The Procedure

 While I felt I was prepared for what to expect regarding Lake’s, “bilateral myringotomy with tubes”, (ear tubes in both ears) nothing can prepare you to actually handle the day with energy and patience.

Before I get into how the day went, here is a bit of an explanation of the procedure:

“A myringotomy with tubes is ear surgery done under general anesthesia. A small hole is made in the eardrum so fluid can be removed from the middle ear. A tiny, 2-mm tube is then inserted into the hole. This allows air into the middle ear which prevents fluid from building up again.”

I’ve learned from a friend’s experience, and the information the surgeon gave us, that tubes do not prevent all infections. But they often reduce how often a child gets infections.

Our day started at 4:30 AM. The cut off for Lake’s last meal was 4:45 so I set my alarm to wake him up to feed him. I knew he would not want to have a spoon of food crammed into his mouth, so I used one of the medicine droppers and force fed him like I do his medicine. He hated every minute of it, but I got him to eat at least a ½ jar of food.

The cut off for breast milk was 6:45, so we were back up early enough for me to nurse him. Then I just hoped and prayed that we could survive long enough without eating until the procedure.

Check in was scheduled for 10:50. Tim and I got there in plenty of time and I don’t know, I guess I was expecting to be taken back within a few minutes. Ummm no. When we checked in, one of the volunteers greeted us and let us know the surgeons were a little behind. We waited and waited and waited. About 45 minutes into waiting (with no update) I overheard another family go up to the desk to check on what was going on. They were told it would be at least another ½ hour. They were there before us.

Lake was squirmy and bored so after Tim and I took turns carrying him around, I finally took him into the play room. Finally about another 15-20 minutes we were taken back. But then we waited another 20-30 minutes for the anesthesiologist. Exhausted and hungry (all of us!) we finally got started.

Because the procedure was going to be so fast, Lake got to keep his clothes on and he didn’t need an IV. I think all of that really helped me keep it all together. I laid him on the table and they warned me that as the anesthesia was given, he might start to cry/scream. Not my baby. He got the biggest smile on his face and giggled (The anesthesiologist said they have never seen that J ) I stroked his face and when he started to squirm, I held his hands. As he settled into sleep, I gave him a kiss and then they escorted us out.

The procedure was supposed to take less than 10 minutes. At the 8 minute mark, I kept checking the time after each additional minute or two went by. Finally about 15 minutes after it started, they brought us into the recovery room. Lake didn’t look like my baby. He had a thing in his mouth that kept his tongue from rolling back. The nurse told us that if he didn’t wake up on his own in 15 minutes, they would start trying to wake him up. After we took a seat, Tim mentioned something about the Seahawks and I don’t know if it was daddy’s voice or what, Lake started waking up. He was upset and I started nursing him. You could tell he was starving! The nurse told us to fill our prescription for ear drop antibiotics since he indeed did have a double ear infection when they went in to place the tubes.

After we got out of there and into the truck, I gave Lake a food pouch, which he sucked down. Then he screamed the entire way home. By the looks in his eyes, the anesthesia was still affecting him. I sat in the back with him and he kept reaching for me. I felt so bad that I couldn’t hold him. Tim and I were both starving too so we drove through Taco Bell and by the time we got home, Lake was asleep. It was nap time for mommy too!

After he woke up, he was a little delirious, but after he got his bearings, a smile came to his face. He was ready to eat and play! We hung out for about 1.5 hours ( I was really entranced by the news coverage of the authorities finding, “suspect #2” from the Boston Marathon Bombing, hiding in that guys boat). I took Lake grocery shopping with me and he did great. We picked Kaydriana up from daycare and when we got home, they played and he was doing so well!

He went to bed just fine, but then at 2 AM he woke up screaming. Tim was at work since he signed up for OT before we knew about the procedure. He was almost back to sleep when Kaydriana woke up crying. The double whammies are the worst! So I put Lake down in his crib and he was not happy. But I knew if I didn’t tend to Kaydriana soon, she’d cry louder or come upstairs and then there would be no hope of Lake falling asleep. She wanted a snack and water. After I got that for her, I came back upstairs to find Lake inconsolable. At one point, I laid down on one of his blankets and used his boppy as a pillow next to his crib. We held hands (wish I could have gotten a picture!) until I thought he was asleep. He wasn’t. Basically after 2.5 hours of us being awake, I did the only thing I was capable of at that time. I brought him into bed with me and nursed him to sleep.

So basically I didn’t sleep, which is awesome when you’re the only manager on duty for Saturday. Adding insult to injury, I’m now sick and I’m pretty sure I have an ear infection in my right ear.

Yesterday was a really long, hard day and today will be too. But I’m feeling very optimistic about the future of Lake’s health. And now if we can survive teething, we should be good!

Resolution!?

I am so happy to say that Lake is having tubes put in his ears on Friday!

We had our long awaited Children’s Hospital appointment today. It’s perfect timing too, because Lake woke up at 4 o’clock this morning with 102.2 fever!

Driving into the CH in Bellevue, I felt like we were in a special place. They have these shiny pinwheels spinning throughout the driveway and of course, everything is bright and cheery. Everyone, even other patient’s parent’s, were smiling and friendly.

When we got called back they took Lake’s height and weight. He’s grown a pound since his last appointment. He’s a whopping 21 pounds! We only have a pound left before we have to change his car-seat; we better get on that!

When the doctor came in, she asked the normal questions and reviewed his history with his infections. Then she said, “so you want to do tubes?” I told her yes, unless there was something we haven’t tried yet. She said that she thought tubes were a great idea. She said that I can take him out of daycare, keep him home and in a bubble and not allow his sister to ever touch him. But seeing as that is not an option, tubes are the best resolution at this time. I really appreciated her assurance because I haven’t gotten that yet! So then I shared with her other people’s feedback or advice regarding extra vitamins, chiropractor adjustments, etc. She said there is no evidence supporting any of that helps cure or reduce ear infections.

I believe there are certainly health benefits to those things mentioned above, but the fact remains, my son’s ear infections are not going to be resolved without this procedure and that’s where we are at, at this point in time.

She checked his ears and sure enough his ears are, “angry”. She said they aren't technically infected yet, so if we can get him in to get the tubes right away, we should be able to avoid another round of antibiotics.

Then she tells me the surgeon has an opening this Friday. I was totally excited! Although, to be honest, I’m slightly bummed that I have to cancel my reflexology spa appointment, my hair appointment and my coffee date with Ashley, but of course, nothing is going to stop me from going forward with this procedure for Lake.

The only thing I am nervous about is the not eating or drinking before the procedure. When the lady called to confirm the details of the procedure, she clarified for me that check in time is at 10:50 AM on Friday. Lake cannot have any formula or food after 4:45 AM, but that I could nurse him up until 6:45. He’s only wanted breast milk the past two days anyway, so hopefully, we can last those 4 hours without too much difficulty.

The procedure should only take less than 10 minutes and we should only be there for a total of 1.5 hours. The recovery is painless, but they warned me that he could be fussy for a while until the anesthesia completely wears off in a couple of hours. So I know Friday will be a tough day. Tim and I will get to be at his bedside as he falls asleep, but before they start the procedure, they’ll move us into the recovery room. I’ll probably cry, I’m sure.

I’m thankful that we have some hope for relief and can’t wait to have a healthy baby for more than a week at a time.

Oh and as icing on the cake, as the scheduling nurse was leaving the room, she waved, “bye” to Lake. It took him a moment, but he waved (both hands) back at her! That was his first wave! J

Catching Up...

I don’t even know where to begin! So I’ll just start somewhere…

(I wrote the below about two weeks ago… I didn’t get a chance to finish, but will leave the below as is and provide an update)

Lake is on his 5^th round of antibiotics for ear infections since December. When I took him to the doctor the Friday we flew home from vacation, he had 103.3 temperature. He had been feverish almost our entire trip. His poor body was so hot! So he had another double ear infection, but the doc (not his regular doc) says that it’s unlikely that the ear infections are causing that high of temps. Neither would the two top teeth he had popped out on vacation. I’d have to agree with her as even on his sickest days, he’s never been so hot.

I asked her at what point do we start talking about tubes? She said that typically with 4 infections in a 6 month period, they’d refer us to a ear/nose/throat (ENT) doctor. According to my calculations, this was now his 5^th. She looked at his chart and said that it seems to be his 3/4^th… whatever, I know how many times I’ve gone to get a prescription filled. She went on to say that the ear/nose/throat doctor probably would want to wait until the upper respiratory cold season has passed anyway.

I then asked about how long should I allow Lake to have these high temps? That day had already been day 4. She said if his temps are still high on Monday or Tuesday to give her a call.

Basically I left frustrated. I was so sleep deprived that we took our new RX and left.

The next day he had fevers again and at one point he started shaking like he had chills and his lips turned slightly purple. I panicked a little bit. After talking with my mom I decided that I was going to take him to urgent care the next morning. At 3am, he woke up warm again, I gave him ibuprofen, prepared to take him in when the sun came up. About 9 am I realized he had not gotten warm again. Typically the meds would wear off within 4 hours. The high fevers never did come back. I was so relieved! I had convinced myself that he must have some sort of internal infection that we need to get him tested for and that made me feel scared!

Along with the ear infections, the antibiotics reek havoc on his little body. He’s basically had diarrhea for months! Along with that he gets rashes and even worse, he also gets yeast infections. I’ve been very careful and thankfully I have only had a very minor case of thrush from nursing him. Yesterday he pooped in the tub, today he pooped on the floor. I am sick of the diarrhea. I am sick of the rashes. I am sick of my baby not feeling good. So after 7 days of his 10-day antibiotics, I stopped giving it to him today. On Monday I’m asking for a referral to see a specialist.

(Now time for a current update as of Saturday 4/13)

A little over a week after I wrote the above, I got a call from daycare that Lake had another really high fever. I knew it was his ears. Tim picked him up early from daycare and we lied and said we were taking him to the doctor. If we didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to return to daycare. That same day, I was going over our medical bills to realize that even after insurance covered our visits, we were basically paying $100 every time we took Lake into the doctor only to be told we were getting another round of antibiotics. That was it. Not only was I sick of my baby being sick, it’s costing us hundreds of dollars and not getting anywhere! I figured out what I had to do to get him a referral to see a pediatric ENT at Children’s Hospital. We got that all squared away and have his appointment on Wednesday April 17^th. Now all we had to do is keep Lake healthy enough to avoid missing daycare/work and taking him to the doctor. That was on a Tuesday. Thursday we get a call from daycare that Lake’s temp was 105!! Stop everything! I picked him up and took him to the ER.

Even after an hour of daycare giving him ibuprofen, he still had a temp of 102 when the ER docs checked him. All I wanted to do was burst into tears. I’m scared and sad and pissed off! They said he had a URI (Upper Respiratory Infection) and a mild ear infection. (In case you are counting, this is now the sixth ear infection since December!) They gave us a different, five day prescription and sent us on our way. That night Lake screamed every hour. He was so miserable! I was so grateful that Tim called in sick that night to help me out. In the morning, Tim took care of Lake so that I can get some sleep. Because Lake was in obvious pain, I had his pediatrician get us a RX for some ear drops. Tim was a big help getting the meds, more ibuprofen and acetaminophen (the ER doc told us to alternate those, and it helped keep his fever down!) and got me some lunch.

Finally by Saturday, Lake’s fever finally broke. It’s now been a week and this is the longest stretch of time that Lake has been happy and playing and a bit more independent. He is still tugging at his ears and either his ears are still slightly hurting him or he’s teething, but overall, he is much better. Oh and lets not forget…

MY BABY IS WALKING!! On vacation, he’d take 1.5 steps. Then one day (April 1^st) Tim texts me at work and says, “Lake can walk now. He has taken 2 steps a few times”. When my sister watched the kids a few days later, she took video of him taking 4 steps!

Now he can walk from Kaydriana’s bedroom door to her bed. He’s very slow and looks like Frankenstein walking, but our little guy is on two feet! It’s really funny because it’s like he doesn’t even think about it. He just starts going. With Kaydriana, she started walking a little over a year old, but had been “thinking” about it for some time. She’d practice by moving along the furniture and wearing a hole in the carpet from between the couch and ottoman, so by the time she walked unassisted, she was so much more sure footed. It’s like Lake said screw it to the practicing and is just going for it. They are seriously so opposite in every way!

Time to talk about – Vacation! Traveling went fine with the kids, but every little thing we had to do from parking at the shuttle place, to getting our rental car, getting the carseat, etc. just was so annoying. But then we finally pulled up to Tim’s parents house in Sun Lakes, AZ around 630 PM. With In & Out in our bellies, we went and sat out on their back patio and enjoyed the warmth. We sat out there for a few hours, enjoying watching their outdoor TV in our t-shirts. That’s just not something you can do in WA, even during our warmest summer nights!

That weekend we went to Mariner Spring Training games and Tim and I got a bit too much sun. We got autographs for Lake’s new mitt Tim bought him and got to spend some time with Tim’s friend, Matt, who lives in Scottsdale.

We had a chill around the house day on Monday to gear up for our 6 hour drive to Disneyland the next day. That night was the first night that Lake started to have a fever and he did not sleep well. Which meant, neither did I! Both kids did okay on the drive. Lake slept most of the time and Kaydriana had Tim’s Ipad.

We had planned on spending our first afternoon there at the pool, as that was one of the reasons why we chose the Disneyland Pier Hotel. However, we were notified during check in that their pool was closed. We were very disappointed. I’ll be writing a letter to the hotel management! We ended up taking Kaydriana to explore Downtown Disney. It was so cute! She did her little strut, with her arms out saying over and over, “Disneyland!” She had no idea how much more exciting it would get! 

After another sleepless night with a cranky baby, we went to Disneyland. I got choked up as I was just so excited to be giving my kids this experience and experiencing it with them. We got there a little too early before opening, and even after we got in, we still had to wait to get past the castle to the rides. 2 years olds do not have patience. But once we were on our way, it was a non stop fun first few hours of going on rides (Kaydriana still sings, “It’s a Small World”) and eating and making memories. Lake was a trooper even though it was obvious he wasn’t feeling well.

Kaydriana reacted just the way I knew she would. I thought she might be shy around the characters, but love the princesses. We never did get a good picture of her with Mickey or Minnie or any other character she likes watching on TV. But when she saw Cinderella! Oh my gosh, she was so excited and gave her a huge hug!

We made our way out of the park and back to the hotel where we left the kids with Nana and Papa and Tim and I went on a few rides by ourselves. Splash Mountain and Space Mountain were definitely the favorites. Then as we saw families get together to watch the parade and prepare for the fire works, we realized that we really wanted to have that experience with our kids. We skipped the parade, but we brought the kids back to watch the magical fireworks. It was well worth the effort and memories!

The next day, we had early morning breakfast with Mickey and Friends and Kaydriana finally warmed up a bit to the characters; she hated Stitch though. Lakey loved him! Then we headed to California Adventure. We started the kids off at the little kid friendly places then met up with Nana and Papa. Tim and I took an hour and went on California Screamin’ (which I did NOT want to go on!) and then the water ride (forget what it’s called). Tim really wanted to go on the Hollywood Tower of Terror. I did not, but he was going to make me go. We got our fast passes and headed back to our reservations for Ariel’s Grotto. We got meal vouchers from Costco Travel and it was the highlight of the day! We got to meet Ariel, Aurora, Snow White, and Cinderella. Snow White was awesome! She was so sweet with Kaydriana and let her hug her forever! Jim finally said something as the hug was going on a little long. But I loved it and got a little choked up! Oh and the food was really good!

After lunch Tim decided he wanted to get on the road back to Arizona, so I got to skip the Tower of Death… err Terror! The next morning we had a very early flight home and again, both kids did great on the plane. It’s awesome when strangers comment on how well behaved your kids are!  J

That morning back, I took Lake to the doctor, and now we’re full circle, back to the top where I started.

As I mentioned somewhere above, we have Lake’s ENT appointment this Wednesday. I look forward to hearing what our options are regarding his wellness!