Ears, tubies, and other musings...

Well for Pete's sake, this blog needs to be tended to!


It has been a wild few months, and super busy! Right now it's 2:30 am, and I can't sleep. So, here we are! If chunks of this post seems weird or has mistakes, just bear with me, it's late, k?!?!


Well, lil' miss needs an update. Some of you may be wondering about the title! As Rowan was nearing 2, I noticed she wasn't saying the "obligatory" 60 words (or is it 50?) that a 2 year old should be saying. I also noticed if I would call her, she wouldn't turn to me. My sister brought it up, which confirmed to me that something was a bit off. We had a hearing test set up.


We went to her hearing test, and were told that Rowan has a mild hearing loss in both ears. We were told this was due to fluid being in her middle ears. The doctors were shocked she's never technically had an ear infection. The doctor said her hearing was the equivalent of her hearing underwater. It made me feel sad for her! We got another appointment to meet with a surgeon to discuss options, as they thought tubes could be an option.


We met with the surgeon and were given 2 choices. Tubes or have her take antibiotics to clear up the fluid. The latter choice I was told, could possibly not even work. I am a firm believer you shouldn't take antibiotics if you truly don't need them (hello antibiotic resistance!). So after some discussion, we chose to go with tubes. I know this is a beyond common procedure, and I felt this was the best way to go. I was told that if she gets tubes, she may not ever be quiet again! Oh dear....


About a month or so later, we got a referral to be seen by a group  called ALTA, which specializes in speech therapy. Considering 2 months have passed since she turned 2 and her hearing loss, she says quite a bit now. However, I still wanted her to be observed. After a 45 minute observation, we were told Rowan had a vocabulary of an 18 month old, and was on the borderline to be qualified. She did end up being qualified for speech, which was great! The therapists did mention (like the doctor) that these tubes could dramatically change everything!


So... there ya have it. Did I mention tomorrow is when Rowan gets her tubes?!? Even though pretty much 8 out of 10 kids get this done, I am a bit nervous! Any pearls of wisdom?!?