Now it's my turn

I guess it's my turn for the doctor's appointments. You may remember, I had a sinus infection a couple weeks ago that really kicked my butt. Right now, my right ear feels like it's full of cotton and it's driving me crazy! I cannot get it to pop or anything. So, I went to see my ENT a couple days ago. And before I tell you what he says, I want to fill you in on my 'ear' problems.

I've always had problems with my ears.
It started at birth.
I had surgery at birth for a cleft palate (didn't have the cleft lip).
I had reconstructive surgery (Tympanomastoidectomy) on my right eardrum when I was in the 6th grade.
I've had tubes put in atleast 9 times. I had to keep them in to prevent infections. And, well, I couldn't stay out of the big swimming pool we had in our back yard, so I had to keep getting them re-inserted.

My hearing started to bother me in college in my 20s, so I had have a hearing aid too. I don't wear it anymore. Then, I had a stapedectomy surgery in 2003 in Raleigh. [Actually I've had it done twice. The first doctor in Fayetteville did a botch job and I had to go to a specialist in Raleigh to have it corrected.] My stapes bone was calcified and the first doctor tried to scrap it off the first time. He scraped it too much and destroyed the bone. So, I had to go to a specialist in Raleigh to have it repaired and had a prosthesis stapes put in. All went well after that surgery. But as the years have done by, I've noticed my hearing declining again.

I guess that sinus infection enhanced this fish bowl feeling. So, back to my ENT appointment. Dr looks in my ear and says that it looks like I have a cyst on my eardrum and a small hole (pin sized). I had my hearing test done and from what I can remember, it does look worse than before. He talks to me about my hearing results and said he "thinks" that cyst is a cholesteatoma. And it needs to be removed.

Just so you know, any word ending in "-toma" scares the baheebies out of me! He said it was a a big word for a non-cancerous tumor. However, it can grow deeper into my ear and around my inner ear. With that said, he is referring me back to Raleigh, just in case that cyst has grown around my stapes prosthesis. If it has, then that doctor can replace/repair it while he's in removing this cyst. Can you believe this crap? He "said" it's nothing to worry about. But I don't want to go through surgery again. It was rough..and vertigo made me so nauseous. So, I'm praying that it's going to be an outpatient, one-day surgery for the cyst and nothing else. I had to stay over night with my stapes surgery.

I have my consult appointment on March 9th. Of course, Harold's MRI results appointment is in Duke on the 12th (along with his driving test). yippee!!

I hope ya'll have a great weekend. We have lots to do, as usual.