I took Nolan to the pediatrician on Tuesday and found he had an ear infection (which we knew) and a significant sinus infection. He's on Augmentin for ten days and is receiving Ciprodex drops again in the leaky ear.
The oral antibiotic isn't his favorite, but this is one of those times we are glad for the g-button. At least it makes a few things in life easier! The ear drops are another thing - Nolan has always experienced pain with them, and dreads them more than getting a shot. I've been sneaking into his room at night and in the early morning to put them in his right ear... while he's still asleep. This little tactic works for the most part, unless he rolls over and the drops come right back out. Still, it is better than the rage that ensues from pinning him down when he's awake.
I do think his random falls are vestibular in nature, though. He fell on the bus last week (from a sitting position on the seat - he had no idea he had changed position). Sure enough, he developed an ear infection a few days later. I think the changing pressures in his middle ear messed with his vestibular system.
On the upside, he is happy and doesn't appear to be bothered by the infection at all. He started playing soccer last night and he is the oldest child on the team. I am so grateful he doesn't have a July birthday, because then he would play on the U-6 team rather than the U-4 team. He is finally the same size as all the other kids, and he loves it. There is a two year old on his team, but that doesn't bother him! It's nice to be one of the better players once in a while.
Hearing is definitely a problem on the field. He only has one aid in and he's not hearing very well at all. There is a lot of waving and signaling - and the coach is learning that if she calls "red light, green light" from behind the kids, Nolan will always win. He doesn't hear the instructions, so he just runs for the finish line!
The U-4 league is great, though - it is about learning the basics of soccer and is not competitive. The kids often play with more than one ball on the field and have a blast. It is perfect for my little guy this year!
2 comments:
So, Leah, does this mean the ear infection is not reflux related? (I'm a bit dense... )
Hurray for soccer! We're very familiar with hearing issues on the field. Where our boys play, there can be nearly 30 games going on a time, with whistles everywhere. Hard for everyone, but especially our Hoh kids! We had Tate wear his FM a LOT when he played, and I would relay in messages to him from the coach, or if OUR ref blew a whistle.
Or course, I had to remember not to cheer loudly!
Julie
There is no way to tell. His main "outward" sign of reflux is refusal to eat coupled with sinus and ear infections...and stridor. He has all of those signs still, so it could be reflux. Or it could be a string of viruses he has caught. The only way to rule out reflux for him is with the pH impedance probe. Lovely.
Soccer is going to get more interesting as he gets older - the kids start playing 5 on 5 soccer in real games once they hit U-6, and U-8 becomes single gender and more competitive. Nolan will be U-6 next year and Matt will move up to U-8! I left the FM system off for this practice since he only had the one "ear" in and the good ear is filled with wax. Oh, the joys!
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