First ENT Visit

One year ago tonight, we anxiously awaited Marlee's first visit to her ENT, Dr. Bruce MacDonald. We were going with a diagnosis from the audiologist of bilateral progressive sensorineural hearing loss. We had left our audiologist appointment on that New Year's Eve with a sense of urgency to get to the ENT. In fact, I tried to move our appointment up because 17 days was simply too long to wait to know what could be going on to cause this rapid hearing loss. This is the picture and verse I posted on Facebook one year ago tonight.

"The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of The Lord."

Lamentations 3:25-26

I think I clung to that verse because all I knew to do at the time was to seek Him and to wait and hope. The reminder that The Lord was good even during that scary time of many unknowns brought peace.

The day of the appointment was one of our only "snow" days last year. In fact, our audiologist told the ENT that he should not close his office because we WOULD be there no matter what. Sure enough, we were some of the only patients in that big UT medical building. 

Here is Marlee bundled up in the car on the way to meet Dr. MacDonald.

We did not leave the ENT that day with many answers, however, we did not leave in a state of emergency - which was all I asked for. I felt like the first big appointment (other than audiology appointments) had been checked off the list. Dr. MacDonald referred us to a cardiologist and an ophthalmologist and would later refer for an MRI and CT scan.   Normally we would have also been referred for a kidney ultrasound (because interestingly the ears and kidneys develop at the same time before birth), but Marlee had an ultrasound after she was born. Each of these doctor visits would help to rule out any syndromes that could be related to her hearing loss. During these same weeks, several pediatrician referrals to a GI doctor, a neurosurgeon, and for x-rays were also thrown in there.  For someone who has battled fear her entire life, this was a season of learning to try to live calmly in the midst of a storm. It was a time of learning to focus on "what is" and not all of the "what if's".  All I could do was what I am learning all parents must do, entrust their child to the One to whom they truly belong. Not one minute of it was easy, but he taught me that He is good and His plan would remain perfect no matter the outcome of the appointments. I continue to praise him for good reports and no other health related syndromes, but I have to remember that his goodness would not have changed even if the outcomes had been different.

Marlee on January 15th, 2013 before we left for her ENT appointment.