I have a Bionic Ear

On Friday I had ear surgery.  I'd only waited over a year.  In the meantime, recent ear tests showed a deterioration in hearing ability.  Hopefully I didn't wait too long, but what can you do when the specialist has an 11 month waiting list.  Let's not mention that Saskatchewan doctors are supposed to be aiming for a three month waiting list.

When my skiing accident occurred, the right ear drum burst.  It quickly healed, but I've had reduced hearing in my right ear that hasn't been improving.  Hearing tests showed that it was a middle ear problem, likely something with the little bones.  The first specialist that I saw, Dr. Mia, sent me on to Dr. Shoman, claiming, "he's much better at ears than I."  Dr. Shoman just said Dr. Mia was being gracious, but I saw the recognition that Dr. Mia has received for his work on noses, so I'll assume he 'knows' when someone does a better job with ears.

Dr. Shoman decided to do exploratory surgery on the right ear.  His plan was that if there was a problem with the position of the bones he would use a cement to hold them in place.  If there was a cracked or broken bone he would replace it with a titanium prosthesis.  In the surgery he would move the eardrum aside, along with the nerve that controls taste.

When he got into the ear he found that all three bones were okay.  The issue was that the second and third bones were only connected by a hair.  The simple solution would be to cement them into position, BUT they didn't have any cement.  [I'm not sure why; I'll have to find out.]  The second idea was to use a titanium joint to reconnect the second and third bone.  Unfortunately the joint wouldn't hold; we're talking about 6 mm of space.  So the final and successful plan was to remove the second bone and use a titanium prosthesis to replace the bone and connect the first and third bones.  Since titanium is a very strong metal, if it were to vibrate and hit the eardrum, it would damage the eardrum again.  The doctor applied a skin graft around the prosthesis to protect the eardrum.  

The end result is that they have packed something into my ear to hold the eardrum still so that the skin graft can adhere into position.  The skin graft came from the ear canal, so I still have blood draining from my ear and have to use ear drops to prevent infection.  As well, my tongue is tingling and my sense of taste is even more diminished than before.  Now I'm praying that my recovery over the next month will lend to restoration of taste and sound.  It's frustrating when your body lets you down.