ear infection?

Last night, around 5:30am, J came into my room crying that his ear hurt him, and he couldn't sleep :( Of course, my first thought is an ear infection, but he hasn't had one in over 2yrs. Yes, he keeps getting tubes yearly, but they've been bc of fluid on the ears affecting his hearing, not bc of infections. So, I gave him some tylenol, and after about an hour of tossing and turning, he finally fell back to sleep.

When the alarm went off from preschool, EVERYONE was sleeping soundly in bed w/me (Asher had joined me in bed around 4:30am), so I turned it off and went back to sleep. I figured if I was this exhausted, they probably were as well...well, at least J was probably exhausted. Asher slept through everything non-phased which is a good thing I guess. When everyone woke up at 9am, the first thing I did was make a doctor's appt. J said his ear felt better, and I was beginning to think I was just going to waste my time. But, I stuck w/my instinct to take him in.

So, we get to the doctor's and the first thing she does is listen to his chest. Normal, it's what they always do. She tells me she hears wheezing in his chest. I was surprised. She said she never would have guessed it either w/out listening to his chest. So, his asthma is flared...yay, NOT! She looks in his right ear and asks "which ear did you say was hurting?" I let her know it was his left ear he was complaining about. She says, "well, the right ear looks clear, but the tube has fallen out." She says, "it's still laying in the canal, and there is a hole in the ear drum from where it was." She goes on to explain that if the tube just recently fell out, it could heal itself. But, depending on when it fell out, he could need to see the ENT if it's not healing on it's own. Then she looks in his left ear and says she understands why he woke up in pain. She says that he has a nasty ear infection, and she wouldn't be surprised if his ear drum ruptures. YAY again...NOT!!!

He went home instructed to continue his pulmicort, start his albuterol, and was put on omnicef and given ear drops. Yep, he took home the pharmacy. I'm just really praying that he gets feeling better soon bc he's supposed to go skiing next week w/Shaun and his family. And while, I know Shaun wouldn't keep J home bc he knows how much J loves skiing, I fear that actually taking him skiing will only flare his asthma more and hinder the ear infection healing. So, I'm praying that my baby heals fast, and that Shaun will use good judgment when it comes to what he lets J do and for how long when he takes him away.

He goes to the ENT monday the 8th, and I guess we'll go from there.....