Released this morning & now Home!

About 6:00 this morning one of Dr. Kesser's resident doctors came in and removed the bandage from Miata's ear and from her arm (where they harvested the skin for the skin grafting of the ear canal.)
When he removed the one from her arm it was quite uncomfortable and she complained a little about the pain. The nurse came in and gave her a little pain medicine to help the pain go away. This was to be expected! This is the area Dr. Kesser said the children always feel the most discomfort. Amazing to think of the in depth surgery that takes place within the ear yet that part is not discomforting at all just the skin graft area!?!

Anyways, once he finished the removal of bandages, he said Dr. Kesser would be in around 7:15 to evaluate Miata's ear and arm and to go over all the post op care then he would discharge her. Well right at 7:15 Dr. Kesser, along with his resident doctors (about 6 of them), all came in to see Miata and to watch Dr. Kesser for learning purposes. Dr. Kesser said everything looked great and all should heal nicely. Miata's arm area was oozing quite a bit which she did NOT like so Dr. Kesser re wrapped it and told me just to remove this bandage tomorrow. This area is suppose to stay open/unwrapped because that is how it heals best. Unfortunately it will continue to ooze for a few days until it begins to dry up and heal a bit more. There is a yellowish material which covers this area (a bit hard to see it) which will fall off in about a week. Then the healing and regrowth of new fresh skin will continue although it will take quite some time for that new fresh skin to thicken and become tougher, like the rest of the arm. This area should heal well but still may obtain a more lighter/whiter appearance than the rest of her arm... time will tell. Poor baby has two good size scars on her abdomen area and now this area of her arm. She has certainly been through a lot in ten months (four surgeries!) BUT to gain hearing in that ear for the rest of her life I feel will be worth it in the end (I certainly pray it will!)

Oh yea, nurse Keegan also came in and removed the IV line from Miata's hand. Then she made her way out to get Miata one last red popsicle! When she returned with the popsicle she also brought two stethoscopes, one for Miata & one for Jadeyn! Miata was very happy with this special gift and right away had to listen to Ms. Bunny's heart! Unfortunately poor Ms. Bunny's heart didn't sound so great :)

After leaving the hospital I took Miata for her favorite... Bacon & Egg Biscuit! She hadn't eaten (other than a few Ritz Bits cheese crackers) since the night before so she was very hungry! Next we were on our way home. We finally made it home about 4:00... I unloaded everything and went right to sleep! I had not slept much for the last three nights so I was exhausted! After an hour nap I felt much better and was ready to cook dinner for everyone! It feels good to be home!

I want to thank everyone for the many prayers lifted up on Miata's behalf!!

On another note...
If you recall during Miata's surgery in July with Dr. Brent he pierced her ears. Well, before this surgery I had to take out the earrings. Also, if you recall in my earlier post I commented about the section of Miata's ear that has reconnected in the back. Due to this reconnection I was only able to find one pair of hoop earrings that I could get in Miata's ear! Unfortunately from first putting those earrings in until now it has worsened to the point that I now, sadly, have made the decision that I cannot place an earring back in that ear. So today once the bandage was removed I replaced the earring in her left ear but had to tell her I was letting the right ear close due to not having enough space in the back for an earring. She isn't happy with just having one earring but I do not want her to have to go through re-piercing both ears again! In my heart I know that she has to have one more surgery to correct this but not sure when that surgery will be. Soon I will have a consultation with Dr. Brent and possibly another surgeon to see what we need to do. Anyways, I figure the doctor can just re-pierce that one ear during that surgery. Then we only have to doctor it for the next 8 weeks instead of having to do it with both ears.

Anyways I say all that to ask... please keep Miata in your prayers for what the future plans will be for the next step/surgery for her!

Also, please be praying for her post-op visit which will be on October 8th at 9:45am. This is when Dr. Kesser will remove all the packing that is currently inside her ear right now. This is the moment that she will begin to hear from that ear!! Then at 10:00am she has an audiology appt. to test her hearing!! Please pray that the results will be good!!

I will post more at the time of her post-op visit.

Surgery Update...

Picture of Miata & Dr. Kesser just before taking her to the OR room for surgery.






At about 11:30, while I was still in the waiting room, I received a call from the OR just to let me know that everything was going well and that they had a little longer before they would be finished. Then at about 12:25 Dr. Kesser came to the waiting area to ,tell me that Miata's surgery was complete and that everything went well and that Miata did wonderful during surgery... no problems at all.. praise the Lord!! I was then able to go to the recovery area to be with her. She was just waking up when I got to her bedside. It took about 20 minutes before she really came to and began to talk a little. Once she was totally coherant... of course the first thing she asked for was a popsicle! She totally looks forward to the popsicles right after surgery :)

After a short time in recovery we were then our way to the seventh floor, the pediatric ward, where we will be staying through the night. Once on the seventh floor a nurse came to us and said this must be Miata Keegan! I said, yes! She laughed and said I think it is so funny that I am going to be her nurse... a bit puzzled, I wondered, why? She then showed me her name tag and said my name is Kelly Keegan!! She then said I have not seen the last name Keegan except with my own family members (she is still single so it is her birth name.) Of course I too was amazed... I haven't seen this name other than with Tim's family. Anyways, she is a very sweet nurse and will be checking in on Miata throughout her shift.

As for how Miata is doing...

Other than the little bit of a queezy stomach directly after surgery and the soreness in her arm where the blood pressure cuff was on it through surgery, she has done really well. Dr. Kesser explained to us that after this surgery she might experience a bit of nausea due to the nerves that run through the ear to the mouth and then has a direct affect to the stomach (go figure!?!) Anyways, they gave her some medicine for the nausea and from that point she has been fine. She is now enjoying watching TV and eating more popsicles! Later she will try eating a little dinner.

Oh by the way... Ms. Bunny must have also had some type of work done on her ear since she too came out of surgery with a new bandage on it, as well as an ID tag on her ankle to match Miata's!! Miata reall enjoys this part of surgery too!

In the morning Dr. Kesser will come back and check on her. He will then remove the bandage from her head and give us her discharge instructions. She is happy about not having to keep a bandage on her head for a long time, this time! But she will have packing in that ear for two weeks... until we come back for her 1st post-op visit.

I will update again once Dr. Kesser comes back and releases her.

Surgery Day!

We arrived at the hospital just shy of 6:00am and got Miata admitted for surgery. As we waited in the waiting area Miata found a book and began to read to her bunny! Bunny will again go into surgery with her and may also have a procedure which will require a new bandage on her ear :) Once they called us a nurse then took us to the pre-op area for the surgery team to make their rounds in & out of our room for the series of questions they need to ask and to explan what they would be doing during surgery. After all the needed prep work was done they wheeled Miata into the surgery room and they allowed me to also go in with her. They moved her onto the operating table and the anesthesiologist placed the gas mask on her. I sat beside her as he did this and then once he started the flow of medicine she quickly went to sleep. I then made my way out and to the waiting area.

Surgery should be complete sometime between 12:00 - 1:00. Please be praying for Miata and for all to go well during surgery and also the healing after surgery. After her surgery I will meet her in the recovery room where she will stay a while and then they will move her into a regular room. I will update again as soon as I am able.

Pre-op Visit!

A quick update on today...
We arrived safely here in Charlottesville, VA and made our way to the University of Virginia where Dr. Kesser is located. Once we checked in Miata had to go to Audiology to have another hearing test performed before surgery. Just as her last hearing test revealed, she has perfect hearing in her left ear and in her right ear when tested internally through bone conduction testing she also has normal hearing in that right ear. Of course when tested externally on the right ear she cannot hear but hopefully after this surgery all that will change! (Below I have re-posted Miata's April 22nd visit with Dr. Kesser and her hearing test along with the explanation of how the test works.)

Anyways, after her hearing test was complete we made our way upstairs to see Dr. Kesser. He again evaluated her ear, did some testing on it as well, and then we spent a while going over all that he would be doing in surgery tomorrow and what to expect after surgery. He and Dr. Brent are by far the most humble and gentle doctors who truly do the "extras" to make sure their patients (and parents) fully understand the procedures and are comfortable with what is going to take place. I am so grateful for these special doctors and feel most blessed in having them perform these miraculous surgeries on Miata!

Well, after we left the hospital we went to dinner then made our way to our hotel to settle in for the night. It was early to bed since we have to wake at 4:45 to get to the hospital by 6:00am!

April 22nd POST - Hearing Test Results...











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Friday, April 2nd, began our spring break and we started out early! Miata had an appointment with Dr. Kesser (the other "Best" doctor - for the Atresia part of her ear) so we were on the road by 6:30am to make it to her 1:30 appointment. Once we arrived we had to take her to Audiology to have another hearing test done on both of her ears. The charts above show the results of her hearing test. The X represents the testing (Air & Bone Conduction Test) on her left ear. The triangle & circle represents the Air Conduction Test on her right ear. The [ (shown to the side of the X's) represent the Bone Conduction Test (testing of her inner ear hearing) on her right ear. What these results mean is... She has perfectly normal hearing in her left ear and severe hearing loss in her right ear, when tested by way of Air Conduction Testing (testing from the outside of the ear.) BUT when tested, by way of Bone Conduction Testing (hooked up to the bone behind the ear to test the hearing inside the ear) she shows (it is this symbol [ beside the X's)perfectly normal hearing in her right ear! So this means her severe hearing loss is ONLY because no sound is able to get through the bone (skull) into her inner ear! Which is why we are on this path... to give her this incredible gift of hearing which she already has but just can't utilize or even realize it yet! Have you ever covered one ear and spoke or listened to someone speaking or went into a room with many sounds/noise (i.e. classroom, home with many members, party, etc.) and then tried to hear someone talking to you (which is the hardest for Miata)? Try it for a few minutes... this is how Miata hears every day of her life. Oh how amazed she will be the first time she hears in stereo!

Surgery for HEARING!!!

Well it is finally time for Miata to have her Atresia surgery which is in Charlottesville, VA (University of Virginia) where Dr. Kesser is located! During this five hour surgery Dr. Kesser will create Miata an ear canal, line that new ear canal with skin grafting, and create the flap of skin (more skin grafting) for creating her ear drum. Please pray that all goes well with her surgery and that soon she will be able to hear from that ear! This is what we have been working toward for the past year and it is hard to believe that we are finally at this stage!

As for how Miata has been doing from the last surgery...
Her ear has healed very nicely and there have been no problems at all from this surgery. We unfortunately do have a bit of not so good news. The morning Miata went in for this last surgery (in July) with Dr. Brent I had a consultation with him regarding an area of concern from the healing of the prior surgery where the ear was elevated away from the head and the skin grafting was performed and put in place behind the ear. Well during the healing of that skin grafting there was a section of the ear that grew together (reconnected at the back - which is why there is a defined line in her ear.) At the time of this consultation I asked Dr. Brent if it would be possible for him to correct this during this surgery but unfortunately there was no way he could do it because it will require more skin grafting and much more time in surgery which there was no additional allotted time. So what that means is that she will have to endure yet another surgery to correct this!!

Pondering... Random Thoughts...
To think of this precious little life and all she has endured in her short 7 1/2 years. Born of a woman that she will never know. Abandoned in front of a medical clinic at 1 1/2 days old for a reason never to be known or understood. Born also with two special needs to endure for the rest of her life. Placed in an orphanage where she lived for the first 2 1/2 years of her life. BUT adopted into a family, our family, that loves her more than words can express!!! From that point... having to leave her birth country to never again truly know or understand her people, heritage & culture, having to begin again in learning a new language, correct behavior, obedience, how to function in a family, etc. Then onto having to endure surgery after surgery! Wow, to reflect on where she has been and how far she has come is overwhelming! And to think... We could have missed this!!!! We could have totally missed the abundant blessings the Lord has so graciously showered us with through our three adopted girls just by staying in our comfort zone and turning a blind cheek to the need of orphans! There are over 130 million orphans who desperately await for someone to step out of their comfort zone and with open arms take them into their family and show them the love that our Savior Jesus Christ showed us by adopting us into His family!! James 1:27 says... Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless (orphans) and widows in their affliction. If you ever have the opportunity to be in a foreign country don't miss the opportunity to live out this command. By visiting an orphanage and seeing the many little (and older) faces of children who need nothing more in life at that moment than a family will forever change your life!!! Below are some links to orphan ministries for helping orphans, adoption, even going on a mission trip to visit orphans...

• Orphan Sunday is November 7, 2010
• America World Adoption
• Visiting Orphans
• Cry of the Orphan
• Hope for Orphans
• Love Without Boundaries
• Half the Sky
• Shepherd's Field - American run orphanage in Beijing (for special need babies)
• Maria's Big House of Hope
• Show Hope

ESPN Highlights Adoption


ESPN segment highlights the touching adoption testimony of Georgia Bulldogs head coach, Mark Richt and his wife. Compelled by the biblical mandate of James 1:27 to care for orphans, the couple adopted two toddlers, one of whom has special needs, from the Ukraine several years ago and take time to reflect upon the blessings these children have brought into their lives.