Friday, March 16, 2012

The Terrible Tympanogram

If you want to know in detail what a Tympanogram is you can see it here:
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/tympanogram

Speech acquisition was really slow with Sweet potato as a child, often her speech was slurred. and indistinct. I took her regularly to the doctor and every time everything with her ears checked out A.O.K.

After years of speech therapy and much diligence she started to speak properly.  This is a first step in learning to read. Saying the words right is important to being able to recognize those words when she is blending.

So after many rounds of Doctors to try and see why she still coughs so much. Jan Bedell told me to specifically ask for a Tympanogram. She had a sneaking suspicion all was not right inside Sweet Potatoes ears. She was right.

Today's visit to the ENT sounded like this:
Mom: Can you check her ears? She is complaining about them.
DR.: Sure thing, ooo nice and clean mom. I don't think the problem is there, I bet it's just sinus pressure she's really swollen. Lets try and even stronger Allergy medicine now that she is 12.
Mom: Can you do a Tympanogram? Her therapist is concerned her speech is slurred and wants to make sure all is ok in the middle ear.
DR.: Yes but I'm sure everything is fine. those tubes just finished growing out.
15 minutes later after a simple test.
Mom: So what is this graph showing? its all flat and is highlighted, again...
Dr.: Well... the graph should like an A  going up and down.
Mom: This looks like and EM dash not an A.... (ok I really didn't say that I just thought it)
Dr: And well this is bad it shows her inner ear is full of fluid. That can cause her to not be able to hear well. the sound is going through some pretty thick liquid. We are going to have to go in and clean them out and put tubes in her ears to keep it dry. Were looking at surgery this is not a good chart at all... Good premonition Mom... *picture my face if you dare* All I can remember is all the lost ear plugs, and no submerging of your head. Visions of the soup nazi saying NO POOL FOR YOU! fly around my head. 

Wow wasn't that fast??? I thought her ears were clean and fine, and wallah they aren't  So I wonder can 2 doctors in different fields manage to only put my Sweet Potato though one day of procedures???


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