Recovery has been slow but steady. That seems to be my motto--pace myself, slow but steady progress. There isn't a significant amount of pain most of the time, but I often hear my heartbeat thudding in my ear. Unnerving, and tiring, it also keeps me awake sometimes. I'm not sure if it's a precursor to pain, but when I take pain meds, it lessens.
Yesterday I went to the ENT for my first post-surgery appointment.
So far, my ear looks good. It's still bleeding at times, or draining, whichever the case may be. Dr. Z suctioned some of the blood and small scabs out of the ear. Because most of what they did surgically is behind the eardrum, they can't see the healing process.
This is for my own records, and so I can look back later and better understand what was done. It may be repetitive of last week, I'm honestly not sure.
Last week, the doctors removed the cyst, which was in the mastoid bowl--where theywidened the ear canal, drilling into the mastoid. There was a good amount of granulation (scar) tissue, and infection in the bowl. They removed that, smoothed out the bowl (I don't even want to know how or with what). On the top of the eardrum there was some of the scar tissue, so they removed it. The drum itself is healing well, and, though they didn't repair the hole in it, they did clean up what they could on top of it. Also, a piece of cartilege was taken and placed between the eardrum and the stapes (spelling?), the last of the three ear bones, and the only one I have remaining. Their hope is that it will graft in, and work as bone between the two, so that I can have some hearing restored.
I presume if this doesn't work, they'll need to reconstruct the bones artificially. I admire and respec their attempt to use some of my body's own cartilege first, which it cannot reject, like a foreign thing, i.e. titanium.
My respect the clinic is genuine, the doctors, and their willingness to explain all this to me, explain the different procedures, and possibilities, is truly helpful. I'm praying for more heaing, and I know now that the reason I lost hearing with the last surgery is because the eardrum and the bone behind it never integrated well.
I go back in three weeks, and in the meantime am still on restrictions--no lifting more then ten pounds, no blowing my nose, no bending--for a month.
Progress has been slower this year, my activity level still low after a week. I find that last year I was weaker initially, but the changes, while slow, were more obvious, definite. I was so doped up at first, I couldn't walk to and from the bathroom, but by the weekend of the first week, I was able to do that and be up and about.
This time, I'm up and about some, but when I get home, I'm in some pain, and still very tired.
However, I thank God for progress made. I'm so grateful to Him for getting me through the surgery, for people who have been here to help, and who have followed my progress, praying all the while. It means far more than I can say.
