SCDS is superior canal dehiscence syndrome, a condition of the inner ear. Typical symptoms are autophony (hearing your own voice in your head), dizziness, and balance problems.

Todd had his one-week checkup today, and Dr. Gianoli said everything was fine. He recommended that Todd walk a lot to improve his balance, and he said it was a very good sign that Todd’s pulsatile tinnitus was pretty much gone.

When we asked him about flying home, he said what worried him about flying was the possibility of damage to the middle and inner ears. During the surgery, blood drained into the middle ear, and although it will eventually go away, that won’t happen for several weeks. During flight, unequal pressure in Todd’s ear plus the blockage caused by congealed blood could cause the eardrum to rupture, but Dr. G said that was the least of his worries; he was more concerned about potential damage to the inner ear. So he performed a myringotomy on Todd’s right ear (put a hole in his eardrum, in other words) so that his right ear can equalize when we’re on a plane.

It took about 5 minutes. I wonder what kind of procedure a doctor like Gianoli considers a challenge?

For more on the appointment and the drugs Todd has been taking, check out his blog. Since he’s up and about now, I’ll be posting less on the surgery.

He still has one more procedure in Louisiana, a spinal tap to check his intracranial pressure. That’s scheduled for tomorrow in Covington at the Pontchartrain Surgery Center.