Monday, April 13, 2009

Cool Trick Treatment

A few months ago, we received our 5yo's hearing test results...it wasn't good. After a few more tests and ruling out infection, we finally got in to the audiologist and ENT today. Surprisingly, he has mild to moderate bilateral hearing loss. Basically, he has fluid that just sits there and doesn't drain well. It is amazing he didn't suffer from frequent ear infections.

I was really shocked. As a child development professional, I didn't see any developmental signs of hearing loss...none. If anything, I would say he was oversensitive to noise (like me). I feel terrible that I missed it (although I don't think his development has suffered from this). He has thrown me before when his sensory issues and tantrumming last year.


Anyways. The first attempt at treatment is the Otovent (in layman's terms, a nose balloon). Yes, he has to blow up a balloon with his nose 3 times a day! It makes perfect sense when you think about it. My son really thought they were joking until he saw the nurse do it. So we will work on this super cool trick. He's excited.

*I was validated as a professional as I listened to the dr describe the development of the Eustachian tubes...I have explained this to many parents and I happy to know that I was providing a very accurate explanation.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Aw, don't feel bad. It really is pretty common. At least, I certainly know enough people that have dealt with it. It is good that you caught it early though. A year or two later and you would be looking at having him repeat years in school.