Recovery – Day 10 Post-Op & Scar
Yesterday, C only stayed in bed for 2 hrs before her dizziness subsided to the point where she could stand up and walk about the house. This morning, all the dizziness was gone and she was good to go from sunrise onward. 
I took a 1/2 day off work and we drove C to UNC Hospital for our post-op appointment. We waited a good 3hrs to see the Dr. for 6 minutes. His resident removed the surgical tape from behind the ear using some kind of anti-adhesive ampule. The scar was concealed behind the ear, but it the tissue was very raised and it was traced in dry blood. Apparently, we can remove the dried blood from the scar with hydrogen peroxide. Wow, what a long scar. Later, the surgeon joined us and said that everything looked fine and that we could wash C’s hair with a mild baby shampoo anytime. Looking inside her implanted ear, he commented that things looked better than expected in that our daughter did not have a blood clot behind her eardrum, which apparently is typical for CI surgery. His only word of caution was that
Not really knowing what to expect, my wife thought the incision was much longer than she thought it would be, and I was surprised at how little hair was shaved from the area. Apparently, the surgeon will be giving us something to help remove the tape on day 10. We both agreed that everything looked really great. C-Note said that her scalp was sore to the touch and that it hurt inside her ear. We gave her two Tylenol meltaways to take the edge off the pain. There is still some puffiness in both cheeks, but we are extremely grateful for how nicely everything went today. 
She won’t let us turn on the light. What’s going on? First thing this morning, whether in the bedroom or the bathroom, C-Note wouldn’t let us turn any lights on. Instead, each room had to be dim, lit only by the tiny glow of a nightlight. “It’s too bright. My head really hurts.” 
At last, the swelling in her eye was going down, but it looked like some of it was crossing her nose bridge and making the other eye a tad puffy.
We were really amazed that C-Note kept her bandage on her head past day 1. The surgeon told us to try to keep it on her head until the following Sunday. “If she rolls over on her ear, the bandage will be there to cushion it.” he said.
Is it just me or does it look like her left eye is swelling? Within 2 hrs I would have no doubt in my mind. We put ice bags on her eye to help keep the swelling down and found that it helped a little. The ice actually helped more with the discoloration than the swelling. When the eye finally swelled shut, she started rubbing it with her hand, making the lower lid flaming red with irritation.
I expected tears. I expected grogginess. What I never expected was the level of nausea and dizziness that would render my little girl helpless.
"Hi. I'm Carina. What's your name?"
That's usually the first thing you hear when C-Note sees you. Her favorite past times are meeting new friends, hosting real and imaginary parties, and drawing pictures of everyone and everything, yourself included.
As C-Note's father, I stand in complete amazement of this young lady, who God has chosen to complete our family. As an adopted child with a hearing impairment, she experiences levels of joy that surpasses many who do not face similar challenges. A spunky kind of girl, she has also been affectionately nicknamed Wiggly, Jumping Jelly Bean, Wii Girl, and of course, our precious C-Note.