George's fluctuating glue ear

George is a very happy and energetic boy who has the best imagination and loves to play. When he was around two years old, he started to have hearing tests and was diagnosed with bilateral glue ear, causing a conductive mild hearing loss.

At this age, George was very quiet and struggled in nursery to communicate and play with the other children. I asked for George to have aids so that this would boost his confidence. Our audiology clinic are brilliant and explained the process to us. We  had to have two or three hearing tests which showed consistent glue ear and hearing impairment before George got his aids.

In December 2021, George got his first hearing aid which was a Contact Mini bone conduction hearing aid. At the time, this was the best aid for George due to the amount of ear infections he was having.

We couldn’t believe the positive impact George’s aid had on him so soon. Within a few weeks, George’s communication progressed and everyone was amazed how well he was doing.

One tip we found helpful for George adjusting to his aid was to allow him time when he wanted his aid off and then praise him when it went back on. After a few weeks, George was happy to wear his aid all day, every day.

Fast forward to January 2023, George had his grommets fitted. His ENT (ear, nose and throat) consultant had advised that grommets would be beneficial for George and help reduce the number of ear infections he was having. The grommets helped massively as we only had one infection while they were in place.

George’s grommets worked for around seven months, and he didn’t need his hearing aids during this time. Unfortunately, once the grommets fell out in July 2023, George’s glue ear returned and his hearing declined. I noticed George was asking us to repeat ourselves and could see that he was relying on lip-reading a lot.

This was a nervous time for us as George was due to start primary school. George’s Teacher of the Deaf, who worked with him briefly through nursery, helped with his transition to reception.

I contacted our audiology clinic in August/September 2023, and George was diagnosed again with bilateral glue ear causing a conductive moderate hearing loss.

Up until April 2024, George used the Contact Mini aid, but he now uses bilateral behind-the-ear hearing aids.

George is doing amazing with the support from his Teacher of the Deaf, who visits him at school every other week, and from his speech and language therapist whom George has worked with since 2023.

George attends a small school who are supportive of him and his hearing impairment. George is encouraged to say if he hasn’t heard something or if he's struggling to hear. George’s school ensures he sits at the front of the class and can always see his teacher's face. George loves his hearing aids but still at times needs a short time without his aids on if he's having a more tired day.

George is now reviewed every three months with audiology unless we feel there is a difference in his hearing. We have to be mindful this may fluctuate at times and be aware of the signs of the fluctuations.

We couldn’t be prouder of George taking everything in his stride. We have also found the National Deaf Children's Society very helpful and found the books good to explain things to George. We also have found the Glue Ear Facebook group helpful for tips and advice.