Ears to feeling better

Two weeks ago we took Connor to the Pedi ENT. At 6 months old, he's already had three ear infections so we wanted to get things checked out. Dr. Bonilla examined our little man and told us that he has fluid in his ears. He also said Connor would be a good candidate for tubes. Not only that, but he thought that Connor's poor consumption was possibly linked to the fluid/infections. If it's painful for him to suck on the bottle, then he'll quickly learn that a bottle = pain and avoid it at all costs.

The doctor asked us to come back in a month (sooner if Connor had another infection) and we would schedule the surgery. Within a few days of the appointment, Connor quickly began tugging on his ears, eating less and becoming fussy. All signs of an ear infection. So on Tuesday we took him back to Dr. Bonilla and scheduled the procedure.

Thursday morning (bright and early) we were back at the hospital praying that this would be the thing that would take away Connor's pain. The procedure was quick - he was in and out in 10 min. and we were back at home within the hour. Almost immediately, we saw a huge difference in Connor's mood. Not only that, but he was able to suck on a bottle without crying from the pain (incredible!). Since the surgery, he's been sleeping better, eating better, and will now respond to noises on both his left and right side.

Ross and I are very encouraged. We have Connor's 6 month doctor appointment on Wednesday and the follow up visit with our GI next week. My hope is that Connor will have improved so much that our pediatrician is satisfied and the GI will release us from his care.

Here are some interesting facts about ear infections/fluid - New studies show that children who are treated for re-occurring ear infections become more susceptible to antibiotic resistant strains of infection. Also, temporary hearing loss is a common symptom of fluid in the ears. Children who experience this will hear everything as if they were under water. If not addressed early, many children with fluid in their ears will need speech therapy to correct impairments.