Well, I've come out the other end of my first surgery experience using my cochlear implant. I must say, it went surprisingly well. It helped that the nurses hadn't seen a cochlear implant before and were really interested in how it worked. I taught the recovery nurse how to use it before going into surgery so she could put it on me after surgery. Just before I was put to sleep I whipped it off and put it in its little box and the next thing I know I'm in the recovery room wearing my CI.
I've had a bit of trouble hearing the nurses in my room but they have placed a deaf sign above my bed and they seem fine repeating themselves. I also let the night shift nurse know when I'm removing the CI for the night so they know to touch me to wake me for night obs. Visitors are very hard to hear but usually I do the talking (telling them all about the surgery - hysterectomy).
I'm on a maternity ward so I must say that I feel a bit smug taking the CI out at night while all the poor tired mums have to listen to babies crying all night! There have to be some advantages, right?!
