Dear Mothers,
I just found out about this website and thought it would be a wonderful way to ask some other moms out there if you have ever experienced what I am dealing with. My four year old received his first set of tubes about a year and two months ago. We took him to the Children's Hospital in Fresno California which I believed to be the best place to have tubes put in. It was a really difficult discussion to make when I decided to go with tubes, but after much reading I felt like I had no other choice. My son was getting an ear infection every other week and was on antibiotics for almost a year. The tubes have been helping with the drainage, but my son just recently started getting more ear infections and I am really concerned about it. I do not want him to lose his hearing, and I want to make the right decision. I was told that he needs to get a new set of tubes, but am uncertain if I should have them put new ones in and where. I am still new to the area and would like to talk with an ENT that has been recommended to me. Does anyone have any suggestions, any parents out there having to deal with the same thing? Thank you for your help.
Having several sets of tubes is not unheard of. Talk with a new ENT. Talk with several ENT's since you are new to the area and use the one you are comfortable with.
My 1st child had tubes at the age of 10 months and 18 months.
You could always call Children's in Fresno and ask them if they can recommend an ENT. I can't guarantee it, but medical people seem to have lots of connections. Once you know a doctor in your new home that you respect and can talk this thing out, I don't imagine you'll be as worried about it.
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And it is not a rare or odd thing to have them replaced every 6-12 months based on the severity of the infections... I would speak to your insurance company as well to see who is approved and do some online research that way too.
Hi M.,
Talk to an upper cervical chiropractor in your area. They specialize in the immune system and I was able to dodge tubes in my oldest because they were able to prevent infections. If you don't know one, go to ucspine.com and find one in your area. Most are covered by insurance if there is an ongoing condition and if not, most will offer payment plans that are more reasonable than a medical doctor. Antibiotics can break down the immune system too so you should visit a health store and ask about a probiotic to restore the immunities that have been depleted.
Hope this helps.
M.
I went through a very similar thing. My daughter got a set of ear tubes when she was 18 months old to end her recurring ear infections. The only problem is - it didn't work! She still got constant ear infections and one of the ear tubes was pushed out very quickly. But even the one with the tube in it still got infected constantly. The ENT was ready to put in a second set of tubes and take out her adenoids! That's when I stumbled onto Dr. Weil's book "Spontaneous Healing" and read his suggestions on how to end ear infections - which included get Cranial Osteopathy done. We were lucky and found a pediatric MD in OK (where we lived at the time) who was trained in it, which is unusual because it is usually a DO. You can look for a practitioner at www.cranialacademy.com. Anyway, the gentle treatments ended her ear infections and she never had to have anymore tubes and she still has her adenoids and she is now 17. CranioSacral therapy is also very similar. You can find a practitioner through www.iahp.com. I read books to my daughter while she was worked on and she couldn't really feel a thing. Good luck!
go to the ent. the tubes might just be stopped up. they can fix that. my now 26 yr. old had two tubes in each ear when he was little. it is something that is done quite a bit. good luck and god bless. mom of 7 R.
Please try chiropractic care before you put your son through that again. Chiropractic is all natural, therefore no side effects. Hearing loss is definately a side effect of tubes (my husband has some hearing loss in one ear due to tubes). My children have received chiropractic care since they were born, we hardly ever deal with ear infections. And we actually hardly deal with much illness at all.
talk to the new ENT. Our daughter had tubes put in at 1, and never had another problem. She's almost 4 now and one is still in and one is working its way out, but it doesnt cause drainage and she's never had another ear infection, despite almost constant ones before the tubes. It's possible they were improperly put in.
I think it is worth getting a 2nd opinion - at least for your peace of mind. Are you in Clarksville now? If you are, you can go to Nashville and find a pediatric ENT associated with Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.
We did tubes for our daughter at 2 1/2 and they fell out after 10 months and then the infections started again. It wasn't until we found a naturopath who eliminated dairy from her diet that we were infection free, her speech improved and she was just plain healthier. She always was coughing even when not sick and it turns out she's just sensitive to dairy. Cut it out and we've only had one ear infection in the last 9 months and absolutely no coughing and neither kid has even had a cold. I would do more research before you subject him to another surgery. My daughter has scar tissue in her ear from the tubes :( Nobody told us that could happen. We had seen a lot of doctors and Naturopathy was the way to go for us.
Neither of my kids have had ear infections, but before I had kids, one of my friends had dealt with ear infections with both of her children. Her first did not get tubes, but had multiple ear infections and some hearing loss (temporary, I think) with speech delay. When her younger son started getting frequent ear infections in his first year of life (10 courses of antibiotics in his first year, I think it was), she decided to get tubes. But then she decided to give chiropractic a try. Her ENT thought she was nuts; her pediatrician read her the riot act, but she said she wanted to give chiro a fair trial. He had an active ear infection when she started, and within a week (w/o abx) it had cleared up. The ENT said it was a lucky fluke, and that he'd be back in 2 weeks w/another infection. That was almost 15 years ago now, and neither of them had any more ear infections. [She had 2 other children, both of whom got regular chiropractic adjustments, and neither of whom had ear infections.]
If you do try chiropractic, get someone who is comfortable and familiar with children, and also get someone recommended. There are good and bad people in every profession, and chiropractic has been tainted with some of the "bad apples". [You should be able to google "children's chiropractor" or "pediatric chiropractor" and find an organization that may have a listing of all the member doctors in your area. However, just because a chiro isn't listed doesn't mean he's not a good chiro for children.]
