B's hearing test

As most of you know, B has had continuous problems with his ears since last March. After 4 ear infections, we saw an ENT in May, and he received tubes in his ears in July. Unfortunately, it has not helped. He continues to get fluid build-up, in addition to having eczema in his ear canals. Poor little guy has a hard time with those ears, and is usually only well for a day or two at a time.

Today we had his Baer Hearing Test. We had to deprive him of sleep last night by keeping him until midnight, and waking him up at 4 am. It was miserable! We could not feed him and had to do everything to keep him awake. A lot of crying was involved!

Dee Dee came with us to the hospital to keep him awake on the drive, while Patrick stayed at home to get K to school on time. We were at the hospital by 6:15 am.

Once we were there, we had more waiting. B was so great, playing with his cars and trucks. But we could tell he was starting to get sleepy. They finally called him in and gave him a liquid sedative at 7:30. But instead of making him go to sleep, it amped him up. He got really chatty, and extremely fidgety, but he was dizzy and light on his feet. I was laying on the gurney with him to try to get him to lay down, but he kept popping his head up and asking more questions. He wanted to go on the boat, and go home to get his sister. But each time he would lift his head up, he would wobble and hit his head on the bed rail. The nurse put a blanket over the rail, but he would take it off.

He was supposed to sleep  after 20 minutes of taking the medicine. After 30 minutes, they gave him another dose. And instead of making him sleep, it made him agitated and angry. The screaming and flailing was epic. He was fighting to get down on the floor. He kept saying that he wanted to walk, and wanted to go home. But he was unstable and incapable of walking in his state. It took all my strength to try to hold him and keep him from hurting himself. 

After another 30 minutes, the nurse started talking about going home and rescheduling....I told her that was not an option because we needed to know if he can hear and I was not putting him through this again. Another nurse and the audiologist came in and we're trying to help. The 3rd nurse had an idea and asked me to bear with her and do what she asked. She swaddled him in a blanket so that he couldn't move his arms and legs. She held him like a baby and sang to him. Note that he was screaming and fighting as hard as he could. She asked me to give her a little space and to wait 5 minutes. It was the hardest thing I've had to do so far as a mother; to listen to my screaming, exhausted baby try to break free and call for me to come to him. But the alternative of trying again another day was unfathomable. So I stepped back and watched her work while tears streamed down my face. 

After 5 or 10 minutes, he finally gave in and went to sleep in the arms of the nurse. I was exhausted and emotionally drained, but he was asleep and they were able to complete the test. 

The audiologist found that his hearing is normal! There is one low-pitched sound that he has a hard time hearing, but it is normal for kids with tubes to have that problem. When the tubes fall out, the issue should dissipate. She said that it seemed as though one tube might be clogged, but we'll find out when we go to the ENT next. It was awful, but at least we know he can hear! (Which means his not listening and acting out is just part of being 2 1/2!)

We had to wake him up before they could let us go home, which was somewhat difficult. But he woke up and drank some juice and they let us go. We dropped off Dee Dee to get some rest and picked up Grandpa Shelby to get some breakfast. B was hungry, but we quickly realized he could not hold his head up to sit in a chair. So, the car seat was the best place to feed him! He ate 2 scrambled eggs, some bacon, and a baguette. But he was wide awake and all he wanted was his sister!

Luckily, K had an early dismissal, so we went to pick her up. As soon as she got in the car and we headed toward home, he finally fell asleep. B slept for 4 hours, and when he woke up, he was back to normal. Thank goodness!