Ear Infections - Morgan Hill, CA

I'm not a medical person at all - however, I have had luck with keeping the drainage going in the eustachean tube - personally I used dimetap which is no longer available I think - my son would get a runny nose, an ear infection, and then a tooth - I did the same with the 2 children who followed him and they never had an ear infection - I have also used pulsatilla (homeopathic) for my youngest son - we were able to stay away from antibiotics except for a rare strep throat

My now 5 year old daughter had the same problem. Her doctor sent her to an ENT (ear nose and throat) specialist, who said 4-5 ear infections a year was a lot...we decided to have tubes put in last February. She also got an ear infection EVERY time she got the sniffles, which led to antibiotics, which she then became nearly immune to. Since the tubes, she has been SOOOOO much healthier! No more infections and actually less colds and coughs too. We are glad we did it. Best of luck to you, I highly recommend seeing an ENT who specializes in children.

Try a homeopathic approach. Dr. Manteuffel in San Francisco, ###-###-####, successfully treated my friend's son (who was about to have tubes put in through the traditional medical route). He's never had another ear infection (since 1 yr). He's 10 now!

Mom of 4

Hi B.,

I think ear infections are very common in some children because of the length of their tubes...my daughters (now grown)had a couple but not a lot. We went to our family/kid doctor who is an MD but practices homepathically. WE never did antibiotics at all, and I think that helped in not having lots of repeat infections. You can give them something for pain and do the warm drips of olive oil, and either go or not to the a homeopath..he said pain relief was the main thing...My doctor is in SF so that is probably too far for you, but there are good homeopaths around everywhere I think. THey can sure help with childhood illnesses..

One is too many. Antibiotics make the ear infections worse in the long run and they cause them to reoccur. Check with a holistic practitioner.

Hi B. my name is Bre aswell I have a three yeard old boy at home that went through the same as your little mister. It seemed like he had an ear infection at least once a month for the first year and a half. Knock on wood he has not had one for the last year, but they seemed to stop now. I kept on thinking that it had something to do with me but my Doc. resured me that it was not me. He said that the inside of my sons ear hand not fully developed yet. He said that it was a little flap that keeps the ear fluid in the canal, when he would get sick his ear would get inflammed and the excess fluid would cause the infection. I felt awfull too because it seemed like for the first year straight he was on antibiatics. Doc told me it was alright but as a mom I still felt bad. But I know what you are going through if you want to chat about it just email me @ ____@____.com

Our daughter was the same way. We had many miserable nights with her up crying due to her ears. The doctor put tubes in her ears and we did not have another infection until they fell out. Good luck

My niece now 8 used to get them all the time when she was little and now I'm not sure the last time she had one so hopefully yours will do the same and grow out of them. Good Luck!

My oldest daughter seemed to get ear infections all the time when she was young. Or, it just seemed like all the time. Our pediatrician said that having over six in one year may indicate a need for tubes in her ear, but she only had maybe three a year (which seems like a lot when your baby is hurting). And, when she hit four years old, she kind of outgrew it and hasn't had one since (she is now six). She was treated with antibiotics for each one when she was younger, and she very healthy. Hope this helps.

-K.

Hi B.,

I am in the same situation as you are. My little one has had on going infections since she was 4 monthes old. Infection after infection. I finally did some research on tubes and ENT doctors and asked for a referal from my ped. The first ENT appt the doc said she was not a good canidate because her ears looked clear, of course they looked clear she just finished her 6th dose of antibiotics, however he did tell me to come back if she got another infection. Low and behold 3 monthes later she got another one. We are scheduled next week for tubes, it is a quick procudure in and out. Our ENT is with Sacramento Ear Nose and Throat he is great. Which ever method you choose I wish you luck I know it's no fun when your little one hurts. Do research before you choose. Good luck!!!

My Daughter went through the same thing as your son. It seemed like I was taking her to the doctors every other month for a ear infection. I found out by her new doctor that children until the age of 5 have flattened draining canals in the ears and bacteria can collect and cause an infection.

The other problem was that my daughter would get an ear infection, get put on antibiotics and the infection would not clear up all the way. So a month later she would complain about an ear infection. I to was worried that she was having to many infections and asked how many was to many. He said that after 6 ear infections they like to have a specialist have a look.

Just make sure that your son has a follow up appointment each time an ear infection is diagnosed. That really helped us out. Good luck!!

I too had them as a child and was miserable--so I say one is too many, but some children do get them. My son got them and pneumonia too. The ENT put in the tubes and we switched to soy milk and the rate of occurance dropped significantly. He got one last week, and his ped said the tubes had fallen out. I asked if we needed to have them put back in. She said we needed to wait and see. She thinks this time it's because he's been in the pool so much.

Anyhow, to me having the tubes put in is a good alternative. You might prevent hearing loss, because if your child does get them eventually this will happen. It happened to me and to my son both.

One of my good friends has a two year old that was having chronic ear infections and when he did not have an infection he was having pain. Ended up that he is allergic to the fat in dairy, not the lactose, but the fat. My friend took her son off of milk and he has not had any ear problems since. Since your son is already 20-months try a week with no milk, if it’s ok with his doc. Hope this helps.

B.,

I think the answer depends on your pediatrician. Ours thinks 5-6 colds and ear infections in a year is perhaps on the higher end, but normal. Our son, who turns 2 in a few weeks, has had probably 9 ear infections by now. He went through two bouts of double ear infections. The most recent one in late spring/summer was a single ear infection followed by a double ear infection followed by a single ear infection. They've had to switch medications because amoxicillin doesn't do the trick anymore. We were never offered the plugs/inserts for him but I've heard from friends they work wonders and pop out once your child is older. And they work. good luck

Hi B.,

I am L. and I am a Nutritional Consultant from Lincoln.
Ear Infections are caused by a few things, one of which is
bacteria/ toxins and the tubes not being longated.

I want to encourage you to watch www.sharethecause.com/live

This will give you an idea about the toxin issue and you can request further info from that site... I also highly recommend a chiropractor for adjustments on the ears which
can work wonders. Repetative antiobiotics are very
harsh on the digestive tract and over time can cause problems in and of themselves. I highly recommend a children's probiotic -- organic keifer is great and comes in many flavors
Raley's carries it. Also, bottles can be an issue if drinking
lying down..causes the sugars to be sucked down in to the canal and bacteria breeds.

You can contact me through the website if you want to talk further L. M.

B.,

Try reducing his dairy intake. My friend's daughter had the same problem and she was able to control the ear infections by drastically reducing the dairy. Once her daughter got to about 2 1/2 she started adding dairy back in and they have not had a problem. Of course her daughter does not drink much milk either. The problem is that babies eustachian tubes are short and narrow, so they curve and don't drain well, which creates ideal conditions for bacteria. As babies heads grow the tubes lengthen and straighten and bacteria cannot grow as easily. Also, if your child has too many infections, your doctor may want to put tubes in his ears, which need to be plugged for swimming and bathing.

The repeated courses of antibiotics are also bad for your son's developing immune system and development of his teeth and bones.

My son had an ear infection with every new tooth when he was little and I did not know that the antibiotics were bad for the teeth. Unfortunately, the repeated antibiotics made the enamel on his teeth rough and slightly discolored. Now that he is a teenager he is very self-concious about it. He is in braces now and when they come off, we are going to see what can be done about improving the appearance of his top front four teeth. If nothing else inquire about how whatever antibiotics your Ped is prescribing will affect your son's teeth and bones.

Take care. Hope my suggestions help.

Well, ear infections are never fun, but the last time my son had an ear infection, our doctor suggested to just give tylenol and ibprohen and it should go away with out antibiotics. And sure enough it did. I think if you are able to get it early enough, those remedies should work. I think 3 ear infections for a 1 1/2 year old in this day and age is not too many. Especially if you run an in home daycare, with other germies running around. I would just stay on top of cleaning and making sure all toys and what not are sprayed down w/ lysol and keep the kids noses, faces and hands free from bugger spreading. Try and give him lots of water and gets enough rest and hopefully it will be some time before an ear infection decides to get to him.
Good luck and please let me know if I can be of further help. I also run my own in home daycare.

Both my boys kept getting sick every other week they were alternating... visits to the pediatrician... non stop... antibiotic parade. Well the problem is that they can develop Candida after all this treatments... I treated for yeast and added probiotics, a ton of vitamins and minerals, changed their diets taking away allergenic food like pasteurized milk, gluten and soy products... after a period of 3 weeks... it all changed!!! We have no had to see a doctor for 2.5 years now... only for yearly checkups ... but NO MORE SICK CHILD DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS!!! And my pediatrician is on the ball now with biomedical and nutrition intervention... it is no wonder he is so popular now!!!

Love, G.. :0)
http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

My son had almost constant ear infections until they put tubes in his ears at 3 yrs old. Everytime he got sick it went to his ears. He got sick all the time at daycare. The tubes were great and the surgery was no big deal then they just fall out on their own.

Have you spoken to your pediatrician regarding this? My son used to get them when he got sick and we saw an ear,nose, throat specialist. And we ended up putting tubes in his ears and after that he had no more infections.

Hi B.,

I have to agree with some of the other moms, antibiotics are way over used and the problems that occur from having to much in your system can often be worse. I have this product called Anolyte or Anolite it can be spelled both ways. It is all natural and you can look it up on line to read about what it does and such. My husband sells the machines that make it, so I always have some on hand. Whenever any of us even start getting sick, we start drinking it and it is gone within the day. The one time my daughter cut her foot at the beginning of my husband selling these machines, she ended up getting blood poison and I rushed her to the ER. They of course put her on antibiotics, her foot started getting better and like all kids she thought she could go jump on the bed. She fell off the bed and reopened her foot, by morning the blood poison had returned in full force with red streaks half way up her leg. I called my husband at work in a panic and told him I was going to be at the ER again, he told me not to take her to the ER, but rather soak her foot once an hour in the anolite for about five minutes. We did this and I kept an eye on her to make sure they did not travel any further up her leg. Not only did they not travel up, but they were going down, by the end of the day they were gone and we did not need to get any more antibiotics. As I said, I have some of it on hand and would be glad to give you some. I work so I won't be home until around 7:30 tonight. All I ask is that you cover the cost of the bottle which is $2.00 and that you come pick it up. Also I ask that you look it up on google and learn about it, but I would also be happy to explain more about it. ###-###-####
D.

Hi B., I suggest looking up a reputable Homopathic doctor near you. I've had a few friends who's children had chronic ear infections and were facing surgey but tried this first and it cured the problem. The children still got a couple ear infections but with treatment they got through them and got less of them and than no more ear infections, no more antibiotics. I live in Santa cruz and they and my self use Karen Cohen. Best wishes.

I had a problem with my oldest son and ear infections also. He got one after another and then he would get sick and it started turning into pneumonia. After about a year of that- monthly trips to the doctor- they sent us to Children's Hospital in Oakland to get him tested they thought he had something wrong with him since he had been sick so much. The only thing that came back was he was allergic to milk! The doctor had told me that would not have been causing him to get ear infection or to be sick in the beginning when we started having the problems in the first place. I listened to her since she was the doctor- but I wish I would have listened to myself and taken him off of al the dairy sooner, We removed everything dairy from his diet, started reading labels and bought rice milk( made sure it was fortified) It was hard in the beginning but he got used to it and he is now 8 and is very healthy and makes great food choices on his own- I think because of it. Since we took him off of the dairy he probably has had 2 ear infections in the 6 years since. H was retested at 5 and had outgrown it also. It would be worth trying it and seeing if he got sick again. Look up milk allergy and ear infections online- doctors won't suggest it! My second son started getting the ear infections also and I just took him off the milk right away and he didn't get them anymore either- sometimes you have to follow your gut- if something is wrong it is most likely being caused by something.

B.,
I just thought I would share with you, 20 months and only 3 ear infections... That's awesome. By the time my last daughter was 1 she had about 18 ear infections which led to tubes in the ears for 18 months.
Remember don't lay him down flat to drink his cup/bottle or otherwise. If so the liquid can pool behind the ears and cause bacteria to build up. Check with a antihistamine with your pedi this may help keep ears clear and open when he seems to be getting a cold.
trish

I have twins...my little boy had ear infections every other month from the time he was born...the doctor had talked about tubes if he had 6 in one year. My little girl never had one. My little boy was treated with antibiotics when the ear looked terrible and not treated when it didn't look so bad. Basically it came down to him turning 18 months old....I don't know why, but he is now 2 1/2 and hasn't had one since then. It's crazy. He's had good colds with plenty of drainage, but not an ear infection since. So hopefully he will out grow it soon. Good luck! :)

I think my son had at least 10 ear infections in his early years. They stopped when he was around 4 or 5 and he has been an amazingly healthy kid since he started Kindergarten. Just be patient!

I had chronic ear infections as a child... and it seems like my last memory of an ear infection was around the age 7... The pain is TREMENDOUS... My parents used to warm some oil like substance and drop it in my ear... no real healing property... but soothed...

To the best of my understanding and ear infection is not a contagious situation... it has to do with how ears drain... fluid buildup etc...

Some people have had great luck with chiropratic type of adjustments that can properly aline (I can't spell tonight) the ear...as a holistic approach. I've heard it can work wonders... Not exactly sure how this is accomplished or how you go about finding someone (short of referals) to do this...

I also was given Tetrocycline... a HUGE NO NO at my age... and I have perm. damage to my teeth for it (my dr. should have known better)... Make sure you know all about any drug that is prescribed for your child.

I've been fortunate... my twins are rarely sick... and no infections...

Good luck!

Hi B.,
My daughter has only had one ear infection at almost 2 yrs old. I married into a family of doctors and they told me (as did our pediatrician) that the majority resolve without antibiotics. In fact, giving antibiotics often can put one at risk for resistance. A few things I was told was to make sure they are elevated when drinking their bottles and avoid ALL secondhand smoke, meaning no smoking in the car or home even if kids aren't around. I also read that women who smoked or were around secondhand smoke regularly during pregnancy had babies with more ear infections. (not implying you smoked) I would talk to your doctor about other options, maybe even consulting with a holistic doctor. Also make sure he is getting enough age appropriate sleep as lack of sleep can lower his immune system. He should be going to bed earlier and getting more sleep than your daughter.
Sincerely,
L.

my son started to have ear infections around 7 months old he got the constantly to the point where antibiotics were not working they would stop the infection but as soon as the course of them was over the ear infection would come back I found out that the fluid wasnt draining out.He got tubes put in when he was one they put him under for about 30 min and he came home an hour later the tubes have never bothered him and he has only had two infections since then and he is now 3 also with the two he got i put antibiotic drops right in his ear! this was much easier.. also dont let the docs keep putting him on antibiotics if they are not working as a result of how much he was on my son is now allergic to penicillin!