Our first appointment was with Dr. Harlan Muntz, a pediatric Otolayngologist, the same doctor we had met with when she was a baby. That appointment changed our lives. He told us that it was a good thing that we hadn't implanted the Baha because that would make reconstruction extremely difficult because of the scar tissue. He reassured us that there are absolutely things that can be done to restore hearing. He explained all of our options. He told us everything we needed to know to make an educated decision.
Next stop was a hearing test at Univeristy of Utah Hospital followed by an appointment with Dr. Clough Shelton, also an Otolaryngologist. He is the one who will make the ear canal & functioning ear drum. He suggested that she will not need the Baha any longer as he can restore hearing in the 30's which is just below normal.
And with that, we were sent home to make a decision. Over the next few months, together Jared, Kambri and I decided that if the ear would function, reconstruction would be worth it so we went ahead and scheduled the surgeries.
In December we had another appointment with Dr. Muntz. He spent about 45 minutes with us answering all of our questions, easing our concerns, and even drawing pictures in the simplest of terms to help us understand every detail. He showed us pictures of past patients and helped us to feel confident in our decision. He explained the process of each of the 5 necessary surgeries and what we should expect.
He has a bold & outgoing personality which Jared and I love. Kambri, not so much.
He gave doctors orders that she must...
1. have a milk shake
2. play in the playroom
...before she can leave the hospital. She thought that sounded like a pretty good deal.
She's looking forward to 3 things during her hospital stay:
1. Watching tv all day (she has no idea how fast that is going to get old)
2. Eating hospital food since "they probably have macaroni & cheese"
3. Presents and balloons!
The boys can't wait to race the cars down the hall again. ;)
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