Richard Mondello

As is tradition on my blog, I type this post in the back seat of a car. I just left the hospital a little while ago, 6 PM.

I woke up this morning at 4:30 AM to get ready to go to the hospital. As I showered, I felt a mix of excitement and terror, mostly terror. Not allowed to eat, my biggest problem in the morning was hunger, but I got over it.

I arrived at the hospital at 6 AM, checked in, and went to a waiting room. I didn’t end up going in for my procedure until around 8 AM. It was five hours long! The hospital staff were remarkable friendly and professional. A comedic side note, I love the new trend that’s observable everywhere, a pain scale from 0-10.

My next memories are a blur of unconscious actions like dealing with hospital staff, adjusting myself, and relieving my nausea - somehow.

I have a hilariously massive bandage on my head right now, covering my right ear. I have to go back to the hospital in a week to get the stitches behind my ear removed. I’ll also be heading back a few weeks later for a follow-up, at which point my hearing will be accessed again. I shouldn’t notice an improvement in hearing until after I’ve healed. In addition, while I’m healing, I can’t partake in any physical activity whatsoever.

The no physical activity aspect is a massive bummer to me because I’m taking Phys Ed (Gym) right now. In lieu of physical activity, I’ll have to write a two-page paper for every day missed. Great! Those will add up.

But - that’s not what I’m going worry about right now. As I should, I’m just going to rest up. I’ve decided to take tomorrow off from school, too, for good measure.

As always, I’ll keep you posted.

I’m taking the day off from school tomorrow to go for an “elective” surgery. That is to say, it isn’t necessary or life-threatening. I’m choosing to do it, for good reason, after waiting for years.

Every person has characteristics that define his or her childhood. One’s location, parents, and consumed media establishes the “brand” of his or her adolescent years. These factors determine whether the childhood was wonderful, miserable, or somewhere in between.

What defined my childhood, and somewhat defines me to this day, is my right perforated eardrum. It’s exactly what it sounds like: I have a hole in my eardrum caused by constant ear infections as a child. Throughout my entire life, as long as I can remember, I have had significant hearing loss in that ear. To add insult to injury, I’ve had to wear earplugs while bathing, every day, as long as I’ve been able to bathe myself.

I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, or even complaining. I’ve completely adapted to it and it’s just part of the daily routine, like going to the bathroom.

And the hearing loss? I’ve managed to deal with it throughout my almost-finished high school career. Over the last few days, I’ve told people about what I’m doing, and they were shocked to learn that I have hearing loss at all. I’ve worked very hard to conceal it.

I’ve literally waited my whole life for what is going to happen tomorrow. There is a good chance that I’ll be able to reclaim a slightly more “normal” lifestyle by getting a good deal of my hearing back.

I’m excited, hopeful, and terrified.