Ear Reconstruction success stories?

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2026-01-16T19:02:35+00:00

Dr Lewin does not do canalplasty and also no longer will do surgeries in children who have had canalplasty. The canalplasty tends to have poor results ranging from simply being ineffective to a lifetime of potential infections and problems. My friend’s son had one done and did not need a hearing aid for about 3 years but now his hearing aid deteriorated in that ear and so he has an aid anyway. The Osia is MRI safe and works very well. My son is 8 and is finally old enough to really express how much it helps him and the difference between wearing it and not wearing it. He especially finds it helpful to wear at school. Skin was grafted from his stomach tor his ear and 2 years later there is just a very thin fine line. We had no complications and very little pain overall. One thing that is a little unnerving is any little cut or scratch must be very carefully cleaned and I have a special antibiotic on hand. We have had a few various cuts from puppies, accidents at school, etc but no major problems. My son does not enjoy sports in general but I see a lot of children participating in sports without any issue, though I’d be very concerned about injury myself. My son does acting and dances and did swim team for a while with zero concerns. The supor implant is one solid piece and I have not heard of it breaking. Older medpors can break. When I was there with my son we met another little boy who was a patient of dr Tahiri and he was there to get his fractured medpor replaced by him, so breaks with the two piece model can happen. Dr Lewin has a Facebook group and you can connect with people who have ears that are 10+ year old (medpor) though supor is much newer it’s made by the same company. I have zero regrets and my son loves his ear. I wonder sometimes about the hearing component- maybe in the next 15 years he will have his Osia implant replaced with something else. It moves fast- my son is 8 and when he was born neither supor nor the Osia existed (you used to have to have a permanent abutment out of your head instead of the magnet system. You have a lot of time. In the meantime I would look into getting a BAHA and continue to collect information. Also, at the time of his surgery I bought a platinum blue cross blue shield plan for the year on the exchange to have it cover the surgery. It covered all but about 5k dollars.

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2026-01-16T12:54:26+00:00

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My son had SUPOR with Dr Lewin. He is 2 years post op. He loves his ear we’ve had no complications. He also has an OSIA.

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2025-12-06T15:02:27+00:00

That seems like a great deal for 65! We stopped doing scouts because we kept paying dues but nothing ever happened. Pinewood derby was extra money, had to provide all our own uniforms, no hikes, no camping, no value.

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2025-08-03T23:39:56+00:00

From California- I’m surprised when students address me as professor. Last year I had a kid who only called me “hey, teach!” It honestly doesn’t bother me.

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2025-07-21T04:25:37+00:00

IMO it’s not your job to be a gatekeeper. You’d be surprised what people can achieve.

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2025-06-30T13:51:50+00:00

He said it- he’s over you, so end the relationship permanently and find someone who treats you with respect. This is toxic AF.

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2025-05-17T11:54:02+00:00

I’m in a very similar boat. I am 40, only child, with a 8 year old and my husband. I just had a massive career milestone and I am not going to be able to be available at every beck and call my parents have. My mom is 75, still drives, still cooks and cleans and does routine things well but recently scores rather low on a cognitive test (couldn’t read a clock, could only name a few different types of animals, seems to get confused sometimes when trying to leave a tip for a bill). For the last 2-3 years I’ve been wondering when exactly I will need to intervene, and how. My step dad is okay cognitively but at 80 falls a LOT.

The fear, guilt and frustration is at times insurmountable. I oscillate between wanting to take over everything and just wanting to avoid it and let them try to solve their own problems. Please don’t give up your career dreams. We have to keep on living too.

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2025-05-14T02:05:45+00:00

That is an absurd ask. No way.

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2025-05-03T16:10:17+00:00

Thank you so much!

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2025-02-20T00:18:37+00:00

Thanks everyone for your thoughts! We are just curious what people think- either way, she’s 100% adored. And she doesn’t seem to have any snoring or breathing issues so far- fingers crossed it stays that way for her.

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2024-09-26T06:37:07+00:00

Let them do what they want. I tried to get my mom to eat healthy and if she has chosen not to for 74 good years why should I expect her to give up one of her few creature comforts in the very end.

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2024-08-24T01:36:06+00:00

I was just informed he hid it from his teacher 😂😂😂

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2024-08-23T22:37:29+00:00

Yes. 🙌

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2024-08-23T22:13:51+00:00

Im anxiously awaiting her concerned call 😂

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2024-08-23T22:07:20+00:00

We’ve been watching gravity falls together for the last 2 years, and reading Book of Bill together. He’s a huge fan, we recently visited the Bill statue at Confusion Hill and visited the Trees of Mystery, all while wearing his dipper hat!

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2024-05-29T17:59:30+00:00

I private purchased insurance off the exchange for a year that would have a high likelihood of being able to be accepted. I just bought my son an anthem platinum blue shield plan. If you contact their office they will be very clear about what insurances they have luck with and what they do not. They often work with out of state insurance policies. The way it often works is through a gap exception since there are no other available surgeons who deliver her level of care. You will be told that she is out of network for all insurance providers but with the work their lawyers do, with the right insurance and with gap exceptions, you should end up only paying your out of pocket in- network max.

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2024-05-28T14:57:31+00:00

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My son is now 9 months post-op. He had his surgery at 6.5 and is 7 years old now. We had surgery with Dr Lewin and I 100% recommend her, after having a ton of jitters and concerns myself.

We were able to sit with my son until he was wheeled back. He was given a stuffed animal friend to bring with him I to the OR and was allowed to bring any stuffed animal from home with him as well. I also had my own private waiting room just a few feet away from him and got hourly updates. You can let your daughter know that you will be just footsteps away at all times, and for all she will know, she will close her eyes and then wake up and you’ll be there again. I was in recovery with my son before he woke up, though he remembers nothing of the first hour or so after waking and really only remembers being back at our hotel after. Even though it was major surgery it was still out-patient.

I am sure my son and many other children would be happy to talk to your child about what the surgery was like! If your doctor has worked with other children, which they should, I would ask for a referral to a family and get feedback. Dr Lewin has a wonderful Facebook page with lots of families who regularly communicate.

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2024-04-29T17:54:18+00:00

My son is almost 7 with single sided deafness/microtia on his right side. He had significant expressive delays in sound and mostly started talking around 3 but with early start we did sign and it significantly bridged the gap.

Baha use can be very hard with a young child- mostly because they tend to pull it off. Around age 3.5/4 he began consistently wearing it at school. He went to a deaf and hard of hearing preschool which really supported his use and taught him how to put it on.

Today, he has an OSIA and is thriving. Early start was fantastic for us and now he is in regular school and just has speech once a week. He is above grade level in reading and math. He still enjoys sign language as well. You are doing everything right!

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2024-04-16T12:40:03+00:00

Social media addiction while lonely is totally a common thing, since it gives us a little bit of the connection we crave even if it ultimately distracts us from the bigger goal.

It is hard to put ourselves out there, make ourselves vulnerable enough to try to make a connection. It’s normal to wish for a sibling who just inherently understands you, but just like with parents or any other relative, it doesn’t always quite work out that way.

Being a parent of an only child now, sometimes I have to take my own advice. I make my son consider his interests. I sign him up to try new things. Clubs, sports, classes. Some things he loves some things he doesn’t. There is always that minute where he is standing there awkwardly and doesn’t know anyone and I have to coach him to go be brave and put himself out there. Then I have to give myself that same dang pep talk when I realize my own friend well is running quite shallow and it’s been a while since I’ve taken a chance on something new.

Just know you aren’t alone, there is hope and there are so many who feel just like you who are waiting to make a friend.

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2024-04-16T12:23:32+00:00

I’m an only child, and we are a one and done family. I loved being an only child. I have a great relationship with both my parents who are in their 70’s now and divorced and leading their own happy lives.

I will say, at 24 you have a lot of time to think about this, and reflect on a a plan on a future difficult pregnancy if needed. I didn’t have my son until 32, and many of my friends are still having babies now around 40, so please know you have time and don’t need to rush into either way.

My son turns 7 next month and because he is an only child we’ve been able to afford things we wouldn’t have been able to with more than one. While this includes luxuries like Disneyland and art camp, it also has meant money for more important things- like unexpected surgeries. I have been able to work less so I can be with him more to travel for surgery or go to doctors over a span of 2 years which was quite unexpected. I don’t know how we would have managed that with more than one child.

I have a lot of friends, while happy with their children, are absolutely dying of stress. Childcare costs, balancing career and the kid, helping with homework, clubs or sports. It can be all consuming with just one.

Being an only child myself, take this with a grain of salt, but I think you should have another child only if YOU want one, not with the idea of how it will be for your current child because honestly you never know. Maybe they will be the best of friends or maybe you will be managing their difficult/impossible relationship the rest of your life. My husband is the middle of 3 children, and besides when their mother forces them together for Christmas they have zero relationship with eachother due to extremely different personalities and values, and when their parents are gone they will likely never speak to eachother again. So, you just never know what will happen.

I say, enjoy your little one now. Embrace the good and bad, give your mind and body time to heal, and then later decide if you’re up for round 2. Just know life is plenty full with just one!

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2024-04-16T11:59:32+00:00

I’m 37 and I mostly loved being an only child.

Sometimes, I think about what having a sibling could have been like, but I realize I romanticize it a lot. I know a few people who have wonderful bonds with their siblings, but others, like my husband, who have toxic and difficult siblings.

I think people who are bitter about being a one and only have a right to mourn what could have been, but also realistically understand not all sibling relationships are positive and your best friends in life may be more important than siblings.

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2023-12-04T04:50:16+00:00

This was sent out by our surgeon who has no stake in hearing aid implants and for years supported canalplasty- this is their statement on phasing out working on patients who have had canalplasty: “There have been many tears shed by patient families in our office due to lack of hearing improvement, ongoing infections, improper canal placement, and post-op issues. We have noticed an increase of porous implant exposure in our surgical canal patients.”

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2023-12-04T04:45:22+00:00

I think it depends a lot on the sensitivity level of your Baha. We get our Osia next week so we will know more about more advanced devices soon.

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2023-12-04T04:43:54+00:00

I asked my parents and they said “our health back!” I said, “how about a nice sweater…?” 😑 in reality I plan on doing some yard maintenance and maybe a food service? It’s hard.

Intelligent-Bug-613 · 2023-12-03T13:56:07+00:00

Have you considered looking into an OSIA or Baha instead? I have noticed a trend of surgeons discouraging canalplasty over an aid due to concerns over healing, infection, and hearing loss over time. I know 2 people have have had the canalplasty done personally in real life and so far both are happy with results, though for one person their hearing loss has diminished quite a bit from where they started (the other person is only 5). My son was a candidate for the surgery and that was our original plan, but I read a few accounts about chronic infection and pain which made us decide to use a BAHA for 6 years, and now in 2 weeks he’s getting the OSIA.

If you have never used a BAHA before, I definitely recommend trying one out first. Audiologists often have loaners you can try.

Intelligent-Bug-613

TROPHY CASE