It was a good run...

After two years of nearly perfect health and a grand total of only FIVE visits to the pediatrician (3 required check-ups and 2 ear infection visits; there was a time when we had 5+ appointments a month), Landon will be reentering a hospital to have his adenoids removed and new ear tubes inserted. Ironically, the surgery is scheduled for April 1, which is both April Fool's Day and the same date he got ear tubes for the first time in 2008.

my itty bitty patient on April 1, 2008

His tubes fell out sometime late last year and he immediately got a double ear infection. We went to the ENT where Landon charmed a nurse and failed a hearing test (though not because he couldn't hear). The doctor advised that we wait to see if he got any additional infections before we decided on another round of tubes. Given JP's long and tormented history of ear problems (short version: his eustachian tubes do not work, at all) we knew there was a good chance Landon inherited the same anatomical "quirk" (so much better than abnormality or evolutionary failure, right?). But many weeks passed and he stayed healthy and we started thinking that maybe he got my nice, properly functioning ears and wouldn't need another surgery after all.

Then, about two weeks ago, Landon started waking up an hour early. He didn't cry- he'd just walk downstairs and play quietly with his trains until we emerged from our room, but it was strange and he wasn't getting enough rest. On the second day he was a little clingy at night, wanting only to sit in my lap and cuddle. On night three he felt hot and had a 102 fever. We dosed him with Motrin and then, after some cuddles, he very seriously informed me that "the doctor needs to check my ear." "Oh really?" I said. "Yes," he replied with a slow nod, "there's an elephant in there... he's hurting it." I almost laughed, but then I remembered that when we saw the ENT (months earlier) the doctor had jokingly asked Landon if there was an elephant in his ear. Since Landon was feeling fine at the time, he said Noooo and laughed. But I guess it stuck with him, and now that his ears hurt, he knew that pesky elephant must be involved.

He got some extra cuddles and another dose of Motrin, and I called the pediatrician on my drive to work the next morning to make an immediate appointment, thanking god for a child who can now talk when he's hurting because he had no other symptoms of an ear infection. Then JP called from home a few minutes later to say that Landon's ear drum had perforated during the night. And sure enough, he had another double infection, one burst ear drum, and another looking like it would burst any minute. Poor kid- an elephant indeed.

So ten days later he was back at the ENT who said both ear drums had healed, but both ears already had a build-up of fluid just waiting to get infected. Landon was very good during the hearing test, but he failed anyway- this time on legitimate grounds. They found a significant amount of hearing loss in his left ear and a somehwat lesser amount in his right.

I'm certain the surgery is the right call and based on last time, getting the tubes put in will be far less traumatic for him than any ear infection. But it's a little harder this time around. He's older. He's more aware. We've been extraordinarily spoiled with his immune system of steel over the past 2 years. I've stopped thinking of him as a patient- he's just my snuggly, smiley little boy. For the first time I understand the parents who freak out over some minor procedure while I'm looking at them thinking, dude, calm down, s/he's going to be fine! So it's a little general anesthesia? The odds are totally with you!

I really did think that way. I think it was an inevitable mindset, at least for me, when your baby spends his first 12 days in a NICU and then too many more days in various specialists offices, emergency rooms, and ORs. He became clinical and I could write about it and deal with it only in that detached way. Plus, I'm naturally pragmatic and the odds are with you and really, ear tubes are just not that big of a deal. I'm also just not a worrier, even in situations that all but demand it.

Yet I find myself mildly worried about next Thursday. I have complete faith in the doctor and the beautiful new pediatric surgery center where we will be going. But Landon's older now- he might not head off down the hall so cheerfully with a stranger like he did at 9 months old. When he wakes up he'll wonder where I am, rather than just being excited that he's allowed to have his bottle again. Helping him recover will be a bit harder, I think, since I can't just strap him in a swing and forcibly restrict his movements. The adenoidectomy also raises new issues as we haven't experienced that one before. Have you? What was the recovery like for your child? Any tips or things I should stock up on? When were they back to feeling 100%

On the positive side, I am looking forward to solving Landon's elephant-in-the-ear problem, and introducing him to jello. I also really hope I can take another picture of him in mini-scrubs.