Audrena Goes Bilateral!

The past few weeks have been so busy that I haven't had time for an update. Audrena had her second CI surgery May 13th. The surgery took much longer than anticipated...about 1 1/2 hours longer!

The doctor ran into more scar tissue than he thought she would have. We received an update from the OR nurse that he was going to start the cochleostomy (ok, not sure how to spell that!). Later she called the room to say that he encountered some ossification and was still working on the cochleostomy. I was instantly sick to my stomach. I know that ossification in the cochlea can be a real problem for implantation. We waited awhile longer, all the while praying it would be ok. The nurse came into the room to say the implant was in, and they were testing it. I asked if he got a full insertion, and she said she didn't know. She doesn't get that information. I wondered if she was just dodging bad news.

Finally, the doctor came into the room. He said everything went well, he got a full insertion, and the wave patterns were beautiful. I breathed an enormous sigh of relief and immediately asked about her cochlea. He said it was fine. Puzzled, I asked about the ossification. He explained it was where he had drilled during the first attempt at implantation, and it had grown shut more than he expected. I explained that I must have misunderstood the nurse, and he agreed it would have been a big complication if there had been ossification in the cochlea. Everything went very well, and she did not even have a gusher this time!

It wasn't long, and they brought her to us. Audrena slept a long time, and eventually she started to look uncomfortable. The doctors approved some morphine, and shortly afterward the anesthesiologist and surgeon both stopped in to check on her. They said that with a 4 1/2 hour surgery and the extra "digging around" he had to do, she probably needed that extra dose of morphine to get her over the hump. The surgeon was comfortable releasing us to go to the hotel once Audrena woke up to eat and drink. At least she would be nearby if she needed anything at all. Soon enough, Audrena was devouring some hospital cafeteria meatloaf and apple juice.

We were released around supper time, so we ordered takeout and settled in at the hotel. I gave Audrena a sponge bath to freshen her up, and it was off to sleep for our little princess.

The rest is history. It was an easy...and on to activation!