I am so happy to be back. I apologize for the delay. My recovery for recent hospitalization took longer then I expected. This is the last installment for I Can Hear again! I will be writing on other subjects. I welcome your comments and questions and please remember, I am available for public speaking, group meetings or just one to one meetings about BAHA experience.
When I was 7 I had a regular ear cleaning. The doctor who did this had several malpractice lawsuits against him but we did not know. In those days, you didn't look at peoples backgrounds. I was in a lot of pain, and neck was stiff on my left shoulder. The fluid from the eardrum went to my brain and made me very sick. I was rushed to a hospital in Manhattan in NYC by my parents. The hospital was recommended by a family friend. When we got there, there was one doctor on call and he only operated on adults. He took one look at me, and then looked at my parents and told them "Alan is a very very sick child and he will not make it through the night if he is not operated on. I was taken to the operating room where the surgery lasted for 15 hours. I was very close to death. It was touch and go. I almost died twice on the table. My parents were so scared, not knowing if they will have their middle child back. This was on Thanksgiving day, Nov. in the 1960's. About the time President Kennedy was assassinated. Time went by slowly and seconds felt like minutes and minutes felt like hours. The doctor came out of the operating room and looked at my parents and told them "Alan will be fine. There was a lot of damage and he almost died. His middle eardrum had to be removed, as well as some nerves and his ear canal had to be totally reconstructed. He will be in the hospital for at least 3 weeks." My parents cried. They were so happy I made it.
The doctor continued "You have been through so much, and its Thanksgiving. The hospital will be picking up the bill for you". You have your son back. Happy Thanksgiving! That was very touching. Even though I am deaf in my right ear, I did have more surgery as time went on. I kept in touch with the doctor who saved my life until he passed away in 1992.
