Posted Jan 11, 2008 6:26am

So This is How the Story Actually Went:
Oh man, what a day! We were supposed to arrive at the clinic for a 1:30 appointment, and Ryan was supposed to be sleep deprived and food deprived for at least 3-4 hours before the exam. He ate at 9:30 that morning, but I really wasn't all that concerned about the not eating business except for the fact I have a preemie who needs to eat. For Ryan when it comes to food he could take it or leave it, it really doesn't matter that much. (Now I do have to say that when presented with food he takes it very seriously and eats like a champ most of the time.)

The thing that concerned me the most was keeping the little guy sleep deprived. He usually takes a short nap around 10 in the morning and another long nap around 1 in the afternoon unless he is around other people. (He either thinks his mom is rather boring or as I like to think...he feels most comfortable around me, so feels free to sleep when he wants.) Regardless, I knew that keeping him awake from about 9:30 to 1:30 would be a challenge, and it was. We bounced and sang and danced and walked and jumped and rolled and talked and .....

But then...I put him in the car! He went to sleep before we even left town. I knew that he would most likely fall asleep on our 45 minute drive, so I was prepared. Poor kid...his mom packed a cold wet washcloth. Now for some reason I don't get much joy out of tormenting my child (yet), although I must say that casually reaching back to "wet" his face every couple of miles made me want to laugh and cry all at the same time. I wish someone could have gone with me to be my tormentor that way I could have been Ryan's hero and rescued him from that evil washcloth.

Now if I haven't mentioned it before I'll say it now...my son is a very social person. I tend to be a bit reserved, but he is not. He tried to sleep all the way to the City and upon reaching the clinic as soon as he saw all the people...he came alive! He smiled and talked and wrinkled his cute little nose and showed his irresistible dimples to everyone. The audiologist asked if he had been sleep deprived, and when I said he had I don't think she was convinced.

He passed his hearing screening. They completed 3 different tests, and he passed all of them. He does have fluid in both of his ears which led to a "nearly" passed on his right side, and the audiologist said it looked as though he may be getting an infection or has recently had an infection. I guess I'll call the doctor and get an appointment to get them checked tomorrow. But he passed! Hooray!

Now on to the drugs...
They gave him chloral hydrate (sp.) to sedate him. He HATED it! He took the first little bit with minimal fuss, but after they let him swallow and put the syringe back in his mouth he screamed and screamed. When the syringe was finally emptied he continued to scream and wouldn't even close his mouth...tongue out and grimacing. I offered him a bottle with water to rinse his mouth out, but he refused. The little guy didn't close his mouth until he was fully under the influence of the meds.

He slept well, and he thankfully woke up enough after the exam for us to have the okay to go home fairly quickly. He went back to sleep before we even got to the car, and he slept until we got home. As soon as we got home he woke up and I gave him a bottle.

He ate, and then it all began..... He whined...he screamed...he talked...he cried...he wanted to stand...he wanted to sit...he wanted to be up...he wanted to be down. And he whined and he screamed and he squealed and he laughed and then he sat for a while looking dazed until he toppled over and then he squealed and he smiled and he screamed and he........You get the point! It was crazy.

I gave him another bottle after a couple of hours of this nonsense. He ate and then he went to sleep. Bedtime came early that night!