Health Blues

We have had a really poor couple of weeks healthwise as a family. It started with Eli's ears pouring fluid, which quickly turned into thick gunk and more recently is stained with blood. In many ways this is a good sign that his grommets are working but it is messy and makes him feel quite under the weather. Joel went down with a nasty strain of flu last weekend which took a week to clear and he is still coughing a bit now. Paula started with a sore throat in the week and now has stuffed up sinuses! On Sunday Dean woke up unable to speak (yeehah!) and with a killer sore throat. He quickly started barking like a dog and has spent most of the past 48 hours in bed exhausted. He is now on major antibiotics and cortisone as well.

To cap it all, Joel had his return visit to the ENT specialist last Thursday only to find that the major dose of cortisone he was given 3 weeks ago has made little difference to the fluid build up behind his ear drums and now he has to go and have the very same grommets op that Eli had just 3 months ago! We just can't believe it. Part of us feels delighted that the op should clear up the hearing problems he has had for the past 4--5 months and will mean no more nasty ear infections and hopefully a quick improvement in his speech. But we just cannot believe the timing and, of course, the extra expense that we are now going to have to find. We would value your prayers for him as he goes in on 11 September and would ask you to pray for extra special protection for our health - we really feel "got at"!