Here We Go Again....

Cade has been sick for almost the entire month, mainly allergies. It doesn't help that we are having a record breaking season for pollen. He has been snotty and battling ear infections. His right ear drum has ruptured 3 times since Easter and nothing seems to help. He has had more bad nights than good and it is very frustrating. I took him to the ENT about 4 weeks ago and he said we would watch him and evaluate the need for tubes again. He also noticed his tonsils were huge and probably needed to come out. He was hesitant to do that because he was concerned about what it would do to his ability to swallow. He was also concerned because Cade's tonsils are so big he was worried about sleep apnea. He wanted me to consult with the cranial facial team (dentist, orthodontist, cranial facial surgeon and speech therapist) in Austin.
The Cranial facial team agreed Cade's tonsils need to come out. They think the tonsils could be constricting Cade's ability to move his soft palate. They also don't want to operate on his palate anytime soon. They feel much of Cade's swallowing difficulty is due to muscle control and he just needs therapy and time. We went back to the ENT yesterday to schedule some surgery. I pushed for tubes after the month we have had. Cade had bilateral ear infections both appointments so he agreed with me. On June 9th at 1:00 (nothing happens fast...) Cade will be having a tonsillectomy, partial adenoidectomy, ear tubes, and a hearing screen under anesthesia. Here is a little anatomical review...Cade has a flatter Eustachian tube due to his abnormal facial structure. This causes more fluid to back up and cause ear infections. Most kids grow out of their flat Eustachian Tubes but that doesn't appear to be what is happening for Cade.
But like I always say, he is a good patient and he can handle anything!