More coblation...

He's out and alright... They weren't able to get in and do the normal tonsillectomy surgery, so they did some coblation to reduce the size of his tonsils, base of tongue and uvula (sp?).  Should help open things up, but a much longer road to the trach out this way.  The good news is they want to try a speech valve on him next trip down, in about a month... that's great news!  We all agreed it's time to slow down and let him have a normal life and longer time periods between surgery, since the trach isn't coming out too soon.  Guess it's the tortoise and the hare.  

Here's a little primer on the coblation deal.... i'm not sure it's a great of a deal as it's put out to be (or why would they not do it all the time), but you get the idea.


Unlike traditional tonsillectomy procedures, which remove tonsils using electrocautery, coblation is advanced technology that combines gentle radiofrequency energy in a saline "bath" to safely and quickly remove the tonsils. Because electrocautery procedures use high levels of heat to remove the tonsils, damage to surrounding healthy tissue is not uncommon. Since coblation does not remove tonsils by heating or burning, healthy tissue surrounding the tonsils is left intact. Thus, experience has demonstrated that the use of coblation results in significantly less postoperative discomfort and a more rapid recovery.