Valeria Out Loud

Oooh hello! How’s it going WordPress??

I am good. Good good. Just got home from my doctor’s appointment and well, guys, it is inevitable, I will be having surgery on my left ear.

Let me backtrack a little of my story here to get everyone up to speed and add in what happened today.

So around Thanksgiving last year, I started noticing that my hearing was off. I needed everything louder, and kept missing what people were saying in my presence. But I let it go thinking it was a temporary thing that may be affected by allergies or something. Which it wasn’t. In March 2021, I finally saw an ENT specialist who ran me through a few tests.

First, I had a hearing test with the audiologist in the office. I failed that test miserably 😆. I mean, I was there for not being able to hear well. So. I guess I passed, right? 🥁

Then the ENT specialist suggested I schedule an allergy scratch test because I had some extreme sinus inflammation – he wanted to make sure what was going on. Then a day later he called to ask me to get a ct scan and to see another ENT specialist because he felt that maybe the three microscopic bones in my ear were the issue, which is a common issue of people who suffered through a childhood of ear infect. Which I had. And she specializes in that type of surgery.

So I had a ct scan to check my inner ear situation. That ct scan showed those bones were compromised but it also showed a weird enlarged ear canal in my left ear compared to my right. But the scan wasn’t extensive enough. So an MRI was requested to see what else was happening. He did say the words abnormal and tumor- so yeah that was a fun month in my mind waiting to get that MRI. 🙄

I went for the scratch test and found out I am allergic to a ton of atmospheric stuff! Then I went for the MRI, which thankfully, showed nothing abnormal at all. That was a long month wondering, I tellya!

And today I saw the specialist. Who I liked so much! She had this cool tool that took a crazy great close up picture of my inner ears. Oh! Wait you don’t know what’s the issue yet! So, the issue is…my left eardrum has a hole in it, and those microscopic bones have scar tissue bonding over them. It’s called cholesteatoma, it is abnormal, and noncancerous, which is a relief. Then- in my right ear, my ear drum has shifted a little bit and it is causing the muffle.

My left ear is fixable with surgery. She is certain it will fix my issue and she said she can go in right from my ear canal not a surgery through the back of the ear, and, time may heal my right ear. That ear is more about the pressure in my canal and may need time.

Seeing my eardrum on her tool’s screen, which is friggin gross and weird-everyone’s eardrums are, was actually awesome and interesting! To see the hole and the scar tissue-on the bones, in real time was cool. I am really so relieved that surgery through my ear is possible vs not some slice behind my ear!

The recovery time with this type of surgery is four weeks. So I requested to go for it in September or October, because this Summer is going to be busy for us. She understood and compromised that I see her in early August first, to make sure things are still in place then we will set up a surgery date. So for now, I have to keep my left ear dry; meaning I have to wear an earplug whenever I am around water.

Yup even in the shower! 😆

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Ok that’s it for me! As always, I appreciate all the support you guys give! Thank you for catching up with me and these ear issues, guys. It has been a weird year so far wondering what was happening. Now knowing what it is and having all this information..it is empowering and makes me feel so much happier about surgery. Though still nervous and scared. 🙂

Which I am sure I will talk about till it happens. 😆

Bye for now! Ttys xoxo