Day 2

My parents church was canceled due to the snow storm, so we just lounged around.  Aaron's ear had been draining since Christmas day, and the Tuesday after Christmas I found a button in it, and pulled it out.  That seemed to help for a couple of days, until it started draining again. Mom noticed that his ear had a bump behind in on Saturday.  I was looking at it Sunday light before lunch and it looked really red and inflamed.  Mom & I decided it would be good  to take him to Scottsbluff to Urgent Care to have his ear looked at because his shunt is on the same side as his bad ear.

Mom took him in, and I stayed in the car while they went in.  The PA there wouldn't touch it as it was so infected, and recommended to my mom that she take him to the ER.  Off we went to the ER to have it looked at.  The only ENT in town was out on vacation so they had to call in the plastic surgeon who was also certified in ENT, but hadn't practiced in years.  She looked at it and was worried and suggested a CT scan to look at it. She was concerned as care has no bone (mastoid) behind his left ear so the only thing between the ear infection and his brain was the dura mater (the lining of the brain).  She was worried the infection could spread to his brain and could get into his shunt.  The CT result came back that his dura was affected and that he had fluid on the brain.  The doctor decided the best option was to take him by helicopter to Denver to have it looked at further.



Aaron sitting in the ER waiting to get an IV.



They prepped him and got him already.  I was an absolute mess at this point as I had no idea what was going on, and all I could do was pray.  Mom & I left before the helicopter left, we both didn't want to see it go.  So, off he went to Denver and we rushed home to pack and drive to Denver.