Poor Little Ears

While we were in Sioux Falls and Freeman over the weekend, I noticed that Sophie was quite warm and feverish. By Monday night, Sophie was obviously in a lot of pain. She was up most of the night, crying and crying. BA was already staying home with her in the morning, due to the sitter having a funeral, so he got up with her (Bless his heart.).

For the first time ever, BA took Sophie to the doctor without me yesterday morning. I have used SO MANY sick days on her little ears already this year that I am already a day and a half in deficit (deduct, no good - cuts into the shopping). So while I hated not being there, I had to allow BA to step up and take a turn. Well, the poor little monkey had an ear infection. She has been on maintenence antibiotics for three months, but still got this breakthrough ear infection. Her pediatrician declared that this is enough messing around with these ears and that having tubes put in can't be put off any longer.

I have sure been hoping to avoid the tubes. Peyton had tubes when he was almost two, and it was fairly traumatic. It's awful to have your baby wheeled off to be put under and cut into, no matter how minor the surgery is. Then in the recovery room, he bawled inconsolably for almost an hour, to the point of throwing up. He had blood trickling out of his little ears, and it was WAY worse than I had expected it to be. Then for a couple years, we had to jam some nasty earplugs into his ears every time he swam or bathed. He fought it and hated them. I will say, though, that they ended his ear infections.

We are seeing an ENT specialist for the consultation next Tuesday, and then her surgery will be scheduled from there. I am awfully upset about the whole ordeal. It's going to be hard to make her fast; she will not understand why we won't let her drink or eat anything when she wakes up. And I just worry about how she'll feel afterward and hope she understands that we aren't trying to hurt her. I know in the long run, though, that if it puts an end to all of her excruciating ear infections, it's definitely worth it. She's suffered enough.

These pictures are from yesterday, when I gave her antibiotics, Tylenol, ear numbing prescription drops, and some Benadryl, and she FINALLY got a little rest. Poor baby.