I sure do have my share of updating now. I’ve already sent letters to Tammy, my parents, Bob, Kim, Alex and Minnie, but not my brother yet. I figured I’d call him on his birthday and also send him a birthday letter and then I’ll tell him all about it.

About 90% of yesterday’s appointment went great. My arm and most of the skin graft are healing well, but there is a part of the skin graft that didn’t take. The good news is that the doctor’s sure it’ll heal. There are still dissolvable stitches and packing that’s keeping the eardrum still till it heals, so he said it can take 2-6 months to know just how well I’m going to hear. The way I hear now is how you’d hear if you took your hand and covered one of your ears, but not tightly. At this stage, he said it’s supposed to still be muffled and bassy.

In a week or less, the bandage on my arm will come off and that’ll mean it’s healed well enough to be exposed.

It didn’t hurt like I was afraid it would when he took the packing and stitches out. For now, he wants it open and exposed to let it heal better. It doesn’t look too gory, thankfully. I have to put eardrops in it 3 times a day and then once a day, as well as an ointment that keeps it from itching.

The only other bummer that’s a major inconvenience is that I have to keep water away from it, so I still can’t take normal, worry-free showers. Tom has to help wash my hair as well as do the drops and other stuff. He doesn’t mind and he’s been such a miracle through all of this. Again, whether or not you can handle this, there’s no way you can go through this alone with no one helping.

It’s so weird, though, putting drops in that ear when I never could before in my life cuz it was closed up.

Also, for the first time in my life, I can block the good ear, scuff my feet on the carpet and hear it! When Tom was on the phone talking to his mother, I could block the good ear, walk into the bedroom and still hear him!

Later Tom’s going to see if he can pick up a shower cap for times I want to shower without doing my hair. I like baths, but not all the time. He’s also got to pick up some Kleenex as I get some oozing here and there due to the drainage.

I have to return for follow-up appointments on 12/28, 1/5, and 1/10/.

I remembered to tell people this time when I wrote to them what Larry had said – that now I could tell people that something they’ve said to me has gone in one ear and out the other.

Tom’s going to come home from work at noon for the rest of this week, to do my ear drops, then I’ll only need them once a day. Well, that’s the scoop on my ear for now.

Yesterday I finished oldies tape #2, so today I’ll begin #3. Yesterday I got an old song by Paul McCartney and Wings called, Let ‘Em In. I used to love that song and I haven’t heard it in years. I had the 45 of it when I was little. I got lots of other good songs, too.

Andy wants to use the Phase-Out thing for his smokes. I don’t want it to be a hassle for me, so I’ll tell him to pick one day a week that he gets a carton and that’s when I’ll leave it in the screen door for him to use after I show him how, then he can toss it back in the mailbox.

Tom talked to Tammy and Andy yesterday. We tried calling my parents, but they weren’t home.

Later...

I just washed up, changed the bed, and worked out, believe it or not. I’m working out slightly harder due to not doing it for a few weeks.

Tom’s been joking about us having twins. He says he’s not joking, though, and that it’s a gut feeling. We’ll have a boy and a girl. Oh, God! It may sound kind of neat, but I think one’s enough.

I’ve got the tape in the box ready to begin oldies tape #3, but so far they’re playing shitty songs. I think I’ll move the tape to the box in the back room and do some typing.

Tom postponed our going Christmas shopping for his family till tomorrow or the next day.

Yesterday I amazingly fell asleep after only being up for 12 hours and I slept for 10 hours.