Today, I can’t hear out of my right ear.
Two weeks ago I had surgery to remove two bones in my middle ear and replace them with a prosthesis. I also gained a new ear drum. If I heal as planned, I hope to join the 80% of people who undergo this procedure and gain significant hearing ability—as much as say, uncovering your ears from your hands. I will know the results in three months.
My brilliant and highly regarded surgeon1 (Hey, I did my research) used cartilage and skin from inside my tragus—the area of the ear that sits in front of the opening to the ear—to rebuild areas of my ear demolished (my word) for access through the canal and to build my new eardrum. It’s a brilliant tactic: no visible scars.
After the operation, my doctor instructed me to not get water in my ear. My post-surgical written instructions indicated that water into the ear might cause the surgery to be unsuccessful. Ergo—I’d have to have another surgery.
And who wants that? My surgery wasn’t horrible, but there’s a reason they send you home with a bag of narcotics.
“Just use a cotton ball and Vaseline®,” my doctor said with a shrug. “It’s easy and cheap.”