Well it turns out a little whining sweet-talking can go a long way.  We thought it would take months to get Kieran in to see the Ear/Nose/Throat specialist but our pediatrician’s receptionist whispered a few sweet nothings into someone’s ear and we got in before the end of February.

As expected, the ENT took one quick peek in Kieran’s ears and declared him in need of a good plunging a good candidate for a myringotomy (tubes).  Of course we were told the waiting list for this procedure is 85 years long at least several months. I politely explained that we might not be living here in a few months and tried out my own sweet-talking skills on the ENT’s receptionist who was very receptive.  She got us on a top secret list of people who are allowed to pick up surgery slots when other patients have to cancel.  Of course there were no guarantees. All we could do was wait and hope for the best.

Well the best has happened!  Here we are not even two weeks past the ENT appointment and we got a call on Sunday that there has been a cancellation for St. Patty’s Day (someone wanted to spend the day drinking instead of unconscious, I’m guessing) and it is ours if we want it.

The catch?  (Did you really think there would be no catch? There’s always a catch.) The surgery is scheduled at a hospital outside of London.  Yes, that’s right, I get to drive forty-five minutes to a small town outside of London for this surgery.  Why?  I have no earthly idea.

Really I have no problem going out of town for the surgery. Forty-five minutes isn’t that long of a drive and I’m sure his care will be fine.  I’m just starting to realize that they’re going to put my baby to sleep. And then puncture holes! In his EARDRUMS!  It’s an extremely safe and common procedure and nothing to worry about, I’m sure. Unless they have to take him away from me before they put him to sleep. In which case someone will turn into a big puddle of tears.  And Kieran will be upset, too.  And I have to arrange someone to get my other kid to and from school. And I have to go all the way out there for a pre-admission appointment this Friday AS WELL!  That’s a lot of travel and I would almost be ready to tell him to suck it up and we’ll take a plunger to his head first thing tomorrow. Except he’s just cracked open a fresh six-pack of head cold and I would bet a whole case of Kleenex that he’s doing shots of antibiotics in his dreams tonight because of the newest ear infection that’s about to explode in his congested little head.  So siiiign me up for that whole ear-drum-puncturing thing.  If it means our toddler will no longer smell like mold and he will actually start sleeping through the night without whimpering, I’m all for it!

Stay tuned for fun adventures in small-town-hospital-land!