When I spoke before about my daughter and her possible hearing issues, I told a bit about my own experience as a kid with ear infections, hearing issues, and eight million sets of tubes. (Ok, it was only 6 sets between age 6 and 11 – but it felt like eight million.)  I never wanted my kids to go through what I did as a child. 

Today, I took Indigo to the doctor. A quick look in the ears, and she confirmed what I already knew – she has fluid in her ears. No hearing test needed simply because it would only tell us what we already knew – her hearing IS impaired. 

I breathed a sigh of relief when she said that tube are more of a last resort now.  I had always suspected as I got older that my issues with inner ear fluid were related to allergies.  I know as an adult that until my allergies were under control; my ears are a problem.  Now, the approach per the pediatric association is to figure out what is causing the fluid to build up and treat that.  Fluid is a symptom, not the problem.

A-fucking-men!!

Her course of action now is to treat an infection.  Most of the time it is a sinus infection that is causing the build up.  (Wow – consistent with what my experience was as a teenager and in my early 20s).  Also, to treat for allergies with a nasal spray.  At the same time, test for respiratory allergies which is a blood test just to make sure we know exactly what we are dealing with.  She said it can take up to 3 months for the fluid to drain.  Until then, we have to deal with the fact she’s hearing the world like she’s wearing ear plugs.

Indigo got blood drawn and held with our kids’ tradition of thinking it was cool and not crying. (I feel extremely lucky that my kids never cried for shots or blood work outside of when they were a newborn.)  When she asked who was going to take her blood, I had told her that the vampire would be taking her blood which she thought was cool until she found out that we weren’t going into the basement. She thought that the science vampires would work in the basement.  She was also disappointed that they would be taking the blood from her arm and not her neck, but then decided it was easier to hide the marks if they were on her arm.  I’m so glad my kids have twisted senses of humor and don’t get freaked out by things. 

After getting Indigo to school after a treat of McDonalds, I went to the pharmacy to get her prescriptions filled. They hand me the amoxicillin in a huge bottle  – pills.  I made them call and double check the dosage.  I know that for certain ear and sinus infections doctors will prescribe higher dosages of amoxicillin, but this seemed like a lot.  The call back from the doctor said it was the correct dosage.  We have faith in our kids’ pediatrician – she is very careful about over medicating, etc – so all signs point to this being correct.  Why pills? She weighs too much – and it would be a ridiculous amount of liquid if we went that route. We’ll see. 

While I was sitting there waiting, I couldn’t help but notice the aisle signs. I wonder if someone decided to put these items together in aisles as a joke or what….

Like “Incontinence and Relaxation” On the other side of the aisle was “Diet Supplements”. 

Or “Shoe Care, Trash Bags, Light Bulbs and RIT Dye”.  Dye is usually found with the laundry soap at most stores I’ve gone to.  But, is it that frequently searched for in a drug store that they put it on an aisle sign?

There was one more, but you can’t read it.  It was equally as odd – I think it was detergent, pest control, and crafts.

And, I have to rant for a second. 

I have enjoyed in the past watching The Biggest Loser.  The premise of the show was to demonstrate that diet and exercise can result in amazing weight loss even for the morbidly obese.  Yes, it is like 4-6 months of boot camp which is really what does it for these people, but it has often motivated people to get off their couches and put in the work to get the results they want.  No need to do supplements, pills, surgery – to get the results.  Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper are the two trainers that really kick their asses to get them to burn the calories to drive results.  I enjoy Jillian – I really do.  She’s a psycho bitch that doesn’t pull punches – my kind of woman.  And, time and time again, her teams get great results and learn to kick their own asses even when she isn’t around.

I had heard she had come out with her own branded supplements, but I also saw an interview with her saying it was more like vitamins and minerals and less like those crappy, no-results diet formulas they sell.  As I stood there waiting for the pharmacist, I saw her supplements on the shelf.  “Fat Burning Formula”, “Calorie Control”, and “Detox and Cleanse” sound way too much like those short cut supplements that are advertised infomercial-style on TV.  They scream “short cut” to me.  And, it totally goes against everything she has stood for on that show and underminds her own philosophies….at least those philosophies she has stated publicly in the past. 

I feel there is hypocrisy now. Get results if you watch what you eat and exercise, but get faster results if you do those two things while taking these pills.  I don’t like how closely it resembles some of the crap on TV. Is that really the message they mean to send?

Okay – I’m done….add your own arguments if you will…..