Well, it's been over two months since my last post - and I apologize for that. Admittedly, though I may not have had time the 10 days or so after Michelle left, I have had time since returning to the States that could have been spent posting here. Oh well. The task seemed daunting and rather than just committing to one post a day, I ignored my blog completely. So, I do still need to finish writing about my travel time with Michelle, but that will have to wait for another day. No, this post is an update about my cholesteatoma.
On July 25th I had an appointment with Dr. Kesser at the ENT clinic with the University of Virgina (or UVA). It went really well. I feel positive about his experience and expertise and hope to make a full recovery. He was able to use my CT scans, which was a great relief, meaning I didn't have to have any more testing done before scheduling a surgery, and I now understand what I'm looking at in the images. Woot! Essentially, the Cholesteatoma is throughout my mastoid bone and has filled the space behind my eardrum, encompassing the three little hearing bones. Thankfully, it looks as if the growth has not spread to my cochlea and there is a nice thick layer of bone between the growth and my brain.
Surgery is set for the 4th and the procedure will be much like my previous one - though a bit more intensive, as the growth is more widespread.
How I understand the process of my surgery:
-incision made behind ear and ear flipped over to the front.
-remove eardrum (which has a puncture anyway)
-clean out cholesteatoma (not sure how all this will be done), avoiding the facial nerve and nerve connected to taste buds if possible
-inspect hearing bones: clean and replace if damage allows, permanently remove if damage too severe
-create a tissue graft from incision behind ear to replace eardrum
- pack ear canal and replace ear, closing off incision
-bandage outer ear
Then, 9-12 months later I'll have a routine follow-up surgery to check for new growth. If there is no new growth, and if the hearing bones had to be removed, Dr. Kesser would perform reconstructive surgery and put in a prosthetic in place of the bones.
All in all, there is a possibility of decreased hearing for 9-12 months but the prognosis is positive and it would not be permanent. Unless the surgery is botched or the growth has spread to the cochlea since the CT scan - then it is a possibility, but not probable with the known evidence.
On July 25th I had an appointment with Dr. Kesser at the ENT clinic with the University of Virgina (or UVA). It went really well. I feel positive about his experience and expertise and hope to make a full recovery. He was able to use my CT scans, which was a great relief, meaning I didn't have to have any more testing done before scheduling a surgery, and I now understand what I'm looking at in the images. Woot! Essentially, the Cholesteatoma is throughout my mastoid bone and has filled the space behind my eardrum, encompassing the three little hearing bones. Thankfully, it looks as if the growth has not spread to my cochlea and there is a nice thick layer of bone between the growth and my brain.
Surgery is set for the 4th and the procedure will be much like my previous one - though a bit more intensive, as the growth is more widespread.
How I understand the process of my surgery:
-incision made behind ear and ear flipped over to the front.
-remove eardrum (which has a puncture anyway)
-clean out cholesteatoma (not sure how all this will be done), avoiding the facial nerve and nerve connected to taste buds if possible
-inspect hearing bones: clean and replace if damage allows, permanently remove if damage too severe
-create a tissue graft from incision behind ear to replace eardrum
- pack ear canal and replace ear, closing off incision
-bandage outer ear
Then, 9-12 months later I'll have a routine follow-up surgery to check for new growth. If there is no new growth, and if the hearing bones had to be removed, Dr. Kesser would perform reconstructive surgery and put in a prosthetic in place of the bones.
All in all, there is a possibility of decreased hearing for 9-12 months but the prognosis is positive and it would not be permanent. Unless the surgery is botched or the growth has spread to the cochlea since the CT scan - then it is a possibility, but not probable with the known evidence.
