Next Step

[Catflower]

I have my appointment Monday to get the pink spongy thing and the plastic "cap" removed.  How does that feel?  Is it painful?  It feels to me like that cap is on there pretty tight and he may need a pry bar to take it off   I'm sure he probably has one in his office toolbox.

After that comes off can I get it wet?

[dpetty]

The cap fits kinda tight but it will pop off, matter of fact I just popped mine off a few min ago, takes a little getting used to, gave me the shivers 1st few times. Far as the dressing goes I went ahead and changed mine b4 hand as I had bled some.

David

[lori67]

It wasn't painful at all for me.  I don't have a lot of sensation in that area anyway, but it didn't hurt at all.

My doctor seems to do things completely the opposite of everyone else, so I don't know if you'll be able to get it wet or not.  I was able to wash my hair and get the whole thing wet the night of my surgery.  Everyone else seems to have had to wait.  I guess it all depends on how the doctor is feeling that day...

You should probably bring in the tire iron from your car when you to to your appointment, just in case he left his pry bar at home that day! 

just kidding...

Lori

[leapyrtwins]

David -

sounds like you have "doctor" skills - taking off your own bandage?  I'm impressed 

Catflower -

the cap is holding the bandage on pretty tight.  I don't think my doc used any kind of tool, I think he just used his fingers, but he was behind my head so I couldn't see.  When he popped the cap off it actually shot across the room.  I did not feel any pain whatsoever.

Once my bandage and cap were off, I was able to get my whole head wet (yeah!!!) and I was told to start putting bacitracin on the site 2x per day.  The doc said I could also use neosporin, which I did since I had no bacitracin in my house.

So the good news is you will be able to shampoo normally; the bad news is your hair will become goopy from the ointment you have to put on it 

But that's where the Dawn comes in.  Thank you, Lori 

Jan

[leapyrtwins]

My doctor seems to do things completely the opposite of everyone else, so I don't know if you'll be able to get it wet or not.  I was able to wash my hair and get the whole thing wet the night of my surgery.  Everyone else seems to have had to wait. 

Lori

Ah, here we go with the guinea pig stuff again.  When I think of all the lost royalties, I could just cry 

Jan

[dpetty]

Jan,

  Well I have doctored animals all my life, I've birthed more baby goats,calfs and foals then I care to count and just about everything in between, about the only thing I havn't done is major surgery, but I have done minor surgery a number of times. Most medications that is used on animals are the same ones for humans just a tad more refined.

[leapyrtwins]

Cool 

Hey, Lori -

David might be able to help your husband out with that garage/surgery business of his 

Jan

[lori67]

Absolutely Jan.  I will draw a chalk line down the middle of the garage - one side for people surgery and one side for animals.  We aim to please around here.  I wonder which side I should put the big air compressor on.....

Lori

[leapyrtwins]

Catflower -

I wanted to tell you not to be alarmed or grossed out when you first see your BAHA site.  From my experience, it isn't horrific, but it isn't too pretty either 

When my  bandage was removed and I finally saw the site I thought the doc had done things all wrong.  The area around the abutment was kind of sunken into my head and the skin around it just looked too bare to me.  I also thought that the abutment would be directly in the middle of the sunken square, but it was more towards the top of it.  I knew that the doc had done things right, but I was somewhat worried.

By the time I had my one month post op appointment my site looked a whole lot better and every day I'm more thrilled with the way it is healing.  The sunken area is no longer sunken and the hair has grown back nicely.  I was concerned it had grown back too well, but the doc said it's fine.

I have some great pictures that I can share with you if you want.  PM me if you are interested.

Jan

[leapyrtwins]

So, Catflower -

how did the bandage and cap removal go?

I was thinking about you while I was in the MRI "tunnel" earlier today.

Hope everything went well,

Jan

[Catflower]

So, Catflower -

how did the bandage and cap removal go?

I was thinking about you while I was in the MRI "tunnel" earlier today.

Hope everything went well,

Jan

Everything went well.  It didn't hurt a bit.  The doctor said the site looked good.  There are some stitches there, but they will dissolve on their own.  He said I can shampoo, but just be careful not to rub that area.  That might be a little tricky since I don't have any feeling there.  He also said to use antibiotic ointment once a day.  I go back in two weeks.

Linda in WV

[leapyrtwins]

Linda -

Sounds like you're doing great.

And antibiotic ointment only 1x per day.  Yeah!!
I had to use it 2x per day - and I hated all the goop!

Jan

[dpetty]

That's strange my doctor said I didn't need to use the antibiotic ointment as it was healing so quickly, just general cleaning, might be due to all the vitamins I take too.