Re: questions concerning upcoming surgery

January 22, 2004

Hi Dee,

The enlargement of the ear canal after surgery is usually only done for those that have and open cavity or canal wall down (cwd). It has nothing to do with the packing. I don't recall any of the kids being on sedatives after surgery to keep them calm. I think most of the parents try their best to keep their children calm, I just don't know how successful they are. I think most important is the not lifting part. My husband was back at work within 2 weeks of his first surgery, which lasted 6 hours. He wanted to go back to work about 4 days after surgery.

I am sure you will hear from other parents on their experiences with their children. Try not to worry too much. This will most likely be harder on you than your son.

Good luck to you and your son, keep us posted and feel free to ask any question no matter how trivial it may seem to you.

Michele, Group Moderatorlil_dee_101 <scrapidee@...> wrote:

I have read a few stories about people having enlargement of the ear canal after surgery. Is this due to the cotton packing that needs to stay in the ear canal for 2 weeks? Or is it due to closed-canal surgery? I'm a little fuzzy on this. Also, how important is it for a person recovering from c'toma surgery not to run, jump, etc., for 1 month? I'm not sure this is physically possible for my hyper 5 year old. Has anyone needed sedatives prescribed? I am also wondering if stitches and/or staples are what is used (that is what i have noticed on the pictures) instead of glue? Guess I have alot of questions and will probably have many more. Thanks - Dee

January 22, 2004

Hello Dee,

The enlarged ear canal is from a procedure called "Meatoplasty". It is performed with the Canal Wall Down Mastoidectomy, and it helps the doctor clean the ear post op... It is usually not noticeble, mine does not show... but I think some people end up with a much larger canal. After a canal wall down procedure, the ear is cleaned every few months for a few years and depending on what "condition" the ear is in, these cleanings can become more infrequent... Just depends on how well the ear heals and stays c-toma free and dry...

Your child should not need sedatives... Most people are back at work within a week or two, so you child will probably resume his activities as he feels better...

There are stitches behind the ear if a mastoidectomy is performed, and there will be packing in the ear canal post op. That packing can stay in for up to a few weeks, it just depends on the surgeon and his preferences.

Good luck,

Lynn

-- questions concerning upcoming surgery

I have read a few stories about people having enlargement of the ear

canal after surgery. Is this due to the cotton packing that needs to

stay in the ear canal for 2 weeks? Or is it due to closed-canal

surgery? I'm a little fuzzy on this. Also, how important is it for

a person recovering from c'toma surgery not to run, jump, etc., for 1

month? I'm not sure this is physically possible for my hyper 5 year

old. Has anyone needed sedatives prescribed? I am also wondering

if stitches and/or staples are what is used (that is what i have

noticed on the pictures) instead of glue? Guess I have alot of

questions and will probably have many more. Thanks - Dee

January 23, 2004

After my 4-year-old daughter's surgery, we were told that she probably

wouldn't eat that day (surgery started at 11:30 a.m.) and would be a

little lethargic for a day or so as the anesthesia worked out of her

system.

At 5:30 that afternoon, she started requesting pizza for dinner and ate

almost 3 slices, and was ready to run and jump the next morning :-)

Kids are hard to keep down, and bounce back fast. What we did was

planned ahead - bought lots of inexpensive " quiet time " toys, puzzles

and games, as well as a bunch of videos. Since her surgery was in the

summer, it was easier for us to keep an eye on her all the time, and

remind her to calm down, but as Candy noted, you just have to do your

best. And start telling your son NOW that he'll need to be quiet LATER

- it helps get him mentally prepared, and you can encourage him to get

his crazies out before surgery. If your son has a medical condition,

such as ADHD or somesuch, you might consult with his pediatrician or

specialist about the upcoming surgery, and see if there's anything you

should know or do to adjust his medication, but I've never heard of

anyone getting sedatives simply to keep them less active after surgery.

Remember: you're doing the best you can (being on this list is proof of

that!), and things will work out.

Best of luck.

-Jeff.

questions concerning upcoming surgery