Eva's appointment w/ the Ear Specialist...

Eva's appointment w/ the Ear Specialist... Today we met w/ Dr. Fang to discuss Eva's on going ear problems - both infections & fluid on her ears. We had to wait forever to get a room & then it seemed like even longer once we were in the room (which was even harder b/c there was less space, and no toys there) but both girls seem to manage. Dr. Fang was worth the wait though, very personable & worked well w/ Eva. He said she still has fluid on both ears, the last time she was checked for fluid was a month ago at her 12 m apt (5/2).

He said the fluid in addition to causing ear infections also delays walking (& was shocked she was walking as well as she is b/c her balance is probably off). In many cases, day before the surgery the child can't walk & w/in a day of having the surgery they can walk - yes, it has that big of an impact! Additionally, although she can hear & probably understand us everything she is hearing is muffled - try putting your hands over your ears, that's how things sound to her. He said her speech should become clearer once the tubes are in.

So for Matt & I its an easy decision - we're putting tubes in. The procedure is very minor, no shots/IVs - she'll receive gas & be out 5-10 minutes while they insert them. The worst of the "cons" are 1) she could still get an infection (however if she gets an infection after tubes, she should actually have drainage come out her ear - yes - gross! but informative; 2) when the tube is removed or falls out the small opening may not close completely - this happens in a very small number of cases, if it did occur they would stitch it shut; 3) not something he mentioned, but I've heard it from others -- the tubes could fall out before we want them to and we may have to have them re-inserted. I think the most difficult part of the procedure for Eva will be after midnight the night before she can't have any liquids or food to eat until the procedure is complete. Luckily b/c of this they do the smaller children first thing in the morning - Eva falls in this category.

She's currently on the books to have her tubes inserted on Wednesday June 18th - however if they have a cancelation prior to then they will notify us so we could move the date up.