ears. fluid. ache. tears. pain. manipulation. medicine. and repeat.
This is Natalee's life the last month. Her poor little ears have been so full of fluid and junk. I just hate it for her. We've tried the natural method of treatment--manipulative massage treatments...and for awhile they cleared her out and she felt better. But even with repeated treatments she's full. We've done 2 rounds of antibiotic, which I hated but feared worse the pain, hearing loss and speech problems that would come if I let the full ears persist. We finished round 2 and went in today, on my request, to just see if they were even clear. And nada. Full up. The right one is worse, which is the one we've had the worse ear aches in, but both have fluid.
I've also noticed of late that Natalee's not making some of the sounds I think she should be making to attain developmental milestones. She's close, but I know she can do more. I'm okay with her not being "top of the class" but if she's delayed then I feel like it's our job to be her advocates and help her out. Looking back I also thing it's important to note that Natalee didn't pass her hearing test in one ear when she was born. She did eventually pass the re-screen but not the initial test.
So here's what we know--she obviously hears us...she hears us say "pat-a-cake" and claps her hands, she turns when we say her name, she laughs when we laugh. However, I also know what it's like to have a student who has had minor hearing loss or fluid build-up from birth. Not "too" bad but delayed, dutchy, chubby-mouthed talk.
And so, here's where we are...Natalee's ears are full of fluid. Our family doctor thinks she needs to be seen by a specialist and so we are waiting for our appointment to an ENT Otolaryngologist. We're seeing the same doctor who saw my baby sister when she was a tot and Colby just a few years ago. I'm praying for the most non-invasive treatment available but preparing for the opposite. Most of all, I'm ready to have a little lamb who has 2 little ears who are as perfect on the inside as they are on the outside.
7 comments:
oh bummer!!! :( how miserable for all involved... praying for you guys!
good luck...it'll all work out. hopefully you won't include tubes, but if it does then it'll be better to do it now instead of battling ear infections and THEN doing it!
Whatever happens will work for the best. We wish you luck and I am there for the frustration relief at all times of the day!!
i know exactly what you are feeling! i had ear aches all the time, my kids have had them and they are painful. you are doing the right thing by having it checked out. i know how well tubes work and i highly recommend them. i have had them and 2 of the 3 boys have had them, bronson twice. it is amazing how much better they feel once they get them. good luck and i will will pray for you guys.
I'm sure everything will work out. Don't worry so much about her speech milestones just yet. Kids are resilient and develope by leaps and bounds sometimes. They say kids focus on one thing at a time. She's busy learning to crawl up stairs, then she'll focus on the language. That's how it was with Levi.
I feel for you. We went through this with Nolen starting at month four. He got tubes at one year and was an entire new kid. It's a simple quick procedure. I'm a fan. They do them earlier now and they are waterproof. Will pray for comfort and healing.
Laurie
Max also had problems with his ears. He had 11 ear infections before he was one year old. We ended up getting tubes at 11 months and it was the best thing in the world for him! It was a really simple and quick procedure. If you have any questions, just ask! It was very easy and we were in and out of there. The worst part was not being able to feed him before hand, but that wasnt as bad as I had anticipated. Mandie
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