Update on Susie's Ears

The Ear, Nose, & Throat doctor visit didn't go as well as I had hoped.  Eight days into her antibiotic treatment, Susie's ears are no longer infected, but still have fluids in them.  I'm assuming this means her ears are just very susceptible to holding fluids.  The doctor told us if a child has 4 or more ear infections in a 6 month period of time, they highly recommend tubes.  The pros of tubes do make the procedure seem worth it.  The tubes typically stay in the child's ears anywhere between 6-18 months.  They fall out on their own as the child's ear drum grows (I think it's the ear drum, anyways).  Approximately 80% of children only need one set of tubes.  And, once the tubes are in place, the child usually experiences 1 or less ear infections in a years time.  We would probably consider having this procedure done, except for a couple major obstacles.  First and foremost, after today we are no longer covered on insurance.  We need to figure out exactly where we will be in 3 weeks time (no decision made yet, sorry) in order to better figure out our insurance.  Secondly, the ENT doctor couldn't schedule us for another 4-6 weeks for the procedure.  We will just have to wait until we get settled and Susie develops another ear infection to go forward with the operation.  One thing the doctor told me was that pacifier use (while the baby sleeps) can increase the chances of ear infection.  So, we decided to take away Susie's beloved pacifier.  The poor baby!  I've never had to take away something so cherished by my child.  Tyler stopped using his pacifier by the time he was 5 months old.  We never had to take it from him.  So, it really breaks my heart to take it from her.  She loves it when she sleeps.  Although bedtime was a little difficult last night and today's nap was somewhat rocky, she has done just fine.  I only feel bad because I know she loves it.  However, it is nice to have a motivation to get rid of the pacifier.  It would have to happen sometime.