We were all nervous before the second surgery, as the challenges of the first one were still fresh in our mind. Be prepared with all the medical supplies that I documented during the first surgery.
The second and third surgeries would not take place in the hospital, but a surgical center. We got there bright & early, per usual. Cate cried and was very upset before going back into the surgical room. I kept reassuring her that they were just going to flip her cute baby ear into her lobe. It's so hard to see your baby upset and scared and we just tried to find the words to console her. This
By the end of the day it was time to check her ear and finally see her lobe. Can you even believe how amazing it looks? The top part of her baby ear is now integrated into the full ear, and the bottom part of her baby ear with the pliable tissue is now her ear lobe. The recovery from this surgery was minimal! Not even three hours after the surgery Cate was happy, laughing, and trying to run aroun
This view is really important because it showcases that the ear form is fully complete. The ear stays next to the head/skull through the first two surgeries. The final surgery will see the entire ear elevated. The original vertical stitches were removed, which you can see in the center left of the ear. As a reminder, the fresh stitches are the blue stitches.
This is literally the day after her surgery! It was shocking, considering how bad the first surgery was for her!! Her ear cup is off in this picture, simply because she wanted to be able to show her friends Vivienne and Amelia her new lobe! We were happy to see her bounce back and regain her happiness and confidence so quickly!
Being done with two out of three means it's time for a delicious margarita from El Chaparral! Love a drink as big as my head!
Just two days after her second surgery and you can see the beautiful shape of her ear. She was not in any pain, and she was so happy that there was only one surgery left! She had a ton of energy (I couldn't believe it!) and it was hard to contain her exuberance.
Here is Cate doing arts and crafts, eating snacks, and recovering. As usual, we are airing out her ear to aid in healing. We were giving the prescribed medications, and doing the typical hydrogen peroxide application.
I always used surgical gloves and q-tips to apply her hydrogen peroxide. Here is what a properly treated ear looks like. The white bubbling is where the peroxide is in contact with fresh blood.
Dr. Bonilla was kind enough to squeeze us in for a post op right before we flew back to Boston. Having Dr. Bonilla check her ear set our minds at ease and allowed us to go home with peace of mind. I call Dr. Bonilla the GOAT of ears!
Can you even believe this is just over a week after her second surgery? She was back to herself and feeling wonderful!
Another rear view of her ear. In just five weeks we would return for her elevation surgery. It's important to remember all treatment, and that is necessary to complete twice a day.
Two and a half months after her rib incision and this is her stomach scar.
Here is Cate's ear 6 weeks after her surgery. The white gauze on her lobe is beginning to peel off. She loved the feeling of having a fully formed ear! She was so full of gratitude and talked daily of her thankfulness toward Dr. Bonilla.
This is an excellent picture of Cate's new lobe. Her Grade 3 microtia ear was undersized and Dr. Bonilla didn't have as much tissue to work with in comparison with many other Microtia children. Due to this, Dr. Bonilla explained that her lobe will be a bit undersized in comparison to her other ear. Obviously - we could care less. We were just happy that she now has an ear!