New Baby!

Bet I got you to do a double take on that one huh?? No, we are NOT having a baby.. but since Jackson got his tubes last week, it's like we have a whole new baby! He was one happy kid before, but now.. whoa! He's like 10 times as happy! He is just hilarious! It is crazy that a small plastic  tube can make such a big difference! He is crawling around like crazy and pulling up on EVERYTHING! He would love to try and walk, but is still too wobbly for that. We are excited that he is no longer in pain and will be healthy for Christmas! Yeah! 

Me, on the other hand, not so much. I have gotten ANOTHER bad sinus infection and my right ear is very messed up and not draining the fluid that has been in there for weeks now. My Dr. has me on some more heavy duty antibiotics and a steroid nose spray, so hopefully that will take care of the problem. I am very tired of these sinus/ear infections. We are praying that 2011 is a medical drama-free year for us!

Since it's so close to Christmas, I probably won't post again until after Sat. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!
I will leave you with the kids trip to see Santa! Enjoy! 

Set for Tube City.. Dec. 14th!!

Hey friends,

Some of you have heard that Jackson has been having a lot of ear infections lately. 4 to be exact, since Sept and he’s been on 4  rounds of antibiotics and nothing has helped. My Ped. recommend that he get tubes, so we met with our ENT today. They had to do some tests to check him out and here is what they found:

~His eardrums are not moving at all (apparently they are supposed to move)

~He has some minor hearing loss in both ears (from all the fluid in there from  his current infection)

~The fluid in his ear is very cloudy/yellow and it’s pretty nasty in there

So the Dr. said tubes are definitely necessary and we need to do it as soon as possible. The surgery will last about 15 min. and they have to put Jackson under general anesthesia. We will then be in the post-op room for a couple of hours and then we will get to go home. He will have the tubes in for a year, and we will go in every 4-5 months for the Dr. to check on them. They usually take out the adenoids when they put in tubes, but he said Jackson was too small for him to do that now. As Jackson grows and gets bigger, so will his ears and the tubes may possible fall out in about a year, which is fine. However, there is a small chance that even with tubes, he may continue to have ear infections. If he keeps getting them, then he will have to have an additional set of tubes put in next year and then at that time, they will take out his adenoids. But if he doesn’t have any more infections, then that’s fine and the Dr. will just keep checking on him.

Sigh. So it’s just a lot to take in, but I know this will help him and he will start to feel better almost immediately. The surgery has been schedule for next Tues., Dec. 14^th at 6:30am. (We have to get there at 5:30am!! Yikes!!) A few weeks after the surgery, we will go back to the Dr. and they will retest his hearing and they said his hearing should be back to normal.

Please keep my little guy in your prayers and us too, as this is very nerve-racking. I just worry so much about my children and as parents we want nothing more than for them to be healthy and happy! Thank you all for the support, love and prayers! We are very hopeful that 2011 will be a year of less Dr. visits and no more medical drama!

Where we go from here

Hey friends,
 I mentioned in my last post that our house has been under a virus attack for the last several months. Poor Jackson has had 3 double ear infections since Sept. and we have seen our Pediatrician more times than I can count on 2 hands. As of a week ago, he had finished his last round of antibiotics, but he wasn't getting any better. He started crying again when we put him to bed, so I took him to the Dr. again this past week and guess what? He has yet ANOTHER double ear infection!!!! UGH!!! This is 4 if you are keeping count! The Dr. said his poor little ears looked horrible and said this was the last straw. He has exhausted all the oral medication he can prescribe, so he has to get an antibiotic shot every other day for 3 days. But the Dr. said we definitely needed to see an ENT to get tubes and referred us to one. I went and scheduled and appt. and we will be seeing him this next Tues. The nurses in that office said we should be scheduled for Jackson to get tubes in his ears before the end of the year. I know this surgery will definitely help him and he will feel so much better, but the Momma Bear in me is scared to death. I've heard from friends that this is a easy surgery, but it still terrifies me for him to have a surgical procedure. He has been through so much in his short little life and I just want him to be healthy and strong. 
Once we've met with the ENT, I will let you all know what the Dr. says and when the surgery will be. We would appreciate prayers and good thoughts as we deal with this! Thank you!