Grady's Cholesteatoma Surgery: Update 3

Email sent by Joe from the hospital

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Gallagher, Joseph P" <Joseph.P.Gallagher@p66.com>

Date: December 22, 2013 11:44:58 PM CST

Family –

Grady is doing well – relatively speaking, of course.  He was elated to have the external bandages removed yesterday; however, the steri-strips over his incision and the internal packing within his ear will remain for another couple of weeks – the result of such an invasive surgery.  His ear is still leaking fluids (sorry if gross) and will do so for a while longer.  Grady is getting some good naps in during the day; he usually doesn't nap, but I think he is still a bit worn out from the procedure and all of the subsequent hullabaloo.

We've already noticed some hearing loss, but we're hopeful that he'll continue to gain some back – though we suspect the net hearing loss will likely be in the 40 to 60 decibel range (moderate to severe).  Additionally, he has noticed a slight loss of taste; there is a nerve in the ear that helps control taste and it had to be sacrificed as part of the procedure.  Ultimately, it is probable that he'll have a follow up surgery to further reconstruct the inner part of the ear, which should help to improve hearing even more.

As you can imagine, the first week of our vacation has been nothing close to what we had planned.  The surgery alone threw us a curve, but we now have to keep Grady protected from possible infection, which has caused us to cancel events and alter how we interact (e.g., Grady's cousin, who has a cough, came to visit today, so Grady wore a surgical mask the entire time – he is such a tough little boy to deal with all of this!).  As an example of the severity of infection risk associated with his procedure, just one of many possible consequences of infection is meningitis (this due to the proximity of the surgical location to his brain).

So, what does all of this mean in terms of our planned Alaska vacation?  Well, here are some possible plans – depending on what we hear from the doctor this week:

·         Plan A: Proceed according to our original plan (i.e., all of us head up there).  This plan is contingent upon a 'green light' from the doctor and we'd also have to implement some measures to protect Grady during the trip.

·         Plan B: Joe, Molly, Ellery, & Briley head to Alaska; Kelly & Grady remain in Seattle.

·         Plan C: Joe, Molly, & Ellery head to Alaska; Kelly, Grady, & Briley remain in Seattle.

We'll know more once we hear from the doctor – the earliest being tomorrow.  Grady also has a follow up appointment on the 24^th.

We will keep you posted!

Love,

Joe G.

Grady's Cholesteatoma: Post OP Pics

Due to Grady's size (small) they had to do and "old fashioned" type bandage.  Joe joked with him before the surgery that he was going to get a lobotomy....and with that bandage he kind of looks like he had one. ;)

Grady's Cholesteatoma Surgery: Update 2

Email sent from Joe at the hospital

Begin forwarded message:

From: Gallagher, Joseph P 
Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2013 7:20 PM
Subject: Grady Gallagher Update 2

All –

Well, the 2 hour procedure turned into 6 hours, but the surgeon is pleased with the results.  Grady is waking up now.  They did have to remove some of the little bones in his ear, but a prosthetic (i.e., synthetic) bone was implanted to replace what was lost.  As part of the procedure, his eardrum had to be removed; part of it was replaced during surgery, however, and the prognosis is that it will grow back eventually.  There are lots and lots of other details (much of which I do not understand!), but the good news is that the disease is gone and Grady is well.

Since the little guy was under anesthesia for so long, we may have to stay the night.  We'll see…

Thanks again for your thoughts & prayers!

Joe G.

Grady's Cholesteatoma Surgery: Update 1

This is the email Joe sent from the hospital....

From: "Gallagher, Joseph P" <Joseph.P.Gallagher@p66.com>

Date: December 19, 2013 3:35:33 PM CST

Subject: Grady Gallagher Update 1

All –

Thank you for all your thoughts, prayers, phone calls, emails, & texts!  Grady just went back for surgery.  He is such a brave little guy.  I was able to be with him while they put him under.  The procedure should take about 2 hours, so Mom and I will be pacing the hospital for a while.  As soon as I get news on his condition, I will send a follow up.  For right now, it sounds like we'll be re-growing an eardrum after surgery – and possibly having follow-up procedures to put in artificial bones (the little bones that vibrate and conduct/interpret sound).

Some pictures attached.

Thanks!

Joe G.

From: Gallagher, Joseph P 
Sent: Tuesday, December 17, 2013 6:39 PM
Subject: Grady Gallagher

Hi Family –

Grady is going in for surgery Thursday, so we would appreciate your prayers for our little man.

This all began with a regular check-up, at which point the pediatrician noticed an undefinable irregularity in his right ear, so Grady was referred to an ENT (Ear Nose & Throat) doctor for further examination.  The ENT concurred about there being an anomaly and ordered a CT scan of his head to get a three-dimensional view.  The scan revealed a mass (i.e., 'benign tumor') growing behind his ear drum.  Given that this was happening right before our Washington/Alaska vacation, we elected to schedule an appointment with an Otologist/Neurotologist while in Seattle. Thankfully, we were able to find one who could see Grady – there are only about 300 of them in the country.

We arrived in Seattle last night and took Grady to see the specialist today.  I was expecting to hear that he would require a "routine" procedure to clear the mass before it caused any damage; unfortunately, we learned that the mass behind his ear drum now fills every open space within his inner ear, abuts the ear drum, and surrounds some of the tiny bones inside the ear that enable hearing.  If the mass has permeated the ear drum and/or damaged the tiny bones, they may need to be removed, causing significant if not total hearing loss.  To date, his hearing has only been mildly affected, which is attributable to the fact that the mass is artificially conducting sound, but since this particular mass (aka, cholesteatoma) eats away at bone, it has to come out to prevent further damage. 

The area inside the ear is a tiny little place, but it is Grand Central Station in terms of physiological functions – the obvious being hearing, but there are also nerves controlling balance and facial muscles in there.  Not to mention the fact that the carotid artery borders the area – as does the dura matter (lining of the brain), which not only protects the brain, but is the area from which spinal fluid originates.  With all this going on in such a small space, there is very little margin for error.

We just found this out this afternoon, so we're still a bit uneasy (to put it mildly) – especially with surgery happening the day after tomorrow (note – they have to perform the surgery by entering through the external auditory canal and through an incision they'll make behind the ear.   Again, I would appreciate you lifting up our little guy in your prayers – and pray for the medical team performing the surgery.  …and maybe a quick one for Mom & Dad as well!  : - )

We'll keep you posted!

Love,

Joe G.

Briley says....

As she is crossing her arms....

"I'm not pouting mama, I'm just cold."

Sent from my iPhone