ENT Appointment ~ Next up Surgery

Last ENT appointment was in September and all looked good.  He passed his hearing test and appeared to have no fluid in his ears but possibly some pressure.  From that time frame until now his ears have not been able to stabilize and cannot move the fluid or pressure out as it should.  In visually looking at his ears today there was no doubt of his hearing issues since both ear drums were drawn back.

The Eustachian tubes cannot equalize pressure adequately. What little air enters the ear passes up the Eustachian tube and into the middle ear where it is absorbed into the surrounding tissue. This creates a low pressure area (a vacuum) that can then pull the eardrum inward or pull fluid from the surrounding tissues into the middle ear. If bacteria travel up the Eustachian tube from the nose and infect this fluid, an ear infection can develop.

So the verdict is he needs another set of tubes.  This will be his third set of tubes.  While I am not surprised and from the beginning of this journey assumed we would struggle with this for most of his life or at the very least his childhood, I was trying to be optimistically positive that his ears would overcome and work on their own.  The ENT said that without tubes we lead ourselves to more problems and issues that cannot be fixed and may cause permanent damage, but we aren't there yet.  He also said that without tubes his ears may be clear on there own once a year at the end of summer.

He will be putting in a more long term tube into his ear.  The tube is called the "U tube" and will last two to three years instead of the normal one year tubes.  Here is a visual difference:

Since Thomas was born he has suffered from hearing loss.  It is only through the use of these tubes that we have been able to restore his hearing.  This is a common procedure for many children and as they grow older the need for tubes is no longer needed.  However, this is not the case with Thomas.  His issue is not as easy to solve.  The other issue with Thomas we must consider is a child his age, 3, would normally just be put to sleep with a mask, tubes put in 10-15 minutes and then wake them up.  Due to the dynamics of Thomas neck, he cannot be manipulated with his head back in the appropriate position.  Therefore he has to get an IV and have a breathing tube even for a procedure such as this so that his airways are not in jeopardy at any time. 

The doctor also opted not to perform a hearing test today as it was evident that his hearing was being compromised by his ears.  Thomas was disappointed since I talked it up to him so much, but a little red lollipop made it all better.

I will update you all with the surgery date once we have it all planned.  Thank you always for your continued love and support for our little man.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. Psalms 107:1