
Last week I called the pediatrician to see about getting Fuller a hearing test. While we know he is four and routinely practices the hobby of selective listening, we were still a bit worried because he would say things like “Where did the sound go?” or “I can’t hear that.” when watching TV or listening to his CD player. We knew he should have been able to hear them, especially when we could hear them just fine from the next room.
We were able to get into the pediatrician’s office today for the test. This was providential since Fuller woke up with his cough, stirring my fears of the February curse. So not only did Fuller get a hearing test, but he also was evaluated for his cough.
First, the cough wasn’t a big deal. Not in his chest, probably just the wicked weather messing with him. I’m dosing him with vitamin C and plenty of fluids. And by the end of the day, we just ask him to rest his voice, which was still getting raspy. Dr. M wouldn’t have a problem sending a newborn home with a kid like Fuller in the house.
So we were able to focus on Fuller’s ears. First the hearing test. Once Fuller understood that he was supposed to give me a high five for every beep he heard, he passed that test. Then the nurse did the tympanogram, which he failed in both ears. Dr. M did an examination and discovered why- Fuller had so much wax packed into his ears, the tympanometer couldn’t even get to the eardrum. Essentially, Fuller had ear plugs we couldn’t see.
I know I’ve mentioned before how Fuller has two strikes against him in this area- both of his parents have terrible wax problems. This is something we have dealt with in the past, but only caught during well child visits. This time is was so bad, the doctor had the nurse irrigate his ear.
The first time I remember having this done was in 8th grade. Poor Fuller, our four year old who was already freaked out about the possibility of getting a shot (even though both the doctor and I told him he wouldn’t get one), had to endure the flooding of his ear to get out the wax. He cried and yelled, squirmed and jerked, but the nurse was awesome and just went with it, while I held his head and the water basin.
And even after that ordeal, the doctor still had to scrape the ear canal to get it all. This caused some bleeding, which made for an even more tearful and miserable Fuller. The nurse said for his age, he did very well, a bit better than older kids who have to have their ears irrigated.
But the end result is, his hearing is fine and the cough is nothing to worry about right now. So I think our family health is doing well.