My kids are eating lunch and are quiet (who hoo!) so I will type up a quick update. Everett had his appointment this morning with the ENT, who comes in from Iowa City once a week.
The verdict? Adenoidectomy, Tonsillectomy, and tubes. Yep, the whole package! It has been a long time coming, I think. From what I've been able to piece together, Everett has almost constantly had fluid behind his eardrums, giving him a significant loss of hearing. The doctor didn't seem to be concerned about permanent hearing loss, and he didn't see any scarring, so it could be much worse than it is.
The doctor did point out that one reason Everett might always be so tired is that he doesn't get good quality sleep. Everett's adenoids are pretty large and the doctor thinks they may be blocking some airflow to his nose. Everett always has dark circles under his eyes (just look at the picture of him in the sidebar for an example--and that picture was taken with a bright flash), but I didn't consider that it might be due to fatigue because he seems to be such a sound sleeper. However, he still takes naps a couple of times a week and he is four years old, so maybe I should have realized it earlier :).
I felt a little bad this morning that we haven't gotten this done earlier, but I don't know how we could have. You have to bring the child in a certain number of times over a period of six months to qualify for a specialist and since Everett never gave me any indication (pulling at his ears, ear pain, fever, reduced appetite, etc.) I had no idea when to bring him in. I think he has gotten so used to discomfort in his ears that if I were to ask him if his ears hurt on a normal day, he would say no unless they were really inflamed with a bad infection.
Also, I feel like my last post ended up sounding a little harsh about antibiotics. I realize there is a huge need for these drugs and I am happy that we have them at our disposal. It just makes me uncomfortable to use such strong drugs for viral or minor ear infections. I have no problem with using them for the treatment of ear infections in other circumstances (or other illnesses, for that matter).
And anyway, what does it matter what I think? I'm not a doctor and I think everyone has the ability to determine what is best for their own children.
OK. The kids are starting to bicker so I think that is my cue!
.JPG)
.jpg)
5 comments:
Wow, that will be quite the experience! It will be interesting to see how it affects him afterwards, being able to hear properly and not have discomfort. Good luck!
Oh poor Everett! That does not sound fun. We are dealing with a similar issue with Carter's ears. He has been getting ear infections left and right and some so bad that they are close to rupturing his ear drums. It's hard to know when to take your kids to the doctor especially like Everett and Carter, they are just so dang tough. Carter never shows discomfort except at night when he doesn't sleep. That is our only clue that something could be wrong.
If Carter gets one more ear infection he is also in for tubes!
Hope all goes well with the surgery! What a blessing that we do have the medicine and technology so Everett doesn't have to feel discomfort anymore! Good luck!
We are really happy with the results from Syd's go round of the same surgery. Jason and I were just talking about how she hasn't been sick for months and realized it's because she doesn't have her enormous tonsils and fluid in her ears.
Bottom line, I recommend it if that's what's going on. Good luck!
Oh, so sad! Poor Guy!
I've known lots of kids who've had tubes. Last year, while I was watching Simon, he had tubes put in too. He was a MUCH happier kid afterward. Good luck! You're a good Mom.
Post a Comment