4 months post-op...then and now

Routines are funny things. It seems like we're always desperate to escape them. We count down the days until our vacations, find exciting new jobs, finally try that odd recipe that calls for cherimoya (cheri-what?). Perhaps finally take the plunge (quite literally) and go skydiving. And here's the funny thing. Once those moments are over and done with and we get swallowed right back up into our daily grind, those moments seem like they never happened. Like they're only genuine memories if we really take the time to convince ourselves that they are.

That's exactly how I feel about my surgery now that I'm nearly four months out. Now that I'm more or less back into the swing of things, it almost seems like it never happened at all. Which is crazy when I think of all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into this ordeal. Of course I'm still dealing with the few remaining "souvenirs" of the experience (more on those in just a second) but I'm happy to say that, all in all, I feel like me again.

Thinking back on one of the blog entries I wrote several weeks after my surgery about being broken and wondering when and if I was ever going to feel normal again and looking at where I am now, well, I can say that I am truly and incredibly blessed!

Okay, so on to my souvenirs.

My hair is probably the biggest reminder of what went down back in May. It's been growing slowly and steadily, but unless my hair is slicked back into a bun it's pretty obvious there's a rather drastic length difference between the two sides of my hair. I wear headbands whenever it's pulled back to disguise that fact a bit. They also hide the fact that there is barely any hair growing over my scar so I have a nice little crescent shape strip of skin that reaches all the way around my ear.

Then

Now

   





My hair is also beginning to reach that awkward length where unless it's straightened or gelled down it's starting to poof off the side of my head. Definitely not attractive. I have a feeling that in the next few months some drastic changes may be taking place. Drastic as in I cut off the rest of my hair to make it even all the way around. Updates to come.

As for the scar itself, that entire area is still surprisingly tender. I avoid touching it whenever possible. The fat that was put in that area to fill in the hole has started to sink in (the doctor warned me it would) so now the dent behind my ear is more obvious and rather squishy.  (Whew, I'm getting a little queasy just talking about it.) The skin on that side is tight, too. Whenever I turn my head to the left I can feel a slight tugging as though there's just not quite enough skin to go around. According to my dad, this should resolve in a few more months.

The incision site on my hip is no longer tender and it has faded in color a bit. I haven't been using Mederma or any sort of scar cream on it as it's not in a noticeable area and, well, I guess I'm too lazy to be bothered. :)

Then

Now

As I mentioned earlier, I will be going back up to Cleveland Clinic next month so that Dr. Woodson can take another look at my right eye. When I saw her in June my right eye still lagged behind my left eye in blinking, was larger than my left eye, and didn't tear or lubricate normally. Since then, my blinking has normalized but my right eye is still slightly larger and still doesn't tear. It doesn't normally bother me unless I'm driving in the car with the windows down or am near a fan or air conditioner. I carry my drops around with me faithfully and put in a few whenever necessary. I think wearing contacts has actually helped to keep my eye moist and protected since it forms a kind of barrier. However, by the end of the day I'm always more than ready to take them out.

I started going to Zumba again this month and, hopefully, will start teaching within the next week or two. I won't lie, it's definitely been a challenge forcing myself to get back into shape. There have been quite a few times when I seriously considered not going back. Believe it or not, I'm really not much of a fitness junkie so if I'm going to work out I have to be super motivated to do so. I've been really blessed, though, to have a terrific support team that has cheered me along the entire way. If it weren't for them I'd probably still be sitting on my couch watching reruns of Psych.

The fact that I'm back at Zumba says as much, but I did want to note that I'm not experiencing any further issues with my balance. I do get the occasional "wonkiness" when I'm really tired or slipping down to the darkened kitchen for a midnight snack. I believe that's pretty normal though based on what I've read of other AN-ers' experiences.

Before signing off, I did have two more pictures I wanted to share. Just as a kind of overall "look how far I've come." The picture on the left was taken on my phone the day I left the hospital and the picture on the right was taken at the beginning of this month and, wow, what a difference a few months make!

Before (nice 'do, eh?)....

....and 4 months later!

  

I'll be back with another update next month to let you guys know how the appointment with Dr. Woodson goes and maybe with some more news about the Phonak Cros? We'll see. ;)

Until then, happy turtling!