Babies, Ear Infections and Ear Tubes
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Since I had already been through it once, it came as no surprise to me when our pediatrician strongly suggested that our youngest son should have a procedure done to have tubes put into his ears. His constant struggle with ear infections was something that I was anxious to put behind us. But the morning of the procedure, I was still nervous.
Our youngest son was not quite a year old at the time. To avoid extra stress with our other two young sons along, my husband dropped off me and my babbling baby boy at the front of the outpatient center of the hospital. My son played quietly with his favorite book as I filled out the paperwork. I could feel drops of sweat trickling down my back as I read the disclosures of the possibility of the worst things happening when the patient is in the hands of the doctor. My mouth grew dry and my hands shook slightly as I signed the waiver and prayed silently that my little boy would be fine and it would all be over soon. After completing the paperwork, all we had to do was wait.
I read his favorite books and watched his happy eyes as they followed the illustrations that filled the pages. My heart stopped when his name was called and I felt a wave of nervous nausea. It was difficult to keep smiling as the nurse lifted my son from my arms. I watched the confusion on his face as his eyes continued to follow me as they moved toward the door. I couldn’t even blow kisses as they walked away, his big blue eyes the last thing that I saw before the door closed behind them.
As I fought back crying in the crowded waiting area, I began to search inside my purse for something to help with the dryness that was taking over the inside of my mouth. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I found a lollipop in an inside pocket. I welcomed the sweet berry taste, hoping that it had never been a reject from any of the kids. Not likely, I told myself since it had ripped so easily from the wrapper. I was happy to think about anything else as long as it took my mind off the wait.
As they had promised, the procedure did not take long.
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