Fixing Little Ears (Part 2)

We got a phone call the night before LanLan's surgery telling us we were to be at the hospital at 7am and the surgery was scheduled for 9am. We packed our bags and put them in the car before we went to bed that night, that way all we needed to do in the morning was to put the kids in the car for our 6:15 departure.

Things went very smoothly in the morning, dropped the boys off at the babysitter and headed to the hospital. LanLan was so excited about the whole thing. When we arrived we were taken to a room where my sweet little girl got into her hospital gown. When she was all settled Mommy & Daddy gave her a "Happy Surgery Day" present which included a new Tag Reader book, a sticker book and a First Grade Homework book - she loved them and began right away playing with them. Soon after, the nurse came, also with a present for my little orchid. The present was a beautifully crocheted blanket. The nurse then began to take LanLan's vitals and asked a few questions. We had to wait in the room for a while but LanLan was enjoying her books and watching TV.

LanLan LOVED the attention

Kirsten & LanLan prepped for surgery

Once the nurse came in and said it was time to go things went very fast. They wheeled LanLan down to the pre-op room. We were only there long enough for them to give her an anxiety medicine and sign a consent form. It was a pleasant surprise when they told us we both could go into the surgery room with LanLan until she feel asleep. We barely had gotten our suites on before they were wheeling LanLan into the surgery room. We held her hand as the anesthesiologist put the mask on to put her to sleep. We told LanLan to breath and that this medicine would make her sleep. She was very willing and actually tried to go to sleep. The anesthesiologist was great, very good with LanLan and made us all feel very comfortable.

Once LanLan was asleep we were escorted out of the surgery room, picked up our stuff and sat and waited in the waiting room. The surgery took about 20 minutes or so and then the doctor came out and talked to us. He said that everything went smoothly and as planned. He described the fluid in her ears as rubber cement and said that because it had been there for so long that her eardrum was inverted. With time, he said, it should return to normal and her hearing should be fine. We were so excited!! It has been one and half years of us struggling with her hearing . . . and now something has finally be done to help!!

coming out of anesthesia

We waited about another 15 minutes before LanLan was wake and we could go into recovery with her. She was a bit loopy coming out of the anesthesia but still quite pleasant. She wanted to talk but couldn't get many words out. At one point she lifted up her doll, told us to look and just started to laugh. She also was insisting that they hadn't put the tubes in her ears yet.

Once she was awake and alert enough they brought us back to a hospital room where a nurse rechecked her vitals and gave her popsicles and drinks. She watched a little more TV and then we were able to leave. She was still a little loopy and unsteady walking so they gave us a wheel chair to take her to the car.

LanLan was too out of it to smile or even sit up for the camera

We picked up our boys and then headed to Taco Bell for lunch. It was amazing to see LanLan already running and jumping around and we could already tell that her hearing was much improved!! 

My little orchid is so strong and bounces back so quickly from things, I can't believe it sometimes. She did amazing through everything. Way to go girl!! I love you and I'm glad that I can now whisper that in your ear and you can hear it!!!

Fixing Little Ears (Part 1)

Our little orchid has been having problems with her hearing for a long time but it was a little over a year ago that we took her to an ENT in China and had her hearing checked.  That was when we knew for sure that there was a definite problem and not just a little girl who was choosing not to listen and obey her mom & dad.  Being in China though we weren't sure what we should do and how to go about it. 
Well, let me skip forward 9 months,  we are in America and LanLan is preparing to go to Kindergarten.  She had to get a physical for school, it was during the hearing test that the nurse looked at me and said that she didn't pass.  I was not surprised but ready to do something about it.  The pediatrician gave us a referral to an ENT, I called and made the first available appointment . . . middle of December.
Skipping ahead again, it's Thanksgiving weekend and we are heading to my brother's, an ENT.  My brother had helped us interpret the test results of our first ENT trip back in China.  Now he was offering to take a look at her ears and give us his opinion.  He confirmed, again, that she was suffering from significant hearing loss due to very think fluid in her ears.  Her nerves were fine so once the fluid is removed she should be hearing normally.  He recommended having tubes put in and her adenoids removed.
Skipping ahead now to a week before the ENT appointment in December, I'm calling to get the address of the place.  That is when I realize this place is in the city!  My husband says . . . there is no way were are traveling to the city just to get tubes in her ears.  So I cancel and have to search for a new, good ENT in the area.  We find one, call and make the first available appointment . . . . January!
The appointment finally arrives and we go.  We meet the doctor and I like him right away.  I tell him LanLan's battle of ear infections, antibiotic usage, hearing test etc. He conducted yet another hearing test to confirm, again, that she still was not hearing.  We talked about my visit with my brother and what he said and the Doctor agreed and said we should book the surgery.  He suggested that we wait on the adenoids since it's a bit more involved surgery but if we really insisted he would removed them.  He hoped that this being LanLan's first time to get ear tubes put in that this might permanently fix the problem.  Then if it doesn't we could also take the adenoids out the next time if need be. 
So, we booked the first available surgery date . . . February 10, another months wait!

School Jobs

In LanLan's classroom each child has a special job they do for the week.  At the beginning of each week the jobs change so every child gets a chance to do all the jobs. Some of the jobs are: Line Leader, Pledge, Teacher's Helper, Calender, Prayer Warrior, Wastebasket, etc.

We were asking her what her favorite job was and she answered "Line Leader! No, Prayer Warrior! No!! Line Leader!! NO! . . . . Calender Girl!"