There was a ton of planning that went into this process. The intake team of Vanessa & Norma from Dr. Bonilla's office were absolutely crucial in helping us understand the surgical process. We packed up, said goodbye to our little boy, and headed to San Antonio. We were so nervous & scared. I had no idea what the surgeries and recovery would entail. She put on a brave face, but we all felt anxi
Be prepared! Pack plenty of:
-tylenol (not ibuprofen)
-surgical q-tips
-lots of alcohol wipes - necessary to remove fluid from lead/blood tubes
-miralax (constipation is common)
-plenty of 4x4 sterile gauze pads
-hydrogen peroxide
-probiotics
-get extra protective ear cups
-wound tape to keep the ear cups in place while sleeping
-sterile gloves
-thermometer
The night before Cate's surgery was emotional... we were mourning the loss of our beloved "baby ear," while trying to control our feelings of fear. I was feeling so much regret, although my husband remained resolute. I felt like I was almost being selfish for having her get this surgery. She was happy with her baby ear, and who was I to make her change something she loved & embraced about hersel
Try to get a good night's sleep. Take a melatonin if necessary. It's easy to suggest sleeping well, yet hard to do. However, if you are going to be the person spending the night in the hospital, you will need sleep. The day of the surgery is so hard, overwhelming, scary, and emotionally exhausting. We got up super early, packed all kinds of books, little activities, her iPad, water, phone/ipad
The surgery lasted just over 4 hours, with the intake itself taking about an hour. She was terrified, but she did not cry. She said, "I can go back on my own." That's typical of Cate! I would have been inconsolable, yet she was so strong. When we left, I broke down completely. I sobbed in a corner for an hour, finally taking a walk outside being helpful. Dr. Bonilla called us twice during the
In this photo, you can see the blueish pen that was used to measure and match Cate's right ear. The vertical incision is where they placed the carved rib cartilage to as closely match the existing ear as possible. Her baby ear is still there; however, and that is a fact I wasn't aware of until post surgery. I'm sure Dr. Bonilla explained it, but emotionally it is hard to take everything in (even
As you can see in the bottom right of the picture, there is a lead (the skinny tube) and a blood bag. There is one lead and blood bag that carries away the secretions from the ear wound site, and a secondary lead and blood bag located at ribs 6,7 & 8 in Cate's mid-abdominal section. As seen in the two previous pics, the surgical team also shaves around her ear to keep her surgical site sanitary.
Obviously I chose to stay the night with Cate. She was extremely agitated & very itchy from the anesthesia. I spent most of the night consoling her, itching her & massaging/scratching her feet. The nurses came in every 2 hours to clear the drainage tubes & check her vitals. They didn't allow water/ice chips for fear that vomiting could damage the incisions. Water wasn't given until morning, & C
My sister Nicole flew in to help us. She works in the medical field and she and Spencer were at the hospital by 7am that morning. I cried tears of joy to have her there. If possible, have someone tenacious with you to ask the tough questions; someone who will be pragmatic and less emotional. She recorded all of the directions from Dr. Bonilla and the nurses in regards to the aftercare. It was br
Cate was breaking down and crying from the moment she woke up at 6 am. She was desperate to get out of the hospital. She kept saying she just wanted to go to the hotel. I don't blame her... once she kept down some food, urinated, and walked up and down the hall, she was discharged and free to go. We finally left about 1 pm in the afternoon. Dr. Bonilla obviously came in & checked her ear and g
Important! What I didn't know:
-A fanny pack/small backpack to hold the blood bags is absolutely necessary.
-They recommend a button down shirt, cardigan, etc... but none of that is useful. I suggest taking some t shirts & tank tops and cutting them straight up the back. I would then take an elastic band to secure the top behind his or her neck. A cardigan to cover the open back works perfectly.
This is two days after her surgery. Swelling is increasing at this point, and the top part of the vertical incision is what Dr. Bonilla wanted us to monitor carefully. We followed a very specific schedule of prescribed medications. Every 2-3 hours we cleared her leads with an alcohol wipe, emptying and measuring the fluids in the blood bags. Wound care & meds were done on a 24 hour rotating sched
Swelling continues on day three with continued medication dispensation, emptying leads and blood bags, and trying to keep Cate comfortable. She was very vulnerable and didn't want to walk around due to fear of accidentally pulling on her leads. Sadly, Cate was so embarrassed by her ear cup, & her general weakness and vulnerability was new for her. It took a lot of reassurance and we tried to bui
The silver lining to all of the stress and pain of Cate's surgery was that we happened to have dear friends in San Antonio. My sister's college best friend lives in San Antonio with her family, and they became very important & special to us. They helped us choose the hotel that would best suit our needs and had the best proximity to her hospital. Cate had so much fun playing with their sweet dau
This is day 4 and we were seeing continued swelling - all of which is normal. Dr. Bonilla kept stressing that as long as the ear is pink, it is healthy. Cleaning of leads, blood bags, and around the clock care was continually done. Her baby ear is more evident in this picture, which will become her lobe in surgery #2. The rectangular white piece on the right-middle part of her ear is simply a
The day for Cate's tube removal finally arrived. We did not go to the hospital, but to Dr. Bonilla's office. I sat behind Cate and held her so she would not move away or inadvertently cause herself pain. Tube removal lasted just a few minutes and it didn't hurt but for a tiny bit of pressure. Once finished, she was beyond relieved! She finally felt like she could walk, use the bathroom, etc., wit
So, in 7 weeks, we would return for her second surgery, but we had the hardest one behind us. There were 2 important details I need to mention:
1. We used a secondary foam piece with a ribbon on the front of her ear cup band to help it remain secure on her head. I'd put her hair in a ponytail and then tie the ribbon onto her ponytail. The ear cup stayed secure using this method.
2. Take off the ea
Here we are a week post op! We "aired" her ear out as much as possible. We kept her hair up, and did our 2-3x daily application of hydrogen peroxide & aquaphor. We took excellent care of it.
Secondly, Cate felt embarrassed returning to school with her ear cup. I emailed the teacher, school counselor, & principal a picture of her in her ear cup so they'd show the class & the kids would then know
Cate had her stomach covered with a piece of gauze & tape for 11 days, and Dr. Bonilla instructed us to wait for it to come off on it's own. We did so, but I was super anxious to actually see the incision. It's just under 2 inches, and when I think that her rib cartilage was used to build her ear, it still amazes me! Cate has never has any soreness or tenderness at her cartilage retrieval site.
This is what Cate's ear looked like 10 days after surgery. You can see the gauze pads, incision line, & her baby ear clearly in this picture. I was consistent with the hydrogen peroxide application & ensured she wore her protective ear cup every night or during any activities. Also - please remember that the ear is flat to their head at this point in time. However, just seeing a normally shaped e
This is two weeks after her surgery. She wore her ear cup at school & for any type of activity when she was around people & could be jostled. While at school, Cate had an amazing teacher that allowed Cate to take off her ear cup during seat work to get fresh air. Furthermore, her nurse was so sweet and did an ear check every day at lunch and let Cate and her buddies hangout in the nurse's offic
This is Cate's stomach incision looked about three weeks after her surgery. It is puckery and sore looking, and I was really worried how it would heal. Hydrogen peroxide and neosporin/aquaphor was applied twice daily. Cate said it caused her no pain at all. Don't worry too much though, we are now a year post op and the scar looks great!
Cate's healing was excellent, and her ear remained pink and healthy. You can see the tiny, precise stitches from Dr. Bonilla's talented and experienced hand. Gauze is beginning to peel off of the top and right side of her ear.
Nearly a month after her surgery and she was healing and progressing beautifully. She used to tell me every single night, "Mommy, thank you so much for giving me an ear." The regret and trepidation that I felt before her first surgery was a thing of the past. I just simply wanted to get the next two over and behind us.
Here is Cate looking just so darn cute and happy. We did lots of playdates that involved arts and crafts. Cate also got into cake baking, and we did that to passt time. Cate is an energetic and athletic kid, and it was really hard to keep her occupied in the cold Boston winter. Keeping her from being active as to not injure her ear was a constant challenge. But, a good challenge - her ear was
Here we are at home just a couple days before we're to return to Texas. You can tell Cate was not thrilled in this picture. She was starting to feel nervous and was scared of how the second surgery would go considering the first one was so traumatic. As you can see, her ear has healed beautifully, the shaved hair around her ear is growing out, and the vertical incision line has no redness and li