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Karen Rubin's Ramblings

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Day 1: Surgery Complete - The Experiment Begins

Posted by Karen Rubin on Mon, Jul 25, 2011 @ 05:27 PM

no talkingSurgery went fine and was done by about 10AM this morning. Dr. Burnes was great and told Jared everything went fine, there were no surprises and this is going to make talking so much easier and nicer for me (when I can talk again.) Jared was SUPER excited to hear that I'll like talking MORE. :-) 

Coming out of surgery wasn't much fun, I don't think it ever is. I was worried that my fist instinct would be to talk, because last time I had general anethesia I came out yelling. I did much better and haven't talked at all, but I did moan a couple of times. The hospital staff was really good at reminding me I couldn't talk. A number of hospital staff thought I couldn't hear as well. I had to keep reminding them that I could hear, they didn't need to write things down! I think maybe they just liked my marker board. 

The wierdest thing about not talking are the sounds I make without realizing I am making sound. The noises I don't even conciously think about. The first sip of water they gave me felt so good, I went "mmmm," which of course I shouldn't do. It's a lot more than just not talking, which isn't as hard as not making the little noises. 

Using the white board worked well at the hospital, but at home it's just too slow. I've been using the text to speech software on my mac. I type, and when I am done, the computer reads what I wrote. it's a lot better than trying to convey myself in a couple of words on the white board. I also used Google + to video chat with my parents, they talked and I typed via Google chat. It actually worked pretty well and will probably be how I get a lot of work done when I am back at HubSpot.

The only bad thing is I have a killer sore throat and half my tongue is numb. I got down a milk shake earlier and some mashed potatoes, but eating is hard and I don't have much appetite. I think I am going for another chocolate milk shake for dinner. If that's my biggest complaint, I'm doing pretty well. 

I'm off for the night, hopefully tomorrow the sort throat will be feeling much better and I can start eating some real food! Thanks to everyone for all the thoughtful wishes, emails, texts and messages. 

 

(Photo Credit: waitscm)

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COMMENTS

So what do you think about the next 13 days, get used to it, or get sick of it.  
 
Good Luck!

posted @ Monday, July 25, 2011 5:57 PM by Spiro

All best wishes for a speedy recovery.

posted @ Monday, July 25, 2011 5:59 PM by Colin Warwick

Yay! Enjoy some Ice cream ;)

posted @ Monday, July 25, 2011 6:35 PM by Yoav Shapira

Hey Karen, 
 
I had a similar surgery several years ago. Luckily I only had one node but I couldn't talk for a week.  
 
So as not to be totally helpless, I stayed with my in-laws to be who were very good sports about the whole thing. I used a Magic Slate instead of a white board and couldn't write fast enough to keep up with conversations. Made for some interesting dinners. My then fiance (now wife) would come by to taunt me and try to get me to talk. The biggest danger: answering the front door (don't do it!!!). We were all curious about how my voice would sound once it came back (better).  
 
And it's amazing how much we take our voices for granted. And when your chords heal, you'll be better than ever. 
 
Your doc probably told you this already but your vocal chords are muscles, so believe it or not, it's going to seem a little unnatural when you start talking again. They won't be at full strength right way (I'm sure that's NOT the medical term). I think I remember feeling some tightness.  
 
Lucky for me (not so much for the kids we'd have later), it all worked out OK and I was able to talk again. 
 
Anyways, hang in there. I hope it goes smoothly. It's definitely a good time to "smell the roses" or "listen to the music" or some such thing.  
 
Good luck! 
Steve

posted @ Monday, July 25, 2011 9:00 PM by Steve Robins

Hi Steve, Thanks so much for your comment. I don't actually know anyone who has had this procedure, so it's nice to hear some of the insider tips. I am definitely finding that I write too slow. Using the computer helps, and I got a great text to speed app on my iPad that is much more convenient.  
 
I am also staying with my parents to keep me from going crazy all alone, and being helpless. I had a moment of panic when I ran into my neighbor yesterday, but I pulled out my notepad and explained why I couldn't talk. I definitely won't be answering the door!  
 
I had wondered about talking after. I feel right now like it wouldn't be much fun to talk if I tried. My husband also really wants to hear my new voice and was asking if I would just say "hello" a little early for him. I keep telling him it's not worth it!  
 
Thanks again for the well wishes.

posted @ Tuesday, July 26, 2011 10:08 AM by Karen Rubin

Stay brave little soldier. 
You'll weather this out and, I'm certain, come out the other side with a voice worth Simon Cowell giving it a listen ;)

posted @ Tuesday, July 26, 2011 12:38 PM by Noam Gonen

Yep, I'll take that link back to "jobs". ;-) 
 
Somehow this event escaped me, Karen. I'm happy to hear the surgery went well. This will certainly be an interesting experiment and frustrating at times , no doubt. Take it easy. We'll be looking forward to hearing from you when you're ready. Hey, maybe you should give singing a try when you're all healed up....you never know. :-)

posted @ Tuesday, July 26, 2011 1:45 PM by Colleen

I am also just catching up on this news, and wanted to let you know I'll be thinking of you. I had a very close friend when I lived in Syracuse who had this same procedure. He was also known far and wide as a great talker (he preferred the term "raconteur") AND made his living as a singer, as the frontman for a very popular blues band. 
 
After a couple of weeks of silence (I seem to recall him also self-medicating with copious amounts of garlic, too, just to speed things along), he was better than new. He's still earning his keep as a blues singer, too, ten years later. 
 
Looking forward to hearing your dulcet tones again when you make your triumphant return. 
 
xo 
 
Beth

posted @ Tuesday, July 26, 2011 11:40 PM by Beth Dunn

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