Phooey

After having a few great doctor's appointments this week, the ENT appointment today was a bit disappointing. My ear tubes are starting to work their way out of my eardrums, and the fluid is already starting to build up again. This means my ear tubes need replaced, which means Surgery #10 (#7 for tubes). No matter how many times Mommy tried to remind herself before the appointment that these tubes lasted for 13 months while the others lasted only 3 months, she was still bummed to find out I needed tubes again. Dr. Cotter is hoping that because I am bigger now, she might be able to get in the "permanent" tubes.


Then we talked about my sleep apnea. In case you don't remember since it's been so long, I had my tonsils and adenoids removed which cut my severe sleep apnea levels by more than half. Unfortunately, the amounts were still considered severe. That's when I had to have a third sleep study done with the CPAP machine, which I absolutely hated, almost one year ago.


I never did tolerate the CPAP at home, it made my nosebleeds worse, and it was just impossible to keep it on me. After a couple of months, Mommy finally sent it back so the insurance wasn't paying for something we weren't using. She decided that we had done the best we could right now, and it was going to be impossible for her to fix EVERYTHING.


Fast forward to today: Dr. Cotter wants me to have another sleep study done. She said she wants to be conservative in my treatments, but she also wants to be proactive. Mommy feels the same way, although that doesn't necessarily mean they will be in agreement about my treatment. Dr. Cotter said there is another surgery she can do, sort of like a tummy tuck in my throat, to open the area more. But she can't say for sure how much more this will help my sleep apnea. So that makes Mommy unsure as to whether it's worth the risks, especially since some of the side effects can be food coming out of my nose when I eat and other swallowing issues that may cause me to stop eating by mouth. At first Mommy said no way right off the bat, but it's a hard decision, since sleep apnea causes strain on your heart and can cause heart problems down the road. Of course no one wants that, but we've worked so hard to get me to eat by mouth, it could mean a huge step backwards for something that may not even be a huge change in my breathing at night.


So here's the end result: the sleep study office will call soon to schedule another sleep study to see if my apnea has gotten any better since I've grown so much. Mommy wanted to wait a little while to do this, since we both hate the sleep studies, but Dr. Cotter pointed out that A) it would be better to do it soon before the new baby comes, and B)it would be better to know sooner so we can make the decision on the throat surgery, and if we decide to do it (although Mommy and Daddy are not leaning this way), it can be done when the ear tubes are done.

I, of course, was completely oblivious to the somber mood in the office! I was quite excited that Mommy didn't bring the stroller in and I got to walk everywhere. So I pushed a little boy out of way since he was using my favorite toy in the waiting room, I did laps around the examination chair for most of Mommy and the doctor's conversation, and then climbed in and out of the chairs while Mommy talked to the scheduler!