Update:
After 7 years of playing safe on hearing aids, I decided to get the stapedectomy done on my right ear 2 weeks back.
This forum has been very informative and supportive and want to share my experience.
First of all, my sincere appreciation for Dr Hahn at Dallas Ear. I opted to get the treatment under him care after reading great reviews online. I found him highly skilled, experienced, professional and caring. I highly recommend him.
I was scheduled for an early morning surgery. I was put on IV once I checked-in and completed paperwork. Dr, the anesthesiologist and the nurse were very kind and kept me informed of the next set of steps.
I was put on general anesthesia and the surgery took about 1.5 hours. Dr and nurse informed my wife that the surgery had gone very well. I was moved to the post op area and was scheduled to lie flat on the back for 3-4 hours. I only woke up from the anesthesia towards the end of that period. Dr came to check on me after I woke up. I had a gel pack deep in the ear canal, a cotton ball outside and small stitches on the back of the ear. I could not hear anything from my operated ear but certainly felt the ambience sounds a bit more than before. I was given some juice and then raised slowly out of the bed to see if I am able to stand and take a few steps. I was fairly dizzy but was stable enough to stand and walk and was discharged.
There was some bleeding from the operated ear first couple of days which is normal. I changed cotton every day, light wiping of outer ear and took prescribed ear drops. I had light ear pain for next 2-3 days and took Advil as suggested. I rested on my back for a week and walked a little inside the home. I was uncomfortable eating any solid items and stayed on semi liquid diet for almost a week. I was afraid of metallic taste but fortunately none of that. The dizziness gradually reduced over 7-10 days. I could not hear much through the operated ear but the internal drinking/brushing/chewing voices were much louder than before. The ear ringing got a bit worse on my operated ear.
I reported for my first post op dr visit 10 days after the surgery. I was very nervous going in. The dr inspected my ear and removed the gel pack which was quick and painless. A huge difference the minute the gel pack was removed. I immediately started hearing dr’s voice and the ambience sound very loud. I had some dried blood in the ear canal, the dr used the ear wash machine and that sounded really unbearably louded. This was a highly emotional and intense moment for me after 10 years of hearing struggles. The road noise on the ride back home was also extremely loud.
I am still getting used to the loud sounds. The human voices lack some clarity but it takes time for nerves to start processing fully under the new situation. I have 4 more weeks before I resume fully routine. I still have the ear ringing issue in my operated ear but very hopeful it will subside like it has for others blessed with successful stapedectomies. I am scheduled for a hearing test after 2.5 months.
Overall, I feel immensely blessed and wish nothing less for anyone facing a similar situation. Can’t wait to get the second ear fixed later next year.
A sincere, heartfelt gratitude for Dr Hahn and his team for what they’ve done for me.