10 1/2 Month Old with Ear Problems

My son was 10 months old when he had Tubes put in. He was having Ear infections continuously for about 5 months and that was the last resort. He has not had any ear infections since. That was about 5 months ago. He has been much better since.

Hi E.~
The hospital that I worked out they were in and out for the tubes. I have seen children that young get them. I hope that it clears up . My kids do not have trouble with ear infections ( knock on wood) but I do know of people that had that problem and they said that if they would have known that it would be such a relief for the kids they would have asked about them sooner.

L.

Hello,
My son had ear infections and the pediatrician wanted to put tubes in his ears. I got a second opinion from a holistic doctor. He said to take him off milk and take him to a chiropractor. I did and his ear infections went away. I did give him vitamins to suppliment for the milk I also put him on rice milk. He hasn't gotten a bad cold or ear infection since. It has been about two years now. Hope this helps please let us know how it all works out.
A.

Don't worry about it. The whole procedure takes about 20 min. I was a wreck also, but my son was fine. He was just about a year old also. You go to the hospital but it is outpatient. Between checking in and waiting to be seen you are probably only going to be at the hospital for about an hour and a half.

E.,
You mentioned runny nose and coughing. Has that coincided with the length of time she's had these ear infections? If so, immediately my first impulse is to say allergies!! You also posted about 6 weeks ago that your little one had her first cold, or so you thought. It is very possible that she might be sensitive to something they are using in the daycare she's in. A cleaning product, or toys she might be putting in her mouth. Just a thought.

There are some GREAT natural cures for ear issues that don't include antibiotics which are obviously NOT working because it's not a bacterial infection. I'm sorry to hear they keep putting her on more and more meds to clear this up. What seems even more troubling us if they think it's from the teething why are they prescribing medicine in the first place?

I'd be happy to share what I know about cleaning out the ears naturally with you. As well, go over some ideas as to why his ears might be affected in the first place. I'd say try to get them cleared up before you go back. I know you asked about the tubes, but I was hoping to see if there's an underlying cause you can find to avoid them.

Best of luck with what ever you decide to do.

Blessings,
Rolinda

Hi !

When my daughter went to day-care when she was about 20 months she got her first ear-infection and did not go and kept recurring thrice. The doctors advised ear tubes and we were in a dilemma whether to go in for it or not. We wanted a 2nd opinion from her regular pediatrician. When she examined her she said that there is a pearl, which means a growth in her ear as a result of recurring ear-infections. Hence there is no other option than to go for tubes. She was not asked to eat the whole night and the next morning till the surgery. The surgery took about 1/2 hr. it was general anethesia. Only thing you have to be careful about is the moment she wakes up give her something to drink and immediately try to take her home a long drive till she goes to sleep. They get very cranky and cry and upset after they wake up which I think is mainly because of general anesthesia. They will keep a small object in her mouth after the surgery for easy breathing which will move your heart when you see her. Once my daughter woke up after a few hours, she was quite normal, it was as if nothing happened. Unfortunately for her right ear had no infection, but they said that it is better for ears to have tubes and the tube in her right ear was blocked with a drop of blood. By God's grace she did not get an ear infection after that. So I think the procedure really helped her. Her tubes dropped off couple of months ago. Last month she again got an ear infection and took antibiotics. But the older they grow the ear will be able to handle it. Do write to me if you have any more doubts. She need not be in the hospital for more than a few hours.

My son had tubes in his ears and was home the same day.. It is an in and out procedure.. Every since he had it done I think he has had one ear infection and he has had them for over a year and 1/2. He got them when he was just about 1. It was quick and easy.. I was with my son up until they took him in and I was back with him within 20 minutes.. It is a real quick procedure.. I was scared to but it is very common.

my son was about ten months old when he got tubes in his ears.It was a very simple procedure. He was int the hospital fro about six hours from the time we had to register him till the time he woke up in the recovery room. I was ok with the fact that he needed tubes to reduce his earinfections. He has not had one since the tubes and he is now 15 months old. With the congestion suggest your daughters adnoids to be removed. that is also a simple procedure. It will help with the ear infections and the congestion. My neice had the same problem when she was six months old.

My son who is now 7 had tubes put in his ears at 10 months. It was the best thing ever. You will go to the hospital or a surgical center. The surgery will be no more than 10 minutes long. The ear canal has not grown correctly and the tubes will help them drain. They will fall out on there own. Don't worry it is the best thing and no pain. They will put your daughter under sedation and when she comes back out to you 15 minutes after she leaves you she will be groggy. I know it is upsetting but you and she will be fine. Good Luck

Hi E.! Tubes are a very scary thing when you first hear it! But I am here to tell you that they can be the best thing in the world. I am a SAHM to three kids (10, 7, & 2). My now 7 year old had tubes from 1 to 4 years. Her ear infections started at 6 months old. The pediatrician finally convinced me at 1 to put the tubes in. Don't wait as long as I did. I was scared about doing that to such a young child. Even though she wasn't my first kid, she was my first that was ever sick. (I was blessed first with an incredibly healthy kid!) I was worried about the anesthesia, and it being a "surgery". But here is what happens. The ENT doc (not the pediatrician) will take your daughter back (usually it's done in his office) and you should be able to go too if you want. She can bring a "lovey" with her. My daughter brought her blankie. If you go back with her (I did!), the anesthesiologist will explain to you what he/she is going to do. They are going to put a small mask over her mouth & nose. She will probably fight it for about 2 seconds and they will hold her still while they do it. Her eyes will roll up in the back of her head (it's ok!) and she will be out. Then they will ask you to leave and go to the waiting room. Basically, while they call this a "surgery", they just go in through the ear and insert an incredibly tiny piece of plastic tubing into the ear drum. You probably won't even notice when it does fall out. It's similar to getting her ears pierced...it's just her eardrum instead. They won't be cutting anything. It doesn't take long and they will bring her out to you as soon as she wakes up. She may be groggy for the rest of the day but she should go home the same day. My daughter felt so much better after they did it that she was wide awake and started walking the same day! This tube allows the fluid behind the ear drum to drain out and help prevent ear infections. It will NOT prevent them completely in all cases. In our case, she didn't have any while the tubes were in. What happens with the ear infections is this: in small children, the eustachian tubes in their sinuses are almost parallel to the ground (in adults they are sloped). If they get even the slightest sniffle, it can clog up and prevent drainage the through the nose. The tubes in the ears allow for another place for the sinuses to drain.

Hopefully I have alleviated some of your fears about getting tubes for your daughter. I am a fan of them. We had the procedure done twice and she hasn't had to have them back in again. But we went from going to see the doc every two weeks like you, to only going for regular checkups. What a relief that is!

Best of luck!
T.

My daughter was 1 1/2 years when she got tubes. It was a very simple procedure. They let me carry her into the or and hold her until she fell alseep. The only scary part was when they put her under, her little eyes just rolled in the back of her head and they said that was normal. After the tubes, every 4 months we have been seeing the ENT for check ups. My daughter is now 4 and we had an appt. yesturday and they told me the tubes are still in her ears, but they are detached and just kind of laying in there. From the time we had tubes put in her ears, we had special ear plugs made from the ENT office that cost about 20 dollars. The specialist also told us that 65% of kids have to only have one set of tubes. He told me since the tubes are detached, to let water get in there to see if it would pull them out of her ears. Now he doesn't need to see her unless she has problems. He says a second set would have to be put in if 6 weeks worth of antibiotics didn't work. It is kind of scary to see your child going through that kind of thing, but in the long run she will not be suffering with the infections. If you need to talk some more let me know.

Don't be scared. I've known several children who have had tubes in their ears. My brother did when he was young. Its common in children who are prone to ear infections. she'll feel much better after she gets them. Hope all goes well! Keep us updated!

My kids never had ear infections...I went to a chiopractor.He can adjust the ears where they can drain properly. You should look into it as soon as possible. Good luck and God Bless....

My daughter recently got tubes in her ears. Since she has gotten them she hasnt had any ear infections. Its a simple procedure. If you are just seeing your ped, I would ask for a referral to an ear, nose and throat doctor. My daughter went there for a consultation for having her adnoids and tonsils removed but the doctor said her tonsils were fine and asked about the ear infections. When i told him she has had more than 6 in the past year he said she needed tube. I was like WTF? We come here for one thing and end up with another but the more I researched it I found that if the child is having adnoid problems, stuffy nose, noisy breathing it could be related to the ears since they are all connected. I trust the doctor we saw and since he has put tubes in her ears no more problems with her nose, ears or anything. My son did have to have it adnoids and tonisls removed and when that came a month after my daughter's surgery we went back to the same doctor. An ear nose and throat doctor has way more knowledge of these problems than a regular ped. I would definatly ask for the referral. This way you are getting a second opinion and having the procedure done by a specialist. Good Luck! If you have any questions feel free to ask me.

We went through this also. When my dd, now 12, went in for her 6 mos check up, she had 2 raging ear infections!! I didn't even know. Talk about feeling like a terrible mom, but she never showed any signs. Well this was around Thanksgiving, and every two weeks until late Feb. I broke down in the Dr's office at the last appointment. We wound up getting tubes when she was just 14 mos old! It was a very quick procedure, and she was home in the same day. She would still get infections, but it was easier to tell- the ears would drain. They did clear up, and she has been healthy ever since. I wouldn't worry about it, but make sure you see an ENT- ear nose throat - specialist. That is who you will consult with to make sure this is what your daughter needs and to make sure it will help. Some ideas to help prevent, is make sure no water gets in the ears at bath time. Try to make sure she is sitting up right when drinking a bottle. Best of luck to you!

Hello! My son was a constant victim of frequent double ear infections. He started getting them when he was about 10 months old and it was always both ears. He got his first cold at 9 months and the fluid from it just never left his ears. At least once every 2 or 3 weeks we'd be at the doctor because of a sudden massive infection. I do mean sudden, he went to bed fine and would wake up at 3am with a fever of 104 or so and green drainage on his pillow. As a result of the fluid he had a hard time learning to balance himself. By the time he was 14 months old he was seeing an ENT specialist (the same one I had actually, I had the same problem). They scheduled him to get tubes in his ears. I myself was quite frightened.

It really wasn't bad. I only lost it when then gave him tylenol and valium before the surgery. There is nothing that can quite describe the feeling of your baby looking high as a kite and blobbish. I was laughing and crying histerically at the same time. They gave him the tylenol to help with the discomfort when he woke up and the valium to keep him calm so they could put him under.

Its not as bad as you think: the surgery lasted 20 minutes and it was outpatient. All my son had to do was wake up fully and I could take him home. They make you wait in case they have trouble with the anesthesia, there is a history of that in my family but my son had no problems. The crying while he was trying to wake up was hearbreaking but it helped that they let me hold him while he woke up. It did help to soothe him. Things are much different now. Years ago children were in the hospital, but now since it is such a simple procedure it isn't necessary.

2 hours after I got Alex home, he was standing in the living room playing at the coffee table. I will never forget when I called him from across the room and he just spun around and smiled at me. For the first time in 6 months my son could hear again. He was also walking the next day.

For the next two months he only had 2 more ear infections due to the resistant fluid left in his ears. After that we had no problems. Getting tubes put in is no where near as frightening as it used to be.

Good Luck!

My daughter who is now 5 had to get tubes in her ears and I was just as scared and nervous as you are because she wasn't even a year old. They put the tubes in when the child has 1 ear infection and they tried several different medications and it has not gone away or if they have several ear infections within a certain amount of months. Hopefully this will help you but it is an outpatient procedure now. They let me stay with my daughter until they took her back she was gone for a short period of time and then I was with her when she woke up. I know for me it was scary just watching her go through those doors and I wasn't with her but after she had the tubes put in she hasn't had a problem with her ears and they fall out and you don't even know it, we just found out recently that her tubes are gone and I didn't even know they came out. I hope this helps you and that everything goes well with her getting the tubes and that you won't be too stressed out about it, but I know that is easier said than done. Good Luck.

E. my oldest daughter had tubes in her ears when she was less then 1 and as far as I know it should still be a same day procedure. If it comes down to them putting tubes in they should help her ears draing and lessen the occurances of infection. If you are still concerned though ask your pediatrician and he or she will give you all the details.

My doctor told me that a lot of ear infections are actually caused by wheat allergy. Make sure your child has a wheat free diet (which does take a little work since wheat is almost in everything). My nephew went through the same thing and his docs suggested the tubes as well. It only took two weeks of a wheat free diet for everything to clear up. He hasn't had an ear infection since then. It doesn't always work but you can give it a try.

Hi E.!

My daughter went through the same thing at about the same age. It seemed like we were living at the doctor's office and she was constantly on antibiotics. We were lucky to get in with a wonderful ear nose and throat doctor, who was the one that performed her surgery. He explained everything very thoroughly and made sure we didn't have any questions; we were very comfortable with him.

When she had the surgery, it was done on an outpatient basis, and to the best of my memory, only lasted about an hour. She was a little fussy afterward, but by the end of the day, she was back to her normal self. She was even permitted to come home once the anesthesia wore off and she was eating and drinking a little! (We went in at about 7am and were home by lunch time.)

It was scary going into it, but now that she is healthy, it was well worth it!

Hope this helps! Good luck!

K.

Hi,
Add my vote for taking the chiropractic route. There have recently been studies released that show chiropractic care really does decrease ear infections in children.

Both my niece and nephew had the surgery and it was no big deal. However, if you can avoid it, why do it? My son had to have double hernia surgery at 16 months and was too young to understand what was going on, but old enough to be frightened. When he awoke from anesthesia he was hysterical and suffered terrible bouts of sleep terrors for the next 2 years.

My son recently suffered months of recurrent sinus infections, and supposed allergies, although they couldn't find anything he was actually allergic too. At a loss as to what to do for him, I took him to my chiropractor and lo and behold, no more "allergies" or sinus infections.
Good luck to you and your baby, it is so tough watching them be sick.

If you child needs tubes it really is an easy procedure. The best thing to remember is at this age the child will not even remember anything about that day. Most docotor's do this as an outpatient procedure. You will arrive at the facility about one hour before the actual procedure time. This is to allow the nurses to ask you questions and for your child to become farmilar with the area. The child is then taken by anesthesia to the operating room. They are put to sleep with general anesthesia. The whole procedure takes about 15 minutes. When the child is broght back to recovery you are brought back into the room with them. The worst part of the procedure is when they leave and when they wake up. They are very disoriented from the anesthesia. They will then normally keep a child about 2 hours in recovery to observe them and also to comfort mom and dad.

My 4 year old daughter is having the same problem with both of her ears. I haven't taken her to the doctor yet cause my DH wants to get her to an Ear, Nose, Throat Specialist. She has been complaining of one or both ears hurting for a few months now. Each time we went to the doctor, he kept saying she didn't have an ear infection but, he gave her meds anyway. I'm beginning to wonder if she needs tubes in her ears now.

My son is just a few days shy of 2 and we'e fighting the same battle. I have yet another appointment with the Dr on Friday and I expect she will be giving me a referral for an ENT (ear nose throat). A friend of mine's little boy, who was about 2 at the time, had tubes put in a year or so ago. It's done as an outpatient surgery, and they are asleep for the procedure. That means no food from midnight on the night before. My friend tells me that convincing her son he had to miss breakfast was the worst part of the whole thing. They were in and out in a matter of a few hours and the difference afterwards was amazing. He's not had an ear infection since. One of the tubes recently came out on it's own and so far the ear has still been fine. I don't like the thought of him having to do this, but at least I've seen firsthand that it is elatively safe and most importantly it works. Good luck.

E.,

Do not be afraid of the tubes. My daughter had tubes put in her ears right before her 1st birthday. The procedure itself takes 15 to 20 minutes. The worst part is when they gave her anesthia (spelling?). She cried but the doctor explained it to me that she is not being hurt, it is just her body's way of slowing down and being put to sleep. After they took me back to the waiting room to wait for them to finish I may have been there for maybe 15 minutes and they brought my daughter out to me. They told me that she would hate the world for a while as she was coming out of the anesthic but she mainly just wanted her Mommy. I took her home that day. We may have been in the medical center for 2 to 3 hours total. My daughter is now three and still has her tubes. We have not had a single ear infection since they were put in. I recommend to anyone who has a child that is having multiple ear infections to go ahead and get the tubes because this way they are not taking antiobiotics all the time which makes the antiobiotics less effective when you may really need them.

E., I have worked with small children for the past 25 years. Tubes in the ears is not uncommon and most children improve greatly after the procedure. Children get ear infections because their eustachian tubes are not fully developed and the fluid from the ear does not drain properly. The fluid then lays in the ear and bacteria forms. That's why your doctor tried the nasal spray to get it to dry up. The artifical tubes allow the ear to drain. It is an outpatient procedure, but as with anything that involves sedation you should ask your doctor about the risks and make an informed decision. Also talk to you doctor about the potential damage to hearing if a child continues to have repeated ear infections. Looking at all factors will help you in your decision.

My fiance also has tubes in his ears, and he was in the hospital for a few days. but i dont know how they would do it with a child that young. I totally understand your fear. that would scare me too. If it bothers you that much, get a second opinion. it cant hurt to see what another doctor says.

My son had really bad ear infections and yes he got the "mommy sanity saving tubes".Before tubes he appeared to be like a colic baby cryed and cryed, wouldn't sleep, etc. After tubes the most calm baby ever!
It is an outpatient procedure. They do it really fast and your home in about 2 hours. He does still occasionally get an ear infection but it's easily taken care of with ear drops.
Ask around and get a good pediatric ear nose & throat doctor. It really is no big deal and your baby will be so much more comfortable.Good luck.

Dear E.:
Tubes in the ears is not uncommon among children who have multiple ear infections in a short period of time. I am a certified Physicians Assistant now retired. The usual protocol is to keep a diary with your pediatrician as to how often your daughter truly has ear infections (allergies can often be the culprit of frequent ear infections) over the course of 6-9 months. If the child is having monthly ear infections or more, it is common to utilize the tubes to keep scarring and hearing loss from occurring.
As far as an overnight stay in the hospital, that is totally the Doctors decision. Some Doctors use out patient surgery with a 12 hour period of observation. Others prefer to keep the child overnight. My experience has been the observation more often than the overnight.
This is just a suggestion but it is always good to get a second opinion and in the case of ear infections a good Otorhinolaryngologist is what you want, in layman's terms an Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor.
I hope that this gives you some help.

my son had alot of ear infections when he was younger. after having about 4 of them in like a month the doctor schedule us to go to a specialist which suggested that he should get tubes in his ears. we went about a month later and after he that hes only had one ear infection in a year. so you may want to talk to the doctors about her getting tubes.