2 weeks on

It's been 16 days now since my surgery,

and I still feel very much a patient.

My days are spent mostly sitting,

watching Downton or movies, reading blogs on my iPad;

and reading books or magazines (when my eyes can cope with that).

Which all sounds ideal, until it's all you can do.

Sometimes I've had to go back to bed, too tired for anything.

 I'm still enjoying flowers around me.

Above are the last of this bouquet from some of my students:

I think I like them better as they are now ...

Yesterday I spent an hour ordering groceries online,

with the aim of getting our non-perishables for the next month delivered,

plus some fresh food for the next few days.

Now my kitchen is filled with 37 bags of groceries 

I'm not allowed to unpack

(because of the bending and lifting).

But at least I won't have to send Steve out to the shops 

quite so much for a while.

Thank goodness I've been able to crochet these weeks,

I think it has kept me sane.

This was one of my projects, you might see more of it later.

I've also finished my poncho and started knitting a cowl,

projects for another post.

Another little project I finally managed was making 

a little shower cap for my ear!

I still can't get my ear wet, so a shower cap works fine for most days, 

but after about a week I really need to wash my hair, 

and am nervous about just using

a vaseline-soaked cotton ball (standard post-op protection advice)

so I cut up a shower cap and added elastic to make this itsy-bitsy ear cap,

and tried it this morning (plus the cotton ball and vaseline) with much success. 

Lunches have been haphazard, depending how I've been feeling,

this was one of the best ones - leftover potato

and a chickpea omelette.

Laura has been home sick with headaches and nausea

four out of days this week.  Meaning she has missed most of her Year 9 NAPLAN tests.

The thought that we might be headed for a repeat

of last year is just too much for me to cope with, at the moment.

I'm thankful she is old enough to look after herself

and have never been more grateful for the invention of the iPod.

Hopefully she might improve when things go back to normal with me,

she's a sensitive (but sweet) little thing that way.

 In my mind, today was to be the last day of my convalescence.

(I finished Downton season 4 just now, so it must be time to get better!)

Next week I plan to ease back into my normal activities,

starting with piano teaching. 

But I still feel foggy and tired and sometimes dizzy for a lot of each day.

I'll see how I go on the weekend before I confirm anything.

Fortunately I usually feel much better in the evenings, somehow,

the other night I cooked most of the dinner and dessert by myself.

So, I'll keep rolling with the ups and downs a bit longer,

ever grateful that my surgery has been successful,

I can hear well, and the sun is shining.

Mothers Day 2014

Mothers Day began early for me 

when Steve surprised me with flowers on Saturday night.     

Lucky me!  More flowers.

(And more floristry practice for Steve,

arranging them in a suitable vase or jug,

he's getting quite good at it now ;-)

I had hoped to manage to go to church in the morning,

but it was not to be.

We all enjoyed a sleep-in and after a late breakfast

I was given these lovely presents.

including some fun jewellery from Steve, 

that I picked out on our holiday at Green Point,

this sweet ceramic bird from Emily also came home from the lakeside.

Emily also gave me some very cute fabric.

Laura gave me a notepaper cube

and some nutty treats.

Steve also gave me Downton season 4,

just what the doctor ordered for this next week of rest.

Steve moulded cookie dough into hearts for morning tea.

(Such a romantic).

Dinner was delicious, once again provided by Steve

who is of course doing all the cooking these days.

After lunch we played Cluedo and then went for a short walk 

(just around the block).

It was lovely to do that again.

Steve made cupcakes for afternoon tea.

I am so thankful to my wonderful Steve, 

who has taken such good care of me the last two weeks, 

giving up so much time to manage everything,

and still made the effort to make 

my Mothers Day a special day.

A short walk away

After spending so many hours on the sofa in the living room

I love taking a short walk to my craft room

to see my pretty things

and dream of doing some craft in there again soon

when I've got a bit more strength.

It's a bit chilly in there at this time of year,

time to get out the heater.

So I don't stay long.

After a few minutes I'm back on the sofa,

a bit worn out, and glad to be sitting down again.

I can hear!

Yesterday my surgeon removed most of the packing in my ear,

and I can hear!

Of course, I have been able to hear all along, really,

but only in my left ear, and then for the last 5 years

I've had some (somewhat distorted) hearing 

via a hearing aid in my right ear.

But now, I'm hearing clearly in stereo! Woohoo!

And over time it will get even better.

In fact, most things are just too loud, my brain needs to adjust.

The girls have been at band camp so things have been quiet around here,

this afternoon I will see how I go with a full household of noise!

In the meantime, I'm still pretty tired and am watching lots of TV,

enjoying reading blogs, reading and crocheting.

It's a hard life, but someone has to do it.

A week on, I've been blessed with more cards and flowers

from friends and students, people are so kind.

I feel that this post should have photos of all the things

I'm enjoying hearing now, but that might wait for another time.

Seeing all the bright flowers and cards 

reminds me of my happiness

that the worst of the post-surgery times are over,

and that it has all been worth it.

After months of anxiety and planning and questions,

a quiet joy has settled over my life.

Something that was lost for so long has been restored.

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened
    and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
 Then will the lame leap like a deer,
    and the mute tongue shout for joy.
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
    and streams in the desert.

Isaiah 35:5-6

God is good.

Don't you think He gives us small tastes

of his kingdom now?

   

Thank you for your well wishes, too.

They mean a lot to me.

I hope you have a lovely day in your neck of the woods!

Convalescence

convalescence (ˌkɒnvəˈlɛsəns)

n

1. (Medicine) gradual return to health after illness, injury, or an operation, esp through rest

2. (Medicine) the period during which such recovery occurs

It's been a week now since my ear surgery, and things are going well.

I've had the expected symptoms of dizziness, some ear pain and tiredness.  My tongue is numb on one side and my ear is uncomfortable from being stuffed full of packing.  I've had some days where I felt miserable, dizzy, or exhausted, but am definitely on the mend now.

And there have been consolations.

 

Flowers in hospital from Mum & Dad, 

and tulips from bible study after I arrived home.

Much, much Downton.

And I'm catching up on lots of chick flicks.

I'm crocheting my poncho, almost finished.

Dreaming of my next crochet projects, and garden plans

Emily made me the cutest birdy to cheer me

and the bunny dish Laura gave me at Easter still makes me smile.

Today I managed to make simple Mothers Day cards.  Just.

Steve has been an untiring nurse / housekeeper / cook / errand-runner

picker-upper of things I can't bend down for / hairdresser (keeping the ear dry!) /

florist and much, much more.

Mum and Jacqui have helped with some meals, and there have been texts and

emails, and tonight there were more flowers from some students.

Tomorrow I visit the surgeon to have most of the packing in my ear removed.

I should be much more comfortable in the ear, and I should be able to hear!

From then on I need to rest for at least another week,

and be patient while my hearing comes and goes a bit while my ear settles down

over the coming weeks and months.

Cloud ahead

For the last 17 years I've been deaf in my right ear.

I have a condition called otosclerosis, and it was triggered by my pregnancy with Emily,

so it's 17 years pretty much to the month since I first noticed my ear

felt blocked all the time and I couldn't hear properly.

At the time I was advised to finish my family and then consider a stapedectomy.

In 2009 I visited the surgeon again and discussed the procedure and risks of surgery,

and he advised trying a hearing aid if I wasn't sure about the surgery.

So for 4 1/2 years I've been wearing a hearing aid.

It was very hard going at first, but the day after I wrote this post

about how I couldn't keep wearing it,

everything suddenly clicked and I kept it after all.

Conversations in noisy rooms became easier.
I could actually tell when we finished praying in bible study.
The TV volume could come down a bit.

Music became louder, but more cacophonous.

With every high note comes a ringing feedback sound in my ear.

And I still struggle to hear someone speaking directly to my right.

So, after all these years, I've decided to have the surgery.

I booked it in November, but had to wait until this week to have it.
The surgery has an 89% success rate,
so I'm hoping there will be no complications.
My sweet friend Carol has had this surgery twice
and has been my mentor and cheerleader
over the last 9 months or so we've been chatting about it.
She now has about 80% of her hearing in her recently operated ear.

On Wednesday I will go to hospital, stay overnight,

and return home on Thursday to recover.

For the next couple of weeks I have to avoid
bending, lifting, and sudden movements.

I can't blow my nose or wash my hair,
and I still won't be able to hear for about 6 weeks.
I've canceled my teaching and other responsibilities
for a few weeks.
After the initial dizziness
I'm planning to catch up on period dramas and romantic comedies,
 read a few books and do some crocheting and knitting.
The girls have been told they will have to wait on me hand and foot.
We'll see how that turns out ...

In the eye department, I'm still getting used to reading glasses,
reading is not always the pleasure it was.
Using the computer is marginally better with my glasses.
I'm sure it will continue to improve, along with my hearing after surgery,
as my brain adjusts to all these changes.
Hopefully in 2 months or so I'll be hearing and reading with no problems.

So at the moment I'm feeling a bit anxious,
aware of the various risks of the surgery,
doing lots of housework, shopping and cooking
to prepare for the next fortnight when I can do nothing,
trying to remember everything that I need to be on top of.
It's a strange state to be in, knowing that if I don't do something now,
I can't do it for a few weeks.

It's hard to hold on to the calm of last week,
but if  the surgery works, it will all be worth it.

Thanks for sticking with this long post to the end,
I'll see you again out the other side.

Holiday by the lake

Our week by Wallis Lake last week was just what we needed.

Last term was hard, long and wet.

After 300km driving north, 

we arrived at Green Point, near Forster,

and found ourselves in a land of sunshine,

 pelicans and birdsong,

hibiscus flowers bigger than our hands,

and a sky that stretched forever.

We swam

 we kayaked

we lazed and read and crocheted and enjoyed the view

 

we explored

and one of us did the splits by the lake.

I took about a million photos of sunsets over the water,

but that's another post.

There was time to absorb our beautiful surrounds,

time to think, to read, to walk, to be together, to play games,

to enjoy the warm sea, and just to be.

Good times.