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Ollie's ENT appointment this morning....
well, he went to see and ENT specialist today because he has had 3 bouts of tonsilitis with a 5 week period (the last one hospitalising him which caused all sorts of other problems) and the guy we saw was really really good.
He was a specialist in tonsilitis as part of his ENT dept, and he said that any child with tonsilitis should always be given augmentin on a t10-20 day course to treat not only the bacteria outside the tonsils (which is all penicillin treats) but any bacteria lurking INSIDE the tonsils that could linger for years....
Anyhoo, he checked Ollie over, asked if he was suffering anything at the moment (thank god he's not) and then told us that he had very large tonsils. We discussed everything (inc the fact that me my dad and sis have all suffered terribly with tonsilitis meaning we've all had them out) and even talked about him waking in the night and him not saying as many words as he should be.
So he sent him for a hearing test as well, and he failed it.
He has glue ear, which the consultant said is highly likely to be a side effect of the tonsilitis.
So he gave us two options, schedule a surgery now to take the tonsils, adenoids out and put gromits in, or make another appointment for 3 months time to see if he has improved at all, and if not then do the surgery.
In the meantime, if he gets tonsilitis at all he is to be re admitted to hospital and we are to get them to call this guy personally and he will come down and check him over, and likely take his tonsils etc out and gromits in there and then.....
so although were cutting it a bit fine with marissa's birth, we have another appointment in march to see him again, and will see if he can shake it.
He said that 30-60% of children can shake glue ear themselves once their immune system is working properly (and Ollies just isnt at the moment with everything he's had), but should he not shake it, and he needs the gromits then it will be sorted within the month for it to be done.
So its now a game of wait and see, but hopefully as he clears the glue ear he will start talking properly - they are supposed to be able to say up to 20 recognisable words at 18 months, and Ollie can say abuut 3. :roll:
He was also supposed to have a hearing check at his 6-9 month check up, and the HV didn't do one.
But hopefully everything will clear
and if it doesnt we know we got someone who has done personal research into what were fighting backing us all the way, and he has put recommendations onto Ollie's notes to say that he will only be given augmentin to actually treat the bacteria rather than penicillin which will only ever do half a job....
we never were a family to do things by halves!
xxx
He was a specialist in tonsilitis as part of his ENT dept, and he said that any child with tonsilitis should always be given augmentin on a t10-20 day course to treat not only the bacteria outside the tonsils (which is all penicillin treats) but any bacteria lurking INSIDE the tonsils that could linger for years....
Anyhoo, he checked Ollie over, asked if he was suffering anything at the moment (thank god he's not) and then told us that he had very large tonsils. We discussed everything (inc the fact that me my dad and sis have all suffered terribly with tonsilitis meaning we've all had them out) and even talked about him waking in the night and him not saying as many words as he should be.
So he sent him for a hearing test as well, and he failed it.
He has glue ear, which the consultant said is highly likely to be a side effect of the tonsilitis.
So he gave us two options, schedule a surgery now to take the tonsils, adenoids out and put gromits in, or make another appointment for 3 months time to see if he has improved at all, and if not then do the surgery.
In the meantime, if he gets tonsilitis at all he is to be re admitted to hospital and we are to get them to call this guy personally and he will come down and check him over, and likely take his tonsils etc out and gromits in there and then.....
so although were cutting it a bit fine with marissa's birth, we have another appointment in march to see him again, and will see if he can shake it.
He said that 30-60% of children can shake glue ear themselves once their immune system is working properly (and Ollies just isnt at the moment with everything he's had), but should he not shake it, and he needs the gromits then it will be sorted within the month for it to be done.
So its now a game of wait and see, but hopefully as he clears the glue ear he will start talking properly - they are supposed to be able to say up to 20 recognisable words at 18 months, and Ollie can say abuut 3. :roll:
He was also supposed to have a hearing check at his 6-9 month check up, and the HV didn't do one.
But hopefully everything will clear
and if it doesnt we know we got someone who has done personal research into what were fighting backing us all the way, and he has put recommendations onto Ollie's notes to say that he will only be given augmentin to actually treat the bacteria rather than penicillin which will only ever do half a job....we never were a family to do things by halves!
xxx
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Replies
Hope everything turns out fine
Glue ear can cause behavioural issues if the child can't hear instructions etc and it causes speech delay and understanding, so great you know he has it and you can get it sorted if needed. (I hope this doesn't worry you, it popped into my head as i've come accross children suffering with speach delay and behaviour problems due to glue ear.)
Just to say if Ollie had the OAE hearing test just after birth (like a little earphone in each ear) he wouldnt have got a hearing test from the HV at 8-9months. Most area's have phased these distraction tests out now.
I had 3 sets of grommets in each ear as a child and think its still quite common.
carrie faith
thanks for your responses
Glue ear isn't too scary, as it can be treated, and I at least understand gromits, me and my sis both had them
It is such a big relief, and we couldnt have been allocated a better ENT.
The glue ear does explain a lot of things - his slighty 'off' sense of balance these last 3 months, the fact that he was saying more words 3 months ago than he is now, the fact that he just isnt talking when others his age are talking and saying so much more, and how loud he just is!
I checked his red book, and they checked it too and they couldn't see a newborn screening sheet for hearing, which is why they said that he should have had one later on...
but never mind, it probably wouldn't have picked this up way back then. :roll:
Another thing we've noticed since yesterday morning is how ollie watches our mouths when we talk to him!
But it is a big weight off our minds now, knowing that whatever happens he will get sorted and there is someone in the know on our side.
xxx