The Specialist

Well, Parker and I visited the Ear/Nose/Throat Specialist that our Pediatrician recommended (who happens to be just next door). They obviously don't get a lot a kids...or, unlike my Pediatrician, don't think about there offices with roaming babies in mind. There were cords all over the place and the cabinets and drawers were open, which meant Parker had to sit in mommy's lap until the doctor finally got our exam room.

One there, the doc confirmed that Parker's ears were still filled with fluid. Most likely, Parker would need a myringotomy. But first, he took a hearing test, which required us to go into a dimly lit room. Parker sat on my lap but I was not allowed to speak or interact in any way with him. The tester then would trigger different pitch sounds from left, right, and in front of us. As if this wasn't freaky enough, when Parker would turn his head in response, as a "reward", the tester would activate a box would light up and a creaking, mechanical stuffed animal would begin to move. Well, as you can probably guessed, it was more startling than amusing and Parker became more and more uncomfortable. We eventually has to pause the test so I could comfort the little guy and let him know everything thing was okay. The whole experience reminded me of The Museum of Jurassic Technology, which is a collection of...well...collections that can't be 100% credible (I wouldn't be surprised if was run by a reincarnate of P. T. Barnum.) but runs the emotional gammet of touching to odd to just plain creepy.

But back to the ENT -- the audio test revealed that Parker was hearing at 80% normal and the doc concluded we should get the myringotomy, which would end his long string of ear infections and would restore his hearing level without damage. Plus it's a routine outpatient procedure that takes only 15 minutes. SOLD! (Doc, you had me at no more ear infections.)

Parker's scheduled for his procedure on May 31st. He can't eat after midnight before the procedure so he'll be a hungry boy that morning. But, since he'll probably be the youngest that day for the operation, he'll probably get to go first. We just have to then wait for the anesthesia to wear off and we should be home by noon. Keep your fingers crossed!

If you're interested, here's a brief video of an actual myringotomy. Definitely not for the faint of heart.