They Want to Put Tubes in Her Ears

HI

I went thru that with my oldest son. He still has his t & a, however they did put tubes in his ears. He was on atibiotics for months and when they finally decided to do something about it, he had a 50 percent hearing loss. The doctors said it was one of the worst infections he had ever seen. So once all of that stuff drained, my son was back to his old self. he just started sleeping thru the night because he wasn't in pain anymore. There is no need for a child to suffer that long. You could get a second opinion from another doctor too.

Good luck to you both

I live in Newport News.

My first recommendation is to get her to a good chiropractor. I have several friends who swear by them for little ones with ear problems. Once the spinal alignment is correct all that extra fluid can drain instead of sitting in the ear becoming a perfect medium for things to grow in. Another thing is that most ear infections have been shown to be caused my viral infections not bacterial infections and thus antibiotics would not help at all, just wreck havoc with her GI tract. Also, babies outgrow ear problems as their little ears get bigger and drain better that way. A good source for more info is www.askdrsears.com. Good luck, its a hard thing when your litle one is hurting. I have used homeopathic remedies with great success too! You can find those cheaply at www.oragincfooddepot.com, they a store in Hampton now. There are some good mommy groups that can be found at meetup.com. Take care, S.

Hi S.,

I can understand your concerns. Contact an EENT at the Children'ts Hospital of the King's Daughters in Norfolk and set up an appointment. He/She will be able to allay your fears. The baby's pain is coming from a fluid buildup behind the eardrum. This fluid build up could cause deafness if the situation goes on for a long time.

The baby will be just fine with surgery. This is one of the most common procedures done today.

Good luck. D.

My youngest (now 3) was 7 months old when she got her first ear infection. From that point on, about a week after she finished the antibiotics, she would have another infection. I was missing up to a week at a time from work because they would not let her attend day care with a fever. It all started the end of October (Halloween to be exact) and finally in January, her pediatrician said enough is enough. We had tried every type of antibiotic, including 2 weeks of shots every three days on top of the oral stuff. Finally they were able to get her an appointment at CHKD with the ENT department.

It was fairly simple, although we got lucky and they were able to get her in for surgery 2 days after our consultation. We went in to the hospital at 6am and had to wait our turn. The worst part of the whole thing was when they came to get her from me. I had a nurse and she had a nurse. They both came and played with her for a few minutes and then we all walked out into the hallway where they took her one way and me the other. I went into the waiting room and signed in then let the nurse in there know that I was going down to get something to drink. By the time I came back upstairs they were calling for me to go into the recovery room.

It was a really fast process. They told me that had they taken her adenoids out also, it would have only added a minute or two to her being under anesthesia. I think the total time she was in the back was like 15 minutes.

The surgery was a success and we have only had a few infections since then. The ENT will also test your little ones hearing at both the consultation visit and a follow up visit to make sure that there is no long term damage done by the infections.

As far as the sleeping thing, my little girl was the same way. She would not sleep unless she was in my arms. Once the surgery was over, she was like a different baby. She would go to sleep on her own again and sleep almost all night long.

Good Luck! I hope this sets your mind at ease (at least a little) although I know how frustrating it is to see your little one in so much pain.

Hi S., both my kids had tubes put in their ears 2 1/2 years ago. At the time they were 6 & 3. They had lots of problems with their ears and had been on medicine so many times. The problem I now have is my son who is now 8 1/2 had his adult teeth come in with a few imperfections. The dentist said that doctors don't tell you but some of the medicines they use to treat ear infections can defect their adult teeth. If I had know that I would have asked to see an ENT years ago and tried to get tubes for them. The doctors wanted to do allergies tests on the kids while they are unconscious. We found out that my son is highly allergic to grass and has an allergy to milk. So he was 6 when we found out for the FIRST time that milk makes him sick, have cold like symptoms. I wish I had known more before and could have gotten then help much earlier but I didn't. I don't know what to tell you about the sleeping situation but I can tell you when my daughter was an infant we put her in her crib awake, let her fall to sleep on her own. She did that without crying even when she had ear problems. I know your daughter does cry but once the ear situation is fixed maybe you can try to let her sooth herself, just don't let her cry more than 15 minutes.

I am in Hampton too so if you ever want to get hang with some other moms let me know. I had a great babysitter too but she moved away. I know a few girls at my church but if you are looking for a babysitter during the day I really could use the extra money right now. I know you don't know me but we could meet up and get to know each other. I miss the baby stuff, my kids are now 6 & 8. Well good luck!

H.

My daughter, now 19, was like the antibiotic queen at that age. Get the tubes, it's a simple operation and you'll be amazed at the difference it will make to all of you. I didn't realize how much Libby didn't make noise until she got the tubes and started babbling away because she could hear better. The adenoids kind of block the passage for sinus drainage, the ENT will explain all of that, we didn't have to go that route since the tubes worked so well.
Re: sleeping after, just put her in her crib and see what happens. She may need a few nights to re-learn how to sleep by herself, she may feel so much better that it won't be a problem.

Hi S.,

I had a similar problem with my son yet I felt that even after the tubes were in, we would still have the issues of the antibiotics and upper respiratory stuff. Fortunately, life presented an introduction to a Homeopath and the results were like a miracle. After the first remedy, his nose started clearing overnight and within a few days he had nothing going on...a few days later a fever, then another remedy and then after that, not even a cold for over 5 years! This after 6 months straight of being sick and many different antibiotics.

That was many years ago and since then I've learned a lot about many factors that contribute to our health both from being a mom as well as the things I've learned in my holistic coaching practice.

I look at many aspects now including, food allergies (which can energetically be rebalanced), blood type diet as well as what's called the PHS (Personal Health Strategies) obtained from 'The Human Design System' which identifies genetic imprinting from birth info (time, date, place) that can direct you to what foods are best or how they need to be taken in, as well as other strategies that align with the chemistry of the body and how things impact our health. There's also healthy sleep patterns that can be identified within each one's design amongst how many other things. Sounds bizarre but it's amazing information and very practical.

Some other methods of care (although I've not tried them myself) include salt rinses for the nose and vicks on the feet to clear congestion.

I would encourage you to trust yourself. The tubes may be the way to go or there might be a different alternative that's best for your child. Nothing is a be-all for everyone.

If you have any questions, you can e-mail me or you can find out more at themythandmysteryofyou.com.

Wishing you well!
S.

Hi S.,
my daughter was a little older, but the procedure is about as easy as pie and takes seconds (literally) for each ear. I'm sure your ENT can explain it to you. I'm not sure about removing her adenoids - we didn't do that - but the tubes stopped the ear infections completely and we'd been dealing with them at a rate like your little girl. We ran through all the antibiotics, drops (antibiotic drops) and ended up at antibiotic shots (for three days straight... that was not fun). The long and the short of it was that the tubes saved us!! They were so easy, quick, harmless and helpful, and even though they've both fallen out by now (my oldest is now almost 4.5) they broke they cycle of continuous illness. The sleeping, now that the pain was gone, was somewhat just renewing the pattern we want for bed time/nap time, but it was really quick and easy (and that is not true of most anything with our oldest.

We went to see Dr. Wilson in Newport News (you can message me for his number if you want). He's super great, friendly, TONS of experience, and does the kids in age order (because you can't eat after you go to bed) so the youngest go first. The tubes were a GREAT decision and I couldn't have been happier with the result.