ears, homesick, vans & helmet update!

Patrick and I noticed this morning that Joey didn't seem to be hearing as good as he had been for the past couple weeks since his surgery, so I called his doctor this morning and took him in. Sure enough, his little ear canals were already filling with wax again! So his Doc did as good of a job as he could cleaning them out. And he does actually seem to be hearing a little better now.

Yesterday I was sitting here at the computer and started getting homesick, well I've been homesick, but I was sitting here thinking about it so I decided it was time to plan another trip home. So, I'm flying out the 26th and coming home February 4. It's about time I go home. I haven't been home since October and I miss my family. I just saw my parents, but I really miss my brother, sister in law and my cousin, well I miss everyone! I can't wait!!!

Today I went and looked at another van. The other one we looked at ended up having a leak in the transmission and the guy wasn't willing to pay the full amount to have it fixed so it's his loss. But it's good that we didn't buy that one. It was a 1997 and today the one I looked at was a 2002 and only $1000 more! And come to find out the guy who's selling it is a friend of a friend and is going through a divorce and needs to pay of the loan. So we're going to talk to him in the next couple days. Cross your fingers this one works out!

Less than a week and counting left with Joey's helmet! And I can't wait! Well a broad range of topics talked about tonight but I think I got everyone caught up on the latest!

ENT visit

I took Joey today for his follow up appointment with his ENT after his ear surgery a couple weeks ago. His ENT was so pleased with the results. He wants to take Joey in twice a ear to clean his ears out since they don't want to drain on their own. Of course this means, going under a general anesthesia twice a year, but I think it will be worth it after seeing the results from his surgery. He went from not responding to sound, to looking at us, jumping when something startles him and being so much more vocal!

What a difference!

It's amazing the difference in Joey since his surgery last Friday. I always thought he was an alert little guy before, but now he's completely different. I didn't realize how much he couldn't hear. He never used to jump when there was a loud noise or wouldn't always turn his head when we called his name. Now he does! He's actually gotten so startled that after he jumped, he started crying! I just can't get over the difference!!!

Surgery update

Joey's surgery went very well. His ears were full of fluid & wax but unfortunately, his ears canals are still too small for tubes. So the doctor cleaned his ears out and the audiologist did his hearing test. His right ear is still perfect, his left is good but not perfect. The audiologist compared it to someones eyes starting to go bad, but not needing glasses yet. So we have to go in every year now for an annual hearing test and maybe in the future, he might need a hearing aid.

He woke up just fine after his trip to the OR. He was so unlike most of the other babies in recovery. It seemed like all the other babies were crying and screaming. There was Joey, happy as can be, blowing bubbles at everyone who walked by. HE'S SUCH A TROOPER!

Joey's ENT is planning on scheduling another ear cleaning the same day as Joey's circumcision in April to do another ear cleaning and possibly then tubes.

Tomorrow

Well tomorrow is Joey's surgery. Hopefully he won't have to get the tubes. Hopefully, they'll go in and any fluid is no longer in his ears and he'll pass the hearing test. If that's the case, no tubes. If there's fluid, he will get the tubes and then they'll do the brainstem hearing test while he's still asleep. We have to be at the hospital at 6:30am which means we have to get up extra early! Which us luck tomorrow and be sure to say a little prayer for Joey!

Joey update!

Geez, I've been so focused on other things lately Ive not had a true Joey update post! He's doing so good! He's finally feeling better and back to himself after our little trip to the ER the other day. He's not liking to take his antibiotics very well though.

Did I mention when they weighed him at the hospital that he weighs 16 lbs 8 oz?!?! He's getting so big! He grew out of his 6/9 month clothes and is already in 12 month clothes!

I can't believe he turns 9 months old tomorrow. The months just keep flying by! Before I know it, he's going to be 1 year old!

He's doing such a goof job with his sitting. He sits up for about one minute now, sometimes longer. I had him sitting next to me on the couch last night watching TV and he was so excited just sitting there next to me. I wish my husband would have been home to grab a picture of it.

He's still not doing much in the way of crawling. He wants to so bad! He gets up on his knees then falls down and rolls over. He'll get it soon. His PT has been working on it with him.

Friday, we have another trip to the hospital but this time instead of the ER, we're going to the OR. Joey's ENT wants to knock him out since he can't see inside of Joey's ear canals and since he keeps failing his left sided hearing tests. The ENT wants to be able to get a good look inside of them, if there's fluid clean it out, put in tubes if needed and while he's still sleeping, have the audiologist do the brainstem hearing test. This will determine if he keeps failing the test due to fluid or an actual hearing loss. I'm hoping for the fluid well actually I'm hoping that if it was fluid that it's disappeared since his last hearing test and that he won't need tubes at all! But with the size of his tiny ear canals, I doubt it.

Today was Joey's appointment with his ENT about his hearing. He failed his hearing tests with both of his ears when he was born and at a couple months failed the left. At that time, the ENT was unable to see into his ear canals so we were scheduled for today. Still today, at almost 8 months the ENT was unable to see into either of Joey's ears. Patrick and I have both noticed lately that when we call out Joey's name, he doesn't look at us right away. We usually have to call his name out multiple times and get louder each time.

Well, his ENT wants to take Joey to the OR, sedate him to clean out his ears, do a hearing test and if needed, put tubes in. JUST WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR! I'm so nervous about having Joey put under. The good thing about this is, that since Joey was too small at birth to be circumcised, that his ENT is going to call his urologist and coordinate the procedures together! The urologist wanted to wait until Joey is 1 year old to put him under, but since they're both in Yale's operating room on the same day, they're going to try to work something out. I just hope the urologist's schedule has an opening! The younger the better to have that done! It killed me that they couldn't circumcise him at birth.

I know Joey can hear out of his right ear, I just hope there's not much of a loss in his left and that maybe it's all just fluid from his ear canals being so small. I'm suppose to get a call today or Monday with an OR appointment hopefully for both!

What a way to wake up this morning... to a baby with snot running clear down to his chin! Poor little guy has another cold! At least this time, he's not running a fever. Luckily he seems to feel somewhat ok, he's not miserable like the last one.

Yesterday, my mother in law and I took Joey to Craniotechnologies and he does need a helmet to correct his mis-shaped head. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the worst), Joey's head is a 7. I never thought his head was that bad. Anyways, he not only has plagiocephaly, he also has brachycephaly. So after it's approved by our insurance (which they Do cover these), we'll go back and get a mold of his head made. This is going to be the worst part of it all. We're going to have to hold Joey still for 10 minutes while they make a plaster mold of his head. Then around a week later we go back to pick it up. Joey will have to wear his helmet for 23 hours a day for approximately 12 weeks, then his head should be better! But THANK GOD insurance covers these things cause they're not $2000 like I thought, they're $3000!!!!!!!

Yesterday was Joey's ENT appointment. The doctor didn't want to put him through the stress of looking in his ears and nose. He said his ear canals are still too small and it would hurt him too much. He also said he's not too worried about his hearing until he's around 6 months old. So I have to take him back in November to have everything looked at then. He did say that the noise we've been hearing from Joey that we thought was coming from his sinus is not from there that it's actully acid reflux due to him swallowing too much air when he's eating so now he's on medication for that. And it's actully working! He had been crying a lot and having a lot of gas, today he's already shown improvement! No crying today! Well, at least no gas pain crying, just hunger and poopy diaper crying.

Speaking of the little guy... I hear him waking up so time for a diaper change and bottle!