WARNING: This is gross. Proceed with caution as Julie talks about her experience healing from a medical procedure on her scalp and how it impacts her hearing aids.
I felt cool slime dripping down the side of my neck, emanating from my scalp. I was bent over a crochet project and jumped at the unfamiliar sensation of an unknown source, mildly in a panic.
I needed this like I needed a hole in my head.
Oh, wait. I had a hole in my head.
Due to the dermatological procedure I had several weeks ago, healing was happening in earnest, however unpleasant. I lost a stitch which led to an unscratchable discomfort and resulted in a repeat visit to the surgeon to triple check the excision site. All was well, but I had to remove my right hearing aid during the examination which always throws me out of stereo. Fortunately, the medical team remembered my hearing loss and were equally accommodating as they were during the surgical visit a week prior. To this point between the procedure, follow up visit, and the overall healing I had no issues with my hearing aids sustaining any impact.
That came to a crashing halt last night as the slime – immediately determined to be blood from the incision site – smeared on the hook section of my hearing aid. Most people would likely fly into fits at the sight of blood. I, however, am not most people – I flew into fits at the sight of potential hearing aid damage.
I grabbed a damp cloth, removed the battery, and gently dabbed at the computer part of my hearing aid, hoping against hope that no moisture seeped into the microphone opening which would be devastatingly damaging. There would be no way for me to salvage it short of a trip to the audiologist, and at that appointment there would be a high likelihood that my hearing aid would be shipped off to a mysterious factory for repair. This would leave me hearing aid-less for an unknown amount of time. None of this was an appealing option.
The next challenge arrived with the application of the healing salve, which required another removal of my right hearing aid to minimize the risk of this version of slime and goo sliding onto the hearing aid. Once again, I am forced into unbalanced sound input, an incredibly disorienting experience.
I realized that I had reached a crossroads, and a decision needed to be made – do I leave the right hearing aid out for the duration of healing or do I continue on bi-aided with the hope that the right aid escapes unscathed from the variety of goos and slimes that have entered my world due to this absurd, yet necessary, procedure?
As I tend to live life at a breakneck speed with a sprinkling of impulsive and poor decisions – which, one could argue, is what makes me a lot of fun – I opted to continue with the placement of both hearing aids in my ears. Perhaps ill advised, but onward nonetheless!
At the time of this writing, I will visit the surgeon again next week for – fingers crossed – removal of the stitches.Hopefully, this will mitigate the stress of managing the unpleasant substances creeping their way onto my hearing aid with reckless abandon.
The hearing aid management was stressful, to be sure, but not the worst part of this entire situation.
The worst part?
Not being able to do my hair. I am a better person when my curly hair is wrangled into sleekness with the aid of chemicals and a 450 degree flat iron! But, alas, I shall need to endure looking like an escapee of Azkaban a tad longer…
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