Source – https://www.1011now.com/
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) – National Health Statistics show that ear, nose and throat disorders remain some of the top reasons kids visit the doctors. For one Lincoln mom, she and her 4-year-old daughter know this far too well.
Emorie Quakenbush is just like any other 4-year-old girl. She loves watching “Frozen” and “Peppa Pig” and eating chicken nuggets. What’s separating her from the rest is that she’s already undergone five surgeries. Hopefully her surgery in October of this year will be her last.
When Hailee Quakenbush first had Emorie, she was born as a healthy little girl at six pounds, five ounces and no complications.
It was only months after that when her mom started noticing a few things. Emorie began pulling at her ears, wouldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep and always had red, watery eyes.
After countless doctor’s visits, being told Emorie just had ear infections and antibiotic after antibiotic, nothing seemed to work. That was until Emorie was finally referred to an otolaryngologist, commonly known as an ENT.
At two and a half years old, Emorie had tubes put in her ears multiple times and had her tonsils taken out. By the time she was three years old, she had undergone four different surgeries.
Emorie’s mom says it’s hard, but she knows it’s all to help her daughter. “After a surgery and a few days, she’s back to my daughter. She’s happy, and she wants to play. She’s eating, and I’m not wiping snot off of her nose every five minutes,” said Quakenbush.
From bulging ear drums, to excessive drainage, Emorie’s ENT says it’s a good thing her mom got her in when she did.
Sleepless nights and surgery after surgery have been challenges for this mother-daughter duo, but Quakenbush says there’s one thing that keeps her going. “Faith. God has been a huge part of helping me and working me through this. I just pray, and I’m like, ‘Please give me the strength.’ We got this. We’re going to do this,” Quakenbush told 10/11 NOW.
As Quakenbush did, Lincoln ENT, Dr. Aaron Robinson at CHI Health ENT Nebraska suggests parents get on top of these issues early on. It may help your child have a more normal development and may avoid future possible issues or surgeries.
You may have seen your child experience some issues similar to Emorie, such as hearing issues, chronic ear infections, even snoring. Dr. Robinson says another thing to look out for, especially in younger children, is speech delay. In these cases, he says see a professional as soon as you can.
Like in Emorie’s case, Dr. Robinson says the best options for kids experiencing ear, nose and throat issues are antibiotics and in worse cases, it’s surgery.
Before these become options Dr. Robinson feels like your best bet to avoiding complications in your child is to get referred to a specialist as soon as you can.
Children with these chronic issues can sometimes develop behavioral issues like having a tough time in school or even wetting the bed at older ages. Dr. Robinson tells 10/11 that’s why getting an appointment for your child in these cases is so important.