We went to the ear Doctor yesterday because Tony has been having a really hard time hearing for the last month or so. The Oncology doctor thought it would just fix itself, but it hasn't. He got to do a couple of hearing tests that showed that his ear drum wasn't vibrating like it should. It also showed how much hearing he had temporarily lost. So the doctor looked inside his ear and his exact words were "you are under water."
Essentially what is happening is that the Eustachian Tubes got swollen shut after Tony's radiation treatments. (That's the tube at the bottom right of this picture). The tube provided air to the middle ear and ear drum. When there is no air, the middle ear becomes a vacuum and then the membrane begins to leak water. His ear drum fills with water and makes it sound like he is under water. So now comes the solution. The doctor numbed his ear drums (which was actually pretty painful), then he cut a small slit in Tony's eardrum. Then the most uncomfortable part: he sucked out all of the fluid. (Tony said it sounded like being in an airplane engine. He said I could have screamed at the top of my lungs and he wouldn't have been able to hear me). But the awesome thing is that after this uncomfortable procedure was over, Tony could hear again. We are going back in 2 weeks and if the Tubes haven't healed (and Tony has more water) then he will have to cut another slit and then put a tube in it to hold it open for a month or so until it heals.
Dear Tony and Brittany, I had no idea Tony was having hearing problems. After reading what the ear doctor is doing to help Tony, I can certainly understand what Tony went thru. I am also assuming that the procedure caused Tony to have vertigo. I recently had a vertigo attack caused by the very loud and persistant barking of a dog. I just want you to know that among all the others hearing about this, I have probably had more experience than most because of the ear surgeries I have had over my life which were done to try and help me hear. In my opinion,Tony, you've been thru a lot because of this, and I hope things heal without having it done again. I love you, Grandma Lewis
ReplyDeletePS - Those photos of Jack with his giant elephant are so cute. Jack is one of the most active babies I have ever known.
That does not sound fun. Ouch. Glad he can hear better though. You guys are awesome to just keep pushing forward and never complain, you're inspiring.
ReplyDelete