In March of this year, Connor had to have his ears tubed because he had enough fluid built up in them that he was not hearing well. We tried a few times with medication to get the fluid to drain, but, alas, it didn't work. So, surgery it was. And it will be surgery, again, next week, but let me give you a little background and a little advice, if you have a kiddo that needs minor surgery (God forbid).
~ He got his first ear infection when he was 4 months old.
~ He's had 2-4 ear infections (usually in both ears) every winter since birth.
~ He is ALWAYS congested in the winter time.
~ This junk has also caused a couple of sinus infections. Joy.
~ He got a "borderline" score on his hearing at his 4-year-old check up. Which, by the way, the pediatrician didn't tell me about because his hearing was "still within normal limits". I was a wee bit peeved when I discovered that.
~ He failed the hearing test at his Preschool in the fall of '08. Well, failed one ear, another borderline score on the other.
~ He got the surgery (after some attempts at ear drops and medication) in March of '09.
~ Sometime between then and now, he had a growth spurt, and forced the tubes out of position, thus allowing fluid to come back into his ears, get backed up, stuff him up, and cause yet another double ear infection. Yay.
~ This time, surgery will involve not only replacing the tubes, but also removing his adenoids. Oh, and it has to be done before he gets on a plane for Miami on the 23rd. Planes are bad for fluid filled ears. :::sigh:::
As far as surgery goes, it was definitely harder on me than on Connor. I was a wreck. Ask my Mom, she'll tell you! But, in the end, it was truly not a big deal. We have a fabulous ENT, the surgery center was nice, and the anesthesiologist was a rock star. Connor loved him, and so did I. I hope he's the one to do the next surgery!
The day was pretty easy... show up at 6:30am (ugh!), surgery at 7:30. Connor got some Tylenol with Codeine to start the day (ain't that great on an empty stomach!), and that's when we met the anesthesiologist. He had us all giggling, and Connor at ease. Told my kiddo he was going to get to go into a room like a spaceship, with all sorts of cool machines, and that he was even going to get to wear a "space mask". That would be the gas mask. :) Connor was actually cheering and excited to go into the OR. Like I said... the man was a rock star.
Despite the fact that I had about a dozen people tell me not to be the one to go into the OR with Connor and hold him while he was gassed (something I really wish I could do at home, sometimes!), I always prefer to know what's going on. Remember, I am the chick that insisted on witnessing her own knee surgery. So, I feel better seeing it, and I stand by that, still. If Tim will let me, I'll be the one to go in, again. So, turns out he didn't really like the "space mask". It "smell[ed] yucky, Mommy!" He struggled, but the resident rock star said that was actually better - they breathe more heavily when they struggle, therefor inhale more of the gas faster and get knocked right out. As was the case with Connor. And, as I was holding him, I did catch a whiff of the gas, and he was totally right. The stuff was really stinky.
The surgery took maybe 20 minutes. And another 20 minutes or so after that, we got to go in to see him wake up and have a popsicle. Boy, he loved having that for breakfast! He was a little punchy for an hour or so, but by lunchtime, it was like nothing had even happened. Now, the Doc tells me that this time, with taking out his adenoids, the recovery time will be longer - 24 hours or so. But still, not too bad. And at least this time I know what I'm dealing with.
So, anyway, a week from Friday, we will be going round the roller coaster once again. For any of you that might have a kid and you're wondering what the signs are of this joyous problem, I assure you - your kid, like mine, may not exhibit the "typical" signs of ear issues. Here's a list of what didn't occur with my son:
~ Complaining of ear pain. Not even once. Not a peep, even when the doc said he should be screaming.
~ Tugging at his ears. Again, no. Your ears get irritated when they're infected, thus the tugging. It's almost like trying to scratch an itch. But, not a single tug that I ever caught from my kiddo.
~ Poking into his ears. Again, like trying to scratch an itch. And, nope. No poking, here.
~ Fever. Only a couple of times out of about 15-20 thus far. He must take after my grandfather. The man would walk around with strep and zero throat pain. Anomalies, the both of them.
~ A change in behavior/attitude. Nope. Almost always his usual, chipper self. The exceptions? The couple of times he did actually spike a fever.
What did occur? Major congestion, hearing loss (from the fluid), and a cough. Sounds like a head cold, doesn't it? That's what I thought for the first year of his life. Then, I got into the habit of bringing him in to the doc if he was stuffed up for more than a few days, because I just knew it would turn into an infection.
So, I hope modern technology will come to the rescue on the second attempt, and rid my kid of these nasty problems. Keep your fingers crossed, and I'll update you as soon as it's over and we're safely in Miami. Which, I'm sure, will give me yet another story to tell. :)
Merry Christmas!
