Cholesteatoma that wasn't! Help!!!

January 22, 2011

Hi All,

I am a 47 year old woman and I wear BAHA (Bone Anchorered Hearing Aid) on my

right side and ITE aid in my left. Just for the record I have had repeated

infections in the BAHA site so much so I went in last year for revision surgery

and skin graft to the site, which got infected and took 5 months to clear

infection. I was diagnosed last year (June) with having a cholesteatoma in my

right ear after seeing an Ear consultant who specialises in just ears after

being reffered by my ENT Consultant. Given my history (recurrent ear infections

since childhood, BAHA performed due to constant infections,and wet ear) and the

CT Scan he said both my ear drums were sucked in and that I had cholesteatoma on

the right side. Since then my left ear has been worse that my right, always the

way isn't it! On the 17/01/11 (Monday) I was admitted to have a right modified

radical mastoidectomy performed.He was going in behind my ear and in my ear. He

also said he would replace an ear bone and make a new eardrum from cartilage.

The aim was to create a clean safe dry ear not to improve the 5% hearing in that

ear.

I was very surprised when the registrar told me after surgery that I didn't have

a cholesteatoma but chronic suppurative otis media. They performed a cartilage

tympanoplasty and Incus transposition. I came home that evening and expected the

pain to get gradully better in fact the pain has worsened and have swelling to

face, ear and neck, a trip to the doc's confirmed that I have an

infection....Surprise suprise lol.If anti- biotics dont help by tomorrow I have

to go back to the hospital, so I am sitting here feeling a bit grim, in pain

with lots of questions and not sure what to do. My follow up isn't until the

11/02/11... Has anyone else had similar or can point me in the right direction??

Thank you in advance :-)

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