Bilateral Tympanoplasty

My now 12 yr old had that done 3 years ago at Children's in Milwaukee. Email me offlist if you want details

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E.
mom to 6 kids, one cat and one crazy dog

My daughter was in the first grade when I discovered she had little or no hearing. I was approached by a group about a test they were running and if I would be interested in it. I was told that if it worked she could have most of her hearing and possible a hearing aid or she could have all her hearing depending on what the found. She was not born that way and due to, sort of, accident, she lost her hearing. I agreed. She came home the same day and of course had to be watched and taken extra care of, BUT SHE COULD HEAR ME, it was the first time she could hear a sound. To this day she can still hear, but there is a slight loss in her left ear due to what looks like a crack. My daughter was one of the first one to have this done and she is now in her 50's. I know every child is different and may react different, all I can say is trust in God and your judgement.

My first question would be, why did she get the tubes in the first place. I am assuming ear infections however if she has further issues such as alllergies I might possibly wait. I am a teacher of the Deaf/Hard of Hearing and many of my kids have had tubes due to constant ear infections, allergies, fluid, etc... I am thinking 4 is pretty young to have this surgery especially if she is still have ear issues and may need the tubes to help them drain properly. I just had a 5th grader have this done and it seemed fairly painless but had to keep cotton and the packing in until it dissolved. They cut all behind his ear in order to patch the eardrum. Who is your ENT? If you want me to ask our audiologist further, I would be happy to, just email me with more details.

Our daughter had this procedure done at 4 years old. We were home the same day. Given it is surgery, she was groggy for a day or two and needed to be kept quiet but recovered quickly. We had to keep water out of the ear until given the all clear by the doctor but have had absolutely no problems at all.

this is happening to me and my 7 yer old; we too were told to do the surgery with teh graf! I have not signed up for it hoping it will close but it ha been over 8 months and has not yet so guess it will not. she too is having hearing problems and when she swims it hurts so bad in that ear guess water gettign in. Are you goign to do it and who is your ENT?
we see Madaloza at childrens in glenview
J.

Hi, my husband had this surgery not as a child, but as an adult (21 or so). I think it would have been better if he'd done it earlier, since he had ear infections and a hole in his eardrum his whole life, which caused his hearing to be at about 70% in that ear. When he had the graft, his hearing improved to 95%. So grafting that hole really helped, and he doesn't have ear problems like he had before.
He didn't know all the details of the surgery, and thought they'd go into the ear with fine instruments- not quite! They cut the back of the ear, and move it out of the way for the surgery to get to the eardrum, so imagine our surprise to find stitches all up the back when he was done! He had packing in there for a few days, but then it was fine- and we think worth it. If you find out the details from your Dr. beforehand you'll know what to expect, how long it is for a child to recover, etc..
Good luck!

B.,

I'm sorry, I have not had this done, nor have I had a child with this done, but I do have a unique perspective for you to consider.

When I was young, I had several really bad ear infections. My eardrum in my left ear perforated 3 times, on 3 seperate infection cases. (i can still recall the sudden rush of relief, and the fluid that poured out of my ear)

Due to the scar tissue that built up as a result of it healing, my eardrum no longer vibrates the same and I have significant hearing loss in that ear. The last time I was tested, my loss was at 75%. I can tell you, it's quite annoying because if I am sleeping on my 'good' ear, I cannot hear ANYTHING from that ear. And people think I am ignoring them when they say something from my left side,... i dont answer because i can't hear them :)

So though I do not know about this particular surgery, any kind of grafting will involve creation of scar tissues, and that may affect her hearing down the road anyway.

Good luck to you... I hope you were able to get more specific answers from the other mom who went through it personally.

Mine was different, it was a cholesteatoma (benign tumor or cyst behind the ear drum), but may I suggest you see the ENT that I saw? He's actually a pediatric ENT, so I'm not sure why my MD sent me to see him (I was in my early 40's at the time), but he's reportedly among the best in his field in the area. He's Dr. Stuart Morgenstien, and he's located in Bloomingdale just outside of the Stratford Mall building, on Gary Avenue. His phone # is ###-###-####.

Hi B.,
My daughter actually had this procedure done about a year ago. She had tubes put in when she was 3 years old and they never fell out. So they had to remove the tubes and did the grafting at the same time. She did great with it. Of course, we gave her special attention, and treats for having an operation done, but within one day she was back up playing etc. She was back up to full speed within two or three days. So a little extra TLC, and she will be as good as new! We have not had an era infection since(knock on wood). Hope this helps! Take care!

With any luck, the doctors will not have to patch the eardrum by the way of the back of the ear. My daughter was six years old when she had the grafting done and they did it directly through the ear canal. Just ask the dr all of the questions you have and that should help your concerns. As am sure that it will definetly help.

Yes i know my Child has. The hardest part was the pain afterwords

My daughter who is now 25 had this done at age 6 with no ill effects at all. She had tubes put in at 1 year old due to recurrent ear infections. When the tubes fell out about age 3, the left eardrum never closed. She was very small for her age (she didn't make 20 lbs until she was 2) and our family doctor suggested that we wait until she was older and could tolerate the surgery better. We kept an eye on the situation, keeping water out of the ear, etc. and she had no more ear infections. When she hit 6 years old, we went to a doctor in New Orleans (we were living in LA at the time) who had a great reputation for cutting edge surgeries with cochlear implants. He did the surgery in one day; she went home late that night. Her recuperation was smooth and she never had any other problems. Her hearing was fully restored. All she has to show for it, is a scar behind her ear, where they cut the exterior ear away from her head so they could have room to work during the surgery.
You might be interested to know that she graduated college with a degree in music. (Good hearing is critical for music!) God has blessed her with a beautiful voice. She has sung with several praise bands and a few years ago her college choir sang in Rome at a mass for Pope John Paul II.
Advice: go to the best doctor you can find. Look for someone who does this type of surgery often and is comfortable with it. That may or may not be your usual family ENT.

Please check out the website www.ipca4kids.org. Chiropractors have great success with ear infections. You should be able to find a doctor in your area on the website, but should you need more help feel free to call the office. ###-###-####

J.