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need to vent and a question, hearing test not going well

NADA-HNADA-H member
edited October 2014 in Working Moms
hi ladies,

I'm so stressed out right now that I'm shaking. I've finally made it to work today at 11:15 am. At my baby's 2 months appointment they did the infants' hearing test and the score on the right ear wasn't high enough that they gave me a referral to the hearing unit at the public hospital, the appointment btw was today, a little after my baby has become 3 months old.

I took my baby to the hearing unit today which is in the new "medical city" with my mom, I had to turn in circles for a long time to be able to find the damn clinic and then I had to park so far away from the clinic because there is no parking and had to walk with my baby in the blistering heat (102 F). I went up to the clinic and was asked to wait in a mini waiting room, it was so tiny that for the entire time either my mom or myself were standing up. Of course we had to wait for ages, my baby got cranky and I tried walking around with her, my back started killing me at that point so I pulled out my phone and started playing white noise for her to calm down enough to sleep only to be told by the receptionist in a condescending tone to switch that thing off because the other babies were sleeping..I switch it off and my baby goes back to crying I got so iffing mad, so a crying baby wouldn't wake up sleeping babies but white noise intended for babies to sleep would!!!!!!

I tried sitting down again and was talking to my mom to go somewhere else instead for the tests and one of the other moms said "is it your first time?" and I said yes and she said "the first time is always like that, you'll get used to it eventually" and that along with watching mute and deaf kids in the waiting room struck me like lightening. I don't want to come back again I wanted my baby tests to be fine that I didn't have to come back again and that got me really tense out of fear at that point in addition to being pissed off from the receptionist and lack of chairs.

They finally let us in to see the person who does the test. She does the same hearing test as before and the right ear passes the test  but not the left one (opposite to the first test) which obviously shows that she isn't hearing impaired but she either has excessive wax, an infection in her inner ear, or water gathered inside her ear or it's from her stuffy nose and sinuses (she had stuffy nose both times we did the test) My baby cried and woke up a few times during the test and the person doing the test kept saying "your baby has a temper..do you let her cry a lot?" and at that point I was ready to bitch slap her...oh I let my baby cry without soothing her on regular bases so that gave me a cranky baby with a temper?! I said no I don't and she kept saying..she's too sensitive she's too this, is she your first? that's why she's spoiled..at that point swear to God I could have hurt someone. She had no bed for my baby to lie in, I had to hold her the entire time yet she wanted her to be laying flat and have access to both ears, she kept turning her and touching her with cold hands and eventually she woke up screaming and we couldn't do the AABR test and they gave me another appointment to go there again to do it on the 12th of November!

They wouldn't even let me in to see the doctor to check if she had wax or whatever unless we finished all tests! They do not open on weekends or in afternoons and my baby doesn't sleep deeply during naps in the day.

I'm so pissed and annoyed and a little worried at this point and will look around for a private place that would do the AABR test as not all medical places here are well equipped and for going somewhere private we will pay out of pocket as I don't have insurance.

then to top it off of course two drivers were driving extremly slow in front of me one of which was on the highway and we were on the left lane..once we reached a traffic light and he went left I realized that the entire time there was no one in front of him! no traffic at all..and when your driving with a baby screaming in the back seat cause she hates her car seat you can't tolerate drivers who drive slowly on the fast lane!

------------------------

whats your experience with hearing tests, if your baby failed the test in one ear once and the other one passed and it was the opposite the following time and the baby had cold symptoms in both times...did the AABR results come back normal?

edited for wrong day
imageimage
God Bless You my Little One
Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
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Farida, at 8 weeks
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Re: need to vent and a question, hearing test not going well

  • DiveFrogDiveFrog member
    DD failed her newborn hearing screening in the hospital. They did it less than 24hrs after c-section and said her ears may not have cleared yet. They repeated 24hrs. later and she still failed. We were told to bring her back for a 3rd test at 3weeks old. 

    Now, I lost 75% of my hearing at 17yrs. old due to an allergic reaction to an antibiotic, so I know a LOT about hearing loss. I was still slightly worried. I was fairly sure she could hear as she was reacting as a baby who could hear, but was still concerned. 

    The 3rd test was a marathon in my patience as we too had to wait for the appointment and they wanted her to be sleeping, but my baby wasn't easy to get to sleep, or keep asleep. Eventually, I convinced the audiologist to stop using the ear muffs to test DD (she kept failing), and place the wire directly into her ear canal. We finally got her to pass when I was nursing her and holding both wires in place in her ears.  All this trouble came down to the fact that she has a quite unique ear canal location and shape (just like her Dad) and the muffs they use to test were collapsing her ear canal.

    Trust your intuition. If she is reacting to sounds, and your voice and easily startled while sleeping her hearing is most likely fine. If you are concerned definitely find a good private audiologist that specializes in children. If DD had failed the 3 week exam DH and I were planning to take her to my Audiologist for a 2nd opinion/further evaluation.
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  • NADA-HNADA-H member
    that's the thing she responds to sounds, has favorite songs and gets startled easy with noise but they got me worried. And they wouldn't do the test while she nursed!

    that is how we got her quiet to do the first test but she wouldn't do the AABR while she nursed
    imageimage
    God Bless You my Little One
    Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
    image
    Farida, at 8 weeks
    image
    Report Reply
  • NADA-HNADA-H member
    thank you ladies, yes as @K3am said I'm in Doha, Qatar in the middle east and I'm very sure am going to pay an arm and a leg to get the test done at a private clinic but I'd rather do it there than be at that hearing unit, it was a horrible experience all together.

    I know I need to learn to breath and be more easy because things only get more intense as kids grow older but it was all too much to take in today...I didn't actually talk back to anyone and I wasn't anything but polite with anyone but inside I was getting so angry.

    I just hope that she passes the next test and all turns out to be ok.

    K3am how is your DD doing? did you fine out the reason yet?


    imageimage
    God Bless You my Little One
    Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
    image
    Farida, at 8 weeks
    image
    Report Reply
  • NADA-HNADA-H member
    I hope it works out for the best for your family and that they stop all together and your able to stop medication at some point too. I can't imagine how stressful it must be for you, your doing a great job keeping it together
    imageimage
    God Bless You my Little One
    Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
    image
    Farida, at 8 weeks
    image
    Report Reply
  • DiveFrogDiveFrog member
    wife07mom09 said:
    DD failed her newborn hearing screening in the hospital. They did it less than 24hrs after c-section and said her ears may not have cleared yet. They repeated 24hrs. later and she still failed. We were told to bring her back for a 3rd test at 3weeks old. 

    Now, I lost 75% of my hearing at 17yrs. old due to an allergic reaction to an antibiotic, so I know a LOT about hearing loss. I was still slightly worried. I was fairly sure she could hear as she was reacting as a baby who could hear, but was still concerned. 

    The 3rd test was a marathon in my patience as we too had to wait for the appointment and they wanted her to be sleeping, but my baby wasn't easy to get to sleep, or keep asleep. Eventually, I convinced the audiologist to stop using the ear muffs to test DD (she kept failing), and place the wire directly into her ear canal. We finally got her to pass when I was nursing her and holding both wires in place in her ears.  All this trouble came down to the fact that she has a quite unique ear canal location and shape (just like her Dad) and the muffs they use to test were collapsing her ear canal.

    Trust your intuition. If she is reacting to sounds, and your voice and easily startled while sleeping her hearing is most likely fine. If you are concerned definitely find a good private audiologist that specializes in children. If DD had failed the 3 week exam DH and I were planning to take her to my Audiologist for a 2nd opinion/further evaluation.
    This is very $ if you don't have insurance

    *** Stuck in Box. 

    Trust me I know the cost of hearing loss. I have insurance and I still pay out of pocket the majority of my hearing loss related expenses. You want to know what great insurance covers. 1 digital lowest end aid every 3 years. Around $1000.

    Know what I need...2 aides (2 ears) plus not the low end. but high power due to loss and bluetooth capability to manage to do my job, plus exams, batteries, maintenance etc. to the tune of $7,000-$10,000 every 5 years. And it is all out of pocket. And I have "great" insurance. 

    All that said. My kids hearing and health is something I am more than willing to pay for. If that requires sacrifice and looking for potential outside help from agencies like vocational rehabilitation, government programs, private charities etc. I would highly recommend the poster look into those options if she can't afford  private testing without it.
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  • NADA-HNADA-H member
    Hi @DiveFrog

    it isn't that I can't afford it and this wasn't the intention of this post either. It's just that I will pay a stupidly large amount of money to do a test which I'm only doing because I'm worried (my baby responds to noise, has favourite songs, gets startled easy) in a private place just because it's so bad to do it at the "most equipped hospital in the country"

    I listed it as one of the nuisances that I was venting about but I'm welling to sell all I have if I didn't have the money for my baby's health and I'm really sorry you end up having to pay so much out of pocket!
    imageimage
    God Bless You my Little One
    Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
    image
    Farida, at 8 weeks
    image
    Report Reply
  • DiveFrogDiveFrog member
    NADA-H said:
    Hi @DiveFrog

    it isn't that I can't afford it and this wasn't the intention of this post either. It's just that I will pay a stupidly large amount of money to do a test which I'm only doing because I'm worried (my baby responds to noise, has favourite songs, gets startled easy) in a private place just because it's so bad to do it at the "most equipped hospital in the country"

    I listed it as one of the nuisances that I was venting about but I'm welling to sell all I have if I didn't have the money for my baby's health and I'm really sorry you end up having to pay so much out of pocket!
    I didn't mean to  hijack the post, and I didn't think cost would be a major hurdle for you. The comment rubbed me the wrong way, since obviously I am well versed in how much hearing services cost. It inferred that my advice was unsound since it would be expensive for you. I didn't bring up the cost, since in your OP you mentioned you were already thinking about going the private clinic route. 

    I totally understand the frustration of spending money because you can't shake the worry. No matter how much you tell yourself her hearing is great, she reacts, and follows sounds etc. It is amazing how not having passed the test keeps that worry and doubt in your head. I struggled with it for 3 weeks before she finally passed the test.

    Good Luck, and I hope you can get her reevaluated quickly and that she passes!!
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  • MommyAttyMommyAtty member
    DS did the same thing your daughter did, but at his newborn screening. First one ear failed. Then on the second try, the failed ear responded right away but the second ear didn't respond until about 3 seconds before it timed out. While we were waiting for the previous day's "good" ear to respond, I had already started leaning toward not doing the follow up. If it had been the same ear twice, I would have been beating down doors. But as far as I was concerned, they had already proved that Ear 1 was working a-okay. Then they proved Ear 2 was a-okay. And DS was very sensitive to noise and already turning toward my voice, no matter which side I was on, so I felt confident he was fine. But it was very scary! And if he had actually failed again, my resolve likely wouldn't have held. I'm too insane about my kids' health to walk away that way. But it felt good for those 10 minutes to feel like the kind of rebel who could throw caution to the wind.
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  • NADA-HNADA-H member
    @DiveFrog that's it exactly, you stated what's lingering in my mind perfectly

    @MommyAtty when I was leaving the appointment that's how I felt, I won't do it, they've proven that each ear is working just fine at each appointment but once I got in the car I felt that I just can't go on thinking what If, and if God forbid something turns out to be wrong with her hearing I wont be able to live with myself for brushing it off :(

    @wife07mom09 it's ok :) It is expensive I know for a fact that it is, my company has insurance coverage in public health centers and public hospitals here which SUCK, not in terms of technology because they do have all the equipment that other places dont in this country but due to the issues I mentioned, and we pretty much pay 0 amount for being residents here covered by the government's health plan.

    my husband has insurance but it's not a family insurance, we are awaiting a promotion on his side soon that will include family insurance and I can't wait for that!

    an example of how expensive it is without insurance here. for the 2 months appointment and vaccines we were going to a private clinic to do it but we found out that it was going to cost us around 500 USD!!! we left right away and got the vaccines dont at the public health center for free, but we had to wait for 3 full hours although our number in waiting was 3!!! that along the issues I mentioned in the post is why I avoid going to goverment and public medical places here if I can. I think there is this one place that would do the AABR and will try it out.

    And I won't be visiting the US any time soon, I'm not an American but I love this forum :) that's why I joined. I'm an Arab Jordanian who is born and living as a resident in Doha, Qatar the Middle East

    thanks for the support ladies


    imageimage
    God Bless You my Little One
    Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
    image
    Farida, at 8 weeks
    image
    Report Reply
  • MommyAttyMommyAtty member
    @NADA-H‌ - Wow! So you do this in a second language? I know a lot of people in Qatar speak English, but your grasp is phenomenal. I'm impressed. I assumed you were an American or British expat.
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  • NADA-HNADA-H member
    English is my second language yes, my first is Arabic :) but my parents r US grads (michigan) and i'm a US grad myself VCU sattelite campus in Doha, been to the US once for a short visit. So all of my university education was in English, and learning english was mandatory in school, i did all other subjects in Arabic though and i interned and worked for 3 years at an American corporate's office here in Doha.

    Would it count as my first along with Arabic if i think in it sometimes?

    American influence is very strong in the middle east and with my parents living in Michigan Anarbour for 5 years they were very exposed to the culture so i grew up watching all of disney's and Pixar's movies, fresh prince, sabrina the teenage witch, dharma snd greg, you name it!

    I speak french as a third language (started learning it in my senior year in uni!) but unfortubately dont get to practise it much and my knowledge of it is decreasing due to very limited practice if any

    funny enough you need to speak English in Qatar to run basic errands as almost all service providers/ workers are non Arabs (phillipinos mainly, indians, nepali, eastern european, etc)
    imageimage
    God Bless You my Little One
    Farida, our first child, born on the 19th of July 2014
    image
    Farida, at 8 weeks
    image
    Report Reply
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