Newbie with lots of questions.

[texsooner]

Roger, I agree with Jan and Marci. There is no set time... everyone's situation is different...don't try to push it too early. My doctors told me to expect to be off from work 4 to 6 weeks(which in my case was about right). I found that physically I thought I was able to go back to work just a couple of weeks after surgery, but I knew just by working from home that my concentration level wasn't near where it should be. If you're able to with your work, I'd also recommend what Marci and Jan did by starting off working half days and see how that goes.

Patrick.

[Roger64]

I think I need to find time to talk to the boss tomorrow. I think I may see if I can do the part time thing post-op for a couple of weeks. I do have some vacation saved up maybe I should take the last two weeks of the year off and start fresh the next year. I am very concern with the new baby on the way and the SSD. I am afraid of being alone and not hearing the baby cry at night. 

I don't like the idea of my wife doing it all. 

Does anyone have any advice for this?

[Roger64]

Thank you everyone for posting back to me!

[leapyrtwins]

Roger -

I haven't had a baby in the house for many years but IMO if you sleep on your bad ear you should have no trouble hearing the baby or anything else during the night. 

I typically sleep on my bad ear and as a result I can hear the things I'm supposed to hear with my good ear - alarm clock in the morning, a sick kid coming into my room, the phone ringing, etc.

When I sleep on my good ear I truly am completely deaf.  So when I really want a good night's sleep and I don't have to get up with an alarm, I always sleep on my good side.

See, there are some advantages to being SSD   

Jan

[wendysig]

Hi Roger,
Sorry I'm late in coming to this thread but I wanted to welcome you to this forum.  It is a wonderful source of intormation and support, as you know.  Jan has pretty well covered how you can best try to hear things while you are sleeping but I'm sure your wife will nudge you once in a while too  when she just can't get up.   You mention you are afraid of being alone at night and not hearing the baby cry.  Does you wife work at night?   If so, sleeping on your deaf ear is definitely the way to go -- turning the baby monitor up should help too.  Even with hearing in only one ear, we as parents are attuned to hearing our babies cry. 

Best wishes,
Wendy

[jazzfunkanne]

Hi , i have two boys and like you i wanted to protect them from worrying, i told them i was going in for a ear operation, but when it was all over i slowly began to tell them more details but i must admit i never once used the words brain tumour, i dont think they need this worry at such young ages.

[Omaschwannoma]

Hi Roger,

Your concern regarding not waking from sleep in case the baby cries was mine too, but different baby--my grandchild.  I put her monitor next to my bed and turned up the volume, also figured the dog would alert me if my good ear were in the pillow.  BUT, there are emergency device packs you can buy for the HH (hard of hearing)/deaf that will signal you with vibration and/or strobe light.  Check into this through Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA).  It's possible they have a local chapter in your home town. 

[Roger64]

My bad ear is left and I mainly sleep on my right side.  But I will have to check into hard hearing monitor it worth a good look at it. Yes, my wife works nights well 3 nights a week anyway.

But, I have to vent a little bit. I got a call from my ENT while at work and they are demanding to be pay up front by the day of my surgery on the 30th. I think it sad that that doctor has had to result in this type of tactics just to insure they get paid. To be honest I just don’t have the money right now. With my wife’s OB appointments, her surgery, the hot water leak under my house, the multiple MRI’s, the kids flu, colds and other things has pretty much wipe out my savings. Now I have to scramble to come up with the money or wait until next year. But, if I wait it will be another $1100 dollars. This just sucks rotten eggs. 

[leapyrtwins]

My bad ear is left and I mainly sleep on my right side. 

This is me exactly, but I now sleep on my left side.  I still haven't adapted to that change though and I've yet to get a good night's sleep when I'm on my left.  Being a single parent it's vital that I get up in the morning with the alarm; especially since my kids are famous for turning theirs off and going back to sleep    The devices Arushi suggested are supposed to be great; one of these days I'll have to check into one.

The issue with the doc wanting to be paid up front does suck rotten eggs - there's just no nice way to say it      I understand the doc wanting to get paid, but money is so tight for everyone these days.  Wonder if he'd agree to a payment plan. 

Jan 

[Kaybo]

I have a "Shake-Awade" - I think the travel one - that I use when Dave is out of town or I am getting up early to go to the gym & don't want to wake him (well, when I use to go to the gym...).  It works GREAT!  My friend got it for me b/c when Dave traveled, I wouldn't hardly sleep at all b/c i was so afraid I wouldn't hear the alarm and oversleep - that just majorly compounded my problems since I wasn't getting any sleep AND Dave wasn't here to help me out (he does TONS).  Most baby monitors have the "lights" and so I would wake up long enough to look at that & then go back to sleep when my girlies were babies.

Sorry about the insurance...that does suck rottem eggs!

K

[MAlegant]

Hey Roger,
First of all, I'm sure you've done (and will do again) your share of things around the house.  It's fine to let your wife take on what she can while you recover.  You would do the same for her.  It's in that line "in sickness and in health".  You can try to line up friends/family for the first couple of weeks (maybe less) to help out so she doesn't get overstressed. 

I don't get the whole doctor thing.  Does this mean you've no health insurance?  Or did I misunderstand?
Best,
Marci

[leapyrtwins]

I don't get the whole doctor thing.  Does this mean you've no health insurance?  Or did I misunderstand?

You know, I wondered about this too.  Does the doc just want your share of the payment?

If so, he might be willing to go the installment route, since your insurance should pay the majority of his bill.

Jan

[Roger64]

I have insurance they just want me to pay on what they think I am going to owe them. However, if I over pay then they said they would send me a check for the difference but it could take 1 or 2 months for that to happen.  So, just to fire back I told them I could pay them in a month or two but I can only give them and estimate on the time when that payment may be made.

Anyway she took the point and waved to upfront charge.

I think it a pretty sad state when the doctor office has to go to theses extremes.

[Kaybo]

So does that mean that you DON'T have to pay anything and are good to go on the surgery?

K

[leapyrtwins]

I'm thinking that the doc's office backed down on the prepayment requirement and will let Roger pay monthly, after the fact.  Therefore, Roger is good to go.

Am I correct, Roger 

Hope so.

Jan