Liam's Ear Surgery

The past two years Liam has been prone to ear infections. They first started at daycare, which we were told was normal, but they kept coming back again. About a month ago I took him in for another ear infection and our pediatrician suggested we take him to see a specialist. In November, he was already on his 4th ear infection this winter. We felt horrible constantly having to give him antibiotics but it was the only thing we thought we could do.

Once we saw the specialist I felt so relieved to know that something may actually be wrong with his ears, and he wasn't just prone to infections for no reason. Luckily it was easily treatable. We discussed the option of having tubes put in his ears to help with the draining. We researched the surgery and felt good about moving forward with the procedure.

Before the surgery he had to see an audiologist to check his hearing (both pre and post operation). At his first hearing test we were told that he has so much pressure in one ear his hearing has been impacted. The other ear had so much build up from lack of drainage that he was hearing as if he had a foam earplug in. Ugh- it broke my heart he's been in that much pain (think of a constant ear ache from pressure and only hearing muted sounds). At that point we were all for the surgery and got it scheduled as soon as possible.

The night before the surgery Neal gave Liam a special blessing. It probably calmed my nerves more than anything. We felt good about the operation slated for the next morning and headed to bed. I had a hard time sleeping (my pregnancy anxiety is at a high point right now) and was worried about waking up on time. We had to be to the hospital at 6:00 am to check in. I was stressed because Liam couldn't eat or drink until AFTER the surgery. I was worried it would make for a cranky baby in the morning but he was in such a good mood... tiny miracle people.

We got all checked in and began the waiting game. He was given some medicine to make him loopy and man did that work. It was literally within minutes that I felt like I was holding a drunk baby. I had never seen him so out of it! Just before 8:00 the doctor came in and took our sweet boy. I had the hardest time handing my baby off to the doctor but it sure was a lot easier seeing him being carried away then wheeled off on a stretcher bed.

We waited about 30 minutes before the doctor came in and said that he was in the recovery room waiting for us. We couldn't get there fast enough. We came around the corner and heard him SCREAMING. He did not like waking up from the anesthesia. We took turns holding him for about ten minutes until he finally calmed down. He finally took a sippy cup of juice and let me rock him in my arms. That was seriously the worst part about the whole thing. Not the surgery, just him waking up from it! ha We felt very blessed.

We waited around another 30 minutes to make sure he was okay and then he was released. I took the whole day off work just to be with him and cuddle him. We were told the first day or two he might be irritable because of over stimulation of sounds. He's not used to hearing every little thing :) 

It's been two weeks since his operation and I cannot believe the difference it has made. He sleeps through the night (something that would change on a weekly basis depending on the pressure in his ears), he talks more, and he's starting to repeat words. It was the funniest thing, the day of his surgery while I was home I noticed how LOUD he was being. It was like he was hearing his voice for the first time. He was singing and saying words I had no idea he even knew. It was such a dramatic difference that I'm kicking myself we didn't get this done earlier! 

He's made a great recovery and we are loving having a happy, healthy, and loud little boy. He sure does love the sound of his own voice. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree :)