The Daily Hailey

Its been almost a year since we first put a referral in to have Rowan’s hearing tested. Since then, we were tossed around a bit by audiology at the hospital, saw and paid for a private audiologist, had his ears checked at least four times by his family doctor, and today, we FINALLY made it to a specialist.

We had been on the books to see an ENT (ear, nose, and throat doctor) for a couple of months now. Lucky for us, Rowan has had his ears checked so many times that he feels like an expert on the subject, so he wasn’t nervous about having them checked again by someone new. He was actually pretty excited about it. This morning, I got everyone dressed and ready with about 20 minutes to spare. I used that time to see if I could find out where the doctor’s office was in the building. I stumbled upon reviews. Sigh. SO MANY bad reviews. Apparently no one likes the doctor we were scheduled to see. I texted a friend who reassured me that he is an excellent doctor, but perhaps his bedside manner leaves a bit to be desired. I’m fine with that. I’d rather have a knowledgable doctor than a nice doctor who knows squat. Not everyone can be Dr. Guselle and do both 😉 So I decided to hope for the best!

We met Brady at a nearby Tim’s and left his van somewhere that it would’ve be towed, and drove together to the office downtown. We sat and had coffee together for a few minutes before I headed in with Ro. We went inside, checked the directory, and headed up the elevator to the second floor. I almost took him up the stairs like I always do myself, but decided against it for his sake, just in case it took a while and we had things to fill out once we got to the office.

But we didn’t! No forms, no nothing. The receptionist was very short and to the point, just asked for his health card and my name, and sent us through a maze of cubicles to a waiting room. Rowan was SO cute in the waiting room, asking to be tickled and giggling quietly. We waited maybe ten minutes before we were called back into an exam room, and less than five minutes before our doctor came in.

As had been suggested in the reviews I had read, the doctor was pretty short with us at first. He wouldn’t really look at us, and he asked what brought us there but didn’t seem to care about the answer. Once I had said my piece about how long this had been going on for and Rowan’s general history within the last year, he spoke up and said “You keep saying ‘he,” because…” I finished his sentence with “because he’s a boy, haha! He just has exceptionally long hair.” And he kind of cracked a smile and told me that the referral stated that he was a boy but that his receptionist had changed his gender to “female” when she had checked us in. I laughed and said that was fine, and that happened a lot. He brightened a little and reminisced about a photo he has of his son with very long hair, and how its probably the best picture they have of him 🙂 The whole situation seemed to be the ice breaker that we needed, and I am SO thankful for it!

He went on to check Rowan’s ears. He started on the left side and said it was clear. Then to the right. Same story. I was completely floored! I obviously didn’t hide it, because he said he would double check. I told him I believed him, but was just completely surprised. He said the right ear was completely clear, no issue whatsoever, and that he could see the left did have fluid in it at one point but that it wasn’t plugged anymore. I really couldn’t believe it and I apologized for wasting his time, but he reassured me that this happens quite often, and said that we could come back in if we ever had another suspicion, no referral needed. On his way out of the room, he said I should ask the receptionist to change his gender back to male, and chuckled to himself as he left.

What. A. Relief.

I got Rowan’s coat back on and took him back out to the front. I stopped at the front desk and the receptionist addressed us without looking up. “Do you guys need to book another appointment?” There were lots of other staff around and I didn’t want to embarrass her so I said quietly, “Actually, the doctor mentioned that Rowan’s gender was marked incorrectly on his chart.” Again, without looking at me, “Yes, I know, I changed it, its fine now.” I pushed a little and said “Yes, he mentioned you changed it to female, but he is actually male. He just has super long hair.”

That got her attention and she looked at me wide-eyed. “I’m SO sorry!!!” she sputtered. I laughed and reassured her that it happens all the time, and that I wasn’t offended at all. I mentioned that his hair is almost down to his waist these days, and its my fault for not cutting it, but I just love it too much. She was back-pedalling all over the place, trying to make friends with Rowan, apologizing, etc. I just had to laugh because, seriously, we are NOT offended when this happens! We know its because of his long hair! But I even asked him this morning if he wants a haircut yet, and he insists that he likes it the way it is! I’m definitely not going to force him to cut his hair, because I’m probably its biggest fan! But still, I felt bad that she felt so bad. But not too too bad 😉

So, long story long, Rowan’s ears are in the clear for the moment!! I’ve noticed in the recent past leading up to this appointment that he seems bit more clear. He’s less confused and isn’t as upset by loud noises like he was before. His speech has also been improving, and he’s starting to drop his lisp in some cases! Whether its his ears improving, or just development that comes with age, I’ll take it! I’m SO pleased with the answer that we got today, and the option to follow up without needing a referral in the future.

Going into today, I wanted the doctor to say one of two things. 1. His ears are completely clear! and 2. His ears are horrendous, and he needs tubes as soon as possible. I didn’t want any of the in between “Let’s give it another couple of months” garbage. I wanted an answer. And we got the best one! I’m SO relieved!! And I’m sure Rowan is, too. Though, let’s honest. He felt pretty important in those appointments 😉 I think he might miss them a little.

What a great way to close off his year of being two! This dude turns three tomorrow!!!