TESTS, TESTS, TESTS...

Abigail's first appointment with the ENT at Dayton Children's went smoothly. He saw no reason for her not to be aided and issued a medical clearance so that we could get the hearing aids ordered as soon as possible. We also talked about the expectation for follow-up visits and how to care for her ears properly to prevent any further hearing loss. We would follow up with our ENT after the test results came back and then every six months after that.

There were several blood tests, a urine screen and a genetic profile ordered that same day. I was so happy to learn that the urine sample would be collected via a collection bag. My son had to have a urine sample collected when he was only 13 months old and the hospital we were at used a catheter to obtain it. It was a horrible experience for everyone. The hospital tested her blood for lipid disorders, diabetes, metabolic disorders, infection, etc. The genetic profile was done in hopes of identifying the source of her loss, however, it was made very clear by the ENT that sometimes we simply, "don't know the cause." I hoped that this would not be the case for us, as I was secretly blaming myself for her loss. If we couldn't identify the cause, I knew that my feelings would be cemented and I would spend the rest of my life questioning everything I did during my pregnancy.

The last test that was ordered was a CAT scan of Abigail's head. The ENT wanted to make sure there wasn't anything going on inside her ears that could be causing the loss i.e. malformation of the inner ear or cochlea, cysts, growths, etc. The CAT scan required that Abigail not eat for 8 hours prior to the x-ray. This was going to be a difficult task for a baby that was only five weeks old and still eating pretty regularly. We were aloud to give her about 2 oz of clear liquid (Pedialyte) 6 hours prior, but no breast milk or formula. This was because our CAT scan was scheduled as a sedated scan and if she had anything in her stomach she may aspirate it. I was very nervous about putting a baby so young under sedation, but the nurses assured me that the medicine was specifically formulated for the tiniest of babies. They also said that if we were able to get her to sleep on her own, a sedative should not be necessary. I doubted that my little girl who was incredibly hungry would ever go to sleep with a giant machine circling around her head like an out of control Ferris wheel.

Enter yet another incredible medical professional...

Our CAT scan nurse was wonderful. She swaddled Abigail in the softest cotton blankets, strapped her to the scan table so that she was nice and secure, covered with more blankets from the warmer and stroked the bridge of her nose until unbelievably she was asleep. We were able to get the scan done without the sedative and I was relieved. My little girl did wonderful!