‘Ear me out July 17, 2007
I took Finn to the Royal Children’s Hospital this morning for a six monthly checkup. We’ve been going there since Finn’s hearing loss was diagnosed at 3 months and I’m increasingly unsure why we bother to continue.
Each time we see a different person who asks the same questions we’ve been asked every other time we’ve been - information which is contained in Finn’s file. They look in Finn’s ears and we go home again.
After a slew of hearing tests it can’t be in much doubt that Finn’s hearing loss is permanent and not going to be fixed by grommets (my least favourite question is whether he’s ever had grommets and why not). The only time his hearing test results vary are when he has a cold and gets fluid in his ears, which clears as soon as the cold is gone and his next test is always back to the 45 decibel level.
Perhaps I’m just grouchy about having to wrangle the 2 kids to get there on time and then being rained on on the way home. I’m over all the testing and poking and prodding that has been a feature of Finn’s life to date. I also feel a little bad hauling Leila around when this has nothing to do with her.
Maybe I just need a sleep.
It would shit me to tears to have to start from scratch every time, and make me wonder what the point was. Let alone why on earth do they constantly ask about grommets?
Having watched my little brother go through something similar, and how hard it was on him and my parents, I can empathise with the grouchy feeling. Hope warm and dry made some of that go away.
The question about the grommets probably comes about because Finn’s file would show that they were recommended early on when his ears did seem to be chronically filled with fluid. The bit they fail to notice is that he was booked in to have them done, but his ears cleared on their own and it was decided that he didn’t need them.
I probably shouldn’t be so grouchy about it, but it does have a touch of ‘Groundhog Day’ to it all.