Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Well Then.

So, let's start with the easy part first. Piper's pediatrician was sick today, so we rescheduled her appointment for the 6th, so no stats today. I'll get her 6 month newsletter up in the next day or so.
Now, on to the other child. We had Caleb's ENT appointment this morning which started off with yet another hearing exam. Caleb would not cooperate for a portion of the test and even turned off one of the machines in the middle, prompting us to have to do one whole test over again from the beginning. Needless to say, we walked away from there without a completed test and a very annoyed audiologist.
What we do know from the test is this, his right ear is working perfectly but his left is a totally different story. The next step is that we have a test called an ABR done to test the nerve function to see if there is really a hearing deficit or if he's just being difficult. Our ENT does do ABRs in the office, but they do not sedate, which is not an option with our busy 3 year old. If he wouldn't sit and cooperate fully for the simple hearing exam, he wouldn't cooperate for the ABR. I never thought I would willingly ask for a test that involved sedation, but in this case to get answers, it's necessary.
There are two possible outcomes for this test:
1. his ABR will come back totally normal and we'll know that his hearing is ok and he's just difficult
2. his ABR will come back abnormal and we'll be looking at hearing aids
To be perfectly honest, this second possibility scares the living daylights out of me. I understand that there are many kids and grownups out there with hearing aids, but I also know the stigma that is attached to them. Someone told me that it is no different than wearing glasses, but in reality it is. Every other person on the planet wears glasses, so kids have someone to look to to know that they are normal, hearing impared kids, on the other hand, don't necessarily have that. I know that this is probably the most minor thing that could happen, but I'm to the point where I'm wondering when Caleb is just going to get a break. It seems like if something could go wrong for him, it has and the poor kid has been through too much, in my opinion, for his short 3 years. Ok, sorry. I'm just feeling sorry for him and us.
In the next few days we will be getting information about this office that we go to to have the test done, but I guess this means his speech evaluation for next week is off. Thanks for your prayers. I guess God has another path for our son, I just sure wished that I knew what that was.

5 comments:

Dr_Rob said...

Has he been checked for excess fluid in the middle ear? Sometimes this can cause a hearing deficit because the eustachian tube is not draining properly. I'm not a crazy chiropractor, but many kids with perceived hearing losses have been corrected with a couple of adjustments in the upper neck. If there is a history of one or more ear infections, then that could certainly be a possibility. Most people don't know but the first chiropractic patient was due to hearing loss that was restored after some adjustments to the neck.

Mathis Family said...

Rob,
Yes, Caleb has been checked for middle ear fluid and has had an issue with transient fluid for a couple of years. He just had tubes placed 2 weeks ago after 2 years of us trying other things. He does not have any fluid now, so that's why we are progressing on to the ABR. Thanks for asking.

Anonymous said...

Sorry for the crazy day! I understand fully all that goes on with the failed hearing tests and the whole ABR. Candice recently had her ABR and everything proved to be perfectly normal, after numerous failed hearing tests...so hopefully in your case you will have the same results. But even if he does have hearing loss of any kind and need hearing aids it would be great to have an answer and a solution. I certainly understand not wanting to have to go down that road, but I know God will work out all the details however things turn out. Still praying... Hope you guys had a very Merry Christmas. Loved the Christmas card!

The Wood Family said...

sorry he's having to go through all this. Thinking about you, praying for you.

leah said...

I found your blog through google. I certainly hope your little one's ABR comes out normal, but if he does need hearing aids it really will be OK. The models now are smaller than they used to be, and they even have some with "slim tube" fittings where you can hardly see the aid at all. Our little guy has to have the full earmolds due to the type of loss, but it has actually gotten him a lot of positive attention (believe it or not). The kids think he has some sort of bluetooth headset on, lol!