Don’t say what, say pardon!
I’ve been saying this since Lil H learnt to say “what?” I’ve been saying it increasingly. I say it a lot and have been for a while. In my head I’ve been wondering is his hearing ok? Why is he ignoring me? His speech, communication and vocabulary is ahead for his age so he can’t have a hearing problem, can he? I’ve even had a sticker chart for “good listening”. I’ve asked my friends who’ve all said, “my little one is exactly the same”, “it’s a four year old thing”, “it’s a boy thing”.
Typical conversations have been:
Me: curly pasta or spaghetti with your bolognese?
H:
Me: *louder* H, curly pasta or spaghetti, which do you want?
H:
Me: *louder still* H curly pasta or spaghetti?!
H: curly pasta – don’t shout!
Me: *opens biscuit tin*
H: *appears from garden* can I have a biscuit?
Me: oh you can hear that can you?
H: can I have two?
Things Lil H has been saying sometimes a lot, sometimes not at all – What? What did you say? What’s that? Pardon? What did that man say? What did you before? You didn’t ask me.
Things I’ve been saying sometimes a lot sometimes not at all – I’m talking to you. H, will you listen. Pay attention. Answer me. I’m talking. Can you not hear me? Listen. I asked you not to do that. For goodness sake listen.
I took him to the GP over four months ago, he checked his ears, they looked fine, come back if it’s still a problem. Its continued on and off good days, bad days, better days, worse days.
At Center Parcs Lil H got an ear infection after six days imitating a fish underwater for sometimes as long as 6 hours a day (the boy looked like a raisin!) I was fully expecting it. But his hearing during and post the infection was markedly worse. He was turning the volume up on the TV and he’d upped the daily “what” score to a new personal best.
We went back to the doctors last Tuesday, he checked and although the infection was clear agreed to refer Lil H to an ENT specialist. I have BUPA private health cover for the children and we saw a specialist on Friday afternoon. He confirmed Lil H has glue ear pretty much as bad as it gets which is causing him to have a 40% loss of hearing. Yep that’s right FORTY PERCENT.
So it turns out normal four year old behaviour isn’t always normal and mummy senses should always be listened to. In Lil H’s case it’s a hearing issue, a fully correctable one. Tomorrow, less than ten days from getting the referral and less than a week from seeing the consultant, Lil H will be admitted to hospital for a minor surgery to fit grommets. He should be back to hearing on full volume pretty much immediately – will he still ignore his mother? Now that is the question!
Category: Uncategorized | Tags: Children's hearing loss, glue ear, Lil' H 8 comments »
June 15th, 2011 at 5:22 pm
Well done you for taking him back. I think that it is hard to trust your intuition as a parent sometimes, especially as you can get poo poo’d about things. I too have Glue ear as a child and had grommets, tonsils and adenoids removed and it made a marked difference and helped with my sleep, which was beyond pants.
Also hats off to you fr having BUPA cover, I am a great believer in the NHS, but when we could afford private healthcare we had it, which I believe is the way it should be.
June 16th, 2011 at 7:01 am
What a post! Thinking of you today and the little man today x
June 16th, 2011 at 7:19 am
Thanks Jen, thanks Nicki xx
June 16th, 2011 at 7:35 am
my mum wonders if my 4 year old needs his testing as he has selective hearing too. I think he isn’t as much of a “what” kid as your little boy and can hear when its to do with food etc just doesn’t hear the instructions etc… Hope your boy gets sorted soon x
June 16th, 2011 at 11:20 am
I wouldn’t wonder, I’d get him tested, he’ll be tested in reception but sooner the better always preferable. No one other than me thought it was possibly an issue. Hope it’s just boy-itis! Claire x
September 20th, 2011 at 11:53 am
[...] Lil H’s and his new ears – we had surgery, it went well, the boy did good! [...]
September 28th, 2011 at 7:59 pm
[...] posted back in June “Don’t say what, say pardon” about the news that Lil H had glue ear. Hurray, he wasn’t ignoring me after all! Big Boo, [...]
December 8th, 2012 at 8:28 am
Thanks for this post. I often wonder if E can hear well enough. I think I will do the same and take him to the gp for tests.
Well done for insisting and taking him again. I am sure he will notice the difference, and you!