Thursday, January 7, 2016

Meningitis and Mastoidectomy Update!

Well, it is now 3 months after I got meningitis, and 2 months post-op on the mastoidectomy with encephalocele.
As for the meningitis, I still have significant hearing loss issues.  I will get my hearing aids adjusted, but not until I have my surgery on the other ear.  This hearing loss is worsened by the fact that the internal packing from the mastoidectomy has not dissolved and the only thing I am hearing on that side is my voice inside my head.  Hardly anything external. 
I tire easily.  It frustrates me so!  Before I was sick, I was usually up by 5:00, laundry and cleaning done and at work by 7-7:30.  And some days I did my grocery shopping at 6:30 in the morning before work.  Worked all day, got home by 5:30, made supper, cleaned, etc. and did it all again the next day.  Now, I am pooped by mid-afternoon, and I am not really doing hard physical work like I was before.  So, the whole time I am sitting down taking a break, I feel like a slug for sitting down taking a break. Anyway, this is mostly a personal, psychological issue I am having to come to terms with.  I am not a good sitter-arounder. 
Sometimes, I feel weird.  (My family would be chiding "You ARE weird!" to that statement)  I can't really put my finger on what feels different, just weird.  Just not quite right.  And I have trouble remembering (worse than before) why I went into a room.  Or what I needed to grab at the store.  Adding in my head used to be split-second.  Now I have to think about it. Just some little things that no one but me notices, but drives me crazy!
As for the ear surgery, I have had 2 post-op visits where they removed all packing that could be seen on the outside of my eardrum.  All that's left is internal packing which they assure me will dissolve.  I hope they speak the truth!  I thought I would be hearing great by now, but they say it could take another 4-6 weeks.  I do a lot of smiling and nodding because I can't hear what people are saying.  Most times, I can hear the noise, just can't make out what they are saying.  One guy asked my husband if I was "OK".  He informed him I couldn't hear and didn't want to say that, so apparently he had asked me something and I just looked pleasant and smiled at him.  You can hear our television from the driveway.  Sorry.  I wear one hearing aid in my "good" ear, but when I am in a place with background noise, it is all so loud I can't make out anything, so I sort of "check out" and hope no one is speaking to me. 
There isn't any pain from the surgery.  I do have some itching in some place that can't be reached and it makes me crazy from time to time.  My hair is growing back where they shaved behind my ear. And it is nice to be able to just get into the shower without having to water-proof my ear first. 
At my last ENT appointment, the doctor said he had myself and another patient with the issues I have, and that it was so rare there wasn't actually much in any text book to learn about.  I am either an anomaly or a freak - you can draw your own opinion!   I guess it's good he knows what he's doing! 
As I reflect on where I was three months ago, and that fact that I am "nearly" back to normal, it is a total miracle.  Not luck, but a direct result of God not being finished with me yet. I am truly grateful for the opportunity, and hope that somehow I can show my gratitude and show God's love through my life.

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