OK so my 4 yr old had tubes put in 6 days ago and she went back to school yesterday and came home saying her ears hurt. Then last night she woke up 2 times saying her ears hurt. This morning she woke up crying and saying they hurt again so I didn't send her to school and called her dr. office. I talked to the nurse and she pretty much acted like I was overreacting and said I should just give tylonol/motrin alternately for pain. I explained that #1, I can't give her those meds while she's at school and the nurse won't administer them b/c they are non-prescription, so I have to keep her home from school. And #2, on her discharge papers it said to call the office if she has persistent pain! So finally the nurse pulled her chart and made a note for the dr. to call me. So I want to know for any of you who's kid has had tubes, how long is it normal for the pain to last??? Should I insist that he have her come in? Everything I've read about the surgery says the pain should only last about 3 days. I don't want to be a parent who overreacts but I don't want to do nothing for her pain either!
Thanks sooo much to everyone who responded! This morning, my daughter woke up with a really sore throat, so I looked in there and her tonsils were very red and swollen. I knew immediately she had strep throat, so I took her to her regular pediatrician, because I'm more familiar with that doctor and felt more comfortable taking my daughter to her! The pediatrician showed me that her right ear was draining a little, due to the strep, and that is what most likely caused the ear pain. I now have my daughter on antibiotics and ear drops so she should be better in a couple days! =) I wish I had taken her to the doctor yesterday and caught the strep earlier, but at least I know now that my gut instinct was right and I will listen to it sooner in the future =)
ear tubes are not always the answer try supplements ... I can recommend some if you like. write me back if interested I HOPE SHE FEELS BETTER REAL SOON....
Be Blessed
I would insist the doctor see you. I got tubes regularly for more than 10 years and never had pain for more than a day or two.
I had 2 children that had to have tubes and my grand son just got them.. the doctor explaned to me that its not actually the pain of the surgury.. the child is not use to actually hearing right. before all was muffeled.. now its clear and louder.. and they are not use to it. my grandson has hd his about 5 months now and i notice he looks for the birds now when they cherp. before surgury he diden't, and right after the surgury he would put his little hands over his ears cuz it was loud and he associated it with pain. I hope that all goes well. You have a blessed one
Our son has gotten 4 sets of tubes over the years. He is now 6. He never complained of his ears hurting. He even went back to daycare the following day.
You have every right to be concerned, and call if you have a question. You should never feel like you are over reacting. You are a Mom who is very concerned about your child. We are the same way with our son.
If you do not hear back from the dr., call and make an appointment and tell them why. They should not give you a hard time about it. If they do, file a complaint against them.
Good Luck.
Rosie
My son had ear tubes put in at 7 months old and there was no visible pain afterward.
Actually there seemed to be relief. I do not to pry but I would defintely take her back to the doctor. I do not know who your doctor is? My doctor is a ear specialist that has offices in both austin and round rock, he is wonderful and I have been going to him for almost a year and a half. His name is Dr Peter Scholl , maybe time for a second opinion??
###-###-#### please contact me if you have any more questions I know how scary it can be and how helpless you feel.
blessings
K.
take her in; better safe than sorry
Good morning,
My daughter never experienced pain with her two different sets of tubes. I would think the doctor would want to see her right away just to check and ensure they were still placed correctly and that no infection had started.
Stick to your guns....there is no reason they could not take a quick check.
Good luck
My daughter who will be 3 next month just had her adnoids removed and her second set of tubes put in January 12th which was a Monday. Monday and Tuesday she was fine. The doctor prescribed antibiotics and antibiotic ear drops after the surgery. Wednesday night she began complaining of pain in her neck and ears. She refused to take Tylenol or Motrin until the pain finally got so bad Friday night. By Sunday she was fine. At the two week follow-up, I talked to the doctor about it and he said it was probably due to the angle they put them in when they do the surgery! She checked out fine. I would call and tell them you want to do your post surgery follow-up appointment ASAP since she is complaining. Those few weeks were awful and I began to wonder if we had done the right thing. Now that the pain has subsided we are comfortable with our decision. But it does feel awful not being able to fix their pain. Good Luck.
Both of my children had tubes and adnoids out. It was obvious right after the surgery that they felt relief. They never complained of any pain. However, I did give them tylenol faithfully right after the surgery. But the next day, I didn't give them anything and they were fine. My daughter was 14 mos. and my son was 5 mos (first set) and about 18 mos for second set and adnoids. If your little girl is still complaining about pain you insist on seeing the doctor TODAY! You are her voice and you know her better than anyone. Good luck!
Hi A.
I would give it one or two more days then insist that the Dr. see her. If it does not stop then I would change dr's- I don;t think the tubes should be hurting this long. sometimes they say it hurts because it is a foreign object and they will get used to it soon.
If not change drs.
Blessings
Bless her heart.
I do remember when my daughter had tubes placed (at about this time of the year)they also suggest she not be outside for at least a week if it is cold outside. The ears are very sensitive to cold. I remember them saying the tubes would make her ears even more sensitive during the healing time. Has she been playing outside at school?
Maybe she should spend time inside for a few more days during recess and when she is outside she cover her ears with a scarf or ear muffs?
I bet she feels terrible, maybe she needs a day at home to rest with good doses of pain meds.
I cannot remember, did they give you a prescription of drops for her ears, that can be used with the tubes that numbs the ear? Hang in there mom, nothing worse than your baby hurting.
Hi there, my son has had ear tubes in twice, he is nearly 4yrs, he had them in when he just 9 months and again when he was two. After both operations he was back to normal within hours. We did pain medication for a few days afterwards and he was fine. He was a very verbal two year old and never complained.If your daughter is in pain I would demand an appointment A.S.A.P., I think after nearly a week she should be healed and not still in pain. Good luck.
S.
I agree that it probably should not be that painful any longer. I would go ahead and insist on getting seen if it is causing that much pain. My son has had 4 sets of tubes, most recent I believe was when he was 4 (he's 6 now). So, yes we have seen this a lot, I would continue to follow the post op instructions and if she is having pain, I'd get her in.
Good luck!
Take her in -- be persistent. Even if there is nothing wrong you will feel better if that is confirmed. I have had Dr.s and Nurses act like I am over reacting to things and I don't care, because what if they are wrong? My son had tubes put in and after the surgery there was nothing but relief for him. He didn't complain of any pain after the surgery. I could see the countenance on his face change to a much more pleasant look after just a few hours. . I didn't realize how strained his face looked all the time before the tubes!
My daugher is 2 1/2 and has had two sets of tubes. Any initial pain did not last beyond the first day after surgery. You are not overreacting and should definitely get this checked out.
Good luck!
A.,
Both of my boys had/have tubes and there was no residual pain. I would insist on having it checked.
If you are in the endless circle of military doctors, I would then use (is it TRICare, now?) and go get another opinion.
Best wishes, and I hope her pain is gone soon.
your daughter should not be in pain at all by now...It should have subsided within one to two days tops...it is a very minor surgery and I would call your doctor and tell them you want an immediate appointment or you will be reporting them to the medical board for improperly following up on a patient who just had surgery. That out to get the nurse's attention.
Good Luck and let us know how it turns out.
My two year old had tubes put in 6 mos. ago. No pain at all and my doctor said that was not normal for them to have pain. Get your doctor to take you seriously,if they don't respond, take them to NiteLite or another pediatrician to get the tubes looked at. My understanding is that there shouldn't be any pain at this point at all.
My six year old had his tonsils adenoids and ear tubes put in this past August. He Never complained that his ears hurt. So you may just want to insist that the Dr see her. Acually it may be better to go see the ENT that put in the tubes instead of her regular pediatrician. Good Luck and I hope your little one's pain subsides soon. Oh and also you can get the ENT or pedi to prescribe the tylenol so it will have a prescrition label and then your daughters school will accept it. That is what I did. Again good luck.
I would insist. You have the right to have your daughter seen and it isn't like you are asking them to do something crazy. If they won't see her, take her to someone who will.
As pp said. She should not be out in the cold OR the wind. She needs to keep her ears warm and covered.
my one yr old boy has tubes. when ever he tugs on his ears we begin the drops. he cannot tell us his ears hurt we just have to guess and wonder. does she have any drainage? our son didnt his ear seemed to be botheering him so the doc made a visit that day. when i took him to daycare his ear began draining. by that afternoon the tube had already pushed out. they said that the drainage built up too much and he lost the tube. i said whats the point in having a tube if the drainage isnt draining. so one more tube again and he is fine. i would report what happend with the nurse to the doctor. she was rude and should have made an appointment just to check up and look at her ears. go ahead and schedule an appointment just to make sure. espically since she is complaining. our baby son didnt seem to have any troubles after the surgery.
