Zack Attack

Zack has had a rough life. From birth until he was potty trained, he suffered from horribly painful diaper rashes and recurring yeast infections that left him raw and miserable. Changing diapers was excruciating for both of us.

When he was 15 months old, he tripped while carrying a bottled water and knocked his tooth back up diagonally into his gum. We took him to a pediatric dentist who told us that the anesthesiologist was off that day, and that there was no time to wait for him t come in, and that we had to hold Zack down while she pulled the tooth down with pliers from his swollen and bruised gums. If we didn't, not only would that tooth die and turn black, but the permanent tooth that would follow it would most likely be damaged as well. I don't think Zack has ever fully trusted me again after that incident where I joined in holding him down while someone was hurting him. He had an oral cast in his mouth for two months following the water bottle tooth injury.

When he was almost three, he was still drooling and we couldn't understand much of anything he said. We took him to the doctor and learned that his tonsils and adenoids were so enlarged that it was impacting his speech. It was also making it impossible for fluid to drain from his ears, leaving him with severely reduced hearing in both ears and majorly contributing to his ability to speak.

He had surgery to remove his tonsils and adenoids and tubes were placed in his ears. He began speech therapy and we hoped for the best. His ability to speak and also to behave had been so stunted by his inability to hear during key developmental phases of his life.

Shortly after Zack's fifth birthday, when we went to choose our Christmas tree, Zack tripped and split his front tooth in half. Yes, the same tooth that he had previously knocked into his gum a few years earlier.

Most recently, we have noticed a downward spiral with Zack's speech and behavior. He seemed to be ignoring us when we spoke to him and he was increasingly loud. We took him to the pediatrician, where both ears failed the hearing test. A follow up visit with his pediatric ear, nose, and throat specialist confirmed that he had substantial fluid in his ears. His hearing in both ears was so greatly reduced that he had about 25% hearing in one ear and 30% in the other.

The doctor said it was very rare for a child who had previously had tubes to need them again. He said children outgrow the need for tubes at age 6. Zack is almost five and a half. The doctor wanted to wait on the tubes, because it was important to determine if Zack's ears could drain on their own. If they hadn't drained by the follow up visit, he would put another round of tubes in Zack's ears.

The reduced hearing has opened a Pandora's box of issues for Zack. His speech is regressing and he is already so far behind. His attention span is nil, since he can't really hear all of what is going on around him. The doctor said stick fingers deep into both of your ears and listen. That is about as much as Zack can hear at the moment.

His behavior is bordering on juvenile delinquency these days. It makes me so sad that he has had to deal with so much that is beyond his control. In the past few weeks, the primary president has come to discuss Zack's behavior with me. He has had issues in his speech class. I have been called in to the preschool to discuss his behavior with the preschool director. Yesterday, they just called and said he was so naughty that I needed to come right away and take him home. At home, he is such a handful and just tears through the house jumping off furniture and bouncing of walls. He is so loud that I'm afraid we are all going to end up with hearing damage just from his voice.

I am taking Zack to his follow up doctor's appointment on March 19th. Please remember him in your prayers. I don't think I can survive much more of having my child on everyone's black list because he is "too hard to handle." He has had a much rougher go on life than my other children and it is taking a toll on him and the rest of us. My hope and belief is that once his hearing is normal, he will stop acting out so much and he will also make progress in speech which will further aid in better behavior. I can't imagine the frustration he must always be feeling. I think I might act that way too, if that was my life.