Gabi: 2010-06-27

Friday, July 2, 2010

Gabi's New Ear

This is a pic of what Gabi had done this time. Her ear is now lifted off her head so that it sticks out like the other ear. He also too a flap of skin in front of her ear and formed a little bit of an earlobe. Lookin' good Gabi! :)

Thursday, July 1, 2010

In recovery and doing great!

Gabi is out and doing great! Just had the first popsicle, berry, I think??? She got a new cow puppet before surgery and promptly named him "Spot". She got "Dot", her dalmation last time. She is not feeling like voicing herself, but said I could. Dr. Brent showed me a great picture and we will be able to get more next week when he pulls all stitches and re-wraps her ear. Thanks to all for well wishes and prayers! Dad (& Gabi)

Gabi is in surgery! Send prayers up!

Why the surgery?

Gabi has been taught to love her little ear, but there comes a time to make some decisions. Gabi's hearing aide is the type that has to be on a headband that she wears everyday until she grows big enough to have it surgically implanted into her bone. The headband is made for toddlers, with the idea that the hearing aide will eventually be surgically implanted. If there's one thing we've learned from her teachers, it's that she always does much much better when that hearing aide is working properly. We hear it every single year.

Decision number one...Do we continue with hearing aides and have it implanted? If we have it implanted, then she can't do the construction of the outer ear. It's a decision we would be making that would last her lifetime. The outer construction has to be done with "virgin" skin, meaning no previous holes or surgeries or anything.

Decision number two...Do we open that canal up so she can hear without a hearing aide? Again, if we open it up then we have to do the outer construction first. You can't do the ear canal and then decide later that you want to construct an outer ear.

Decision number three...do we just leave well enough alone and do nothing? We could...and that is what we have done the last eight years. Now that Gabi is eight we are faced with another issue. Teasing. Kids are cruel. Gabi started wanting to hide her ear. She started saying that she "only loves her little ear if other people can't see it."

The constructive surgery for an ear is an amazingly difficult process. You really have to be both a surgeon and an artist. There are only a handful of people in the country that are successfully doing the surgery. Another issue...if you don't do it right, then the ear is lost. One chance. There aren't any doctors in this state that are even doing the surgery.

After many years of diliberation, our insurance company gave the word that they saw the surgery as "medically necessary." Off we go to California to the doctor who pioneered the surgery and has had many many successful surgeries. After she is done with outer construction, she can have her ear canal opened with her doctor at the Mayo in Rochester, and throw the hearing aide in the toilet (or maybe donate it to someone else) and be done with it.

We're actually sad to say goodbye to our little ear...but looking forward to hearing without complications. :)

Gabi

Gabi and big sister Sophie

Friday, July 2, 2010

Gabi's New Ear

Thursday, July 1, 2010

In recovery and doing great!

Gabi is in surgery! Send prayers up!

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Why the surgery?

About Mictrotia/Aural Atresia

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