At the end of my rope with my almost 8 month old...HELP!

[Critter]

Sorry if this is a bit long, but I want you to have all the information you need...

Luke has slept through the night since the day before he turned 3 months old.  He's slept from 6:45 - 6:30ish every night with the only disruption being his dream feed, which he now takes 8 oz but sleeps right through it.  He takes 8 oz every 4 hours, plus solids three times a day.  We tried to drop the dream feed, but he would wake up without it, so we're giving up on that one for now.  Even decreasing it a little bit at a time was a no-go. 

January was a rough month for us with a double ear infection that wouldn't go away and then RSV.  Luckily for us, the RSV didn't last long and he got through it like a champ.  The only remaining side effects are a runny nose and some congestion.  Even while he was sick he would laugh and smile and play.  The doctor has commented on several occasions that Luke is the happiest sick baby he has ever seen.

In the past week, he has started waking up at 5:00.  The first couple of mornings he would talk to the walls and entertain himself until about 6 or so before he was really mad and needed his bottle.  So, I thought that I might add some cereal to his night time feeding to see if it was the calories that he was needing.  It made no difference, so I just went back to doing what I was doing.  Now he's waking up at 1:00 am and 4:00 am screaming his brains out.  The only other time he's done that was when he had an ear infection.  I also know that his teeth are bothering him, but he cut his first four teeth with no problems that Orajel and Tylenol wouldn't fix.  Now it seems that nothing can calm him down.  He vomited on me this morning while I was feeding him breakfast and we had to stop everything and put him in the tub.  I also checked to see if he had a temperature, and he has a low one. 

 My once Angel Baby is now a very Grumpy boy and it is making me sad.  I am very frustrated and I don't know what to do.  PLEASE HELP!

[Tori's Mom]

Before I had Tori I was an audiologist in an ENT office.  My suggestion is that you see an ENT.  Your ped may Rx a medication but if he is still having the stuffy nose his eustation (small tube that runs from middle ear to throat) may still be swollen and not allowing fluid to leave causing an infection.  If children pull at the ears, are extra fussy, run low grade fever and don't to seem to respond to auditory stimuli like he used to he could very well have fluid in the ears that are not infected.  The difference is the level of pain he has.  With just fluid he will feel like he is wearing earplugs all of the time....with an infection the middle ear becomes inflammed and has a bacterial growth.  Since the RSV is gone and he was on antibiotics, the bacteria may be gone but because the eustation tube is still swollen he hasn't lost the fluid.  Does he have allergies?  Is his nose runny?  Is there a color to the drainage?
I would call an ENT- get a referral from your ped.  An ENT will have the specialty background to deal with this type of problem where the general prac or ped Dr. has a different specialty.
You can PM me anytime.
HTH

[Tori's Mom]

BTW, the only way to know if there is truly fluid in the middle ear space is the use of a tympanogram.  It will allow the tester to see if the space is clear or if there is fluid present.  Most ENTs and some general Dr.'s have this machine.
He may not have any of these problems but sometimes easy going babies don't have the symptoms you normally get.  Hope your lo is feeling better soon and that you get some sleep in the near future!

[Critter]

Thanks Jacki.  We're going to the dr tomorrow.  My intuition tells me that it is another ear infection, which if that's the case, our pediatrician has already said that we'll put tubes in his ears.  That's fine with me as long as it will make him feel better!  I will post when we get home from the dr.  His temp is up to 102 and I just talked to the nurse practitioner and she told me to alternate Motrin and Tylenol every 3 hours.

[Tori's Mom]

Don't be afraid of the PE tubes.  They are a wonderful invention.  They will aid him in acquiring normal speech and leave no damage to the eardrum in the future.  They will put him under anesthesia but the total amount of time is approx 10 min.
Good luck tommorow!   

[Critter]

Oh, I'm not.  I'm all for it if it will make him feel better.  I love my pediatrician.  If he wanted me to fly to the moon and back I would do it.

[Critter]

Well, I was right.  Double ear infection.  We went to the ENT today and he wants to wait until the infection is gone until we do the procedure.  As of right now, it is scheduled for next Friday.  My pediatrician wants to see if he can talk him into moving it up.  Luke's last ear infection lasted for two and a half weeks b/c he doesn't respond to treatment, and the Rocefin (sp) shot gave him a HORRIBLE rash.  It was very scary.  Anyway, so we're trying out a new antibiotic to see how he will respond.  In the meantime, I'm frustrated because I know my sweet baby is hurting and there is absolutely NOTHING I can do to make him feel better.

[Tori's Mom]

I can totally understand the frustration.  The reason that the ENT wants to wait for the infection to clear is that with the inflammation of the eardrum, there is a bigger chance that the tube will not stay in place.  I know the next couple of days will be rough but it will better in the long run to get rid of the bacteria so that the tube will stay in place longer and give him a better chance of outgrowing the original problem causing the infections.
Hang in there......you will see DRAMATIC differences the first day after the tubes are in place.  It really is amazing!
Keep me updated!

[Critter]

That's what I hear.  I just keep wondering if his ears have been the problem all along.  Since he was 3 months old his has had CONSTANT snot.  Poor baby couldn't breathe for the longest time.  I know that part of it might be allergies, but I am wondering how much of it was also related to his ears. We just changed to a new pediatrician Jan 1, and he is MUCH more attentive to Luke and actually takes what I have to say in consideration.  Turns out, I've been right every single time.  That makes me feel good!

I'll give you more details when I get them.  Thanks for the info.