Oh, by the way, some people were wondering if I'm still going to use sign language after my snails get back to work.
YOU BET! I know more than 25 signs now and there's no turning back. I'll always be deaf, especially when I'm swimming (I can't get the outside part wet--you know, the batteries and microphone stuff) or skydiving or sleeping. If I don't keep signing, I'll have a really hard time communicating with people in those situations.
Plus, Mom says there's nothing bad about knowing two languages, maybe even more! I still want to connect with other Deaf people like me, and not all of them have special snail wranglers.
Friday, June 27, 2008
I've got snails in my ears!
So, good news, everyone! Let's see if I can explain everything as I understand it:
There are these special snails that live in our ears. They have really neat spiral shells that catch all of the sounds from around us and deliver them to our brains, and our brains say, "Oh! That's a waterfall!" or "My goodness, that monkey is loud!" The brain doesn't want the snails to run away so they keep them in place with special leashes.
My snails have been misbehaving! They're running all over the place and won't stay in my ears! So yesterday, Doctor Nosan put special an extra strong leash on one of my snails. I'll wear special microphones and batteries on the outside so there's no way the snail can fall out of line, like a shock collar for a dog (whatever that is).
Dad says that's not exactly how my ears work, but close enough for now.
Getting the leash inside my head wasn't easy. First, worst of all, mom and dad woke me up REALLY early and didn't feed me anything, because Doctor Nosan worried that food might wake up the snails. When we got to the hospital, I had to just lay around in funny clothes waiting. Then they put a tattoo on my face so the doctor wouldn't forget which snail he was going to leash:
Then they gave me some funny medicine they called "Vitamin V" that made me feel really silly and clumsy. Dad put on a big blue "bunny suit" and a shower cap that I thought was hilarious, then carried me back to the operating room.
When Dad and I got to the operating room, Doctor Nosan was there, with another doctor called an Any Steezy All-Oh Gist. She looked and acted a lot like Aunt Suzanne; that made me feel more comfortable. She put a mask over my face and the air smelled really gross for a while. Then I fell asleep and Dad left me with the doctors and their nurses.
Doctor Nosan had to make a really big cut, but I didn't wake up or feel anything. Mom, Dad and Grandma J waited for me. They said it took almost four hours to rope the snail and get the leash in place. When I woke up, I had a humongorous bandage on my head, like a giant earmuff:
Mom said I looked like Princess Leia, whoever that is. Dad thought I looked like Aunt Jemima smuggling pancakes in her kerchief, whatever that means.
My face was really puffy and I felt pretty lousy for a little while. Grandma J got me to smile once or twice and Dad made me laugh once, when he was tickling me. I slept a bunch, woke up and ate yogurt and applesauce and graham crackers and vanilla ice cream, then went back to sleep again. I never got sick like some nurses thought I might. Every time I woke up, I felt a little better.
Mom and Dad stayed with me in the hospital all night. Doctor Nosan woke us up in the morning and took off the bandage. Boy, the cut was really big, but it didn't hurt as much and the doctor said everything looked perfect:
I've got tape holding my skin together! Isn't that weird? I can't get it wet for a little while and the doctor said I shouldn't lift anything heavier than 25 pounds for a month. Fortunately, I only weigh 23lbs, 12oz!
After all that sleep and without the bandage, I felt so much better! Here I am less than an hour after the bandage came off, laughing, riding around in a wagon, making really funny piggy faces in this great clear plastic above my hospital bed, watching Mom brush her teeth, etc:
On July 14, they'll let me start wearing the microphone and batteries, and we'll see if those snails will whip into shape. Until then, thanks for everyone who was worried about me! I'm doing great!
There are these special snails that live in our ears. They have really neat spiral shells that catch all of the sounds from around us and deliver them to our brains, and our brains say, "Oh! That's a waterfall!" or "My goodness, that monkey is loud!" The brain doesn't want the snails to run away so they keep them in place with special leashes.
My snails have been misbehaving! They're running all over the place and won't stay in my ears! So yesterday, Doctor Nosan put special an extra strong leash on one of my snails. I'll wear special microphones and batteries on the outside so there's no way the snail can fall out of line, like a shock collar for a dog (whatever that is).
Dad says that's not exactly how my ears work, but close enough for now.
Getting the leash inside my head wasn't easy. First, worst of all, mom and dad woke me up REALLY early and didn't feed me anything, because Doctor Nosan worried that food might wake up the snails. When we got to the hospital, I had to just lay around in funny clothes waiting. Then they put a tattoo on my face so the doctor wouldn't forget which snail he was going to leash:
Then they gave me some funny medicine they called "Vitamin V" that made me feel really silly and clumsy. Dad put on a big blue "bunny suit" and a shower cap that I thought was hilarious, then carried me back to the operating room.
When Dad and I got to the operating room, Doctor Nosan was there, with another doctor called an Any Steezy All-Oh Gist. She looked and acted a lot like Aunt Suzanne; that made me feel more comfortable. She put a mask over my face and the air smelled really gross for a while. Then I fell asleep and Dad left me with the doctors and their nurses.Doctor Nosan had to make a really big cut, but I didn't wake up or feel anything. Mom, Dad and Grandma J waited for me. They said it took almost four hours to rope the snail and get the leash in place. When I woke up, I had a humongorous bandage on my head, like a giant earmuff:
Mom said I looked like Princess Leia, whoever that is. Dad thought I looked like Aunt Jemima smuggling pancakes in her kerchief, whatever that means.My face was really puffy and I felt pretty lousy for a little while. Grandma J got me to smile once or twice and Dad made me laugh once, when he was tickling me. I slept a bunch, woke up and ate yogurt and applesauce and graham crackers and vanilla ice cream, then went back to sleep again. I never got sick like some nurses thought I might. Every time I woke up, I felt a little better.
Mom and Dad stayed with me in the hospital all night. Doctor Nosan woke us up in the morning and took off the bandage. Boy, the cut was really big, but it didn't hurt as much and the doctor said everything looked perfect:
I've got tape holding my skin together! Isn't that weird? I can't get it wet for a little while and the doctor said I shouldn't lift anything heavier than 25 pounds for a month. Fortunately, I only weigh 23lbs, 12oz!
After all that sleep and without the bandage, I felt so much better! Here I am less than an hour after the bandage came off, laughing, riding around in a wagon, making really funny piggy faces in this great clear plastic above my hospital bed, watching Mom brush her teeth, etc:
On July 14, they'll let me start wearing the microphone and batteries, and we'll see if those snails will whip into shape. Until then, thanks for everyone who was worried about me! I'm doing great!
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