After a night of sleeping with Ezra as he tossed, turned and kicked me then ask for milk, water and juice to drink to hydrate his fever warmed body at 3:30 in the morning, I feel like I need to sleep.
Ezra is sleeping now. His snotty nose and ear infection not giving him cause to wake. That is good. I need the rest.
We took Ezra the otolaryngologist, and the otolaryngologist said Ezra has one tube in the right ear. The left ear drum without the tube has some fluid behind the ear drum. There is no inflammation. And we noted to the otolaryngologist that Ezra hasn’t complained about ear pain since the last ear infection. The good news is that the otolaryngologist said there is no need now for new tubes in ears.
The best news is that Ezra and I have been enjoying the rest of the day at home. We’ve read books, ran, laughed, danced with Johnny Cash, ate bagels and now he naps to ready for more fun to come.
Ezra’s mood swings swung like the pendulum of a grandfather clock. Except the tick-tock of pendulum was cry-shout that started and stopped from minute to minute. One minute he didn’t want the empanada, salsa shouting and crying them to be removed from plate then put back on plate then the next minute he was silent as he ate. One minute he didn’t want books read to him and then he wanted books read to him. Then the next minute he was silent as he listened to -v- read. All the time he was wiping his nose causing one cheek to become more red.
The mood swings were caused by being tired; having a runny nose for weeks; an ear infection; poop that causes rashes because of the antibiotics for the ear infection kill stomach bacteria; and there is a muck sickness the family can’t seem kick. All seems to have pushed Ezra near the edges of sanity and insanity. It has been too much time since he has probably had a great night of peaceful sleep.
We are on another level of antibiotics for Ezra’s ear. He woke up on Wednesday complaining about an owie in his ear, so I got him in to see the doctor. She decided to switch to a different type of antibiotic, because she said that it was either a new infection or the old one didn’t get knocked out by the dose we started two weeks ago…so, it’s now looking very likely that Ezra will get a recommendation for another set of tubes. Those poor ears! He takes his medicine like a trooper….even the additional “medicine” that we’re giving him to help his tummy get the good bacteria back - straight acidophilus bacteria that tastes like weirdly pungent blueberry yogurt. Hopefully he will keep up the good attitude and this ear infection will go away!
About a year ago Ezra got ear tubes to help with ear infections. The tubes have helped for infections have been near none after he got ear tubes, but now due to an ear infection, agitation and time the ear tube has fallen out. We have the ear tube wrapped in tissue. There has been a slight fever, and there is a slight pain in the ear with no ear tube. Golden goop has oozed from ear. He has told us only one ear really hurts. Though his ear infection is causing him slight pain, he was in great spirts tonight was he and we played trucks and trains then sung the clean-up song and cleaned-up. His pediatrician will be seeing him tomorrow about the ear tube and ear infection.
What we thought/hoped/wanted to be teething is instead a fucking ear infection. A fucking ear infection that kept Ezra, -v- and I awake nearly all night with cries that varied from neighborhood waking screams to small whimpers as he slept.
Now we are all tired. And another night is before us. He is sleeping now. He was a little less fussy. He was rubbing his ear and jaw like he was trying to polish it. The only thing he’s polishing it with is the snot that covers his face.
We were going to begin to limit his use of pacifiers this week, but with the ear infection and the pacifier’s soothing ability the pacifier is needed. He is on antibiotic, so hopefully with them and tubes the infection will be gone soon, and we can begin to wane Ezra from pacifiers.
I fucking hate ear infections. I wish it were teething then at least we would know there would be an end to the pain, cries and sleeplessness. And if it were teething then at least he would be getting teeth and not just a fucking ear infection.
They gave him some liquid Valium to make him silly. A few minutes after he was looking around and rocking on back. They took him away and gave him some gas to calm him further. Then they put the tubes in. The time span between him getting the Valium and him returning from the operating room was about forty minutes.
When he returned from surgery, he looked like I do after a night of drink too much whiskey. His face was puffy, and eyes were barely open and red. He was groggy and fussed a bit, but mostly he sat silent and still as he stared at the ground wanting to be held by -v-.
After the surgery, the doctor said that Ezra had a lot of fluid behind both ear drums and a slight inflammation, and that everything went smoothly during the operation.
Now we are home, and his mood is good. He has been smiling and eating. He did have some trouble walking at first, but now is walking with balance.
Now I only hope the tubes will help him hear and become less susceptible to getting those fucking ear infections.
Ear infections were bad during the past, but now that pain appears to be amplified with his want to be soothed with the soothing act of nursing.
I miss his nursing too on days like today for during the past it was only a matter of attaching him to the breast to change a fussing Ezra to a calm and content Ezra, but without the wonder of nursing to sooth Ezra not only is there one less method for us to help him through the pain of his latest ear infection, but there is also agitation he must feel from not being able to be soothed with the breast.
This agitation was felt by all when I got home from work today. Ezra was walking around with a tear streaked face. His arms were raised about shoulder level making him look like a zombie wanting to be held my its mummy. But even holding Ezra didn’t sooth him entirely. He fussed. He cried. He rubbed his ears so much I thought they were going to fall off. So we did give him some baby Mortin and laid him down to sleep all knowing he will likely wake around midnight feeling the pain in his head.
-v-, Ezra and I can only hope two weeks from now, after he gets tubes in his ear drums, that he can begin to live a life free of ear infections.
The appointment for later this month to have a doctor cut Ezra’s ear drum and insert tubes (to let the fluid drain) has been made. The ear infection he had is gone. This was confirmed by his doctor yesterday. What was also confirmed was the fact he has too much fluid behind on ear drum, which increases the chance of another ear infection, so ezra will be getting tubes.
Ezra went to the doctor today for a hearing test and a consultation with an ENT NP for his ears. The recommendation: Ezra should get tubes. Like I didn’t see that coming. Fortunately, the hearing test turned out well - his hearing is slightly compromised but maybe only because he currently (still…always) has some fluid build-up in both ears, and it was just barely detectable.
We took Ezra to a Baby Loves Disco baby dance party last Sunday. It was a fun time - Ezra got to run around, eat snacks, play with hula hoops, shake some music makers, and grab bubbles. But I wonder, how well did he hear the music?
I can tell when Ezra is growing because my arms and legs hurt more at the end of the day. My muscles are getting bigger as Ezra gets bigger. I wonder if the relationship between Ezra’s growth and the ginormous gunz I pack on each arm could be correlated by some fancy mathematical equation? hmmm…..if only I hadn’t slept through calculus so often.
Ezra is getting so big, he is able to crawl up on the couch, on chairs, and on the guest bed. He is also able to walk up the stairs, one foot per step, just like a big kid, as long as I am holding his hand. We’ve had to bust out the 18 month old clothes and I think we’re about ready to go up a shoe size. I’m glad that throughout the ear infections, teething and such, Ezra’s still been eating enough to keep growing big and strong!
Ear Infections fucking suck because they cause Ezra pain; because they wake Ezra often during the night; because they prevent Ezra from napping; because they create a Fussy Ezra; because they fear use to antibiotics; because they worry a parent about surgery on their child to ‘get tubes’; because they make a parent paranoid about their child’s health; because they create cries that no parent wants to hear; because they cause Ezra pain.
Ezra had a follow-up doctor’s visit to check on the ear infection discovered on Monday. The follow-up visit was to determine if Ezra needed to get a prescription of White Strawberry Smooth Flavored Amoxicillin / Clavulanate Potassium to fight off the ear infection or if the ear infection was being fought off by Ezra’s immune system. I am happy to write that, according to his doctor, Ezra’s immune system is fighting off the ear infection, so there was no White Strawberry Smooth Flavored Amoxicillin / Clavulanate Potassium prescribed! WOO HOO!
-v- took Ezra into the doctor’s on Monday for his big boy 1 year checkup and his shots. BUT, to our surprise, he has an ear infection. An ear infection that was the reason we were tired last week. It is the reason why he will be going to the doctor’s office on Thursday for a follow up check to see if the ear infection is going way. If it is then there won’t be any White Strawberry Smooth Flavored Amoxicillin / Clavulanate Potassium. If the ear infection continues to grow then Ezra will be enjoying more White Strawberry Smooth Flavored Amoxicillin / Clavulanate Potassium which he hates.
This is weird because we took him to the doctor’s office a month ago because we believed he had an ear infection, but he was only getting his molars. And while he is still getting in his molars, we attributed his fussiness to the molars, but it was in fact an ear infection.
Ezra has had another ear infection. It happened last week. We caught it before it got really bad, and it appears it hasn’t caused him much pain. Much pain other than the fact he gags and tries to spit out the White Strawberry Smooth Flavored Amoxicillin / Clavulanate Potassium like geyser every time it enters his mouth leaving him looking like he was trying to apply white lipstick over his lips and cheeks and chin.
-v- took him into the pediatrician today to confirm what we have suspected for the past couple of days. The suspicion began with the return of the boogers in Ezra’s eyes. Then Ezra began to rub his ears. Then began the fussiness without known cause. We found today that even after completing the last cycle of Amoxicillin, the bubble gum Amoxicillin, the ear infection has returned.
The doctor did warn us that Ezra’s first prescription may not take care of the infection because the infection could be too strong for just Amoxicillin, but she didn’t want to give him the super Amoxicillin because it kill lots of bacteria not just the bacteria causing the ear infection. That didn’t work. It helped, but the bubble gum flavored Amoxicillin didn’t kill the bacteria off, so now Ezra is on a ten day cycle of white strawberry smooth flavored Amoxicillin/Clavulanate Potassium.