|
Reading your comment made me want to share my own experience--I had the same issues/surgeries as your son when I was a kid. Was very blocked up/nasally all the time and prone to ear infections, had some problems hearing, breathing, etc. Except in my case, when they removed my adenoids they also put the tubes in my ears on the first surgery, and I didn't have any follow-up operations. Not sure why they didn't use the tubes on your son the first time, but in my case I think it helped in the long run. Initially I experienced the same effect on my hearing--everything was unbelievably loud to me all of the sudden. I asked everyone to quiet down, the TV was always too loud, the phone ringing scared the crap out of me. Eventually, I adjusted and it didn't seem so bad. I'm not sure if my actual hearing got less sensitive or if I just "got used to it", neurologically or otherwise. However, I can tell you that to this day I still have a pretty bad sensitivity to noise. Don't get me wrong, it's not nearly as bad as it was right after the surgery, but I sometimes feel like I can hear people whispering from across the room. Certain noises (especially high-pitched ones) seem to bother me way more than other people. I have been accused many, many times of having a ridiculously low speaking voice (I think these are somehow related). Like my overly-sensitive hearing made me think I was speaking much louder than I really was--or that everyone else's hearing just sucked. I still haven't figured that one out, I might just be a low-talker for unrelated reasons :). Anyway, I do think this surgery had significant long-term effects, and oddly enough, some days it seems like my emotional state plays a big role. If I'm feeling really upset about something, all the external noises of the world seem that much louder. I get overwhelmed and even angry and feel the urge to tell everyone to shut up. I think this is exacerbated somewhat by living in a busy city in a poorly sound-proofed apartment. Even with the side-effects, I do think I'm better off having had the tubes/adenoids removed because I no longer have the constant feeling of being stuffed up, or the painful ear infections along with hearing loss and breathing difficulty. Though I admit some days, I wish I didn't hear so damn much, but I'm trying to just find a more peaceful living space to cope. I do wonder if there were better treatment paths, especially given this study and the other comments I'm seeing in this thread! |