Dramatic improvement after operation

Mae Kelly, five, was diagnosed with glue ear in September 2003. Her condition was so bad that within a year she had an operation to insert grommets and remove both her adenoids and tonsils. Within two weeks her parents noticed a considerable difference in Mae's hearing, far exceeding expectations.

In Summer 2003 my husband was at home for a few weeks, and he started to notice that Mae could not hear him when he came up behind her. We then realised that her hearing wasn't what it used to be.

Mae was also very tired, she couldn't hear us if we spoke behind her, and she became frustrated and irritable, which was out of character and indicated to us that something was wrong. I thought at first that she might just be going though a stage, as many parents do if their child is behaving unusually.

We got a hearing test at our local health clinic soon after, and were told that Mae had a hearing loss and glue ear. We were given some information about glue ear and referred to an ENT specialist. We visited the specialist some three months later, and he recommended surgery. Mae was put on a waiting list, then booked in for the operation in September this year.

I was quite shocked when the ENT specialist said Mae needed her tonsils and adenoids out, along with the grommet operation. I was told that Mae would grow out of it - no-one had led me to believe that there was no treatment.

Impact at school

Mae's nursery teachers couldn't understand what was wrong because her speech and vocabulary were excellent.

Looking back, one tactic I unknowingly employed was to come around in front of Mae to make sure she could see me when I was talking. I also think Mae lipreads quite a lot, because when I cover my mouth she says she can't hear me. I now check that she has heard me when I say something to her.

Mae's hearing loss made her feel very isolated. She couldn't hear what other children were saying, and a lot of noise was too much for her - to the point where she would sometimes hide in a corner by herself. Mae's writing has also suffered because instead of copying down the letters, she would be concentrating on what the teacher was saying.

To make matters worse, glue ear 'season' seems to coincide with the busiest time of year for teachers, so they can't always give the extra support that is needed. The school did their best, but I'd like to see more support for teachers, as glue ear is so wide-spread and many teachers are unaware of its fluctuating nature.

It's very hard to be consistent with children with glue ear because their hearing goes up and down so much - they have good phases and bad phases. It is difficult to keep having to tell the teacher how Mae's hearing is on an almost daily basis.

I had to make sure Mae was sitting in the front of the class and remind her teacher to avoid putting her in group situations, because the level of noise makes it difficult for her to follow what is being said. Schools nowadays put children into groups for activities quite often, which is difficult for Mae.

On really bad days Mae would come home absolutely shattered. She would really play up in assembly and other group situations.

At times I felt we were just in a holding pattern, trying to get through the year until Mae's operation.

Post-operation

Once we found out that Mae had glue ear, everything suddenly made sense. Now she tells people herself that she has glue ear and can't hear very well. Unfortunately, many young children don't speak very clearly anyway, which makes it difficult for Mae at times, but she is coping very well.

We were initially given some information about glue ear, which explained a lot about her frustration and Mae's inability to hear. It really put our minds at ease.

I did some further research on the internet, and contacted Deafness Research UK for some information about glue ear, which I found extremely useful - the more I learned, the better I felt about the operation Mae was booked in for.

Mae's hearing improved so much within just two weeks of having the operation. She went back to school within two weeks and was already showing huge signs of improvement, to the point where her accent changed. Her speech became less nasal and she stopped speaking in a monotone.

On the flipside, Mae has started talking really quietly as she can now hear herself speaking more clearly. However, I'm confident this will come right as she gets used to hearing more normally again.

The other day Mae told me that she could hear the birdies singing, and, for the first time, she can hear bubbles popping in the bath and the water running down the plughole. It's a bit of a miracle really.

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