Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Time for Tubes

We met with the ENT yesterday. He checked Nate's ears, which were not currently infected, but did have fluid in both. We really liked the doctor and he explained everything very well. He was not pushy at all, and basically said that whatever we choose, he would support the decision. He did say that Nate is a good candidate for ear tubes, but it's our call. After discussing the pros and cons and talking to many people who have had this experience before, we decided to go ahead with the procedure. Nathan will have the procedure done at a surgery center affiliated with Children's Hospital of Wisconsin on Wednesday, March 31st, probably around 8:30am. Our biggest concern at this point is that he will be NPO (nothing by mouth) after midnight the previous night. When he wakes up in the morning, he always seems STARVING! He goes right to the fridge. He's gonna be pissed. Our other concern, sadly, is the cost. We have a high deductible plan with an HSA (Health Savings Account) which means we pay everything out-of-pocket up to $4,000, but use the HSA to pay those costs. An HSA is somewhat like a Flex Healthcare Account. However, an HSA is different in that the money is not all there immediately, like a Flex. Money is taken out of Joe's paycheck and put into the HSA. Long story short, we're going to be paying a lot of money out-of-pocket. Like over $1,000. Like over $2,000. Like almost $3,000! Cringe.

But, our little boy will hopefully get some relief and we will hopefully avoid the pediatrician's office every month! So that is where we stand on the ear tube issue. Wish us luck!

1 comment:

Sunny said...

Poor kiddo! But I have heard really good things about tubes, they help a ton and prevent long-term damage. Good choice mama, although I'm sure it wasn't easy.

And poo on the high deductible! On the bright side, at least you are getting it done with early. The rest of the year will be covered now. We hit ours on January 5th because I was on hospital bedrest. :)