Update #2 - Ears

Although Kate's surgery will be life altering down the road, and it was certainly difficult at the time, we aren't really feeling the effects of having her palate repaired yet. There was no immediate sucking ability, no sudden improvements in speech that I would link to the repair.

However, there is one BIG improvement that often goes unnoticed because it has become our new norm. What is this big improvement you ask? Well, in the past month, Kathryn Xuna has had ZERO ear infections! Woohoo! Who knew I could get so excited about something so tiny as ear tubes?

Before we brought her home, we knew that there was a good chance that she would have chronic ear infections, possible deafness, and would likely need ear tubes. I didn't have a lot of experience in this area since Will only had two ear infections when he was tiny, and Ben has never had one. Fast forward to last October, and I have had a crash course in them. Since then, Kate has been on 5 different antibiotics to fight ear infections. I figured up at some point that she was on them more than she was off them. Poor kiddo. We were in the pediatrician's office weekly getting her ears checked out.

The first time we went to the ENT, he didn't even look at her ears. I told him she had had three infections (at that point), and he agreed on the spot that she needed the tubes. We were able to coordinate his services with the plastic surgeon, so she had the tubes put in just minutes before her palate was repaired. Dr. O came out and told us that often the fluid in the ear is very runny, but hers was more like tapioca pudding, which meant it had been there a long time. Who knows how many infections she had when she was in China? He had to suction it out. Ick.

He then told me that I would be able to diagnose her infections from now on. He said that there would be stuff running out of her ears, and he gave me some drops to put in them. At the time, I thought that the this was great because we are just about sick to death of running to the doctor every time she has a slight fever. But I have to say, there is so much freedom now. Take last week for example. We were in Ohio for 5 days, and my kids ALWAYS get sick when we go to Ohio. (Actually they always get sick when we go anywhere.) I always worry about packing the thermometer and tylenol and motrin and whatever else I predict a sick child will need. I worry about seeing an "out-of-network" doctor that my insurance may or may not pay for. This time, I threw in the ear drops and thermometer, and I didn't worry. I knew that if her ears started oozing, I had the drops and could deal with it. But the best part is, I haven't needed the ear drops since her recovery. She hasn't had a single ear infection in the past month!

Also with this improvement, we are hoping that her hearing will improve. Before her surgery, she had mild-moderate hearing loss. It was kind of like hearing underwater for her because of the tapioca ears. We had her hearing tested a couple of weeks ago, but we didn't get the results we wanted. Basically she wouldn't pay attention. She thinks the tests are fairly boring. One audiologist told me that was a sign of intelligence:)

I have feared that the hearing loss would be permanent. It is certainly a possibility. But then, the other day we were in Ohio, and there were birds chirping outside. It was a very soft sound. Honestly I didn't even notice it myself, until she started signing "bird bird". This is a very good sign because the chirping was similar in tone and volume to the sounds she wasn't responding to in the audiologist's office. So there is still the possibility that there is some permanent loss, but things are looking good. We are incredibly thankful for Kate's wonderful doctors. God has blessed us in bringing them to us.