So, we had the follow up with the ENT yesterday. The Squirrel's ears are still completely full of fluid. And according to the tests, her hearing is worse.
The Good Doctor recommended ear tubes. I don't want to. I don't want to have my child go under general anaesthesia and let some stranger perforate her eardrum, so they can insert a piece of plastic pipe. I just don't want to.
First things before surgery:
1. review findings with her pediatrician
2. I want a new hearing test. Those things are so subjective, especially in kids her age. Have you ever sat in on a hearing test for a toddler? It's like, "let's start making a noise, and we will make a note of when we think she hears it based on when she starts looking for the sound." I will agree that I thought she was hearing less of the sounds than last time, but she was so distracted yesterday ... I'm not sure she would have responded to a dog barking.
3. There are allegedly some non-surgical steps we can try - ear drops or nose drops that may help thin the fluid for it to drain. Go to a surgeon, get a surgical recommendation.
But I don't want her to suffer, either. You know this has to be uncomfortable. And if she is REALLY only hearing around 50%, that just sucks.
Gah. I don't want her to have surgery. Surgery scares me.
The Lawyer and I need to finish this conversation so we can make some decisions...
3 comments:
Sorry sweetie - that is rough. My godson has ear tubes (Joie? You have any thoughts on the surgery and what led up to it?).
It sounds like you have the right idea. Get all the info first, retest the ears. You are good parents!
Well, we shrug our shoulders and say "no big deal" to minor surgeries as Patrick had general three times before he was even 18 months so our perspective is a little wacked. Patrick still gets ear infections but it is so much easier for parents to tell what is going on before they get out of hand and they drain so that the pressure is let up so he is much more comfortable when there is an infection. Would I do it again? Yes. Am I 100% satisfied? No because he still gets infections. When they have infections I understand it's as if they are hearing under water so even if there isn't real loss, there is loss during the infection.
The other thing I have to add here is that I suffered terrible ear infections as a kid. Don't know that they were doing tubes then or how widespread but, from my kid perspective, I would have done just about anything to stop the terrible, and I do mean head-going-to-explode-excruciating-pain. Squirrel won't have a memory for the infections right now. I kept having ear problems into kindergarten so I remember those long nights screaming and crying and the ER visits when my parents were so desperate. And the drops they gave for pain didn't do a darn thing. Jesse had no ear problems so it's all my fault that Patrick does.
I don't mean to make you worried about Squirrel's level of pain but from a former sufferer, I wish someone had sliced into my eardrum and put a tube in there.
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