Re: Re: I need some info on the risks of sugery!

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the advice...

Yeah, I think I oinestly understand the " odds " of that

risk. SInce, for me, this surgery is more elective

than required, since I have been living without my

hearing bones for ten years and feeling fine (except

my hearing is going away!), the doctor refuses to

guide me either way towards surgery or no surgery, and

the only reassurance he gave me was " Well, I do this

everyday and hope to retire without ever having a

patient with facial nerve paralysis. "

I, of course, don't want to wake up and regret this

the rest of my life, but even if that one and a

millino chance came true and something bad did happen,

I would be able to live with myself and my decisions

more if I am able now to do my homework and find out

as much info as possible. I just wish there were hard

facts or statistics out there that said (less than a

1% chance " or " 1 out of every 10,000 surgeries " this

can happen. Maybe it's not so easy to breakdown,

maybe every surgery is unique...

The doctor, an otologist, is Dr. Dennis , from

Lutheran General Hospital, in Park Ridge. I was

recommended to him from my pediatric ENT growing up,

who was no longer able to see me because I am now an

adult.

Well, thanks again for the info, and if you know

anyhting else or have any other advice, I'll always

take it! I'm scheduled for surgery on the 26th...

Jim Syrek

--- Surfin Dave <@...> wrote:

> Hi :

>

> It's understandable to be worried, but since most

> surgeons use a

> facial nerve monitor they are extremely careful as

> to not damage it.

> Not to add to your worries, but you probably have a

> better chance of

> getting into a car accident on the way to the

> hospital than having

> your facial nerve damaged! The doctors are required

> to let you know

> of all the potential risks whenever performing an

> operation. If you

> had to know all the risks for driving a car before

> you got behind the

> wheel, you would probably never even ride in a car

> again. Just about

> everything we do every day has some kind of risk,

> but we can't let

> that stop us!

>

> The best way to reassure your fears is to make sure

> you have complete

> confidence in your surgeon. Who is the otologist

> that will perform

> the surgery? I'm in Aurora, Illinois, and my doc is

> Dr. Battista of

> the Chicago Otology Group (they have offices in

> Hinsdale and

> ton). I've had two surgeries with him, and I

> trust him

> completely with my ears. In the first surgery he

> did a CWU and

> removed my C-toma, replaced my hearing bones,

> rebuilt my eardrum, and

> even patched a hole in my dura where the c-toma was

> eating it's way

> through to the brain. After a couple of months, my

> hearing was back

> to normal! The second surgery was just to make sure

> there was no

> reocurrence (none!) and he put a tube in my eardrum

> because my ear

> was having problems draining. Now we are monitoring

> my other ear

> because the eardrum is retracted, and in his words

> the ear looks

> " dangerous " . But I'm not worried because he is on

> top of things and

> will know exactly what to do and when to do it.

>

> When I was originally diagnosed with c-toma by an

> ENT, I ended up

> switching from him doing the surgery to Dr.

> Battista. I did not feel

> comfortable with the ENT, and had to fight with my

> insurance to get a

> surgeon I was comfortable with. If I had stayed

> with the ENT, I

> probably would have worried myself to death before

> the surgery!!

>

> Dave

>

>

> >

> > Hello,

> >

> > My name is , and I am 28 from Chicago, IL. I

> wanted to see if

> you could help me,

> > since you just had a surgery that is similar to

> the one I am

> scheduled to get on the 26th.

> > Let me explain my story, then ask a question or

> two:

> >

> > Ten years ago I had a cholesteatoma in my right

> ear, had it

> removed, but also had two of

> > my middle hearing bones taken out and my ear drum

> replaced. The

> doctors told me I'd

> > have to wait to have a 2nd operation to have the

> bones put

> back...flash ahead five years

> > later, in 2001, and an ENT advised against me

> having that

> particualr sugery, after giving

> > me a hearing test, saying to me that my right ear

> was okay, ans

> that the surgery was risky,

> > and that I should live with what I have.

> >

> > Flash ahead five years later to this year, ten

> years since my

> cholesteatoma, and I have not

> > had another one, but went to a Otologist recently

> due to ear aches

> and worrying about my

> > ear, had another hearing test done (I hear at 40dB

> in my right

> ear), and we talked about

> > how I am losing my hearing, and he sugested he

> could fix my ear,

> support my ear drum

> > better with a skin graft, give me a titanium

> implant for th

> emissing bones to possilby

> > restore my hearing, and explore the ear and fix it

> up. So I signed

> up for the surgery,

> > officially listed as a mastoidectomy,

> tympanoplasty, and ossicular

> chain reconstruction, for

> > Dec.26th.

> >

> > I am scared, though. I am scared of all the

> " risks " -specifically

> facial nerve damage and/or

> > paralysis. He would only say " I have been doing

> this for 15 years,

> and I have never had

> > that happen to me yet, and I hope to retire

> without that

> happening. " He also told me they

> > would use facial never montoring equipment to be

> extra cautious.

> But, he is not giving me

> > the reassurance I need! Since this is all

> elective on my part,

> since I could techically live

> > with my hearing loss like I have been, althoug he

> said I will

> indeed go deaf one dayif my

> > ear never gets fixed, I just don't want to wake up

> and have the

> right side of my face

> > paralyzed, even if it's just a 1% chance!

> >

> > My question to you: has your doc told you anything

> about this risk,

> and what kind of

> > reassurance did he/she give you? I have found no

> internet research

> related to instances of

> > patients getting this work done and having the

> nerve dfamaged,

> except for one boy, in

> > 1993, who had it cut and he was paralyzed on one

> side of his face.

> Should I even be

> > worried?

> >

> > I am seeking info, and any info you have would be

> greatly

> appreciated! I want to make my

> > final decision by next Tuesday...thanks!

> >

> > -Jim Syrek

> > syrek@...

> >

>

>

>