Under the Knife

Fandango

10A3A3A9-2E71-41EA-81E5-D150CB66CBE4It’s been about two months since I was last able to hear properly out of my left ear. I have some sort of growth, called a cholesteatoma — fortunately noncancerous — in my middle ear and I’m having surgery on Monday to remove the growth, which should, if successful, restore my hearing.

But I have to tell you that I’m having mixed feelings about undergoing the surgery. It’s supposed to be microsurgery, where the surgeon goes in through my ear canal, cuts a flap in my eardrum, and then removes the growth that is behind the eardrum. Two hours, easy peasy, right?

Well, theoretically, yes. But if, for some reason, he can’t get to and remove the growth completely, then he’s going to have to drill into my skull, and get to the growth through my inner ear, which could take hours longer and is a much more complex surgical procedure with significantly higher risks.

I’m fully registered with the surgical center and I’m looking forward to having the surgery done. But, at the same time, I’m worried about the possibility that something might go haywire. I completed my advance directive and have updated my will, just in case the wheels come off the bus.

I will probably be taking a bit of a hiatus from my blog after tomorrow. I have scheduled my FOWC with Fandango one-word prompts through a week from Sunday. But I won’t be able to read and respond to your comments after tomorrow or to read your posts probably until the end of next week.

So I’m about to go on a challenging journey, and I hope that shortly after the first of the new year, I’ll be back here singing the same, old song.

See you when I get back!

Written for these daily prompts: Ragtag Daily Prompt (mixed feelings), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (theoretical), The Daily Spur (register), word of the Day Challenge (hiatus), Your Daily Word Prompt (journey), and Daily Addictions (song).

54 thoughts on “Under the Knife”

  2. annieasksyou December 28, 2019 / 7:20 pm

    Quite the spunky Fandangesque adieu—with all those prompts.

    Think positively and breathe deeply. All will go well.

    Best regards,
    Annie

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  3. Marilyn Armstrong December 28, 2019 / 7:59 pm

    You’ll be fine. And if going by Garry is any gauge, you will not be in much — if any — pain. Be grateful for micro-surgery. It’s absolutely AMAZING what they can do with really tiny implements leaving you repaired with little pain and few post-operative issues. I had micro-surgery on one knee and in two heart valves and i won’t even go into the rest. After the knee repair, I could have run a marathon. I limped in and walked out with a bandaid.

    You’ll be fine. You will. I just know it.

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    • Fandango December 28, 2019 / 11:39 pm

      Thanks, Marilyn. I’m optimistic, but anxious nonetheless.

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  4. Sadje December 28, 2019 / 11:04 pm

    All the best! Speedy recovery to you. See you in the January!

    Liked by 1 person

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    • Fandango December 28, 2019 / 11:41 pm

      Wow, haven’t heard from you in months. I thought you dropped off the face of the earth. But thanks for the well wishes.

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  6. blindzanygirl December 28, 2019 / 11:59 pm

    Good luck Fandango. See you back soon.

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  7. Willowsoul December 29, 2019 / 12:57 am

    You don’t need luck because you are going to be great…. my thoughts will be with you…

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  9. Liz December 29, 2019 / 1:10 am

    Best wishes for your op and speedy recovery.

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  12. crushedcaramel December 29, 2019 / 5:04 am

    I hope all goes well. I can imagine your anxiety. Have a good rest after the surgery.

    They have done some pretty radical things to my head and skull since the head injuries I received. I would like to think the results are an improvement. Well, I would have been in big trouble if they had not released some some of the pressure inside my noggin.

    We need you with top notch hearing. It might affect your SLS contributions ❤

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    • Fandango December 29, 2019 / 1:57 pm

      Ha! Was that a slam at my SLS selections? How dare you, Mel? 😂

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      • crushedcaramel December 29, 2019 / 2:22 pm

        How could you suspect me of that??? Not at all my friend, I was merely pointing out that we need to look after your hearing because of your wonderful contribution to SLS!!
        ❤ ❤ ❤

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        • Fandango December 29, 2019 / 10:24 pm

          I don’t need to hear the music, I just need to feel it! 😉

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  13. Irene December 29, 2019 / 5:46 am

    I will keep you in my thoughts tomorrow with my best wishes for a successful procedure and a pleasant recovery time. I also wish you a very Happy New Year; looking forward to your prompts and posts in 2020!

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    • Fandango December 29, 2019 / 1:59 pm

      Thanks, Irene. And happy new year to you, as well.

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  14. rugby843 December 29, 2019 / 8:16 am

    Hey, no hill for a stepper, right? Well that said, I understand your feelings. I’m sure you have the best doctors, surgeons, and care at your hospital. Try to relax, isn’t that what they always say when peering down at you?🧐 Seriously though, keep your sense of humor and know we’re all wishing the very best for you! 🤗🥰. I just had to add the emojis🙄🤓😊

    Sent from my iPad

    >

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  15. RuthScribbles December 29, 2019 / 9:55 am

    Oh! Very very much good luck to you!! May it all go very smoothly so you will be hearing correctly very soon! Rest well and heal fast!! 🦋💕🦋

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  16. pensitivity101 December 29, 2019 / 10:42 am

    Good luck and we’ll see you in the New Year. I’m sure everything will be fine.

    Liked by 1 person

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  17. magnoliajem December 29, 2019 / 1:52 pm

    Adding my positive thoughts and healing vibes to the rivers of prayers and good wishes flowing to you. Hoping you heal swiftly & easily. And enjoy your rest and break from blog world ❤

    Liked by 1 person

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  18. marlagro December 29, 2019 / 4:11 pm

    I will be praying your surgery is a success. And your advanced directives are for what not. 🙂❤🙂

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  21. Marleen December 30, 2019 / 9:17 am

    The word “cholesteatoma” (while probably not a correct label related to other locations) reminds me that my youngest son had a surgery when he was seventeen or so. He had a small lump on a testicle and conscientiously reported it. The “automatic” thing to do was to remove the testicle. I didn’t see any reason to assume it was cancer or for him to do without two testicles, so I convinced the young doctor we met in the process to perform a different kind of procedure that would quickly determine, during the surgery, whether or not there was cancer involved. There wasn’t.

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    • Marleen December 30, 2019 / 8:27 pm

      https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879729610000505
      Cholesteatoma is a severe middle-ear pathology affecting both adults and children. It would seem to have been first described by De Verney in France in 1683, as what he called “steatoma” [1]. In 1829, the French anatomopathologist Cruveilhier described it as a pearl tumor of the temporal bone [2]. The term “cholesteatoma”, introduced in 1838 by the German physiologist Johannes Müller [3], is now well established, but in fact, etymologically faulty in as much as this benign tumor (“…oma”) contains neither cholesterol (“chole”) nor fat (“steat”). In 1855, Virchow categorized cholesteatoma under epidermoid carcinoma and atheroma, but only in 1861 did Von Troeltsch consider its epidermal origin. In the studies by Gruber, Wendt and Rokitansky (1855–1888), the physiopathology of cholesteatoma was described as a malpighian metaplasia… ….

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      • Fandango December 31, 2019 / 11:55 am

        Wow, that’s a lot of information. Thanks for sharing.

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    • Marleen December 30, 2019 / 8:50 pm

      https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/cholesteatoma
      Turns out the label or term is applied with regard to at least another location.
      2. An epidermoid cyst arising in the central nervous system in humans or animals.

      And it turns out this site illustrates further disagreement, as well as additional definition.
      1. … The lesion often contains cholesterol clefts surrounded by inflammatory and foreign body giant cells, hence the name cholesteatoma.

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      • Marleen December 31, 2019 / 10:00 am

        Thank you! 😀

        How are you doing?

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          • Marleen December 31, 2019 / 6:30 pm

            Fair enough; best wishes for the new year!

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  22. leigha66 December 30, 2019 / 9:56 pm

    Been thinking about you and your procedure today. I hope everything went well and you are back soon to warn us all about the evils of Trump. Seriously, sending positive vibes and happy juju your way sir!

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    • Fandango December 31, 2019 / 11:57 am

      Thank you Leigha. I am back, but not yet running on all cylinders. I’ll write a post when I’m up to it letting everyone know I survived.

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  23. Ami December 31, 2019 / 3:29 pm

    All the best with the op, wishing you a speedy recovery 💚

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