Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Tears of joy

We had a very long day. Marc had his stapedectomy today. This surgery was meant to correct 16 years of hearing loss in his right ear. He had to be under general anesthesia, and there are some risks, although it's considered pretty safe overall. Plus, he had one of the best surgeons anywhere for this surgery (we used our connections in healthcare to find out who "the guy" was for this). Still, the stress of it all, plus his getting sick from aftereffects of the anesthesia, made for a long day.

We got home around 8:30 tonight. We sat down to relax, and I put on the television. Marc was checking e-mail and his head popped up. He held up a hand, as if to say, "Hang on a second. I want to make sure I'm not imagining this." And then he started pointing at his right ear, practically trembling as tears filled his eyes. And then I started crying with him. He can hear in both ears for the first time in ages!

Now, we're far from done. He has a lot of healing to do, and I sure hope there are no complications but such things could happen so we're not out of the woods yet. Also, there will be swelling that may shut off that new hearing for a bit, and he has to watch his balance for several days. Plus, he has some numbness on part of his tongue, but that's not uncommon for this (pressure on a nerve in the area) and it usually fades and returns to normal.

With all of that said, the usual story is that, even if the surgery is completely successful, hearing doesn't start to return until the healing begins and the swelling goes down. So this was a joyous surprise, and we're both thrilled. This was a hard day, but it had a wonderful ending!

8 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow, that's wonderful! Wishing him all the best.

Pua; Bakin' and Tendin' Bar said...

What joyful news! I can only imagine the thrill. Hugs to both of you. Heal quickly Marc!

Cincy Diva said...

Oh My! I missed so much while I was gone. Healing thought and prayers headed his way.

MzOuiser said...

I'm so glad Marc is doing well! Fascinating procedure, it's amazing what they can do. Heal up good and nice Bokey!

Lee said...

I'm so glad it went well and that he's home!

CoffeeDog said...

Wow, I'm glad it went well. Hugs to you both.

Mark Floyd-Thaut said...

I'm so happy that things went well. I could only imagine how he must feel being able to hear like that for the first time in such a while.

Jess said...

Thanks, everyone. Marc continues to heal well (as far as we can tell). We go back into Manhattan tomorrow morning for a follow-up visit to the surgeon. Hopefully, he'll like what he sees!