[LMB] (chat) January report

[Lois McMaster Bujold]

So...

    Catching folks up, here.  Last spring, I'd noticed hearing loss in 
my right ear (about three-fourths gone); upon trundling to the doc, it 
was diagnosed as mostly dropping out somewhere in the middle ear (i.e., 
about a quarter was from inner-ear nerves not working, the other half in 
between.)  After contemplating the options for a time (and finishing my 
book and book tour), I decided to try the surgery, which was, first, 
exploratory, and then -- shades of Miles! -- bone replacement of the 
stapes, because the most probable (and as it turned out, actual) cause 
was ossification of the little bones in the ear.

    So last Thursday, Jan. 4, I went off to outpatient same-day surgery 
for this -- two hours under anesthetic while he fished around in there 
through the ear canal with his micro tools, which I would have loved to 
watch, geek girl that I am.  But not on me.  Building ships in a bottle 
must be as nothing to this.   It was most peculiar, walking into the 
surgery on my own feet at noon, chatting with the nice anesthesiologist, 
sort of blinking, and waking up in another place altogether looking at a 
large clock conveniently placed on the opposite wall showing 2:10 or 
so.  Went home horribly dizzy at 4 PM with -- har -- tylenol for pain; 
which actually proved adequate.  Worst of dizziness passed off in about 
3 days as the inner ear recovered from having the new bone attached to 
it.  So neither of the two possible most alarming bad results -- 
permanent dizziness or total hearing loss -- appear to have happened, 
nor any of the other ugly things that can happen with general 
anesthetics.  The hearing hasn't improved yet, either -- ear's still 
stuffy and swollen, draining a bit -- I'm told it'll be up to 4 weeks 
till it cleans itself out enough that one can really tell how much this 
helped, or didn't, or if something went microscopically awry.  I hope, 
but don't count on, to be able to hear in stereo again by Capricon.  So 
that's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

    Bad mistake to forget and absent-mindedly blow one's nose, though.

    _The Wide Green World Vol. 2_ -- or whatever it eventually turns out 
to be called -- was up to Ch. 2-and-a-half at this point;  I've since 
finished Ch. 3, which brings me to an event horizon.   This I define as, 
"I can write up to this point without knowing exactly what happens 
next".  But now I'm there, and must pause and cogitate for some unknown 
amount of time till some combination of front and back brain decides 
what should go next, and how much of it.  Not to mention how many new 
minor characters to go on stage.  Too many, and one loses focus; too 
few, and there's no one to carry the can.  It's one of those odd 
junctures where I know the section entry and exit points, but not what 
all is going to go in the big black box in between.  Nor how many 
chapters, except likely not less than three nor more than ten.   This is 
where I really miss my walks, shut down by the weather and the medical 
adventure.

    Other than that, it's quiet in Lake Woebegone, and not just because 
I can't hear half of it.  I'm enjoying my Netflix, though.

    Ta, L.