We went into the pediatrician’s office this morning for Nora’s ear “recheck” appointment from her latest ear infection diagnosis two weeks ago. I had an inkling that things were not going to go well.
Sadly, we’ve gotten pretty good at diagnosing Nora’s ear infections on our own, just by observing her behavior and her general demeanor. She’s usually not miserable, but she’s just not herself. A little moody. With a short fuse. Occasional rubbing of the ears. Interrupted sleep.
That last one has always been a tell-tale sign. On Saturday night, she was up–wide awake–for three hours in the middle of the night. Fun times, I tell you.
Anyway, the doctor took a look at one ear and sighed, “That one is a mess.” And then she looked in the other one, “That one’s not good either.”
Let’s back up here. December 22: Left ear. January 9: Right ear. January 23: Both ears. The last two were diagnosed at appointments that were supposed to be “rechecks”–in other words, appointments to confirm that infections had cleared. Our poor girl has not been ear infection free since well before Christmas.
The kicker this time was that she had been on Omnicef, which is considered a broad spectrum (a.k.a. strong) antibiotic–because amoxicillin hadn’t been doing the job. Now, it appears Omnicef isn’t working, either. So, the doctor opted to give Nora injectable antibiotics.
INJECTABLE. Antibiotics.
They’re the big guns, y’all. Not cool.
We have to go back tomorrow to have her ears reevaluated, because apparently, these antibiotics are so good that we should see marked improvement in just 24 hours. At that point, the doctor will decide if she needs another round. Rinse and repeat for Wednesday. Poor little Nora is going to be traumatized, I fear. Needless to say, she was not thrilled with the two needles that were stuck into her chubby little thighs this morning.
We also walked out with an ENT referral. We’re at the end of our rope with this stuff. We want our baby to get better. We’ve looked into chiropractors, and it is just not a feasible solution for us right now. We’ve considered the dairy sensitivity, and will be talking to our doctors about that a bit more, but overall, we’re just happy to have the appointment with the ENT (next week) to get a formal evaluation of her condition, and go from there. This isn’t the way we wanted this to turn out, but we just want to put an end to this endless sea of ear infections, trips to the doctor, and antibiotics.
Baby steps.
9 Responses to Double Trouble
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About
I'm Heather. I'm 33 and have been married to Michael for seven years. Together, we have two beautiful little girls we love more than anything, and a miniature dachshund who drives us crazy. I'm a full-time working mom who has very little time for my own "stuff" these days, like home improvement, cooking/baking, cake decorating, and photography. Despite the team not making the playoffs since 1999, I'm STILL a Buffalo Bills fan, which I think speaks to my loyalty AND sense of humor. I can't wait to pick up the pace with travel again some day... you know, when we're done being ruled by tiny fists. Welcome to my blog.
Ear infection or not, she couldn’t possibly be any cuter!!
Thanks, Andrea. That’s her, enjoying her first “big girl sandwich.” (Cut into quarters instead of into bite-size pieces. LOL)
Long time follower here, just popping in to say I feel so awful for her…and you guys! Ear infections just suck and poor Nora has just had a rough go of it with those. I have a good friend who just got tubes for her 18 month old because of a similar problem. Little Lexi feels so much better now so I guess it was worth it. I’ll keep you in my thoughts and prayers!
Poor Nora, I hope she feels better soon and the doctors can finally find a way to make those infections go and stay away!
On an different note… that photo… it’s beyond obvious she’s got your eyes!! Too cue!
She really is the cutest! I really hope and am sure that you will find the right path for Nora soon. Do keep us updated. Hope you have a great day today.
The antibiotic injections are the WORST. We had to do them every day for three days in a row. Ever since then, Ryan has been scared of exam rooms and doctors. It still breaks my heart to think about… My fingers are so hugely crossed that the first round works and she doesn’t have to get those again. Hang in there.
when I was pretty little I also had reoccurring ear infections. They ended up taking my adenoids out. Hope you find a solution!
The ENT sounds like a good move. I was thinking of a dairy issue as well. Is she taking a probiotic?
Super cute picture of a happy girl!
Also loved your playroom pics!
My little boy got non stop ear infections for probably the first year of his life. The only thing that cleared them up for good (before we got the tubes) is the injectable antibiotic. I mean cleared it up like that! I am so glad that we decided to go with tubes because he has had no issues since. We have to go in every 4 months to check them and make sure we wears ear plugs in the pool in the tub but I tell you even though it is a big step they have been a god send for us!