Going Back

We went back to Dr. Bauer (ENT) last Thursday. Sallie will be going back to surgery on Oct. 22nd. Obviously this is not what we wanted to hear but at the same time we were not surprised. He will be doing clean up in the left ear which is the last ear he did surgery on. As with the right ear he will have to get all that out so that it can heal properly. He will also do some more cleaning in the right ear which is her implanted ear. The procedure will be really quick so thankfully she will not have to be sedated for too long. Afterward the issues will be the same as always when they do something to both ears which includes nausea, dizziness, and equilibrium issues. Our biggest issue is her having to continue to be put to sleep over and over but there is no alternative so as I said in the last post, we will trust Him with the details.

Also we have more decisions to make... A year ago I would have never dreamed at this time Sallie would have a cochlear implant. Well 4 months ago when she was implanted I certainly never dreamed that just 4 months later we would be making a decision on a second implant. Because she has done so well with her first implant and because there is a high likelihood that Dr. Bauer will have to do more to the left ear and the more means that if he does that then that ear could not implanted in the future. Also if you implant the second ear it needs to be done no longer than 6 to 12 months from the first implant. The brain learns to hear with that first implanted ear and it will continue to do so even after the second implant if you wait longer than that time period. So all of that to say we are back in decision mode. What are the benefits? Localizing sound better and being able to hear better in noisy environments. Developing better speech is not a proven benefit. Why would we not? The concerns and cons are the same as with the first implant and added to that is the fact that the left ear is historically worse as far as the tumors go which creates more issues. Bottom line just as before we know God has a plan and we want to be in line with that plan. We want to put all the pros and cons aside and seek Him. We appreciate your prayers as we seek His will. Honestly we are very tired from all of this and it is a little overwhelming to think of what may be ahead. We know it is progress and are thankful for that progress but realistically we are worn out! Thank you for your prayers!