Re: Putting that new otoscope to use

[Guest guest]

has a new ear infection. I have this awesome new otoscope ( " The

Original Doctor Mom Otoscope " ) and was able to check her when she complained of

ear

pain Monday night. I saw some redness in one area, nothing really remarkable,

was just going to watch her.

Tues. she didn't mention her ear when she first awoke, so DH and I said let's

send her to school and check her ear after, as she missed three days last

week with the gastro thing. She said her ear still hurt a little but not as

much.

??

After school I checked it and saw that same little area of redness, but in

another area I saw what looked like a HOLE! I'm thinking perforation, but why no

discharge? I could see something behind the " hole " , so I figured the pus and

such might be soooo thick with infection as to not leak out? Didn't feel

confident with what I was seeing, I would have thought there would be drainage

with

a perforation. So took her in, all the while realizing I have an ear

infection of my own all of a sudden. Sigh. But comes first, so we rushed

to ped,

calling my doc to try to get seen the same day also, as my ear infections

come on fast and furious and can not wait until the next day.

The Ped we saw was the one who is brilliant but sort of cocky. I told him I

don't want to risk my credibility but that I thought I saw a perforation in her

eardrum. I described it as being " at the top " , but in hindsight one of our

otoscopes must use a different number of mirrors. He didn't see it but did see

the area of redness, described it as the beginning of an ear infection and had

me look with his otoscope to see if I still saw my hole. I did, but it was at

4:00 instead of 11:00. He didn't look again though I nicely insisted it still

looked like a perforation to me and told him the location to look. He went and

got a handheld tympanometer or whatever, it measures the pressures I think?

Well, whatever he saw on that made him go get his otoscope and look again but

he didn't say anything after.

She's on Augmentin for 10 days and I'm wondering if she'll start draining in

a couple days or if I'm nuts!!!!!

So we waited an hour for her appointment, then drove 35 minutes and waited

another hour at my doc and the kids were crawling up the walls. I'm on Zithromax

and Allegra, with my doc admitting she doesn't know if Zithromax will be

strong enough but I just had Augmentin and Levaquin last month. So more co-pays

for docs, meds, rechecks, it never ends.

Em's diarrhea infection is cleared up, her cultures were all neg except they

saw a little yeast which didn't grow... Kate caught it but not as bad, cleared

and now she's got Omnicef diarrhea from her false-alarm non-scarlet fever

(oh, brother) last week. Em's gastro bug is gone but she always gets diarrhea

from Augmentin. Sigh. I'm going to try to get some Florastor in her today.

Sigh, Sigh and more Sigh. Plus Kate doesn't understand about daylight savings

time and is getting up at 5am every day!!!!!!!!

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!

(mom to , age 5-1/2, dairy intolerant-related GERD -- currently

has polysaccharide antibody def, previously had transient IgG, IgA, t-cell &

other defs... and also to Kate, born 9/19/02, dairy intolerant)

[Guest guest]

I hope you are both feeling better soon. I went in to my doc today

and I also have an ear infection I have to say that I love my

otoscope! I got it a long time ago when Jack was not clearing up

from antibiotics so that I can tell if I need to bring him back

before the schedule check up or if I could wait.

> has a new ear infection. I have this awesome new otoscope

( " The

> Original Doctor Mom Otoscope " ) and was able to check her when she

complained of ear

> pain Monday night. I saw some redness in one area, nothing really

remarkable,

> was just going to watch her.

[Guest guest]

I got mine at www.doctormomotoscope.com, it was $20 +$4 shipping. I had had a

horrible Dr. Dedo one from One Step Ahead (don't buy the white Dedo

one!!!!!!!!!) which had a penlight where you could not replace the batteries.

Then you

go try to find a new penlight and the lights are wayyyyy too dim. It also

didn't have the magnifying lens, so I could never see anything, just a general

impression of color. Only helpful for pearly grey or blazing red, nothing in

between.

I was really happy with this new one (Doctor Mom) as I can actually see the

texture of her eardrum, which is fascinating. My only real complaint about it

is the child-size specula kind of wiggles a little, but you adjust to it. It

has a lifetime warranty and a return policy where even if you simply don't like

it you can return it within one year. Of course, then the ped had me take a

look using theirs, which is plugged into the wall and has an amazing light, and

man, what a difference. I wish I had one of those!! We've spent so much on

co-pays for complaints of ear pain that turned out not to be infections... I got

my money's worth on the otoscope purchase in one use.

By the way, looking again yesterday I still see the " hole " but it has

changed, I think it may possibly be a bubble of fluid behind the eardrum. She's

got a

chunk of wax in there now that makes it hard to see around.

(mom to , age 5-1/2, dairy intolerant-related GERD -- currently

has polysaccharide antibody def, previously had transient IgG, IgA, t-cell &

other defs... and also to Kate, born 9/19/02, dairy intolerant)