ENT checkup

W had his followup at the ENT to check on his ear tubes.  Everything looks great!  His throat was a little irritated but since he was still getting over the recent sickness, that wasn't a big deal.  His ears were clear so the tubes are doing their magic :)  A cold like that ended in ear infections all winter so it was good to just have to deal with the cold this time!

First surgery

Baby W had his ENT appointment today.  He thought it quite fun to start with because he got to open all kinds of drawers and cupboards and see what was inside of them.  It actually highlighted how far he's come in his speech because he told me about all the things he found inside the drawers.  One drawer held a "big sta" (big stack) of green cloths, another held bags, another had "tings", one was "stuh!" (stuck, aka locked LOL).  He didn't enjoy the exams as much but was cooperative.  He did pass his hearing test but the exam showed that while his ear drums are moving and working, they aren't moving the way they should so there is still fluid back there.  I looked up his records and his first diagnosis of ear and sinus infection was all the way back in the middle of December--he was sick for about two weeks before he went in with what started as a cold.  Four ear infections, four rounds of antibiotics and the fluid is still there and if our pattern continues, he will probably end up with another infection.  So tubes it is to keep the fluid drained.  My Busy Little B also had to have tubes back in 2012.  Surgery is scheduled for later this month--fingers crossed that we don't get another ear infection before then and have to postpone!  He has another runny nose today so its possible we are gearing up again for another sickness :\

Who wants another specialist?

We thought Baby W's ears and sinuses were finally clear back before his MRI--then the MRI itself showed he still had fluid in the ears and mucous in his sinuses but he didn't appear to be ill so it was a wait and see game.  He developed a really minor sniffly nose.  We were waiting it out, seeing if it would develop into something more, hoping it would clear up so we could finally go and get the vaccines we've been putting off due to illness since December.  I thought that this was our week!  We'd pop in, get shots, be done with it!  And, then Baby W started going off food and drink, being extra fussy and clingy, not sleeping well, and then telling me his ears were an "owie".  *sigh*

Sure enough, an early morning run to the pediatrician shows that we have yet another infection.  Antibiotic four.  At least another two week delay in vaccinations (if he's even well by the recheck!).  We now have a referral to ENT and an appointment set up with them for a week away.  My Busy Little B could not keep the fluid out of his ears either and had to get tubes when he was three (the Year of Surgery--2012 saw all the kids having surgery of one kind or another!).  I don't know if this is the route W will  have to go down as well but I sure do hope the ENT can at least help us finally beat all these infections! 

Six month followup

Two years ago (and a few days), my Busy Little B had his ear tubes placed.  He had lots of ear infections and could not pass a hearing test and the ENT found he pretty much always had fluid trapped in his ears.  The tubes went in and he finally passed a hearing test!  His speech grew by leaps and bounds (although he is still behind).  We were told to expect the tubes to stay in for six months to a year but you know my kids--they are rule breakers ;)

B sees the ENT every six months and at our last visit, one tube was nearly out.  This time around, that tube is completely gone and there is no sign of fluid trapped in there.  The other tube is still in place and open but looks like it is working its way out.  Our ENT thinks maybe in six months it might be out and we can evaluate whether the fluid is staying out or if B needs a new set.

In a few days, B has his next neurology appointment and we find out the results of his MRI.  After Izzy's MRI results, I must admit I am nervous to see what's going on in B's brain.

It has been a VERY long week.....

Monday started off pretty well.  Izzy was finally well enough to go to her swim lesson and she was so excited, especially since her Daddy was able to come and watch her.  She kept showing off that she had learned the word water and shouted it often, she kicked, she splashed, she jumped in the pool on her own a bunch of times, she screamed her Daddy's name countless times so he would watch her, and she just had a ton of fun.  This was only the second lesson out of five she managed to make it to because of illness.  Her last one is this coming Monday but she cannot go :\  The reason is coming up.

B was in a great mood when he got off the bus and was even happier when Grandpa stopped by and invited him over.  That meant I would be picking up S with just Izzy and S loves that because it gives us "alone time" in the car--he had had a great day at school and chattered all the way home.  We pick up B on the way home, there is much fun with games, a favorite dinner, and then I ask S to do his chores while I give Izzy a bath.  He comes to tell me something and when he's done, I remind him to do his chores (ADHD--we remind a lot).  He goes into the hallway and I see him swinging on the  rails of the open baby gate (it is a swing gate.  He boosted himself up on the stationary rails and was swinging back and forth in the opening).  I tell him to please stop swinging on the baby gate because he could get hurt and within seconds, he slips, falls face first to the floor, there is a horrific CRACK and he screams "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!! NO NO NO NO NO NO" and then crying.  He broke his arm again.  Exact same place as the break in August and his forearm is in a U shape.  I can't walk away from the baby because is in the tub so I yell for the husband in the hopes that he is still awake (he works nights so he got up for dinner and then went back to bed for a few more hours before work), tell S that it will be okay and please sit on the sofa because I have to get Izzy out of the tub.  I rinse her quickly and scoop her out and S is trying to wander around the house (just like last time) and the husband was awake and trying to stay calm (I guess if you are looking for a bright side it is that having been through it just a few months ago, I was not frazzled and was able to get us out the door very quickly).  Told the husband to go dress, called the parents to come get B, packed B's bag to stay the night and school stuff for Tuesday, got the baby ready, got S ready, got extra clothes for the baby in the diaper bag in case S was admitted overnight, and started the car to warm up.

I wanted to go to the Children's Hospital where B and Izzy had their surgeries this time--last time we went to the local ER and they had trouble setting his arm because both bones were broken.  Surgery was a possibility last time and I figured a second break that was presenting exactly the same made surgery much more likely.  I would much rather the pediatric orthopedic surgeons do it at a hospital I trust to do surgery.

S was very brave and did his best to stay calm.  They took him back immediately and got his IV hooked up and some morphine and did some x-rays.  I'm not sure how much time passed but I'm guessing maybe an hour or so and a pediatric orthopedic surgeon was down to set the arm.  In the local ER, we found out afterwards that a Nurse Practitioner did it and she didn't have much experience--might explain why there was so much manipulation to get it in place.  They gave him conscious sedation and then the surgeon set the arm--he did it really quickly, you could tell he knew exactly what he was doing.  They did x-rays right there and then to make sure it was okay and then began the splint.  I was expecting the board and ace bandage splint we had for the first break but the surgeon said he didn't think they were a good idea for kids--they are fine for adults but kids need more structure and support.  So he did a long cast and then cut it along the sides (staying connected on the top and bottom) so it had room to expand for swelling and then wrapped over it with some tape and an ace bandage.  The tape was to keep it snug but allow us to loosen it if there was too much swelling.  S said the outer bandage made it look like a beehive :p

We had to wait around for a while for him to come out of sedation and keep some liquids down (common side effect is vomiting but he did not either time he had ketameen (sp?).  Just like last time, he cycled between grateful, precocious, and belligerent LOL  I should have taped it.....

While we were at the hospital, a slightly annoying and itchy bump on my arm that I thought may have been a bug bite began to hurt and swell and turn red.  By the next day, most of my forearm and hand were swollen and it was so incredibly painful I couldn't believe it.  There were no appointments available for Tuesday so I had to wait for Wednesday for an appointment--staph infection :\  I pretty much did noting but sleep for the next three days because of the pain and exhaustion.  S is on codeine for pain so he slept with me....

Friday, B had his followup from his surgery last month.  His ears look great and he finally passed a hearing test!!

S also had an appointment at the ortho clinic--things weren't as good for him :(  The new x-rays show that his bones are at an angle instead of straight.  He is borderline for needing surgical repair.  They took off the temporary cast and did a new cast to reposition  his hand.  He goes back on Monday for another set of x-rays--the hope is the bones will begin to straighten as they heal so they are going to keep a close eye on it to see if we can wait it it out or if he needs to have surgery.

I stopped by my dr so she could check my arm--it looks and feels awful but the antibiotics need more time so I go back Monday to see if she can drain it and hopefully get out all.  At least I felt better today and didn't sleep all day :p  B had his swim lesson (S has to skip the rest of his lessons) and we ran some errands.  The boys and I watched a movie while Izzy played (she has no time for silliness such as the tv) but then she started throwing up :(  Poor girl has been throwing up on and off all evening.  She finally stopped and nursed a little while ago and so far so good.  I am tired but will stay up for a little while longer to make sure she is done throwing up.  Poor baby seemed so confused by it :\
I srue hope tomorrow is a better day.....

Everything went well and we are home!
Here is a groggy post op photo :)

You almost had a real post...

...but I am getting error messages when I try to post from the computer so you get a quickie phone post instead. 
B had his ENT appointment and is scheduled for surgery on Wednesday.  Since his last appointment,  he's had yet another double ear infection plus his ears are full of fluid again and its keeping his eardrums from working properly.  So tubes it is.
I keep being told having been through OHS, this should be no big deal.  It feels like a big scary deal to me.  Sure, the worries are different but in the end it comes down to the fact that my little guy, who has never even needed a trip to the hospital before, will be under anesthesia.   This time around,  it is the anesthesia that is the scary part!
But hopefully B will finally be able to hear properly! 
After his appointment,  we had a fun day at the museum :)

Our first CH visit

Today was our first visit to the Children's Hospital since Iz was released two months ago.  It was....stressful.  But it wasn't too bad and we made it through ;-)  We were there for this little guy:

His exam with the ENT showed that his ear drums do not move as much as they should--he has some fluid built up back there that the ped couldn't see.  He has a script for the next month to see if they can dry it up and if it is still there, we may need to consider tubes because they don't want fluid sitting there all the time muffling his hearing.  But he wants more failed hearing tests before we think about that (not that he wants more failed tests but you know what I mean :p).  We did a hearing test in the booth and his results were not within the normal range but the tech wasn't positive if it was hearing loss or "I don't want to."  We go back in one month to see how the fluid situation is and to try another hearing test.  If he still doesn't get a passing score on the hearing test, we will be set up to do a sedated probe hearing test and go from there.  If all goes well, his muffled hearing can be managed with meds until he outgrows it :)

Being cute is exhausting.....

I'll get to the post title in a moment--I wanted to start the post of with my crazy instead of ending with it ;)

Today, I feel sick.  That deep gnawing feeling of dread that tumbles around, over and over.  I shouldn't, in reality there is no reason for anxiety this swift or fierce.  I got a call from the Children's Hospital to set up an appointment for B with the ENT.  It is on a different floor from cardio or surgery or the PICU.  We will go no where near any of the areas associated with Izzy's surgery or pre-op or hospital stay.  And yet I am feeling such anxiety, much worse than I expected when I first learned B was being referred there, all over simply being in the same building.  I have the crazy.  It isn't as though only bad things happened there--when I walked out of the hospital with Iz in my arms, she was recovering and better.  She was more energetic, even with her new scars and pains and medications.  She was breathing better, her heart was working better, she was better.  And yet the days of fear and stress and tears override that moment and I dread going back for the first time.  It will be fine.  Each time will get easier.  Right?

Now onward to the cute!  Today was the last day of Vacation Bible School--only S is going this year (last year, too) because VBS starts at four years old and B just turned three.  Poor B, though--he loves Sunday School and every day at check-in he asks for his arm band so he can join in and we have to tell him no.

Iz was in fine form this morning and apparently just having people come up and tell you you are cute is exhausting.  Perhaps her smiling and bobbing around to get the people to ooh and aah over her even more had something to do with it :)  When we got home, she was soon passed out:

 

Being Cute is Exhausting

Because it was the last day of VBS, there was a family picnic in the evening.  Last day is also water slide day--they make a huge water slide down a hill behind the church for the kids during VBS and for everyone during the picnic.  As soon as we were done eating, S was off and spent his time standing in line, sliding down, standing in line, sliding down, as many times as he could until it was time to go :)  It was very hot out so I was trying to keep Iz in the shade so we didn't make the trek out to the water slide to get pictures :/  

B is still too young to go down the water slide (its big and steep) but there was fun to be had for him as well!  He went in a bouncy house for the second time in his short life ;)  The first time we took him to a bouncy house, he was too scared to go in--by the time he worked up the courage, it was time to go.  Tonight, however, he had no fear, climbed right in and had a blast.

 

Bouncy Fun

By the time we got home, I had three hot and sweaty kids (Iz worked up a sweat being cute, of course).  Before bath time, I tried to snap a few shots of Iz for the plain and simple fact that her outfit got so many comments tonight LOL  Thought I should document it.  I got a lot of very blurry pics of her trying to stand on the chair, trying to roll onto her stomach, trying to jump up and down.  You get the picture.  The best two of the bunch:

 

 

Can't stop moving

After splashing up a storm for Iz, some Thomas the Tank bath toy play for B, and a bubble bath for S, all fell asleep rather quickly and the house is quiet.  Perhaps Iz is even tired enough to sleep soundly and we won't be woken by any nightmares tonight :)