It seems like we've been to the pediatrician every week for more than a month! Ethan has had bronchitis, pink eye and two ear infections, in addition to the general yuckiness of congestion. On top of that, it took several weeks for the fluid to drain off his ears after his ear infection cleared up, so he was having a lot of trouble hearing for several weeks. Ethan can be challenging enough when he is fully-functioning, but non-hearing Ethan has really reset the bar. At school this past Monday, he threw a toy that collided with another boys' head and split the little boy's head open! He didn't mean for that to happen, but it's just a result of him losing his temper.
After I got that delightful report, I piled all the kids back in the van and headed straight back to the pediatrician. I'd been told 3 weeks in a row that we just needed to wait for the fluid to drain and then he would be able to hear again, but I needed something better than that. After waiting in the little room with all three of my tired and hungry children for NINETY MINUTES, the doctor finally came in. This week's diagnosis for Ethan was: yes, he has a lot of fluid on his ears, no he still can't hear very well, but, yes, we will try something else other than waiting now. The doctor put him on another round of antibiotics and steroids, as well as setting us up for an ENT consult to see about getting tubes again. I was very happy to have some answers, and even happier when, the next day, Ethan could finally hear normally again. He has been a happy, cooperative little boy for the past two days. (Now all I need to do is get him to write his apology note to his classmate, and make my own phone call of apology as well.)
During this same pediatrician visit, Lydia was diagnosed with another double ear infection, her second in 2 weeks. (The only reason we're sure this one is a new infection is because we were in the previous Monday and her ears were pronounced clear.) This is her 3rd ear infection in 3 months, so she may end up being a candidate for tubes as well. I'm not as resistant to the idea as I was with Ethan, since they worked so well for him and it was so much better than having him on antibiotics every couple of weeks.
Lydia has also been dealing with a major eczema outbreak. Just like the fluid in Ethan's ears, I kept showing the excema to the pediatrician whenever we were in (which was frequently), and I was told to use hypo-allergenic lotion twice a day. I did that, but over a period of a couple of months, it has continued to get worse. It finally got bad enough that the pediatrician prescribed Alclometasone Dipropionate Cream, which cleared all of it right up in just a few days. One day, her back, bottom, elbows & thighs were covered in raw, patchy skin. The next, it was smooth again and you could just see the outline of the eczema.
So, at the moment, Lydia and Ethan are ear-infection, virus & eczema free, and Caleb is healthy. But it has been a ride!
After I got that delightful report, I piled all the kids back in the van and headed straight back to the pediatrician. I'd been told 3 weeks in a row that we just needed to wait for the fluid to drain and then he would be able to hear again, but I needed something better than that. After waiting in the little room with all three of my tired and hungry children for NINETY MINUTES, the doctor finally came in. This week's diagnosis for Ethan was: yes, he has a lot of fluid on his ears, no he still can't hear very well, but, yes, we will try something else other than waiting now. The doctor put him on another round of antibiotics and steroids, as well as setting us up for an ENT consult to see about getting tubes again. I was very happy to have some answers, and even happier when, the next day, Ethan could finally hear normally again. He has been a happy, cooperative little boy for the past two days. (Now all I need to do is get him to write his apology note to his classmate, and make my own phone call of apology as well.)
During this same pediatrician visit, Lydia was diagnosed with another double ear infection, her second in 2 weeks. (The only reason we're sure this one is a new infection is because we were in the previous Monday and her ears were pronounced clear.) This is her 3rd ear infection in 3 months, so she may end up being a candidate for tubes as well. I'm not as resistant to the idea as I was with Ethan, since they worked so well for him and it was so much better than having him on antibiotics every couple of weeks.
Lydia has also been dealing with a major eczema outbreak. Just like the fluid in Ethan's ears, I kept showing the excema to the pediatrician whenever we were in (which was frequently), and I was told to use hypo-allergenic lotion twice a day. I did that, but over a period of a couple of months, it has continued to get worse. It finally got bad enough that the pediatrician prescribed Alclometasone Dipropionate Cream, which cleared all of it right up in just a few days. One day, her back, bottom, elbows & thighs were covered in raw, patchy skin. The next, it was smooth again and you could just see the outline of the eczema.
So, at the moment, Lydia and Ethan are ear-infection, virus & eczema free, and Caleb is healthy. But it has been a ride!
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