conductive hearing loss (glue ear)

[Blue-Kat]

jsut wondered if there's people with experience or comments on this?

 

my 11 yr AS son has moderate hearing loss on one side, and has been referred to ENT, I think, for possible grommets or maybe hearing aid.

 

there's been a year of 'watchful waiting' and his hearing has got worse. he has very severe dyslexia, clearly having to comepensate for partial hearing can't be helping. Improving his hearing is clearly a priority.

 

he has quite sensitive to certain sounds and background noise, unless he's making the din

 

I've heard very positve tales of grommets, but NHS site says improvements might occur anyway without intervention, and that grommets can fall out, ear drum hole might not heal etc.

 

L had dental surgery last summer, and was pretty ropey after the general aneasthetic, medically OK but shrieking, shaking and panicy breathing. thankfully after a short sleep, he'd forgotten it. Other parents say their kids come out of GA with a smile, and alert.

 

Thanks for any comments.

[CarerQuie]

Grommets did make a difference to my DD.Her hearing cleared up greatly for a while.In most children the grommets work their way out after about 9-12 months.My DD had to have her grommets removed because she had narrow Eustachian tubes and they had been in situ for 2 years and the body was regarding them as 'foreign bodies'.xx

[loulou]

Hi,

 

I think you should write down all your concerns/questions and take it with you when you go to see the ENT team. My friend's daughter (NT) had "glue ear" and had grommets fitted when she was 5. She was really struggling at school. Her reading and learning came on in leaps and bounds after.

 

Kai has had 3 general anaesthetics in his life and each time he has come out of it nice and calm (and sleepy!). I work for the NHS and have always been told that if a child goes to sleep calm, they should come round calm too. My mum worked on a children's ENT ward for 15 years and she says that the kids who go off to sleep screaming and unsettled wake up in a state too.

 

All the best, hope you don't have to wait too long for your appointment ,

 

Loulou xx

[Bagpuss]

My DS had his tonsils and adenoids removed and grommets fitted when he was 3. He then had grommets fitted again a few years later. They did help at the time, and I found his nose wasn't running constantly and he wasn't getting constant ear-ache and ear infections. His hearing also improved. Now he is 13 and has recently begun having problems again. He is struggling with his hearing, gets ear ache and has a continuous runny nose. We are on a waiting list to have his hearing re-tested.

Edited January 30, 2007 by Bagpuss

[Blue-Kat]

thanks - will certainly discuss it with ENT.

 

L went under very calm and easy, no screaming, he was well prepared, we'd read hospital books and discussed what would happen.

 

I think when he was semi conscious in Recovery, he was aware of pain, but not alert enough to cope with it, thus the panic.

 

Hi,

 

I think you should write down all your concerns/questions and take it with you when you go to see the ENT team. My friend's daughter (NT) had "glue ear" and had grommets fitted when she was 5. She was really struggling at school. Her reading and learning came on in leaps and bounds after.

 

Kai has had 3 general anaesthetics in his life and each time he has come out of it nice and calm (and sleepy!). I work for the NHS and have always been told that if a child goes to sleep calm, they should come round calm too. My mum worked on a children's ENT ward for 15 years and she says that the kids who go off to sleep screaming and unsettled wake up in a state too.

 

All the best, hope you don't have to wait too long for your appointment ,

 

Loulou xx