What's happening with Ashlyn?

So, we went to the ENT for Ashlyn's normal ear check-up a few weeks ago.  There was stuff in her ear that he needed to clean out and it was pretty "crusty".  He could not get it all and said there was an air pocket that hadn't healed in her ear drum and he couldn't see way down behind it and said that we needed to make an appointment with her ear doctor in Tampa.  Last week she went to Tampa to see him and he cleaned as much as he could, but she was screaming and he was afraid that she would move.  He suggested putting her under to get in there clean it out and fix some things.  The air pocket was going all the way back to her eustachian tube, which is where the cholesteatoma started previously and he is worried that another one may try to start forming.  Depending on how the ear drum looks with that air pocket, he may need to do another tympanostomy reconstruction (ear drum reconstruction), which would require another skin graft from her other leg.

On top of all that, her orthodontist has her mouth at severe overcrowding.  It's so overcrowded, the bottom K-9 teeth have nowhere to come up.  So, she wanted to get three baby teeth and four permanent teeth removed.  So, yesterday she went to the oral surgeon and had 3 baby teeth (2 bottom pre-molars and one top pre-molar...she had already the other top baby pre-molar removed at the beginning of the year since it was dying) and two adult teeth (bottom 1st molars) that were buried below the gumline removed.  Her top will have enough room, we think, for the adult 1st molars to come down and then be pulled at a later time.  To do all of this, she took 10 mg of valium an hour before the appt and then was on laughing gas.  The screams started before the shots even were given and did not let up until the last shot was given, which wasn't for about twenty minutes!  I was able to stay in the room until the screaming started and wouldn't stop.  Then I had to sit in the waiting room (although I stood) and listen to the screaming from there.  But, when it was all over, she was happy and content...anybody that knows Ashlyn, knows this to be her character.  Too funny!  So, she is five teeth less today with three stitches (bankrupting the tooth fairy).

Right after we left the oral surgeon's office, we had to head over to meet your teacher day to drop off all the school supplies and turn in some more forms.  Oh boy, Ashlyn was still kind of out of it and emotional from the valium and had bloody gauze sticking out of her mouth!  That poor child had everyone's attention and I had to explain to everyone what she had just been through.  By the evening time, we had to go to parent orientation at the school and the girls were dropped off at childcare and when we picked them up, Ashlyn was jumping and dancing around the room!  I had to actually yell at her not jump around and run around, because she could start the bleeding again.

Today, Jason is driving the girls over to Tampa for Ashlyn's pre-op with the ear doctor and a hearing test.  Not sure if she'll have to do a pre-op over at St. Josephs or not, but wanted to get it done before school since school starts tomorrow.  The surgery will be next Thursday (August 16th), so she'll miss Thursday and Friday of the second week of school.  Please pray for Ashlyn that she will not need an ear drum reconstruction, as that will be a much harder and longer recovery!