*I will post about how the morning is going once they take T back to surgery. I just wanted to give a little background and some details about the recovery that we know now.
Some background:
Our sweet T has Microtia which means simply "little ear." Her right ear is sort of folded over and doesn't have a canal. It is the sweetest little ear and we all love her and her little ear. Because of Microtia, she has almost complete deafness in her right ear. She can hear a jet engine from a close range and it sounds quiet. Technology has created hearing aids where sound is conducted through the bone. T started wearing her hearing aid about 3.5 years ago. The tricky thing about not having an ear canal is there is no where to put the hearing aid.
T has been wearing her hearing aid on a headband designed for this purpose all 3.5 years. Most children have a "BAHA" surgery at age 5, but she was not interested and we didn't want to push her. BAHA stands for Bone Anchored Hearing Aid. We have called her hearing aid her BAHA for the last 3.5 years, but it has never actually been anchored to the bone.
Surgery logistics:
T's surgery is a day surgery, but it is a bit intense. They will essentially be drilling 2mm into her skull and anchoring a magnet to her skull bone and then stitching her back up. It many ways it is a very simple surgery. Her CT scan revealed that her skull is 3mm thick. They said this made her a good candidate for surgery... I was hoping it was 6mm thick as the drilling seems awfully close to the brain. In the pre-op visit her Dr (who I love and we have had since the week she got home from Ch!na) told me that sometimes they hit some brain fluid, but it isn't a big deal. I pretty much checked out of the conversation at that point and told him to tell Brandon more the day of the surgery if needed.
Other details:
We still are not quite sure what the post surgery restrictions will be or how long she will be recovering or what the pain will be like. Before M's tonsillectomy there were so many things to read to learn about the recovery. There is not much to read about this one. In case any of you start to google the surgery or recovery, I want to clarify that she is having the BAHA magnet and not the button. The button has a different recovery and maintenance. We think the magnet will be a much better fit for our busy T as it is totally hidden and once healed the skin grows right over it with no need for daily cleaning and care and the risk of skin growing into the button etc.
This surgery should be a one time thing. This magnet should last her whole life and be able to support any hearing aid she will need in the future.
How to pray:
- Please pray for a safe and successful surgery and steady hands of the Dr and surgical team.
- Pray for our nerves and fears, that we would feel the peace of the Holy Spirit. All surgeries are a bit scary for parents, but drilling close to the brain causes fears.
- Pray for recovery! Pray for pain management, for good sleep, for keeping her from doing to much physically (this will be hard)!
-Pray for M as this will mean a lot of attention for T and the jealous feelings will happen.
- Praise God for my mom being able to be here for a couple of days and for others who are helping with various needs.
- Pray for God's sustaining grace for Brandon and I. He is getting a cold. I have only been sleeping a few hours a night for various reasons.
Thank you so much for your prayers. I will post again very soon!
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