Cam's visit w/ENT specialist

Cam stayed home with us today so he could go down to see the ENT specialist in San Luis Obispo, Dr. Malotte. Dr. Nave referred us to three different doctors, and after a few pointed questions to her, we decided to meet w/Dr. Malotte.

Turns out that was a great decision. Super nice, very informative. Since Cam has had so many ear infections in a short timeframe AND also so many before he turns one, Dr. M does feel that tubes will be the way to go, or we have to keep putting Cam on stronger and stronger antibiotics to clear the ear infections. He didn't push the tube surgery on us but told us to wait and see what happens w/Cam over the next few months and decide then.

Cam did amazingly well with the exam, and a huge boon for Mick (as Dr. Malotte likes to be called) was that Cam took to him almost immediately: the Judge was only in the room for a few minutes before he was laughing w/Dr. M - a great turn of events. Cam's a pretty good judge of character, so we'll stick w/his instincts :)

Right now Cam has fluid with bubbles (meaning air) in his right ear, so that one is draining, and fluid in his left ear but no redness, so no infection - yet. (key word: yet) He slept from about 10:30pm to 6am this morning, which is the best he's done in quite a while, plus he did really well with his naps here at home, so we are hopeful that he'll start to sleep more at daycare. Daycare is the germ factory we've suspected - found out today kids in daycare have a higher rate of ear infections.

Chances are the next time Cam does get an ear infection, we are going to opt to get the tubes put in instead of going back on antibiotics for the 5th (!!!) time this year. I do truly fear Cam building up a resistance to antibiotics. Dr. M said that he's done tubes in infants as young as six months, and been doing this surgery for 20 years, and we hope that Cam will be one of the 90% of kids that the tubes make a big difference for (10% report no difference after the surgery). Since he's so textbook with everything else, we are guessing it will be the same thing w/the tubes. One caveat is that b/c he's getting tubes so young, chances are he'll have to have a repeat surgery when he's 3-4 to get tubes put in again; they only last about a year, and once they are gone and the hole heals, the ear infections will probably come back unless we put the tubes in again.

So that's the dealio :)