So my oldest is due to have tubes put in on the 22nd. I have no idea what to expect with this. What is the recovery time, I mean do they feel any pain afterwards? Discomfort? I know she has to have it done and we are hoping that it brings her hearing back. She is pretty much deaf in one ear right now. She has never had repeated ear infections, just the one that apparently took her hearing with it. I was told by the Dr. though that she would most probably get most of it back, but we are unsure. Also he just wasn't very personable, basically a lets go to surgery then we will talk about it later. When I had questions that I wanted answered. So it kind of upset me, but from my understanding he is the best in the area and extremely hard to get in with. I think I am just scared cause my baby is basically going to be put under anesthesia and I can't be with her for it. I will add I know it has to be done, as of right now she does not hear out of one ear, and it has affected her speech and everything. I am a little scared now with people saying all the things that drain out, just don't know if I am up green gook coming out of my child's ears, although I am sure it is better than some things I have seen as a mother.
My son had tubes when he was 9 months. The hardest part was when he was coming out of the anesthesia. By mid-morning he was laughing and playing just like normal.
Hi Superwoman! :)
Just wanted to let you know that my son has had tubes 3 times. If your child is JUST getting tubes, it is an EASY and quick procedure! They do not even put them under anesthesia. To put it bluntly, they give them a few breaths of gas (that puts them alseep) and then they push the tubes in. It literally takes 5 minutes. There really was no recovery, per say, since there was no real anesthesia to get over. The hardest part is having them wake up in your arms and be a little disoriented and frightened.
I think tubes should be installed at birth. They were a God-send to us! My son was having chronic ear infections and the pain they caused was heartbreaking! My son's hearing improved tremendously and they drained quite alot of fluid from his ears when they installed the tubes too. At his next hearing test, I was so relieved when he could pass the test!
I noticed your business email was had SETX in the title. Sounds like you are in my area. I'm not sure who your Dr is but we see Dr Ray Fontenot at SETX ENT. We really like him. He is very professional and kind.
Good luck with everything!
First, let me send hugs and prayers to you...Since having kids I have discovered there is no fear/worry/guilt, etc. that is anything like what I have experienced when my little ones are sick, hurt, etc. (and also no joy that compares, either!)
I don't know what your feelings may be about alternative treatment options, but I'm going to pass along my story for what it's worth because we went through a horrible time with my daughter's ears right around this time last year, and I just felt compelled to share. Obviously, I'm not a medical doctor and don't know all the complications or other factors that may be involved in your daugher's situation...I just wanted to give you something to think about and possibly pursue if you feel comfortable doing so.
Last January, my daughter was on her 5th round of antibiotics in 5 months for repeated ear infections, and we had just been told by 2 different pediatricians that nothing was going to stop until we got tubes in her ears. We knew another couple that had gone through the same thing with their daughter, and it was not a path we wanted to go down unless it was a last resort--It seemed like their daughter's tubes were a never-ending problem for them--
Around that time, we happened to come in contact with a friend of the family that had 5 children and had been through the exact same thing. She recommended that I do a couple different things, one of which was taking our daughter to a chiropractor. I have always been a skeptic about things such as this, but I was so mentally exhausted and fearful about the tubes that I was willing to try it.
Before I started her on the new round of antibiotics, we took her in to a chiro that was experienced with children. He explained to me how bone movement due to injury or strain can cause the muscles to swell--that it was a protective reaction by the body. And when muscles in that area swell, it can keep the ear canal from properly draining, which sets the child up for infection after infection, with the antibiotics only providing temporary relief.
So, after two adjustments (and still no more antibiotics), I took my daughter back to her pediatrician and had him check her ears. (I didn't tell him that we weren't taking the antibiotics) He said they were looking much better and to keep taking the antibiotics. I could tell that her symptoms were disappearing, but to confirm things as a follow up, I took her back to him a week or so later and he said her ears were all cleared up. One year later, I am thrilled because she still hasn't had another recurrence of an infection...and rarely even a runny nose. We have been taking her to the chiro regularly that whole time, and 2006 was like night and day difference than all the health issues we had in 2005. (PS- Our chiro has been in practice 25 years and is wonderful with children--RJ Kelly is his name--###-###-####
So that's my story...I feel like I wrote a whole novel, LOL-- Hope everything works out well for you, whatever happens :)
My daughter has gone through tubes twice, once at 9 1/2 months old, and then at 16 months. Each time, she woke up very sleepy, almost like she was drunk. She was very upset that I was not there with her the moment she woke up. How old is the one going to get tubes? Don't worry, things will be fine. For my daughter, each time, the anesthesia took about an hour or less to wear off, though she got the gas. Not sure what you're looking at. I dreaded each surgery because I was going to be away from her and she is such a momma's girl. But when she got out, I held her and she calmed down. Each surgery was only about 15 minutes, that was from the time they wheeled her away from me to the time she was back in my arms. If you would like to know more or if there is anything else I can, hopefully, help you with and put you more at ease, please let me know! :) Things will be fine!
My daughter had tubes put in this past Dec. at 20 months of age and she did good. They generally give the child something to "take the edge off" prior to taking them to surgery. The only hard part was in recovery, they come out of the anesthesia, a bit confused, very scared and they cry ALOT. I don't think she had much pain, but they do give you a RX for pain medicine and ear drops to ward off infection. My daughter also had her adenoids removed, because they were in bad shape from infections. They are sleepy after the surgery, and they will keep them to make sure there is no fever, and that they can drink from either a bottle or cup, so bring their favorite along. Good luck and hopefully your child will come through fine.
My son had tubes also. The surgery itself took just minutes. We had no problems with that part. Try not to worry.
What they forgot to tell me is what the tubes DO. Basically when you child gets an ear infection all the liquid and nasty bacteria no longer stays inside behind their ear (which is good)... it leaks out ALL OVER THE PLACE.
It scared me to death the first time he got an ear infection after the tubes got put in. I went to wake him up and his whole ear was covered in goo and there was stuff all over the sheets. They really should tell you that part because I was freaked out. Its totally normal, and its a really good thing that all that junk isn't bursting your babies eardrum! Just use Q-tips on the outside of the ear or moist cotton balls to remove the stuff on the outer ear (don't stick the Q-tip on the inside!)
Another thing, sometimes the ear tubes pop out on their own and the hole closes up. This is also normal. Sometimes though when they get older the tubes have to be removed. Be sure to ask your doctor what the plan is for checking the tubes and when they might be removed if they don't come out on their own.
I had tubes in my ears when I was eleven. They put me to sleep for it then. When I was 27yrs old I had a tube put in my left ear. We did it in the doctor's office. The reason they put kids under is because they have to be very still and most kids would squirm and cry from being scared.
It took only a second for him to do it, and it didn't hurt. It stung, and I could hear a strange noise as it touched my ear drum but that was it. I could hear immediately afterwards. So good that I had to put cotton in my ear until I was used to it.
It's nothing to worry about, and within a year they fall out most of the time unnoticed while sleeping.
Your child will feel better right away.
My six year old had two sets of tubes, when he was 1 1/2 and the other set when he was almost 3 years old, and it is a surgery that only last that day and then you go home. They gave him some kind of drink that made him really drunk, so he wouldn't be scared going with a stranger, and then they took him into the surgery room and we waited. It took a couple of hours and then they brought him back to me. He slept for a few hours and then when the medication wore off we were able to go home. He didn't act like his tubes hurt him, but you cannot get water in them. So when we would go swimming and taking a bath I would make a big deal about not getting water in his ears and then he caught on and wouldn't let water get in his ears. You have to get ear plugs when ya'll go into water. The only time that his ears hurt was when his first set of tubes collapse and that hurt him and we had to get them taken out and get new ones put in. If you are concerned, I would talk to the doctor and tell him that you want to ask some questions before the surgery. If he acts like he doesn't want to answer them, then I would think about going somewhere else. I would want all of my questions answered when I asked them. But, good luck and it isn't that bad on the baby, it is worse on the parents cause you aren't in there watching.
My son just had tubes put in his ears after endless ear infections. I was a nervous wreck. But, it's nothing. Literally, less than ten minutes away from him, he was back to normal by the time we got to the car. The only side effects were drainage from his ears (but that's good, that junk was coming out) and he was a little sleepy. Don't worry about the surgery. Everything will not only be fine, but it will open up a whole new world to your baby. Good luck.
Hi LM,
My oldest son had tubes put in when he was 10 mos old by Dr Erwin in Nacogdoches. I was terrified about him being put to sleep! I prayed all the way through it. Everything went well!
He never suffered with ear problems again.
I just had tubes put in myself. They did not put me under, they just did it in the Dr's office. They go in with a Q-tip thing, clean the area, then they make a tiny puncture, suck out the fluid (if any), then they insert the tube. With both ears it took like 15 minutes. It was painful, but by the next day, my ears barely hurt and it was nothing motrin did not handle. The most fantastic thing was that I went from zero hearing to 100% in my right ear. Be glad for the anesthesia, it does hurt when they puncture the ear drum. It's even easier for children. No worries Mamma!
My oldest daughter had tubes put into her ears when she was 11 months old (she is now almost 7). It was very scary for me, so I can sympathize with what you are going through. She also had hearing loss due to her repeated ear infections. My daughter was uncomfortable and groggy the day of her surgery but by the next day she was playing and wasn't uncomfortable at all. After her surgery I gave her Tylenol and Motrin for about 48 hours and that was it! And, the best news of all is that her hearing did return to normal. At her last doctor's visit the doctor said that her hearing was back to normal. As for stuff draining out of her ears, I never noticed it except for small spots on her pillow in the mornings. I hope this helps...it's terrible, as a mother, to not be able to fix your children without them having to go through something like surgery.
I know it seems scary but it is a simple procedure. My 19 mos. old had tubes put in when he was 17 mos. old. I was scare too. The doctors and staff were wonderful. They kept us informed and reasured us that everything will be fine. They are specilist and thats what they do all day every day. It only took a few minutes for them to be done. I was surpise on how quick it was. The recovery was fast too. My son was a little droggy from the anesthesia, of coarse. He was back to himself in about an hour. He didn't have any pain nor discomfort. He just had some fluid draining out of his ears, but that was normal. Not a lot just a little, but you can see it. You will have to clean the ears more often than usual bc of the fluid your child may still have and get. This will definitely be better for your child. They will be able to communicate better bc they can hear better. The fluid was blocking the eardrum and my child couldn't hear properly. So this will speed up your child's learning ability and speech. It's the best thing to do for your child, although she lost hearing in one ear but I think it will help. Good luck. I wish the best for you.
The tubes were the best thing I have ever done for my son. He had 14 ear infections in a 12 month period and was in the beginning stages of hearing loss. The process takes 15 to 20 min. He will be in the recovery room for 2 hours but as soon as he goes to the recovery room you will be allowed to be with him. He will have a little pain so make sure you have Tylnol and motren. There will be just a little bit of bleeding but it is normal. Oh by the way while in the recovery room they will offer juice but if I were you I would give it to him because I let my son drink and he threw up all over me. Also he will wake up from surgary fighting kicking and screaming. So have patience and don't get frustrated because all most all kids do that.
D. S
