Ears Are In The Clear

I had a very emotional morning yesterday at Landon's ENT appointment. Most of you are probably thinking "Seriously Katherine?", my Daddy would say "Get a grip Katherine Ann", and Christopher is chuckling while reading this. For those of you on the front end of the ear tube saga, you're probably living for this day. It is here for me now...and it is very bittersweet.

We suffered 9 straight months of ear infections, antibiotics, and a bloody raw hiney from 4 months - 13 months. We carried him into the ENT's office for the first time because he couldn't walk. We watched our baby get sedated and taken away for surgery in a tiny hospital gown. We held him tightly as he screamed coming out of anesthesia. We watched him take his first steps as he gained balance from not having fluid in his ears. I (not we) cleaned lots of goop out of his ears through the many infections afterwards. We administered countless drops of antibiotic ear drops. We have visited our ENT at least every 6 months for a check-up, if not more often (all the way out in North Raleigh). As his ENT said to me yesterday, they've come a long way. Our ENT has watched Landon grow from a baby to a little boy. He improved Landon's (and our) quality of life.

So when his ENT said to me yesterday "we're all done here", I was in shock. I think my response was "Like as in we don't have to come back...ever?" Landon's ears look great. Both tubes are out, healed and fluid-free. He does have some granulation tissue in one ear that steroid drops will take care of (this can continue to get infected). He has graduated! He got 4, not 1, stickers since he is an ENT graduate (and they even pulled special Spiderman ones out of the secret stash because those are the ones he wanted and they didn't have them out with the rest)! As he gave his doctor a big hug and told him thank you for fixing his ears, I had tears in my eyes.

Yes, I'm a emotional wreck. And yes Christopher, I am going to say this again...my baby has grown up so fast right before my eyes. Our ENT helped Landon in ways I could never thank him enough for. Thank you Dr. Dorfman!!! YOU ROCK!!!