"The Answer to My Prayers" Faith Schier, Glen Haven
“I’m not sure when or how the hole in my eardrum occurred. Truthfully, it feels like it has been there forever,” explains Faith. “My only memory is sitting in the doctor’s office with my mom, I looked at her and said 'my left ear does not feel right, I can’t hear as much out of it.' I was probably in 1st grade when we found the hole, but did not do anything until around 3rd grade."
"I had the first tympanoplasty procedure on my ear in combination with having my tonsils removed. Tympanoplasty is a procedure where a small piece of cartilage was taken from my ear lobe to repair the hole. However, the hole reappeared not long after. The second surgery was probably around middle school age. It was slightly more invasive by taking a small graft from my skull behind my ear, therefore it was really unfortunate when that attempt failed too. We then decided to put a 'patch' or a 'band-aid' on it, but that did not last more then a day."
"My family and I were really devastated and decided to just take a break from trying to fix it. I was super busy with sports and other high school activities, and then when we were ready to attempt it again, COVID-19 pushed back our plan even more. When Grant Regional welcomed Dr. Dale Chilson we just felt right away he would be the answer to all of our issues. And he was!"
“When the eardrum is not intact, there is usually some degree of hearing loss until it heals,” said Dr. Chilson, Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist at Grant Regional Health Center. “The eardrum is a thin piece of skin-like tissue that's stretched tight — like a drum — across the opening between the ear canal and the middle ear. The outer ear funnels sound waves into the ear canal that hit the eardrum and make it vibrate. The middle ear and inner ear convert the vibrations to signals that the brain interprets as sounds. If there is a hole in the eardrum, it can't always vibrate as well as it should. This can cause hearing loss."
“Dr. Chilson was my surgeon and from the beginning gave me the answers I needed to hear instead of what I wanted to hear,” explained Faith. “He showed he was confident, but he did not want to make promises he was not sure he could keep. His nurses were great and really worked hard to make sure I felt comfortable and right at home. While explaining what he planned to do, he was very detailed and made sure I knew what was coming. He did not beat around the bush and told me to not get my hopes up because there was a lot of previous scar tissue."
"His knowledge of the surgery and the experience you can hear in his voice when he explains his plan, gave me all the confidence and trust that I needed.”
“Getting prepped the morning of the surgery went great! Scott Bainbridge, CRNA, made sure I had everything I needed so that I was comfortable. I informed him of a previous issue I had under anesthesia, and he knew exactly what to do to make sure it would not happen again.”
“That morning everyone was constantly checking in on me and making sure I truly felt ready to go. Everyone was confident in what they were doing, and that really made me feel confident this was going to work. Waking up after the surgery, there was a nurse right by my bed, that was really nice not having to wake up alone.”
“Another perk of local care, is the local caregivers,” shared Faith. “There were many people who know me from being at the hospital for many years, but also know my family. So there were other nurses coming into the room to chat with my mom and I, which just adds to an overall hometown feel.”
“My family and I have always gone to Grant Regional, not only for appointments, but I also took advantage of job shadowing opportunities. I appreciate these opportunities to develop as a young individual going into healthcare myself. I am extremely thankful for all the support they are able to give families when it come to health needs, but also all the support they give to the surrounding communities.”
Faith is happy to report, “Surgery was a success! It is nice to know I should never have to worry about another hole forming in my eardrum. So to me, that means no more ear plugs, ringing in the ears, and a hearing loss. I have noticed I am able to sit around in a group of friends and just because their voice may not be pointing towards me, I am able to follow along and not get lost in the conversation. I am able to swim, go on a jet ski, or tube, without digging into the beach bag and looking for an ear plug.
Since Dr. Chilson was planning on entering my ear canal from behind, he was also able to perform what is called a Otoplasty. He was able to pull my left ear tighter to my head so that it could look more like the right ear. This was something I was self-conscious about. I always thought my ears would look different and be a constant reminder of the previous surgeries that failed. However, Dr. Chilson, and his knowledge, was able to fix both of my issues and I will forever be grateful for that!”