So I wrote up my experience of the actual surgery just in case anyone wanted more info about that.
Surgery:
First they applied some sort of numbing cream which felt weird but I didn’t think it actually did much, then I was taken to theatre. I lay down on the table under those big surgical light things so it looked like some kind of sci fi horror. There were quite a few people in the room, a few of them gathering equipment, some talking to me about random stuff. The radio was on playing some cool music.
After a while the surgeon arrived, he wiped the cream stuff off my ears and drew lines where he was gonna cut. I started shaking really badly at this point even though I didn’t feel particularly nervous, they gave me a blanket to make me feel better, kept saying I was just cold. My surgeon asked me to tilt my head so he could inject the anesthesia. A nurse came over and held my hand during this. It was the most painful part, you couldn’t feel the needle going in but it felt like they were injecting me with acid or something, but it was relatively quick, three injections on each side.
There was a little wait, maybe five minutes then with people talking to me as we waited for it to set in. Then they place a wet flannel over my eyes, they said it was because of the lights but it was more likely so I wouldn’t see any blood, it was actually quite calming.
They put a sheet over my body and a towel beneath my head. My surgeon actually held my head and made me turn it this time to make sure it was straight. he jabbed me with a needle twice behind the ear to see if I could feel it before beginning.It was reassuring because I didn’t feel anything. I was still shaking really hard at this point.
The surgeon told me he was going to start. I didn’t actually feel anything happening straight away and I soon realised that they had my ear open, at this point I started to stop shaking. I then started to hear what I believe was cutting through tissue. To comfort myself I created the idea that I was a robot and they were cutting wires and stuff and if you can imagine that then that’s exactly what it sounded like. Next there was a sound like a blowtorch, I didn’t feel it but I think they were like burning the nerve endings or something.
Soon enough they started doing the stitches, the surgeon said it would sound like rope, and I guess it did. It was the sound of when you’re threading a shoelace and you have to pull it through. At one point one of the nurses touched the thread and it sounded like a guitar string vibrating in my ear. Throughout all of this it felt like they were stuffing cotton into my ear hole, which was weird cause I know they were at the back of my ear. But I think this was to do with the numbing, for some reason the whole of my left ear was numb front and back whereas my right ear was only numb at the back, but it was fine both sides, I actually preferred my right ear because it felt less trapped.
The other side was pretty much the same, beforehand one of the nurses told me that the second ear takes longer because they have to make sure it’s the same, but it didn’t seem any longer. In fact both ears seemed really quick. He cleaned around my ears afterwards, to get rid of the blood, he was actually kinda rough at this point but it didn’t hurt.
After this they briefly allowed me to sit up and showed me what my ears looked like. It was weird, it was like your family crowding around you to see how you react to your birthday presents like suddenly everyone was there just watching. I liked the look of them though so they seemed pleased with my reaction. They got me to lie back down and started with the dressing. The surgeon showed me some cotton wool with jelly on it and told me he was putting it in the front of my ear, I guess to keep the shape. They he placed things on each ear and asked a nurse to hold them there as he wrapped up my head with bandages. This was difficult because I had to hold my head up and it was like a prolonged crunch, I think the nurse was meant to be supporting my neck but I didn’t trust her not to drop me. He taped at the sides and then I was good to go.
I had to go back to my room in a wheelchair, but after an hour they said I could leave.
Everyone was so nice to me, and trying to keep me calm through out. I think the worst part was the injections and the fact that I got pins and needles in my legs from lying still for too long.
After surgery:
I didn’t feel anything for a while afterwards but it was a struggle to adjust to the bandages. I couldn’t turn my head properly and the shape of them was awkward. I went to sleep as soon as I got home finding sleeping on my back surprisingly easy.
When I woke up, about four hours later, there was some pain. My surgeon said the anesthesia would take eight hours and I suppose that was pretty much accurate since the surgery was two, there was an hour wait before I could leave and then I got home an hour later. The pain was like an ache, in fact I thought it could just be the bandages pressing my ears so tightly. I was given paracetamol and ibuprofen (2p and 1i with each meal) so I had some then and tried to have dinner. Eating was quite difficult cause you have to find things that aren’t too difficult to chew, it’s not so much painful to chew just really uncomfortable.
Then I basically slept for the rest of the day and all night, waking up every five hours but being able to go back to sleep.
Day 1:
I woke up early and the pain wasn’t too bad, I still had my painkillers though, it still felt achy but more like I’d been punched in the ear. The painkillers didn’t get rid of the pain but they helped a little. I managed to stay awake all day eating soft things like soup. Itchiness became an annoyance, but where I thought it would be my ears it was actually just in my hair or on my neck just out of reach under the bandages. It wasn’t as terrible as I thought it would be.
Day 2:
I woke up feeling sick and panicky because the bandages felt really tight and hot and I just wanted so badly to take them off. I felt like I was wearing three wooly hats in summer. But after a while I calmed down and I was fine. I think the nausea was just because I was struggling to have my normal amount of food.
The bandages really were my main issue, I felt like they were wonky and every now and then it felt like something was moving. It just generally made me feel claustrophobic and really hindered my hearing. My throat hurt a little bit too just because I wasn’t speaking much to avoid moving my jaw. I got a nose bleed but I don’t know if this was related or not.
I just felt kinda fed up with the bandages, and the fact that it was only the second day.
Day 3:
Struggled to get much sleep during the night so slept in that morning. It was quite painful when I woke up but after lunch almost became very bearable. Then the pain started up again after dinner, it felt like a headache. Eating was much easier though. I took less of the painkillers because they were making me feel nauseous and weren’t helping with the pain.
Day 4:
There was barely any pain. My ears were really itchy though, all over, it was a struggle. But I only had one lot of painkillers. I also managed to start singing again.
Day 5:
There was actually more pain on this day, but I figured it was because I’d been itching my ears the day before, then it was just itchy.