Operation "Save the Tube" Success!

Quick note to let everyone know that all the good thoughts (and ear drops!) have made a huge difference for Cam - Kevin brought him to the ENT today for a recheck, found the tube clear and the infection gone in both ears! We're so relieved it turned out this way....were *not* thrilled with the possibility of another surgery for the Caminator so soon after the first. Cam was so good for the ENT doc today, too.

We're all still recovering from our trip to Kauai - the time change this weekend really did us in on our return home. No photos from the photog from the wedding yet but trying to wait patiently :)

Operation "Save the Tube" update

Cam has continued to do really well taking the ear drops, although we've been doing the drops 2x/day, not 3x as the doc prescribed. Logistics! :) We won't know about the tube until we see the ENT after we return from Kauai, but are hoping for the best (of course!). Cam is feeling much, much better and we think he knows something is up because the dogs are gone and there are suitcases everywhere!

Operation "Save the Tube"

Going well so far; turns out Cam likes to have the front of his ear massaged. He giggles because he can hear the antibiotic ear drops squishing around in there. Its only been a couple of days, but we haven't seen anything come out, but it would be easy to miss the tube if it were to fall out. Please think good thoughts for the tube to stay in his ear :) Have a great weekend, everyone!!

ps
finally got a chance to update the blog; there are at least 8 new entries. Sorry for the delay - turns out my new FaceBook addiction is taking time away from blogging about the Ding Dong :)

Visit with ENT

We saw Dr. Malotte this afternoon. He confirmed the tube is blocked but that so far its still in place, although the infection is pushing on Cam's ear drum, so its possible for the tube to come out. We are hoping and praying that doesn't happen because it means another potential surgery for Cam if he starts getting ear infections every few weeks again.

In a small percentage of cases, the hole from the tube doesn't close up (95%+ of the time it does within a few days of the tube popping out), so we wouldn't have to do a surgery until Cam was older, and then we'd have to go in to actually close up the hole. Fun stuff!!

Dr. M prescribed some antibiotic ear drops we need to put in 3x/day - we have to lay Cam on his side, put in the drops and then massage the front of his ear for 60 seconds....we'll see how that goes! :) Cam's been so great about taking his antibiotic (10ml via a spoon dropper, which he willingly sips from, woohoo!!), we've got high hopes he'll do well with this. We'll follow Dr. M's instructions to the letter in the hope that we'll save the tube. (Save the Tube - it sounds like a non-profit group, lol!)

So, that's the update. Cam is feeling better and tonight is 48hrs on the antibiotic, so he should sleep better tonight than he has. That will improve things tremendously - he's never been a kid that has handled being tired well :)

Hope you all are healthy and germ-less!

ps
we're bummed we didn't get to go down and see the Amgen Tour of California bike race - the leg today ended here in Paso. The only cool thing to happen here since we moved here and right as they were coming into town, we were sitting down in Dr. M's office in SLO. We were bummed to miss Lance and Floyd (we saw their buses on our way home), but Cam's health is more important. We'll see it next year, if we're still living in Paso :)

Ear infection post tubes :(

Cam had a rough weekend, sleep-wise. It capped off last night, however - he was up every 45 minutes just inconsolable. He's had a runny nose and cough; we both thought it was the bronchiolitis again, so called the doc first thing Tuesday morning.

When we saw her, after doing a quick lung check, she checked Cam's ears. Turns out that the tube in his left ear is blocked and has caused an ear infection. The right tube is still in place and doing its job. Cam wasn't particularly cooperative while she was trying to check his ears, so she's not sure what is blocking the tube.

She put Cam on the amoxicillin for 10 days and advised us to go see the ENT doc to see what can be done about the blocked tube. We're hoping this doesn't mean any additional surgery but will have to wait to find out until we see the ENT doc on Thursday (we're so happy they are able to squeeze us in!). Luckily this is early in the ear infection and hopefully Cam will feel a lot better in a couple of days when the inflammation goes down.

Dr. Nave doesn't think this is going to impact our trip to Hawaii next weekend, but of course, we want Cam to feel as good as possible for the travelling we're about to do. Fingers crossed the amoxicillin does its job quickly!

More on Thursday…

All's well on the ear front

Cam had his surgery this morning and did great :) He handled going off with the operating room nurse better than mommy and daddy (mommy couldn't watch), and did well until the anesthesiologist tried to put on the gas mask - luckily Cam liked the surgeon, who held him while they put the mask up to his face (not over at first) to get him to sleep. It really was a quick surgery, and Cam came out of the anesthesia like most kids - Dr. Mulotte likens it to an angry hornet. So true!

After about a half hour we were able to leave the surgery center and Cam was asleep in the car within a few minutes. We're home, C's had a bit to eat and will probably go down for his lunch nap a bit early today - he's pretty much himself, just a bit tired. The infection risk is only for the next 48 hours, so we'll keep a close eye on him. So far, so good!

Ear tube surgery postponed

Just a quick note to let everyone know the ear tube surgery has been postponed to September 30. The ENT doc wanted Cam to be healthy and virus-free since this is elective surgery (yeah, right, only if he not in daycare for the next two weeks!!!) We have asked for the surgery to be sooner, as Cam seems to be getting ear infections every 5-7 weeks and that will put him right about getting another one, but they seem pretty firm on 9/30.

Cam is feeling much better than Tuesday and at daycare today for the first time since Monday. Fingers crossed he can get rid of this herpangina virus and get healthy so we can get his ears fixed!

ps
Cam had a GREAT day at daycare today; he slept 2hrs 20 mins total - way more than his usual 1hr 15-30 mins! We did give him a dose of Tylenol in his lunchtime bottle though, b/c of his sore throat....that might be why he slept so well. Eh, so what, he had a good day over there - yay!!

Ding-dong fever update

Cam's fever is finally gone; it WAS a pretty long night. We just got back from Cam's "Well Baby" check (ha!), and Cam has herpangina, a viral throat infection. Doc thinks he's at the beginning of it, and it should run its course within 5-7 days. He's sleeping peacefully right now for his lunchtime nap.

The ENT still wants to do the pre-op tomorrow and decide then on the Friday surgery for the tubes. Because of the fever yesterday, Cam's not allowed back to daycare until he's 24 hrs fever-free, which would be tomorrow. We'll probably keep him home since he sleeps so much better here and daycare is obviously just a damn germ-fest....ANOTHER sickness he has gotten from there (argh!!). If the ENT decides tomorrow to do the surgery Friday, we'll probably keep Cam home from daycare the rest of the week; we think he'll recouperate faster at home.

One Year Stats
27lbs 10oz
32"
19 3/4" head circumference

I'll add the percentages later - we forgot that paperwork at the doc's office.

Happy Holiday Weekend!!

We're getting a new camera this weekend (thanks for the rec Sarah!!) and can't wait to try it out; there will be new photos tomorrow.

Cam's cold still isn't totally gone, and his cough got worse, so we went to the doc today and unfortunately he's got another ear infection :( We've got a call into the ENT doc to see when we can get the tubes in. For the time being, Dr. Nave has put Cam back on antibiotics. We're both glad we found out about this before the long holiday weekend but we're both really bummed that its another ear infection.

Cam is napping now, so our goal this weekend is to help him get lots of sleep, lots of food and lots of love, and wait to hear from Dr. Mulotte about a surgery date.

In the immortal words of Jack Sawyer (and Steven King) "All will be well."

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 :)