Permission to Jump

Gili had a BERA today. I won't bore you with the details of running back and forth and around the hospital. The good news is that her left ear scored very well. Her right ear, less so. She tested positive for fluid in the inner ear through tympanometry. Nancy, the audiologist, kindly tested Gili for fluid and then squeezed her in for a hearing screen in order to try to keep her from needing the BERA, which requires sedation. She scored between 20-30, normal for her adjusted developmental age and for a child with stuffy ears. However, when we tracked down Professor Amir, he said she still needed the BERA and to tell the technician so she could do the test with the bone, circumventing the inner ear. We should have the official results from Professor Amir in a couple weeks.

I had an eerie feeling today that I'm one of those mothers who is in the hospital so much that I recognize the doctors when I see them in the elevator, I know what's on each floor, the names of the secretaries in different departments. I recognize other moms who seem to be in the hospital all the time, and the technicians, doctors, and secretaries start recognizing me. "Were you here before for an EEG?" "Another BERA?" It's been ages since I've had to tell Professor Amir's secretary, Tammy, our name when I ask for our chart, in order to take it to some other department.

The doctor who checked Gili to give her the okay for the sedation was our very own Dr.Chaimi, the very first doctor to see us last January after Gili was diagnosed. The doctor who saw us all day and discussed so kindly, and in English, the situation while we went through a whole battery of tests. He remembered us. He had to take a double take, but then he said, "Oh, It's Gili!" and then told his student a little of our history, without her chart, and asked how she was doing.

We also saw Nili. And my favorite news of the day: Nili thinks it's good for Gili to go in the jumper! Right after we bought it she said it wasn't good and we shouldn't have her in it for more than ten minutes. The next time I brought it up she said the limit should be five minutes. It has to do with the more primitive muscle movements that occur with the bouncing. She finally said I should show her pictures, so I sent her an extended video of the clip below. Today I saw her and she said she thought it was okay! Nili liked that Gili was more aware and using her hands while she was in the jumper. Woohoo!