Another earful

My poor little bambina has another ear infection. I have been concerned about ongoing fluid in her ears since December. Her last infection resolved quickly, but a tympanogram in mid-December showed that she still had some fluid: it wasn't flat, but it was more foothill than Mt. Everest. The audiologist said it was probably residual from the ear infection and to postpone her audiology exam for a month. Two weeks ago, Yelena and I visited Ari and he had his audiologist check her out. She passed the hearing screening, but her tympanogram was still not spiky and Ari said she did have fluid in her ears. I was just going to bring it up at her 18 month check-up but Monday night she woke up crabby and, when I was cuddling her, she kept digging her thumb around in her ear. She's doing better now, but am sick of all this fluid and made an appointment with an ENT doctor for when she's completed this course of antibiotic and am thinking ear tubes to help drain her tiny little ears. She passed the hearing screening, but the fluid could still be dulling her hearing or even affecting her balance. At this point, even if ear tubes were to help only 5-10% it'd be worth it.