A ruptured ear drum (aka our trip to a Chicago Hospital’s ER)
Posted on March 27, 2007
Filed Under Uncategorized |
There’s probably a way to put an entertaining spin on this post but right now? I’m too freaked out and worried about my little guy… SO I’ll just tell ya’ll the story…
On Saturday we drove to Chicago for a quick spring break vaca. Saturday was fun. We were off to a great start.
On Sunday morning Seth said his ear hurt. I got some children’s Motrin from the in-store hotel and gave him a bit. In a few minutes, he was feeling fine. Marc and Seth then left to have some guy time and take in the Chicago skyline from the top of the John Hancock Building. Later on in the afternoon, Seth started whining about his ear again. Plus? His head ached. We assumed he was just very tired from the activity and sensory overload. More Motrin was administered. We cancelled the evening plans and hung out in our hotel room.
On Monday morning at 2 a.m. Seth woke up screaming and crying. He kept saying his ear hurt. More Motrin was given. He kept wailing. I brought him into our bed (he was on the hideaway bed) thinking that might comfort him. I rubbed his back and even rubbed his cheek near his ear for quite some time. Marc and I were exhausted. We kept trying to calm him. It wasn’t working. I thought, “this must be a bad ear infection.” More Motrin was given. He finally stopped crying around 4 a.m. and fell asleep.
This morning, I woke up to see big drops of blood all over the pillow he was using as well as the sheets and the shoulder of his pj’s. As I was checking his ear, he awoke. I had him sit up and dabbed at the bloody ear with a tissue. A sick, faint feeling coursed through my veins. I thought, “Did he rupture his ear drum?”
Then, I sat next to him and whispered in his right ear, “Can you hear this” a few times.
He said he “sort of could.” By this point, I started cleaning him up and getting him changed. Marc was at the hotel gym but he’d be back soon. And we’d have to take him to the doctor. We offered him food, which he heartily ate (we figured this was a good sign) and gave him more Motrin. At this point, I wondered if a tick had gotten into his ear last week during a hike and had perhaps exploded.
We headed to Northwestern’s Emergency Room. Seth was very brave through the ordeal. Three doctors examined his ear. The “alpha doc” told us Seth had a small rupture in his ear drum. They think he had some fluid in his ear prior to the trip. And getting on an elevator that rapidly whisks people almost 100 stories into the sky? Probably caused the intense pressure.
I asked if he’d be in any more pain. They told us the pressure was so painful that once the ear drum ruptured, he probably felt relief. He probably wouldn’t have anymore pain.
They gave us scripts for antibiotics and told us to inform our pediatrician. Seth will also need to see a specialist. If the rupture doesn’t heal, he may need a cartilage graft. I asked if there will be any hearing loss. They basically said they didn’t know but since the hole was small, odds are good that any hearing loss won’t be major.
The bright spot through this ordeal was watching Seth calmly interact with the doctors. At one point one asked him, “Did you stick one of your toys in your ear?”
He looked at the doctor as if he had three heads then replied, “Why would I want to put my cars in my ear? I wouldn’t do THAT. Actually, they’re too big. They wouldn’t fit!”
Now? We’re back at home. Seth has gotten his antibiotics. He’s got a belly full of hamburgers, french fries and chocolate custard from Culver’s. He’s probably dreaming of Monster Trucks, Lionfish, and his upcoming birthday. This was to be a crazy week to begin with but now? Its really going to get chaotic. So pretty, pretty, pretty please? Bare with me. If I don’t get to your blog this week, its not that I’m blowing you off. Its just going to be one of those so crazy busy weeks. But as of April 2? I expect things will be back on track.
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36 Responses to “A ruptured ear drum (aka our trip to a Chicago Hospital’s ER)”
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Poor little guy — an earache is at the top of my list of pains to avoid.
Glad he’s feeling better now and you’re home safe and sound. Good luck with your crazy week!
Oh, ow. I feel sorry for Seth, that must have hurt something awful. I feel sorry for you, too. How worried you must have been!
When my dad was a little kid he got a super nasty ear infection and the doctors purposely ruptured his eardrum to drain the fluid. They held him down and poked a q-tip into his ear until it ruptured. He says it was awful, however, he has no permanent hearing loss and no recurring problems with that ear.
You’ve got a hectic week ahead of you!
When my youngest son was small he developed fluid in his middle ear, which resulted in him being unable to hear and therefore unable to talk until he was 2 1/2 and got ear tubes.
My daughter had her ear drum rupture for the first time at about 8 months old. I rushed her to the hospital in a state of panic. The doctor told me that given my sons history, the rupture should be looked on as a good thing because it allowed the fluid to drain out. Her eardrums ruptured several more times, but she outgrew it by age 2 thank goodness…
Oh. Ears are my “weak spot” - the spot that gives me the heebie-jeebies (my spine is still tingling after having read this). Oh. God. Poor Seth.
Hang in there - all of you!
Hope the little guy all better soon. Take it easy this week and I hope sneakshit stays far from your yard to give you a break. :o)
OH! Poor Seth! I hope he’s starting to feel better! You were only an hour away from me! Actually less ’cause I was in St. Charles for the weekend! ROFL. Hope you had fun!
My niece had that happen to her when she was about 3. Her eardrum healed fine and she has no problems now.
Oh, poor poor little guy! Earaches are the worst, eardrums rupturing are godawful.
Culver’s custard and burger are ALWAYS a good start to feeling better! He’ll be okay. Just keep giving him the Culver’s…I swear it’s a cure-all.
That is very scary. Glad he is doing ok now!
Poor kid! And sorry your trip wasn’t the fun vacation you’d planned on. Good luck with the busy week.
Okay, between Debbie (of I Obsess fame) having to call 911 and having an ambulance whisk her son, who was having a fever induced seizure, to the ER, and you waking up to find blood from Seth’s ear on his bedding and jammies, I think I might just pack it in and go home for the day.
I hope Seth is doing okay now, and praying his hearing isn’t affected. Keep us posted, kay?
Ohhh Honey…
Wow…
I think it must have been terrifying being ou tof your homebase when this happened…
Glad Seth ison the mend…
And now, I think you need a vacation from the vacation!!!
The 2 things I fear: choking and a ruptured eardrum… poor guy, glad he’s feeling better.
OMG!! I’m usually pretty calm in those situations, but the blood on the pillow would have gotten to me.
What a brave guy! What a brave mommy!
Hope you’re all recovering well from the ordeal.
Oh, that’s awful! I hope the little guy is feeling better soon - and you too! Keep us posted; I’ll be thinking of you!
Oh, poor Seth! That must have been really scary for you. “Luckily,” (that is to say, not-so-luckily) if this happened to my son, I would know exactly what was going on because my poor sister had chronic ear infections as a child, and her ear drum ruptured on more than one occasion.
She hears just fine now, though.
Oh my goodness!!!
Poor Seth.
Hope he is back to “normal” soon.
Hang in there Momma.
Carrie
Oh, your poor little guy! What a soldier getting through that whole thing so well!
I know this isn’t the type of comment you’re receiving from everyone else, but I’m 90% deaf in my left ear because of a ruptured ear drum that started out as an ear infection. I feel a little awkward mentioning that because most people who rupture their eardrum don’t end up with permanent hearing loss and if they do, it’s usually very very little. Mine just…wasn’t.
The reason I’m including that is because I function just fine. If the doctors say the hearing loss will likely not be permanent then they’re probably right, but if something happens and it is, then keep in mind that it isn’t the end of the world to lose your hearing. He’ll be just fine if he does.
That sounds so bad, I’m really sorry, I’m just trying to be encouraging and speak from the perspective of someone who had it happen to them that it will all work out. I really hope that Seth feels better now and I’m sure he’ll be 150% before you can say “Jack Robinson” =)
Yikes! Poor Seth… poor you! Will he share his pain meds?
Poor kid! Here’s hoping there’s no hearing loss and he’s back to normal soon.
Oh no! Poor little man! Hope he’s all better soon.
Poor little guy! The Mayor had a ruptured ear drum when he was about 9 months old. Terrible!
My son had to have his tubes taken out in January. They had to repair the hole they purposely made to let the fluid drain. To help the healing process along the doctor took some “fat” from behind his ear and place a bit of it over each hole in each ear and packed his ear with some type of antibotic to hold the “fat” in place. Unfortunately he has not “out grown” the ear infections like they thought (he has had three sets of tubes, 9 mos, 3 and 4, he is now 6). He had an ear infection exactly 4 weeks after the removal of the tubes.
I hope Seth’s ear heals soon and you don’t have to have the surgery.
How horrible! Hopefully the antibiotics kick in soon!
How scary! Glad to hear he’s on the mend. Happy dreams of Lionfish to him.
Oh Lisa!
Not the way you invisioned spending your vacation, I’m sure. I am glad to hear that Seth is ok.
See you next week
What a shitty vacation, and poor little guy. Earaches suck, that’s for sure. But that was like the holy monster mother of earaches. Surely, it can’t get worse.
poor thing! wow. how scary! i’m glad he’s ok for now. keep us posted!
Poor Seth! I hate taking my little one to the hospital and seeing them in pain. Good luck surviving this week - will miss ya!
Well at first I was angry…
“Lisa was in Chicago and didn’t call me???”
But oh..poor Seth.
I’m sorry for the ordeal but my son ruptured his ear drum (slightly) when he was 4 and he did not have any hearing loss. So that’s good right?
Take care and try and have a less stressed week.
Poor guy! i get ear infections all the time - but that one is on a whole new level1
I wish I could send him fun stuff! but good wishes are just as good I hope!
Wow. You seem to have handled it nicely. I would have been freaking out. Hope it doesn’t have any lasting effects on the little guy.
To focus your mind on something less worrisome, I tagged you for a meme. It’s a short one. Enjoy.
How horrible! Poor thing.
Andrea (Red Rollerskate)
Oh my goodness, this is so scary. I’m glad that he’s feeling better. You and Marc (and Seth) are very brave.
Here’s to your little man feeling 100% soon!
poor little guy!!! sounds like he was super duper brave at the hospital, though.
hope he’s feeling better by now. sounds very painful and scary. definitely worth a chocolate milkshake.
Thank you so much for posting about this. My little guy woke up with a bloody ear drum this morning, and so I google searched blood ear drum and your blog came up! It gave me the vital information I needed to make some quick decisions.
Thanks!
Jess @ Making Home