So, a few years ago (AKA 6 years ago) I had tubes put in my ears for the second time, right? No big deal. But the whole in my ear drum from the first time I had tubes put in was still there from the first time we did tubes, which is where my WHOLE problem began. We put in a new set of tubes, but to keep in the tube (because the whole in my ear drum was too big) the doctor put a piece of paper in, wedged between my ear drum and my tube. Well, long story short - the paper worked a little too well and the tube never fell out like it was supposed to. It ate away at my ear drum for 6 years and well... here we are now.
I went into the ENT because I had had an entire week of being purely dizzy. That's not really normal. I went into the student health center and they told me I had an ear infection. OH REALLY? Cuz... you know, I've had about 42 million ear infections in my life (that's not entirely true) and I can't recognize an ear infection when I have one. OK then. So, I didn't exactly believe the lady, but I kind of forgot about the whole week long dizzy spell. But, I was kind of baffled by it all, and I had been having some weird stuff going on, so I went to see the doctor just to make sure it was all ok. HAH.
I walked in and sat in my little chair and Dr. Darley took one look in my ear and was like "Woah." I made him explain EVERYTHING because I was ridiculously fascinated with anatomy stuff because of my anatomy class (why else would I be fascinated?) so he goes on to explain that whatever the crap the doctor did 6 years ago was now a massive Cholesteatoma in my ear. And after being there a total of about 10 minutes, he had yanked that baby out of my ear drum and ---- I couldn't hear anymore. It was a little scary but I thought it would go away. Then he went on to explain that NOPE. I would never regain hearing. That alone was horrifying. "But there is always surgery." Oh, now I felt so much better. haha! But really, they let me look at my own ear with the probe camera!! Like, I saw my Malleus, Incus, and Stapes ON TV. MINE. And I could only see them because I no longer had a tympanic membrane (ear drum) getting in the way of everything!!! It was so freaking incredible!! I was SO stoked!! I walked out of the doctors office that day feeling a mixture of pure giddiness at getting to see my own ear bones, and sheer terror at the though of surgery. Let's just say it was a pretty epic girl montage of emotion.
I went in for a series of tests for hearing and such and my hearing was only like one point above "deaf" range. INSANE. But only in my right ear, of course. I went home for Christmas break, came back, and the day after school started (January 5) I had a Tympanoplasty! Pretty dang incredible. They took fascia from my temporalis muscle behind my ear and grafted it in as a new tympanic membrane!! HAHA! All went well and I obviously don't remember anything from the surgery. I went in Thursday the 5th at 10:00, got in my little gown thing, they gave me like 4 extra blankets cuz I was shivering up a STORM! I got wheeled into the O.R. (And, I totally wrote this blog post JUST so I could say I got "wheeled into the O.R.") and he stabbed something in my arm, shot some liquid into said stabbage - I was in RIDICULOUS pain for about 5 seconds (cold liquid in blood? ouch.) and then next thing I know, I was being fed pudding... or something. Mom and Dad were there and we talked for a while until I begged to go to the bathroom, and then they let me go home!! I had a sweet helmet looking thing on my head. It was crazy. Also, they gave me pictures of my old and new ear drum!! TEEHEE!!! SO COOL! I don't have them digitized yet, but here's some of the progression:
Before shot of my right ear
Just after the helmet came off
Just after the helmet came off and paper too
Bit more cleaned up
A couple days later
A couple days later
...and later
AAAND my staples came out!!
Frankenstein lines from my staples
And here we are now!
Crazy, eh?
Also, this is a little story I wrote about my whole experience!! Teehee! I miss PDBio 220! :(
It all started with my vertiginous episodes. Subsequently, I paid a visit to the local Otolaryngologist who discovered a cholesteatoma perforating the medial side of my tympanic membrane. This cholesteatoma had started to migrate deeper through the external auditory meatus affecting not only my ossicular chain (specifically the malleus), but had even irritated the superficial layer of the cochlea, the vestibule, and the semi-circular canals, resulting in afore mentioned vertiginous episodes, and even spasmodic absence from my educational endeavors. As such, it became apparent that eradication of my current tympanic membrane, along with its associated parasitic accumulation, was essential; a process which ensued immediately. Although the vestibulocochlear nerve was still fully functional, no sooner had the membrane been removed than all auditory function to my right ear was disengaged; a state which, were it not for advanced reconstructive surgical procedures, would be irreversible. Such a surgery, however, was imperative, due to the susceptibility of the recently exposed malleus, incus, and stapes to any variety of potentially infectious external stimuli. The imminent surgery was a tympanoplasty, with possibility of a mastiodectomy, and ossicular chain reconstruction, depending on the severity of the cholesteatoma; which severity would be determined only upon initiation of the procedure. Once under general anesthesia, the process began with a 8.5 cm incision made on the posterior side of my right auricle. Fortunately, the surgeon ascertained that a mastiodectomy and ossicular chain reconstruction would be superfluous; the tympanoplasty would be efficacious in restoring auditory performance. The incision provided means whereby the auricle could be reflected, exposing the temporalis fascia which would ultimately become the new tympanic membrane. The fascia was successfully harvested and grafted into place; secured, and left to heal alongside the refastened auricle. Nine staples, and twenty antibiotic pills later, sensation is slowly returning to that region, and hopefully soon auditory faculties will again pick up on the world’s vast cornucopia of sound.
Mwahaha!!! SO epic!! We had so much fun. :P Anyways, that's the story of my Tympanoplasty. I think it's pretty cool. :)
No comments:
Post a Comment