I like change in some areas of my life and even a little spontaneity, but I have found that I am most content when our days follow a routine. The routine for our family during the school year is getting up early, taking David to school then come home pour a fresh cup of coffee, make some oatmeal, come in here to my study and turn on Fox News. I check out my friends blogs, facebook and then if compelled sign on here to write something for you guys. Even if I have a busy day ahead or errands to run, it seems to work best if I come in here first and just have a little bit of me time.
I think one of the big reasons I love this time of year is because David is in school. There is no pressure on me to try and fill his days with stimulation, rather than giving in to TV shows all day. When David is here with me there are usually 3 components to our days: 1st - alone play time for him in the mornings while I work; 2nd - craft/reading/play-doh/game/etc. something productive that we do together; 3rd - TV. Some days we do more productive activities than others, some days we don't. But the pressure is always there. And he wants productive activity - he wants to cut and color and glue and paste and read and ask why and why and why. He wants to sound out letters and figure out which words start with which letters. He wants to sort things and build things. He wants to imagine he is in a spaceship. He wants to count high and decide if 15 comes before or after 16. He wants to sing. He wants to dance. He wants to play sports. He wants to play on the computer.... and so on and so on. He is full of curiosity, imagination, energy, laughter, etc. and I love him more than I can breathe, but I cannot fulfill all those needs he has. After a few days with me his BORED and tells me so. Then I feel guilty and feel that I am not doing what I should as a mother. So after much rambling - I love the routine we have during school time.
School - he LOVES it. I cannot believe how happy he is. I mean he's always loved school, but this is different. He talks about it constantly and about his friends and all his teachers. Each day I think "oh that's his favorite friend or class or project", but the next day he is just as excited about another friend or another class LOL. And his school is amazing to me and fulfills all the things he needs when he is away from home. In addition to his regular teacher he has a music teacher, Spanish teacher, computer teacher and PE coach. They also go to the library each Friday. Stories, crafts, letters, abound LOL. They have a letter person each week and that sets the theme for the week. This week has been "Pointy Patches P". Pretty funny. And he is learning his address, which is really cute. I could go on and on about the great things they do, but you get the idea. And I have a super-happy, very-stimulated, little boy.
Since this post seems to be about David, I'll continue on him. Most of you know about the trials and tribulations we have had with his ears since he was only a couple of months old. Well the latest issue - ruptured ear drum was the final straw for me. Multiple surgeries, countless antibiotics - oral and drops... Nothing seems to be working for him.
So yesterday we him took him to Children's Hospital in Birmingham and saw an ENT Pediatric Specialist. After seeing 2 nurses, an intern - who suctioned stuff out of his ear, the Doc, having a hearing test and having a CT Scan... it turns out there is a real problem. His worst ear - the left - has a cholesteatoma. What you ask? I did too - couldn't say it, couldn't spell it and had never heard of it until yesterday. I have copied and pasted a summary of this below.
Cholesteatoma and Chronic Mastoiditis
The middle ear and the mastoid are directly connected to each other and are normally filled with air.
Air enters the middle ear via the eustachian tube which opens into the deep portion of the nasal chamber. Recurrent middle ear infections may be due to poor function of the eustachian tube. Although most middle ear infections resolve, some recur or persist. Those chronic infections may lead to damage of the ear drum that can result in a perforation or, in some cases to recurrent infections of the mastoid, or even cholesteatoma. Cholesteatoma is an epithelial cyst (made from the tissue and cells that make skin). Technically, it is not a tumor, but it grows independently. Cholesteatomas grow slowly, yet are able to erode and destroy bone in their path. Most commonly bone destruction is manifest as erosion of the vibrating bones of hearing, but cholesteatoma can erode into the inner ear, leading to nerve deafness and vertigo, or can erode into the intracranial cavity leading to infection around or inside the brain. Cholesteatoma can erode the bone surrounding and protecting the facial nerve, and can lead to facial weakness, or in severe cases paralysis.
Cholesteatoma is treated by microsurgery. Several different types and degrees of tymanomastoidectomy surgery exist for cholesteatoma. The appropriate surgery is selected on the basis of the size and location of the cholesteatoma. Reconstruction of damaged ossicles is also possible, but may require additional surgery depending on the findings at the initial surgery. Cholesteatoma surgery can be lengthy, since it requires meticulous microdissection, but success rates for control of cholesteatoma are high and risks of surgery are low.
So now you know what I know. I am awaiting a call from the doc at Children's after he reviews yesterday's CT Scan and notes, etc. from David's prior surgeries. Based on his review he will be able to tell his surgical plan and if there are any options available. From what I understand the surgery will happen relatively quickly. Please pray for the surgeons wisdom and David's health.
Time for more coffee and for me to get a little work done. I'll let you know when we know more.
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