12 week Ear

Friday April 28, 2013

12 weeks post-op

I really can't believe it's been 12 weeks!  Sam's ear looks great.  In fact, she was at her Opthamology appoint at Stanford and her doctor who has followed her since she was 4 months old couldn't believe it.  She brought in a Resident to see Sam, like she always does and was shocked with amazement!   I know bilateral Microtia Atresia is not that common, so in a teaching facility such as Stanford University, doctors often like to "take a look".   Sam and I don't mind because we know they are learning and if we can help in any way, that's great!  Anyway,  I showed this young Resident before pictures and he couldn't believe it.  He said if we hadn't said anything to him, he wouldn't have guessed it was a reconstructed ear.  

Canal Closure Post-op

Tuesday April 23, 2013

Canal Closure 5 days post-op

Today we saw Dr. Roberson 5 days post-op.  Sam has been doing great.  She went to school on Friday, the day following the surgery.  She hasn't complained of pain at all.  Dr. Roberson took off the small piece of tape that was covering the incision, put some ointment on it and said everything looked great.  The sutures will dissolve/fall out over the next few months.  

This was a bit of a tricky surgery for Dr. Roberson because Sam's 7th Facial Nerve was very close to the location he was working.  Everyone is different, so they monitor this very closely with a nerve monitoring device.  Thankfully, Dr. Roberson has a very steady hand and was able to complete the closure without a problem.  He said he had to do something in there to protect that nerve a little better, so he took pictures and shared them with Dr. Reinisch so he will be aware for the Medpor surgery in July. 

11 week old ear

Friday April 19, 2013

11 weeks post-op

Samantha's ear is still healing nicely.  Thank goodness!  Now that she just had the canal closed on the right side, we are getting closer and closer to the end.  Here are some pictures of her 11 week old ear.  

Right Ear Canal Closure

Thursday April 18, 2013

Right Ear Canal Closure

Today is the day Dr. Joseph Roberson closed Sam's right ear canal.  Based on the CT Scan she had done several months ago, the decision was made to close the small, narrow canal that she had before her right ear was created.  Dr. Roberson is the world leading doctor in Atresia and we are fortunate to have him as Sam's ENT. 

Samantha was once again a super star and the nurses couldn't believe how calm she was in pre-op.  I informed the Anesthesiologist that she did not want to drink the "happy" juice before she was wheeled back and promised him she would be fine and not throw a fit.  She sat in the bed playing with my iPad while all her vitals were checked and she was prepped to go.  When they were ready Mike and I gave her hugs and kisses and off she went.  When Dr. Roberson was finished he came out and confirmed we made the right decision to close the canal because he would not have been able to open it up once he saw what her middle ear looked like.

Seriously, she is so brave.  I am so proud of her!

Here is a picture from this afternoon, smiling and reading a book!

10 week old ear

Friday April 12, 2013

10 week old ear

Well, Dr. Reinisch is very pleased with how Sam's ear is healing.  Each week he asks you to send pictures so he can follow the healing process.  I always get a little nervous awaiting his comments each week.  I think it's looking good, but he is the expert!   He asks for different angles.  Here is a snapshot of what we sent him.

9 week old ear

Friday April 5, 2013

9 weeks post-op (original)

4.5 weeks post-op (fix)

Dr. Reinisch was right (of course), the scab I was worried about last week came off.  I also worked harder on getting the stitches out and I'm pretty certain they are almost all out.  We also got Sam a new battery door.  She has been asking for a purple one since last summer when she saw them at the AG Bell Conference as well as the Atresia Microtia Conference.  So, since she was due for me to change it, I thought I'd surprise her with a purple one!  She added a little decoration to it as well.  :)

We just heard from Dr. Reinisch and he said Sam's ear "looks great!".  I'm so happy he feels good about the healing. 

8 week old ear

Friday March 29, 2013

8 weeks post-op (original)

3.5 weeks post-op (fix)

Wow, I really can't believe it's been 8 weeks since Sam received her ear.  I love catching her looking at it in the mirror and listening to her talk about how she will soon be able to wear fun sunglasses like her little sister.  The gift Dr. Reinisch has given my little girl is truly amazing!  

Dr. Reinisch is happy with the way the ear is looking.  I questioned the scab on the back, but he said that it should come off.  He also told me to start working a little bit harder on getting the stitches out from the "fix" surgery.  I have been cleaning it every day, but the ear is still a bit sensitive, so I'm probably not rubbing as hard as I need to be.