Pros to SSD

I realized last night that there's something good about being able to hear out of only one ear. When going to sleep, I like it to be quiet and dark. The quiet part has gotten easier - I lay on my good ear, which helps block out any low sounds across the apartment and lets me go to sleep quicker. So far, that's the only positive thing I have experienced by being SSD. Oh well.

10 weeks post-op

You've probably noticed that I'm not posting a whole lot lately. Things are pretty much back to normal for the most part, and regular life stuff has taken priority.

Here's a quick update regarding my remaining post-surgery issues:

• Left hand - still feels a bit strange but is less hypersensitive. Still waiting to see if it ever feels like my other hand again.
• Left eye - been wearing contact lenses again for a few weeks. Eye is ok but a tad dry at times. Still no tears when I cry.
• Right knee - overall, much less tight than before. Can do a full quad stretch again, but the muscles/joint get tight after I stand for a long period of time.
• Left ear - still no hearing. I don't think it's coming back.
• Hair - growing back.
• Scalp - seems to be getting a little less numb because it's somewhat painful at times.
  

Vestibular study results

The researcher from the study got in touch with me this week to go over the results. Basically, he confirmed what I already knew: that my eyes move with my head when it turns to the left, and although the right side is better, it also has some deficiencies. His recommendation is to see a vestibular therapist for a couple of sessions to get some eye exercises that will help retrain my eyes and brain.

I told him I've noticed that since I've been getting out and doing more activities (running, walking, step aerobics), my bouncy vision and overall stability has seemed to improve. He thought that was a good sign that it may be able to fix itself over time without the help of a vestibular therapist but that I may still benefit from a session or two.

I think I'm going to wait another month to see what happens and how much I can do on my own, and then decide about the vestibular therapy. Hopefully the weather will start being more consistently warm so I can get out and about more frequently. I ran outside a second time this past weekend, and the "drunkenness" of my eyeballs was much less severe than the first run a week earlier. I think that's a good sign :)

(He sent me a page with graphs that show my "canal plane responses," and I have no idea what they mean, but I thought they looked cool. Also, he said that I am welcome to participate in additional testing with the wired contact lenses, but that I am under no obligation to do so. I might do it again, we'll see.)

I can't hear you

It's hard to fully understand what it's like to be unilaterally/single-sided deaf (SSD) until it happens to you. Before surgery, I had 60-70% of my hearing, and it worked ok. I couldn't use the phone on that side very well, unless I wanted to ask the person on the other side to repeat themselves several times, but I was able to hear the tv and understand people talking in person.

These days, as I am returning to my normal activities, I have been watching out for different situations where being SSD could be a hindrance. So far, nothing horrible has happened due to my inability to hear out of my left ear; I haven't accidentally agreed to something I would usually never do, such as wear a puffy pirate shirt to an interview with Matt Lauer on the Today show. I do, however, have a few stories that exemplify what it's like to live with single-sided deafness.

The first one is that my husband is constantly ending up on the "wrong" side of me. I guess we've always naturally positioned ourselves when walking so that I am on the right and he's on the left; unfortunately, I can't hear him if we're like that, so we have to do the "SSD shuffle" frequently.

Also, when walking on a sidewalk, I've noticed that I always hear people coming up behind on my right side, even though they're on my left. It's not possible that they're trying to pass me on the right since I'm already to the right side of the sidewalk, so I have to remember to just stay where I am. Dogs, bicycles, and runners have all startled me by suddenly appearing where I didn't hear them.

Last week, when I went to a happy hour with my friend, the room was pretty crowded. She and I were sitting at the bar, where she was on my right side, and then a small group of people started standing right behind us. Before that, I had been able to hear her just fine, since her voice projects pretty well, but once the people behind us started talking loudly, my one ear had difficulty discerning which voice it was supposed to listen to. Normally, both ears would focus on the appropriate sound and block out the background noise. Instead, my brain and eyes had to seriously concentrate on what she was saying so that I could hear her instead of the other girl.

All in all, these situations have not been insurmountable, though my patience at times has worn thin. I have to remember that my hearing is not going to suddenly snap back to how it was and that these are going to be lifetime issues. I guess we'll just see how it goes.

Evening it out

I got a haircut yesterday for the first time since surgery (actually since November or December...I don't follow the six-week rule very well). We just decided to even it all out to the same length, and then once the shaved part grows back in, we'll cut it like usual with layers and some angling toward the face. It feels a lot better to have a proper haircut again.

My week

This week was pretty much a "back-to-normal" one. I walked between Dupont Circle and Woodley Park instead of taking the train; I went to the gym, a happy hour, and a Wizards game; and I attended a full week of work minus a couple of physical therapy appointments.

I'm now finished with physical therapy, but I am supposed to continue doing some exercises at home with therabands. My shoulder feels fine but my left arm is definitely weaker than my right; also, I'm still waiting for the feeling in my hand to return to normal. My knee is better than it was but still needs more stretching.

I have been wearing my contact lenses more this week but my eye gets irritated by the afternoon, so I have to switch back to glasses. The dryness is probably exacerbated by looking at the computer all day, I'd say.

I'm being more cognizant of opportunities to practice my vestibular training; for instance, while I was walking across a long straight bridge, I noticed a sign at the end of it and thought I could try keeping my eyes fixed on it while walking and turning my head. I think it was a good idea :)

Monday will be my eight-week post-op anniversary. It's hard to believe that two months ago I was at the beginning of this journey. I feel almost like nothing ever happened. Thanks for listening!