If you read my last post, you know that Number 7 failed two hearing screenings at school and I had a minor (okay major) freak out.

First of all, THANK YOU for all the comments and emails and messages and support. I really appreciate all you have had to say. It was very reassuring.

Plus now I know I’m not the only mom to go from  Everything is great! to My kid is on the verge of death! in approximately 2.4 seconds.

So yesterday I took Number 7 to the pediatrician to have her checked out and tested there.

When I first called the office and explained to them what had happened, they tried to convince me that Number 7 was fine because she passed her hearing test back in March at her yearly exam.

And while I am always in such a rush trying to get the hell out of those physicals and admittedly don’t pay attention as closely as I should, I have a cloudy recollection of the nurse who administered the test last time kind of  redoing it and giving her a second chance. Or something. Like I said, it’s a cloudy recollection.

Anyway, I do remember at that appointment she failed her eye exam. But she was supposed to look at a screen that was flashing different stuff at her, and she’s not a particularly huge fan of TV as it is, so to get her to watch a bunch of super annoying flashes on a screen was definitely not going to hold her attention.

After failing that vision test, the doctor told me to take her to a specialist, but I was (and am) sure her vision is fine. So I never did that. And she passed the school vision tests with no problem.

But I remember telling my husband when I got home from that check up back in March that Number 7 failed the vision test but I was really surprised she didn’t fail the hearing test, because she so often says “What?” when I am talking to her. And my husband said that he had noticed that, too.

So I wasn’t super shocked that she failed the school hearing test because I’ve felt for a while now that something is not quite right.

Back to the pediatrician yesterday —

Number 7 failed the hearing test in both ears.

I sat and watched the little light go off on the ear test tool thingie, and most of the times she was supposed to raise her hand, it stayed flat on the bench she was sitting on.  The nurse turned the thing up a notch and did it again and then she heard some of the beeps. But still not all of them.

So then the doctor came in. Or maybe she was a physician’s assistant.

She started right in with the Has-she-been-massively-ill-lately-and-you-neglected-her-and-that’s-why-she-can’t-fucking-hear type questions.

I think I did a good job of not getting defensive or sarcastic and I assured her aside from a cold that has recently run through our house, she has been fine.

The doctor checked her ears.

No wax, so that wasn’t the problem.

But she does have fluid in both of them. And she has an infection in one of them.

We had no clue about the infection. Number 7 wasn’t in any pain.  She did say that ear felt “funny” but I thought maybe she had water in it from swim practice.

The ear with the infection was the worse of the two as far as the hearing deficit. So that explains a little bit of it.

And I guess it looks like the fluid  may be the issue in which case, as was the case for many of you who left me comments, she may need tubes put in.

But first she’ll finish the antibiotics the doctor prescribed for the ear infection, and then when that is all cleared up, we’ll have a more comprehensive test done with a specialist to determine what we need to do next.

So what lessons have I learned from this?

First, don’t let doctors push you around or minimize your concerns. Especially when you have a feeling in your gut that something is off. TRUST YOUR GUT. You know your kids better than anyone else. Even better than a doctor.

Second, having a community of moms to turn to who can relate to what you are going through doesn’t suck. I love you guys!

And third, when the Furies, as Martha Beck calls them, start going crazy in your head, un-rut your brain from that bullshit fear cycle!

Repeat to yourself, May you be happy, May you be well, May you be free from suffering. And keep that going until your brain has rewired itself.

Because those damn Furies will drive you fucking insane.

And everything is going to be okay.

 

 I LOVE this super cute set! Check it and tons of other cute stuff out at Betsy Boo’s Boutique — my fave place to shop online!

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