An unexpected week!

I was really avoiding blogging this week. I was having many unbecoming thoughts around the hearing aids Owen was scheduled for on Friday.

It was vain and selfish.

I was so worried about him having one more thing that made him more different than alike. Don't get me wrong, I was THRILLED he would have the support he needed and it wouldn't cause possible further delays with speech and such, but I was back to those thoughts.

O had his check up with the ENT first on Thursday. To be honest, I felt like it was going to be a waste of time. He'd look and not be able to see anything and we would go on our way. Another few hours time spent in the medical world for naught. My "dream" outcome was that they would see both ear drums, see the fluid and miraculously place tubes that moment and Owen's hearing problems would be solved forever! (gotta dream big, right?!)

But, dreams come true in other ways sometimes...

They looked.
They could visualize one eardrum right off the bat.
They cleaned out both ears (small ear canals = much wax build-up) and...
They could see both ear drums!!
Score!

But....after all this he saw no fluid.
Crap.

We were really hoping for fluid as that would have been the reason for the failed hearing tests all along.  No fluid meant that there was "real" hearing loss and our temporary, loaner hearing aids just became a permanent fixture.

Nuts.

The ENT did say that he and the audiologist disagreed on the cause of loss.  The audiologist believed it was fluid.  He did not. 

ok.....

So, we left the ENT with more questions than answers.  But, frustrated.  He believed the hearing loss, albeit mild/moderate, was permanent. 

For me, that was a game-changer.  No longer was I thinking short-term about hearing aids.  It was going to be a part of our life.

I was a up a lot the night before our appointment on Friday.  Thinking and stressing.  Life hours wasted away to worry.  But, it was a necessary evil at the time.

We never expected the outcome of our Friday appointment with the audiologist.  She started off by running a retest on O's ears via the OAE.  This was the test he had failed numerous times since his days in the hospital.  I was not hopeful. 

But....

HE PASSED.

ON BOTH EARS.

Incredible. 

The removal of the wax, coupled with the antibiotics clearing up the ear infection and swollen adenoids was the answer! 

She also ran the tympanigram and that also showed the results we so desired.

Unbelievable.  Seriously.

The long appointment were we anticipating, to be fitted with hearing aids was no longer.  One of our shortest on record, in fact.

In 3 months, we will have a recheck (or sooner if needed), but that is where we are today.

"Perfect. Normal" hearing.

Crazy.

So, for now, all is quiet and well on the homefront.  No major medical concerns (for anyone, I might add).  No looming appointments.  Just finishing out the school year and building a house, boring stuff :)

What a blessed life we lead.