...and the final step in our diagnostic process will be an MRI. We have found no clues as to why Nolan has hearing loss- a nearly flat sensorineural loss in the moderate range (sloping up to mild in the high frequencies). The MRI will probably be run in July- another sedation for the little guy. They only sedate one day per month, and we have to get insurance approval, so it will be a little while before we have the exact date of the scan.
Our ENT initially told us that the three markers they ran on Nolan were not sufficient and there were several more markers that could be run. I saw her yesterday and (besides not quite remembering which patient Nolan was) she told us that there wasn't anything else to test for. The MRI will show any problems with the soft tissue in his inner ear that the CT scan couldn't detect. The only appointment remaining after the MRI will be a visit to the ophthamologist when Nolan is a toddler to rule out Usher Syndrome (unlikely, but Usher II can have progressive moderate hearing loss).
We don't go back to the ENT until September, which gives us a LOVELY four month break from that office. The fewer trips to the doctor, the better! My credit card cringes every time we approach a fuel pump.
There are days I really, really wish he had tested positive for Connexin 26. I feel like we're always waiting for the other shoe to drop with some rare syndrome (it doesn't help that the little guy had some head issues when he was younger- luckily his head seems to be rounding out). His forehead is still a little bulgy, but you can only see it if you look at a certain angle.
The other good news is that his otorrhea has finally stopped (no more infection leaking from his ears). Hopefully we will be free of fluid/infection from now on. I can finally throw those eardrop bottles away!
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