Surgery...again

A few weeks ago I took Max to an ENT doctor to have his ears looked at again. This doctor told us that the tubes put in in January were now clogged, and Max would need surgery when we returned from vacation to have the tubes replaced.

Another ENT gave us ear drops to try first. Ever try to put drops in a 2 year old’s ears. It’s torture for all of us.

A couple weeks ago when we returned from vacation, due to his utter crabbiness and constant middle of the night awakenings, I feared Max had another ear infection. Off to the doctors we went, only to be told that there was no infection, but one of his tubes had cleared and the other one was still clogged.

The following week we went to the ENT who did his original surgery, who told us the same thing, and gave us more drops, hoping they’d clear up then other ear, and we could avoid surgery.

The next week Cameron had his 5 year old check-up, but Max still screamed, thinking he was going to get poked and prodded again.

Then Max had his two year old appointment, where we learned yet again, that only one ear had cleared.

This past Monday we went back to the ENT who saw that the ear drops did nothing to clear up the plug, and he scheduled surgery for Wednesday.

Today we had to go back to the pediatrician for a pre-op appointment, stating Max is healthy for surgery.

Tomorrow, I must have Max at the hospital at 6:15 AM to have his left tube replaced.

I hope this works. Because for one, I can’t take the stress of the ear drops anymore. Anything these days can set Max off., and he screams enough for the hell of it. To purposefully put him in a foul mood by dropping liquid into his ears 3 times a day might send me completely over the edge.

And two, I am just plain tired of all these doctor visits. Max knows the places so well that he starts to cry as soon as we pull into the parking lot. Then he refuses to enter the building, and if I have all the kids with me, I’m holding Ella, and Max, and a diaper bag and scooting Cameron along with me. We sit in the appointment rooms for way too long before the doctor sees us, during which time I’m trying to stop my kids from crawling all over the floor, emptying the drawers and opening and closing the medical waste trash cans. When anyone medical enters the room, Max immediately plugs his ears with his fingers. Then I have to practically lay on top of him so that the doctor can actually look into his ears. We’ve been to the doctors so often this past month that Max can now weave his own way through the hallways to get to the exit. Today I started to go the wrong way and Max stopped, yelled out, “This way!” and pointed to the correct direction.

And lastly, I just plain feel bad for the little guy. Although he can be so difficult at times, he can also be really sweet, loving and oh-so entertaining. Just the thought of my little boy enduring any kind of pain saddens me dearly.

Let’s all pray this works tomorrow. PLEASE!!!!