Relief...

Yesterday was a day I have been waiting to get through for over 6 weeks now. At the girls 6 month check up, we voiced some concerns about Olivia's hearing. I know they say not to compare twins as they develop, but I am here to tell you that is simply impossible. She was just not responding to sound the way Kate was at all. She is THE most laid back child I have ever seen in my life, though, so we thought she just might not be bothered by it. She had passed her hearing test at birth and had never been diagnosed with an ear infection so other than my gut there was no evidence of a problem, but my pediatrician referred us to an audiologist just the same (even if for only my piece of mind!).
The doctor's office set up the appointment and the first available was March 5 (this was back on January 21) and we tried not to think about it or worry about it or let it consume me, but I thought about it a lot. A lot more than I let on.
She went through the tests like a little trooper! She was great, even though she was exhausted and hungry as they told us she would have to sleep soundly for an hour for this test, so I had disrupted her nap and only gave her a "snack" before we went so she would take a full feeding and sleep with no problem. Well, when we got there the doctor told us she was older and more developed than they really like for the sleep tests, so they would try the ear phones and then the sound booth and if that didn't work, they would sedate her for the sleep test, but that was a last resort we didn't want to take if we could avoid it. She did great with everything they gave her.
She does have considerable hearing loss. She also has a massive amount of fluid in both ears. The doctor compared the way Olivia hears to when you were a child and you tried to talk to someone under water. The good news is, the fluid is most likely the only culprit, though she can't be 100% sure until we remove the fluid and retest her.
So, next Friday we see the ENT specialist who will try to determine our next move. It is possible the fluid is caused from allergy/cold and flu season and will clear on its own. Most likely (since we noticed a problem quite some time ago and there has been no change) it will require tubes. So, I am relieved that I didn't imagine there was a problem with my child but more so that it is (most likely) something that can be fixed with something as simple as tubes. I know it is still a surgical procedure and it will make me very nervous and anxious when they do it, but it is also the most common pediatric procedure and happens all the time. And, once they do it, there should be no permanent damage. We will know more next Friday after we see the next specialist, but for now, I will live in my little world of relief.