with Dr Brackmann to review the hearing test results and we agreed upon the appropriate surgery approach, which is Translab. Then off to the hospital to be admitted, changed, had the IV needle put into my arm and my left ear marked for surgery. They wheeled me to the 6th floor where I parted with my family. First order of business, shaving my hair behind the ear which was done by a cute Irish nurse. Then I was knocked out in less than 5 seconds. The surgery was a success, with every of that darn thing taken out. It was initially communicated to me as 3-5 hours, but it turned out to be 8 hours long.
The night at icu was LONG, I struggled with no luck to find a comfortable position for my head and extremely sore neck and shoulder. The contraptions hooked to my arms and limbs added to the discomfort, with the leg compressor going off alternatively, one arm hooked to iv, one finger to pulse machine, one other arm hooked to blood pressure cuff and nurse coming in every 2 hours to change my sleeping position. Each time she came in I begged for ice which is THE best thing on earth as my mouth was so dry. She was practically parked at the foot of my icu bed the entire night and there was a camera in there to monitor my movements if she leaves. Next day they raised me up and I felt the earth was spinning, my left face was swollen that I could hardly open my eyes. I slept the whole day, high on medication, steroids and morphine. They also feed me shaved orange ice which is the next best thing on earth
That same day they sent me to my tiny private room. I was still hooked up to the iv and leg contraptions, so going to the bathroom was quite an event. Make that every 2 hours and I got my own physical therapy going! They also have this breathing contraption which you are supposed to do every 2 hours for 10 times….. I only did it if the nurse personally stuck it to my mouth. And oh, the horror stories about hospital food are true
On the bright side you get to choose your menu selections and if your family eats with you, note that the hospital cafeteria serve the same food for both lunch and dinner. It is good value and there is nothing much within walking distance by the hospital. I could not eat anything solid for the first few days anyway as my jaw line was so sore and I have little appetite. I brought books to read thinking I need to pass my time, but my eyes were blurry and I was sleeping so much that I used up my entire sleep quota for 2007 and even earned a sore butt! The nurses responded quickly to my calls and physical therapy came in twice a day to get me walking around the 6th floor. Thanks to the many bathroom trips, I impressed the therapist
I kept track of my daily medications, eye drop and wound applications - and I was glad I kept track as one day they overlooked my bladder infection medication! All the surgeons who worked on me visited daily, Dr Wilkinson (assistant to Dr Brackmann) was there every morning at 5.30 am checking on my wounds and facial responses. I was not able to raise my left eyebrow, but I can smile, pucker my lips, and raise my nose. It was also weird to be deaf in one ear, as I hear echo, people talking, an aria and all sorts of ringing, clicking and vacuuming noises. Did you know they take out your tummy fat to patch up your ear? Talk about a free liposuction deal
I was discharged on the 5th day and they even wheeled me to right up to my room at Seton. Seton is convenient and secure, especially for family members. You need the key to get into the building and up to your floor. Everything is on the 3rd floor, i.e. the community kitchen/dinning room, free coffee and free laundry. There is internet access but if you bring your own laptop, you can go to lobby for faster internet access. If you have a car, they charge you for parking in their garages. Metered parking outside Seton is free at night. There is a mini fridge in your room, but oddly no TV remote. There are no complimentary toiletries (just soap), room gets cleaned every 5 days but there are self-served clean towels and linens. I met people with AN there and it was really comforting to swap stories, compare our trophy scars and brag how long our surgery was! I was there for my follow up appointment to get my stitches out, by then, all I want for Christmas was to wash my greasy hair
It's been 3 weeks since the surgery, walking on land was easier than I thought. I don't have blurry eyes, I can raise my eyebrows and my neck/shoulders were no longer sore. My jaw line is still sore, sitting in the car is still a challenge, I am learning how to use my only good ear and I am improving each day for balance. Everyone’s experience varies and my best wishes to everyone in their own journey. But I think we all had a life changing experience and we can say “anything that comes my way - a piece of cake!�
chocolatetruffle
