2 Diff ?'s - CSF Leak Post-Op & Flying

[sgerrard]

Re the BAHA,
  Since "adornments" are all the rage these days - tattoos and piercings and the like - I'm thinking I don't WANT to hide the processor.  Maybe I'll paint it and attach little charms.  What do you think???

Tamara

You are my kind of BAHA wearer - proud to show it off! 

Steve

[lori67]

Becky - I had my BAHA surgery in November.  I had general anaesthesia.  I could have had local, but I'm not as tough as Jan, and besides, I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old - I figured I'd take advantage of the sound sleep - even if it was only for an hour or so.  I had no problems and was out doing my normal things the next day.  I got my processor in January (had to wait 8 weeks in between).  I'm happy with it and would do it all again if I had to.  It's one of those things you don't really notice until you forget to wear it one day and can't wait to get home to get it!

Now, I was waiting for Steve to chime in here about the Dawn dish detergent and the toothbrush, as we all know he's a BAHA wannabe (or would that be "wannahave"), but he didn't... so...the Dawn gets the bacitracin out of your hair (it takes grease out of your way) so your hair doesn't feel all slimy.  The toothbrush is to clean around the abuttment.  Jan and I are planning on going into business selling BAHA accessory kits with a bottle of Dawn, a toothbrush, a tube of bacitracin and maybe some batteries.  Now I'm thinking perhaps we should throw in some sort of "adornment".   

As far as the cost - I can tell you that my whole surgery and the processor cost $33,000.  That's paying the hospital, the anaesthesiologist, the surgeon, the OR fees and everyone else who happened to be at Vanderbilt that day.  I could have saved a lot of money by having a local, but since my insurance paid for it, I didn't really care about the bill so much!     If the doctor codes it properly, most insurance companies will pay for it.  They will not usually pay for a regular hearing aid, but if it's billed as a prosthetic, it's usually covered.  I have the exact code in my papers here if it comes down to it and you need it.  Just let me know and I'll send it to you.  The doctor and/or the audiologist will know how to get it through insurance.

Jan, your big day is coming!

Lori

[leapyrtwins]

Jan, your big day is coming!

Yes, it is !!!  Just the other day I put it on the AN Calendar.  But with all this talk of "adornments" I feel that I now need to come up with something really great to wear with it.

Any and all suggestions are appreciated 

"Tough" Jan
LOL

[Debbi]

Gosh, and here I was all excited to be getting my stiches out this week ... I feel so left out...

[lori67]

Debbi - you still have a great reason to be excited!

Maybe so you won't feel left out, you can borrow Steve's I-pod and stick it to the side of your head so it looks like a BAHA.   

Lori

[sgerrard]

Jan, your big day is coming!

Yes, it is !!!  Just the other day I put it on the AN Calendar.  But with all this talk of "adornments" I feel that I now need to come up with something really great to wear with it.

Any and all suggestions are appreciated 

"Tough" Jan

I'm thinking a Mohawk might set it off quite nicely... 

Steve

[Melissa778]

Speaking of stitches......I hear everyone getting there's out 7-10 days......Mine aren't coming out until 3 weeks post op?  Wonder why the difference?

I think the adornments would be great....maybe like the little wine glass charms will work

Melissa

[lori67]

Melissa - the wine glass charms are perfect!  I have some with little palm trees on them.  Wanna go into business with us?

I got my staples out 14 days post-op.  Am I the only one who had staples?  Sounds like everyone else had stitches.  I guess they needed something heavy duty to hold all my bright ideas in my head!  Maybe my surgeon figured since he'd gotten all his other surgical tools at Home Depot, he might as well just use a staple gun to finish the job.

Lori

[leapyrtwins]

I'm leaning towards the mohawk - the weather is going to get warmer, eventually - but I'm taking the wine charm idea under consideration 

Staples? in your head, Lori?  Sounds like you are really hard-headed LOL
 
And stitches for 3 weeks, Melissa?  When do you get to wash your hair?  I had stitches but they were removed 9 days post op.  I couldn't shampoo until then - I'm a shampoo freak - so these were the hardest 9 days of my life!!!  Okay, I just exaggerated greatly, but it wasn't easy to go 9 days without shampooing!

The more I read on this forum, the more I find that docs follow different protocols.  I think it was Debbi who talked about getting her fat graft stitches removed soon; mine dissolved.

Jan

[matti]

Sorry I did not read this sooner.  I am the person that had a CSF leak at 5 years post op. I do know of one other person that had one at 10 years.  I have flown several times (shortly after surgery) and did not have any problems with it and have never heard of anyone having a CSF leak because of flying.

Here is what caused my CSF leak: I was eating and suddenly began choking, I somehow managed to inhale something that felt like it was lodged in my nose (nothing was, but it felt that way).  I started blowing my nose to clear it and did so continuously for a couple of minutes. All seemed fine, until a few hours later when I woke up to find my pillow very wet. I sat up and a clear fluid was running out of my nose, but would stop when I layed down. It was literally like a faucet. This went on for a day, I at no time ever considered it was a CSF leak.  I called the doctor, saw him and he confirmed it was a CSF leak and said I could take care of it at home. He put me on heavy duty antibiotics and I was on bed rest (lying flat) for 7 days. I did see him every other day.  On about day 5 it had cleared up.  I am now 10 years post and have never had any other problems.
I am however VERY careful when I blow my nose.

My doctors have told me that it is possible, although rare, to have a CSF leak years later.

Cheryl

[lori67]

Cheryl, isn't it nice to be unique?     Well, maybe not in this case!

I had staples in my graft site too.  I had those removed the same time as the ones in my head.  I have to tell you, if I have a choice for any future injuries - I'd pick the staples.  They didn't hurt at all coming out.  I hate the feeling of those stitches as they pull on them.  Maybe that's just me...  I did have stitches for my BAHA implant though.

Lori

[Joef]

I'll be thinking of this during my next cold !!!! 

[leapyrtwins]

I never felt the stitches being removed from my AN surgery - guess my head was still too numb.

I don't know if the stitches from my BAHA surgery dissolved or were removed    I don't recall the doc taking them out; I only recall him taking off the bandage and cap and looking at the site.  If he removed them I surely didn't feel it.

Maybe I'm the hard-headed one   

Jan

[Melissa778]

My fat graft are supposed to be dissolvable......They said I could wash my hair 7-10 days after??  Stitches come out 3 weeks post op?  Seems odd, a bit different than others that have posted on here?

Lori--I've got some "free" time coming up, We can get the AN sweat shop going for BAHA "charms", there are plenty of us that will be home recovering this month....wonder if we could make some manly ones for the guys?  What would you use?  Nuts and bolts?  some sort of tool charm?  ha ha  

Melissa

[matti]

Lori - I am very tired of hearing doctors tell me that what I have is either unique or rare   I just had wrist surgery for a very rare condition and also my recent post regarding Synkenisis at 10 years post op which the doctor called quite unique.  Can I stop being so special now...

Melissa - Don't forget to add Transear covers to your newly found business venture. I think it would be cool if hearing aid companies came out with something to decorate all aids.

Cheryl