We picked them up a bit early because Addison had an appointment with the ENT today. Scott brought Fischer home and got him settled with Dianne, and then met us at the appointment. On the way, Addison and I got to have a little lunch date at Wendy's. :)
After some waiting (what else is new?!), we were finally called back. First, Addison had to do a hearing test, similar to the one they do with newborns. She seemed a little uncomfortable during the test (I think it was just a lot of high pitched beeping in her ears), but let the girl finish what she had to do. Unfortunately, she didn't pass the test for her left ear. This is most likely due to the fluid that was there and will be retested in April. After that, Addison was more than happy to pick some bracelets and a toy out of the treasure chest.
Next, we went into another room where we did a lot of waiting. A nurse came in and asked a bunch of questions (is Addison in daycare, does anyone in our home smoke, does she use a pacifier, has she been hospitalized, etc...). Eventually a nurse practitioner came in to examine Addison. She first talked with Scott and I for a bit and then she looked at Addison's ears. She said there was some fluid in each ear but neither was infected (yet). She also said some other words that I don't remember but basically said one ear looked like it would feel like when you are on an airplane and there is a lot of pressure. This is most likely due to the fact that she just had an ear infection in that ear.
After some more talking, she decided it would be a good idea to take a look at Addison's adenoids. To do this, she inserted a long camera into Addison's nostril... this was not fun. Scott had to hold her head and I had to hold her arms down. Absolutely awful. And she was NOT happy... but as soon as she removed the camera, Addison stopped crying and got to take another trip to the treasure chest. :) The nurse practitioner said that her adenoids are larger than average but not the biggest they've seen, which could be contributing to her constantly running nose.
Finally we discussed tubes, which we were expecting to be brought up. She said Addison is definitely a candidate for tubes. She said by doing tubes, her ear infections should be drastically reduced. And if she does get another one after tubes, it would be easier to treat. She also mentioned removing her adenoids, which would be done at the same time. So, because of all this, we had to meet the doctor that will be doing the procedures.
We waited some more. Seriously, did they not realize we had a THREE year old in the room with us!? Anyway, he finally came in. He answered a lot of our questions and reassured us that this is the right thing to do. He also said that while they are in there doing the tubes, they will look at the adenoids again and determine if they need to be removed. Ultimately, Scott and I will get to choose but he will be able to better tell what needs to happen during the procedure.
So, after 2 hours and 3 trips to the treasure chest, we were done. Addison did so well considering that we were in a tiny room with a lot of equipment she wasn't allowed to touch. So now we wait until March 9, which is when we are scheduled for her tubes.
I'm glad the appointment is over and we now have a plan in place.
Here is Addison sitting in the "special chair" in the room...and yes, she is big on mixing patterns - today she went with a floral dress and polka dotted tights. She's trendy like that. :)
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