Days 3 and 4 post-op were spent like this: Take drugs, lie on couch, sit on couch, go to the bathroom, sit on couch, lie on couch, try a new position only to return to the original, take drugs, try to nap in only two available positions, and well, you get the idea.
I think it was Saturday when I realized that the nausea was better. I also scaled back to Motrin, which doesn't help all that much but probably takes the edge off. I went to bed last night without taking a dose, had trouble falling asleep and then woke up at 2 a.m. in a lot of pain.
The dizziness also seems to be dissipating. This morning, I decided to venture outside of the house for the first time since Wednesday. When at the store, I experienced some lightheadedness and found it difficult to focus. I guess I still have to be careful and take it easy. I'm still weak, and have this strange sensation on the left side of my mouth (the same side as the CI) that feels like Novacaine is wearing off. I also still get pain in my ear/head. Sometimes it comes in waves, while other times it's more constant. It still feels like it did the day of the surgery, like a knife or needle is going in and out of my ear. I've asked several friends who have already gone through this process about these side effects. The one bit of good news is that everything I'm feeling lines up with their experiences; apparently I'm "progressing" along just fine. The bad news is that some reported experiencing dizziness and/or pain for at least two weeks after surgery, if not longer.
I've taken a couple of baths but still haven't been able to wash my hair. My head is NOT happy! We might attempt to do it over the sink tomorrow night. It'll be a laborious process, since we'll also have to dry the left side without getting my stitches wet. Needless to say, I'm counting the days until I can take a shower!
Advanced Bionics was nice enough to send two Bionic Buddies for the kids so that they can better understand what I'm going through. Bionic Buddy is Advanced Bionics' mascot - he's a monkey who has a CI himself. The kids each got a Bionic Buddy coloring book called The Adventures of Bionic Buddy, as well as a DVD (basically a narrated version of the coloring book). Samara asked to watch the 11-minute DVD today and then wanted to watch it two more times. She probably would have watched it on an endless loop if I hadn't turned the TV off! She brought Buddy to school yesterday and slept with him last night. One night when Aaron tucked Samara in, he mentioned that people take their CIs off at night. She promptly took off Buddy's CI and put it in a safe place. In the morning, she immediately retrieved it and placed it back on his head.