Tubes are a success!

Isaac had his tubes put in on Monday, and I'm happy to report they are a success!

He's had four ear infections in three months (more accurately, 9 weeks) and the antibiotics really started taking a toll on his belly. Not to mention, he was always in pain, had difficulty sleeping, would scream when you'd lay him down for a diaper change. It was really bad toward the end.

One of my biggest concerns was the hearing loss. They say that at 3 months of ear infections that don't clear up, hearing loss begins and is permanent. I knew Isaac was having trouble hearing because he wouldn't turn around when called and didn't always respond to sounds. Also, he hadn't started babbling, not even close.

The doctor agreed that it was probably best to go ahead and do tubes even though Ike is so young. He warned us that Isaac would probably need another set of tubes, just because of his age. We were ok with that risk.

The surgery itself was a breeze. It also helped that our doctor is FABULOUS! I've seen him before and it turned out that he is truly gifted when it comes to dealing with children. I knew we were in good hands when we showed up and Nurse Libby was there and assigned to Ike. Nurse Libby was a nurse who helped me through one of my challenging procedures when I was all alone one day. She held my hand and offered her number to make sure I always had someone by my side. She is truly a blessing. (And normally she works at the Cancer Center, not the surgery center; she just happened to be filling in that day. Talk about God always taking care of you.)

Nurse Libby got Ike all prepped and then Dr. Dye arrived to take Ike into surgery. He picked him up and held him on his hip. We waved goodbye and Dr. Dye walked Ike into the operating room. Literally 7 minutes later Dr. Dye was out telling us that the procedure was successful. He told us that the fluid had started solidifying in Ike's ear and that it was thick and sticky and green. Yuck! Dr. Dye said it wasn't a moment too soon to do the tubes.

When we got back to the recovery room, I expected Isaac to be upset and even kicking and screaming (they said anesthesia can make babies very aggressive). Instead, he was watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and charming all the nurses. Oh, I love my little boy!

They released us within an hour and we all got home and jumped in bed. After a nice long nap, Ike woke up a happier child. I'm sure it felt so good to be rid of that infection and fluid! I noticed right away that Ike could hear much better. Every sound intrigued him and caught his attention. He also stopped screaming during diaper changes. It's amazing that the change was so immediate.

I was also so relieved when, today, Ike started babbling. He said baba and I even think I heard mama right before we went to bed. I'm so glad we decided to do the tubes for Isaac. He is much happier- and so are we!