Cooper’s ENT Visit

Cooper has been getting ear infections.  A LOT of ear infections.  Since Sept 1, he has had 5-6.  Some of them have lasted for 2 weeks or more.  They’ve been a little resistant to antibiotics here and there.  I think we had to get a new antibiotic twice, because the first wasn’t working.  The last one, we had to take to an apothecary shop to get compounded because he has either already been on everything else too much, or the antibiotic didn’t work.  Oh, and he’s allergic to amoxicillin, so that doesn’t help.

After his last confirmed case, which was about 3 weeks ago, I asked his pediatrician when we should think about discussing tubes.  He said that usually they start thinking about tubes when a child has had 3-4 ear infections in a year.  Ha!  Clearly, we were well beyond that limit.

I asked around and got the name of a doctor that lots of friends and co-workers have all used and loved, and we had the appointment on Wednesday.

They did a hearing test first, and I literally had to look at the wall and cover my face because I found it so hilarious.  Lee and I both went, and Lee sat in a chair with C, and I sat in another chair kind of facing them.  He was really good when they put things in his ears.  And then, they did the test.  There was a speaker on his left and right, and the audiologist sat in another room and spoke through a microphone.  The funny part is that under each speaker, there was a clear box with a toy that the audiologist controlled.  When Cooper would look at the speaker he heard noise coming from, the toy would light up and move.  Additionally, there was a 3rd toy box directly in front of C, that would light up and play when nothing was coming from the speakers.  Omg, it was hilarious when those toys went off!  I didn’t want to be distracting by laughing, so I tried to hide it.  It was kind of creepy, like in a fun house where things keep going off and you don’t know why.  Luckily I think C was too confused to be freaked out.  Ha!  You should have seen his head going left, right, forward, right, left, etc.  And the look on his face was priceless!  He was like, what the heck is this?!

Picking out toys while waiting for the hearing test to begin

Anyway….After that, we saw the doctor.  There was fluid in both of his ears.  Even though he had been on an antibiotic for 15 days (first one didn’t work) right up until the day before his appointment.  Also, the doctor said that C wasn’t able to hear as well as he ideally could.  Not that his hearing was bad, necessarily, just that it could be better.  I did notice during the test, that when they played static through the speakers, he never turned his head.  He did for everything else, though.

Basically, just based on the number of ear infections he has had, we didn’t do too much small talk about whether or not to do the tubes.  The doctor said he suggested getting tubes, and taking his adenoids out.  The adenoids were suggested because of the horrible runny nose that C always has.  They actually just shave it down, they don’t really remove it, or won’t in Cooper’s case.

So.  Cooper is getting tubes put in and adenoids removed on Dec 12th.  The surgery should only take about 25 minutes.  Of course, a surgery is still a surgery, and he will be under anesthesia, so I am nervous about it.  But, all I have to do is remind myself of how bad Cooper has felt for essentially 3 months in a row.  There was a night a couple of weeks ago that C was having a particularly hard time, and I think at that moment, even Lee was like, we NEED to see about tubes.  Lee had been very adverse to even talking about tubes, so that was a big turn for him.  I’m thankful that we have the option of doing something that will help Coopie feel better!

Oh, I cannot leave without telling you all the best part.  We got this pamphlet about tonsils and adenoids:

Hahahaha!!!  Lee and I were giggling in the office about it.  And then when we left, I told him it was even funnier (more funny?) because of the doctor’s last name: Siemens!  Heehee

:)