Keep on fighting!...follow up from canal cholesteatoma...

February 4, 2011

Hi everyone, I am fresh back from my three week follow up since my cholesteatoma

op. I had a canal wall down mastodectomy that lasted 5 hours.

A little bit of history...Well for 2 years I haved suffered simple (seeming)

infections leading up to around 18 months of discharge. I had a moderate hearing

loss of 30-50Db's without pain. For many months I was told I had simple outer

ear infections that would not clear up with anti biotics. After a year of going

to see my ENT every 2 weeks for a suction clean they finally gave me a CT and a

40 minute look under microscope with general anesthetic. Even after this my

doctor couldn't see a thing. Anyway 6 months more of spray, tablets and

cultures to try and cure the 'infection' without luck they called a second

doctopr to take a look. A quick look and he excitedly found a hole in my ear

canal wall.

So move ahead six months till surgery and I'm finally told they expect to see a

2nd cholesteatoma 'somewhere' in the mastoid process.By which time the

cholesteatoma had damaged enough to cause the hole in my ear canal.

Anyway my point is this, today three weeks on exactly; I have been shown a photo

of my ear during surgery. The cholesteatoma was the size of a ping-pong ball

situated right in my masoid. It was truely the most disguisting thing I have

seen.

All the way through my diagnosis I have been made to feel as if I have over done

my symptoms, like I was making a fuss, Simply as if myself and my 'simple

infection' should stop wasting doctors time. Even after surgery I pushed myself

to recover quickly thinking it was a simple op that is as common as tubes.

It is only after today that I fully appreciate what my body has (quickly)

recovered from and how truely lucky I am to be left with any hearing at all.

So here it is, to anyone who is struggling, doubting or questioning themselves

or their symptoms, then my advice is to simply don't. If you have recurring

infections, discharge or even a concern for the possibility for cholesteatoma

then please fight for the best medical attention you can, because simply this is

not something that can be left to chance.

All the best to anyone who is currently going through this xx

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