Tubes in Ears - Olathe, KS

I have 3 boys, 2 of which has tubes. I believe that it is necessary and most definetely worth it in the long run. My first son with tubes I thought was fine. He didn't have bad infections, he just had hearing loss because of fluid behing the ears. He was2 years old when he got them. The day that we got them, he heard an airplane and freaked out. I realized at that moment that he had never heard an airplane before (in 2 years). I would get a 2nd or 3rd job in order to pay for the tubes if I had to. Good luck.

Hi! My son got tubes put in last November. I was really reluctant due to finances, as well, but the concern is that there might be hearing loss, which will affect speech development. My son hasn't had an ear infection since then...I've felt that it was worth the cost. We just set up a payment plan with the office. I know it is so hard. See what the ENT says and make an informed decision. You are the parent...you get to decide. Everything is recommendation until YOU decide it is necessary :) Good luck!

when i was younger (i'm 32) i had ear infections all the time. my mom said they wanted to put tubes in my ears but she didn't think i needed them. (she was one of those moms that didn't take us to the doctor unless we were on the verge of death). i've failed every hearing test i've ever had. now, my hearing loss affects my every day life. my 3 yr old had tubes put in after constant ear infections in May of 2007. He went without a single ear infection until they fell out in Jan of this year. It was wonderful!! But, like I said, they fell out in Jan. & the infections started right back up so, he had his 2nd set of tubes put in in March (after 7 more infections) & hasn't had any more infections. I know it's expensive but, there are all sorts of payment plans available these days. I have to pay $30 a visit each time we go to the ped. & $40 for the ENT so, I can sympathize with the whole money thing. I say, get the tubes! Good luck!

Your are right on both counts. Ear aches are something you can just deal with. These are when kids say, "Ouch, my ear hurts" but have no other accompaning symptoms such as fevers or rashes and the pain goes away in a couple of days. Ear infections are serious and need to be treated as they can cause long term damage, as many moms have already shared.

As for the finances, pay what you can every month, even if it is only 20.00. Or, after the surgery and you get the total bill for EVERYTHING, try to settle the bill in full for a fraction of the cost. Some doctors will take what they can instead of nothing at all if you have to file bankruptcy.

My daughter who is now 18 had ear infections a lot. She had 3 sets of tubes. On the third set, I had went to see a great doctor, he told me that she needed tubes and why had I not brought her in to him sooner, he was a little upset with me because I knew she needed them with our experience with her hearing. I told him that I couldn't because I didn't have any insurance and my husband had recently left (for an older woman, big ego damage there!) and that I had been waiting on the state aid for her to get medical insurnace. I was also concerned about the scar tissue in her ears and that it may prevent her from hearing too. He told me that I should never worry about if I have the money or not to bring her in to him, (his very passionate about his patients)that I should have called the office to talk to them about it and they could work something out. On the scar tissue he told me that 'she can't ear right now, and we can fix it to where she can. She is in school (she was about 12 and not doing well in school) and she can't hear! If she goes deaf later in life because of scar tissue then that could happen, but it's important that she learns all she can now!' He also said that between now and the when we will have to deal with the scar tissue then maybe they will come up with something to fix that. I was soo overwhelmed at how much he cared and how right he was. Now was important. At his age it is most important I would think. So, you should follow the doctor's advice and see an ENT no matter what, besides if that is the problem then you will be making more trips to the doctor in the future, bc the problems don't go away, they just keep coming. I'm not sure where you live but even though I live in KS we still travel to MO to see this doctor bc my daughter doesn't trust anyone esle. Here's his imformation and they do have in office in KS & MO he just only works in MO, call the office though and talk about arranging something they will work with you. Kansas City Metropolitan Ear, Nose & Throat, PA Dr. Nathan Burroughs, ###-###-####. There locations are 6815 Hilltop Rd ste 100 Shawnee KS and 9411 N. Oak Trfwy ste 202 KSMO.

My kid had only 2 ear infections before we put the tubes in but the real reason why we did was because he had fluid on his ears and it was messing with his speech and his hearing ability. It wasn't the "I'm going to tune mom out" business you get from teenagers...he really couldn't hear us and what he did hear was a warped underwater version. Unfortunately, we had a string of Dr.'s who all missed this and it was his speech therapist that recognized all the signs (because he had it and all of his kids had it)...and THAT didn't get diagnosed until he was 3!!! Age 3 was the first round of tubes...they didn't last so long (but neither did my faith in that ENT). So for the S. round I opted for Children's Mercy and Dr. Pamela Nicklaus (AWESOME AWESOME!!) and she took tonsils, adnoids and did the tubes based on what SHE SAW at the time of surgery. We haven't had a lick of problems since...and I mean even head colds, sore throats, etc. NOTHING!!! Sean was 4 when we did that. BTW- my son was also in the upper percentiles like your son and it didn't seem to make a difference.

The whole reason why they want to put tubes in is because your sons ear canal is too thin and isn't allowing the fluid to drain properly from the ear, thus trapping it and causing the infections. The (artificial) tubes force the ear tube to widen and stay that way (therefore, there is no way he can currently "outgrow" ear infections). The narrow tubes or even filled tubes will warp your sons ability to hear which will mess up his speech patterns and pronounciations of letters and words. This may be an expensive process for you, but I would think the pain of the ear infections along with the potential for long term speech therapy would be well worth the money spent.

Frankly, I wouldn't take him ANYWHERE BUT Children's Mercy for the care. They totally rocked and didn't do anything they didn't think was necessary AND his tubes have stayed IN which was much better than the first time (which only lasted 6 mos)...these have lasted nearly 2 years (which is the general lifetime 18mos- 2 years) because of the growth of the ear.

If you have any other questions feel free to write me and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Good luck!

Carrie I understand your worries. I am currently on foodstamps and understand the money issues. However ear infections can damage the hearing. I have a son who is sick alot and when if comes to medical bills I just make payments. I have a $400 ENT visit it took me 2 years to pay off. I have 4 kids and my oldest is 13 and he had to get tubes 3 times. Even at 13 he may need them again. I also had a friend who 16 year old son is now deaf in one year from her not getting tubes in and he had several infections. Good luck with your choices. I hope it works out

I'm sorry you're going through this...my son (he just turned 2) had numerous ear infections this past winter and his ped said that if he got one more that he'd have to see an ENT doctor so I know your concerns...is there any way to get him off whatever insurance you have and maybe get government assistance? I am a single mother and received assistance for the 1st year of my son's life and when you have the insurance (I had Healthcare USA for him)...EVERYTHING is paid for. Good luck with everything :)

I have some really weird advice for you... when I was in Japan, my friend told me that she and her family always put a clove of garlic in their ear to heal ear infections. I thought it was really weird, but then I tried it, and it really worked for me!

My husband had constant ear infections, and he had tubes, was treated, etc, but it turned out that he had a yeast infection in his ear. He was treated incorrectly for eight years, and he had to have his eardrums repaired surgically. Make sure it's not a yeast infection by checking with the doctor. If it is, there are very simple cures for that.

My sister did have to get tubes when she was young, and she was able to hear so much better. She also was less clumsy. She became more outgoing, more confident, and more comfortable in her own skin.

In short, it's very important to get him treated, but there are a lot of things to think about. Try natural methods, but keep in touch with an ENT, even if it's just on the phone. Good luck, too. This is a toughie.

Carrie,

I am sorry to say that not all kids outgrow earaches. I as an adult, still get several a year. I am under the impression, but ask the doctor, that the tubes relieve the pressure of the pus and fluid that can build up behind the eardrum. If the pressure isn't released you could possibly have a blown eardrum, and when the eardrum heals, there is scar tissue and it is thicker and has less elasticity to move and allow vibrations to pass to the inner ear. That leads to hearing loss, and there can be several earaches that can lead to blown eardrums and a gradual loss. Even one blown eardrum, depending on severity, can leave one deaf in one or both ears.

When kids are young the eustachian tubes are bent and curvy, as most of us grow they straighten out, however not all straighten. Those curves allow bacteria to find a good home. Good oral hygiene helps too, as the eustachian tube connects the ears, nose and throat together. You may find with lots of ear infections, you may also have a child with many cavities too, since the bacteria can hide between all those areas in the eustachian tube.

I hope some of this helps. I wish I could tell you more about insurance and the financial part, but unfortunately, I was always taken care of as a child by the military, so I don't have any information in that respect. Talk to your doctor, may his infections have been milder that tubes are more a suggestion than a need, but if they are suggesting it, I think it is probably more serious. Good luck and you prayers from me.

Ali

I don't have any advice regarding tubes, none of my kiddos had to go through any of that...but your insurance sounds awful...have you considered looking into different insurance, or maybe even applying for some state aid for your son? The worst they can do is deny you. I am not ashamed to admit we have state assistance for our youngest, our middle daughter is covered by my husbands insurance, and my oldest son is covered through his biological fathers insurance. Times are tight for everyone. I think it is probably something that needs to be done, I am thinking long term if you don't do tubes it will still cost money as he had more infections etc. Some doctors offices will work out payment plans too...Good luck, there is no shame in having money be tight right now, lots of us are feeling the pinch.
B.

Carrie - I would talk to the ENT. Both my kids have tubes in their ears. It affects things like, hearing loss, balance, coordination, dizziness, just to name a few. The hearing loss portion then affects their speech (because he is not hearing how the correct pronounciation of words). Tell the ENT your concerns. Ask how bad his ears are and if he really needs to tubes. Our ENT is fantastic. I don't know where you live but his name is Brian Metz w/ Olathe Medical.

Just to tell you a little more. My son could not hear out of his ear, due to the fluid build up. He got tubes at 10 weeks. My daughter had ear infections starting at 7 mo. and got tubes at 13 mo. She started walking the next week. She was unbalanced due to the fluid in her ear. With your son's age I'm most concerned about his speech, but that's coming from a mom with no medical degree, except what I've learned with my kids the last 3 years!!

Good luck and I'd be happy to answer more questions or chat.

Talk to the ENT about your money concerns as well as the necessity of the tubes. If you let them know up front that the budget is tight, they will be able to work with you on the bills. Also, if you do have insurance already, even with a high deductible, that helps out tremendously on the cost. You might also look into medicaid for just your son. I know a lot of people don't want to go that route or don't think they will qualify because they have to much income and already have insurance but you would be suprised how easy it is to qualify. It doesn't hurt to go through the process. The least they can do is tell you no. As a secondary insurance, they will cover most things that the primary insurance does not cover which generally leaves you with only a copay or two out of pocket. It depends on the policy that you qualify for but no matter what, it will cut down the cost considerably. You can fill out all of the paperwork online now. Just make sure when you talk to the doctors that they except medicaid. It takes about a month to get approved so look into it now so you can schedule the surgery after all the paperwork goes through.

Hi Carrie!
My son had double ear infections, our ped said 5 in a year they will look into tubes. My friend did it with her baby, and she is barely ever sick now. If its necessary for tubes, then it is. Some childs tubes do not drain properly causing reoccuring ear infections, so thats why they put tubes in to help the drainage, so what Im saying, if your sons tubes are not working, he needs help. I would talk to your insurance company and the doctor and see if they can work with you. This may be a necessary procedure, so most insurance companies will pay 80-100%. Just try all you options and find a loop hole if there is one. Btw, I dont think you are cheap, times are tough and we wouldnt easily be able to swing 5k right now either. Good Luck!

I understand where you are coming from. It is hard to cover those outrageous cost. I think if you were to tell your doctor that you had no insurance and needed to be a cash patient, you may get a lower cost. Also, just remember that everyone accepts payments. The beauty of doctor's office collection rules is that as long as you are paying something every month, there isn't a whole lot that they can do. So keep that in mind as you struggle with the added financial stress to your family. Constant ear infections can bring on hearing related issues. While the tubes seem expensive now, what might happen if you didn't follow through? I would rather pay for a less expensive initial cost rather than go through a life time with hearing loss. Best of luck in your decision.

Good Morning Carrie,

Our son who is now 4 had tubes put in when he was 22 months old due to having an ear infection for 4 months. We went through 5 different antibiotics and a shot of antibiotics too. Nothing seemed to work, plus it was affecting his hearing and his speech. Once he had the tubes he did great. They fell out 1 1/2 years later. Since they fell out he has only had 1 ear infection. He is doing great. He is in speech.

I know money is hard to come by these days, but they cannot penalize you for paying small amounts. I will keep praying for you and your family.

J.

I know how you feel so here is some advice I think will be very helpful and some honesty from my Doctor. First of all, putting in tubes WILL NOT STOP ear infections, it will only help them drain out of the ears when one occurs-this is fact. My daughter has has chronic ear infections for the first 3 years of her life... tubes two times and adenoids and tonsils removed. And never during all this time did my ear doctore ever tell us why she kept getting them, so I finally asked, is it possible she just has allergies??? His response was, well uh I guesss- are you kidding me????? So, after two surgeries, we went to the allergy doctor and found out she is SEVERLY allergic to our cats,and all other pets with fur. So after removing the cats from our home and cleaning carpets etc- she has NEVER had an ear infection since. I hope this helps, but just be sure to remember that if you are hoping to prevent ear infections, tubes will not do it- you have to find out why he keeps getting them. He may very well grow out of it, but I would check for other issues before I rushed to surgery- My daughter had an average of 8-10 ear infections per year. also, if you decide to have the surgery, make sure you tell them to be careful with the anestesia(my daughter woke up like a total crazy person for the first surgery, and when we told them that- she did not have the same problem with the S. surgery(when they took out tonsils, adenoids, and put in new tubes)I hope I have helped a little- good luck!!! please let me know if you need anything else, I have so beem there!!

My son had tubes in his ears when he turned 1. He had an ear infection at least every month for 6 months before we finally decided to do it. It was a blessing. No more infections. If he did get sick I didn't worry about it because it wouldn't go to his ears and the colds didn't last near as long. I would highly recommend it. I think it is well worth the money to have that procedure done. Good Luck with whatever you decide.

I would wait to see what the ear doctor says. We got tubes for our daughter after she'd had a few really bad ones in a few months and the dr said that if we didnt do tubes soon she could have permanant hearing loss. If the doc thinks this is something you can ride out, great, but I'd wait to hear what he says before deciding anything.

I'm really feeling for you! I haven't read everything...but sounds like you are getting lots of good advice. My daughter has had tubes 3 times, starting at two years. She had numerous ear infections and the scarring got so that she wouldn't even show signs of an ear infection until her eardrum got to the point of rupturing!!! It was SUCH a relief to get the tubes in!! The improvement in her hearing WAS DRASTIC...loud sounds that didn't bother her before scared her to death, because she could actually HEAR!!! She doesn't have tubes at the moment, but she's had to have her tonsils and adnoid taken out too (because of strep and to HOPEFULLY help with the ear drainage) she STILL had fluid in her ear and she'll be nine this year. Her surgeon said most kids will grow out of it, some take longer and some never do...(HUHHHHH)
And BTW...my daughter is upper percentile as well...it doesn't matter!!

See what kind of help your docs will give you...you never know!

Good luck!!!

Hi Carrie,
From reading the responses you've gotten already it appears that each child is different. I believe that it's a very difficult decision to make. I'm also in a VERY tight situation with money so I know what you're going through. We put tubes in my daughter's ears when she was about 1 1/2. They improved her situation tremendously & she actually hasn't been as sick as she used to be since we've had them put in. I think that either way you look at it, you're going to spend a large amount of money whether it's with doctor's visits & meds or going through with the procedure. Do express your money woes with the doctor & they can probably work out a payment plan. Every single doctor I've ever been to accepts whatever payment you can make as long as you're making the effort.

My daughter just turned 3 & is a little behind in speech due to the MANY ear infections she had when she was younger. When she should've been able to hear us & learn the simple words we were trying to teach her, she wasn't getting anything. She's making great strides now & we're starting to understand her more & more every day. I do think we waited a little too long to have the tubes put in.

In the end, I believe that you'll make the right decision for your little one. No one knows him better than you. Don't let the scary stories push you into getting them when you feel that he can do just fine on meds. As something that's free, try contacting Parents As Teachers in your area & see if you can get a screening as to whether or not he's at the average for his age to find out if these infections are affecting him in development. That may make the decision for you in the end.

Good luck & I hope things start looking up for you soon!

We had to deal with the same issue back in August. My don was 6 and it was his 2nd set of tubes. Our insurance deductible is also $5000 so I understand. My son had his first set at 15 months old and they fell out after a few years. He did okay for a while then the infections started again. We chose to go back to the ENT and get another set put in. Recurrent ear infections can cause speech delays, trouble hearing, on top of extreme pain for small children, etc. We got our son proper treatment and he is above average academically. I know the cost is a lot. We had to take out a loan and apply for another credit card just to cover it, but the benefits for our son are tremendous. I'm not sure who the ENT they are recommending is but there is an excellent one in the Joplin area that specializes in pediatrics. Our pediatrician told us after my son's 12th ear infection that by age 3 they usually outgrow it, but he was barely 1 and 3 was too long away, on top of that at age 7 they started up again, so I wouldn't take my chances and "hope" it gets better. This would be the best fix in my opinion if you don't want to keep having to pay for Doctor visits and antibiotics. That in itself can get pretty pricey. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Believe me, I understand your concern about the finances. Talk to the business office at your pediatricians and see if they have some type of financial "assistance" or payment plans. We have had to do this when money was tight - and even when money wasn't so tight - things add up and are difficult to pay all at once. You are not alone - don't feel bad. But you do need to take care of your little one - severe ear infections left untreated can lead to bigger problems and can develop into more expenses in the future.

Another small bit of advice - without knowing too much background - I would check with your insurance and see if you can get a lower deductable while still getting decent coverage. $5000 deductable seems very high.

Good luck - you are not alone in your concerns so don't kick yourself for asking for help. Take care!!

My son had the same thing, it doesn't usually get better unless you get the tubes. But I have been told about chiropractors are able to help little kids with ear infections. You may want to check it out. Otherwise, you can risk it and have the chronic ear infections until he "grows out of them" but then you are taking the risk that he will have hearing loss.

Carrie-

I am a pediatric chiropractor, and I have found in many cases when the infection recurs like in your case (four times in three months), a combination of chiropractic adjustments and/or craniosacral therapy, supplementation with probiotics to counter the effects of the antibiotics, and some minor changes to the child's diet are equally (and sometimes more) effective than tubes. From a financial standpoint, there are costs to this treatment, but probably much less than tubes.

If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me.

Yours in health,
Dr. Alyssa

Before you have your child go through the painful ear tube experience, try taking him to a chiropractor. I have worked for two different chiropractors in the past nine years and have witnessed first hand several children with chronic ear infections who started getting adjusted, and the ear infections cleared up and there was no need for the tubes EVER.

Apparently when I was a child, I had bad ear infections all the time. My parents were also concerned that I would have hearing problems later on due to the ear infections. I had tubes put in my ears when I was about 5 or so, and that stopped all the infections. Or at least I don't remember really having anything after that, and I do remember the procedure. So it may be something you want to do just to stop or drastically reduce the number of infections.

To me, these are all things to discuss with the ear nose and throat dr to be certain. I do know that they need tubes to help drain the ear when their own "ear tubes" are to small. I have many family members that have had them and some of them had them for only a short time before they fell out and others for a long time, and one neice had hers fall out and then had to get another one in one of her ears. I do know that earaches can cause hearing damage, but my Dr. likes to point out that in Europe (or somewhere, haha!) they dont even treat ear infections with antibiotics, they let them heal themselves. He also adds they have a lot of adult hearing problems, too. My 10 month old has had 1 ear ache and he was actually on three different types of antibiotics before that thing went away completely, but he hasn't had another one since then. I would def. suggest talking to as many Dr.s and professionally informed people as you can and express your concerns.

Carrie, I would have the ear/nose dr look at him and ask him. For the most part I think they can be delt with (I had them all the time as a kid and a couple as an adult - they are extremly painful for a few days). But sometimes they can cause hearing loss if they are servere and the fluid is not draining. But I would say that with your son being 2 1/2 then you should be close to the end. So talk to the doctor - tell them that you really don't want the tubes and ask if they are really nesasary. And if you have to - get a 2nd opinion. Espessially if the doctor just seams to be really pushing the tubes and no other alternatives. Good luck!

Well, from a medical standpoint, you may want to consider it. As a child I had many ear infections as well. Eventually my ear drums started bursting each time which was very painful and now I have permanent hearing loss due to the scarring. When I had my daughter she had several ear infections from the time she was 3 months old. Not only that, but she became allergic to several of the antibiotics the Dr was prescribing, making it difficult to treat the infections. We finally made the decision to have the tubes put in and it did stop the infections. The downside was that she had to have them put in 2 more times before she was 5 because they only stay in the ear for so long and as soon as they came out the infections started. You may be fortunate and he will outgrow the problem after only one set. My daughter was only a year old and your son is 2 1/2. I H. this information helps you with your decision.

Try a chiropractor.

It will naturally let your sons body do the work of preventing ear infections, no surgery is necessary, and it is much more cost-effective.

Good luck!

Carrie - This has been a hot topic on a mom's blog where I work. They all agree that this is important. Several of them say they now have hearing loss themselves or their children do b/c the ear infections weren't treated properly. Many of them stated they wished they would have gotten tubes in their kid's ears long before they did.

Good luck with your decision~

I understand the financial side of things, but usually as long as you are making small payments it will be okay. I use to think that they would grow out of it but I have adult relatives that have had to get tubes. I've always been told that it is pretty serious because it can affect their hearing in the long run and also their speech. My daughter had to have two sets of tubes put in her first when she was like 9 1/2 months and the S. she was like 1 close to 2, she is now 4 and they have fallen out and she is doing well.

I hear your concern regarding the money, however, if you forego treating the ear infections and they continue, you run the risk of your child developing long-term hearing problems. Ask your doctor about the long term affects if left untreated and waiting for them to grow out of it. My youngest daughter had the procedure and came through it just fine. That was in Dec. '05. She was 2 1/2 and hasn't had another ear infection since. My suggestion, go see the Ear, Nose & Throat doctor. If they think they can treat it without tubes they will. Ours didn't suggest tubes right off the bat, although we did wind up doing so. Good luck to you.

My sister had ear infections when she was a little girl. In school, the teachers accused her of not listening and she would get into trouble for not paying attention. That was some 30 yrs. ago. She continued having ear infections. She had them so bad and so often that right before she got the tubes put in her ears, the doctor said that she had lost 60% of her hearing. so, she wasn't NOT listening at school,she just couldn't HEAR the teacher. If I were you, I would find some way to be able to afford the tubes. $5000 is quite a BIG deductible, but, your childs hearing could be at stake. I wish you well.

Hi Carrie,

I don't have any advice about the tubes but about your medical expenses, have you tried talking to someone at Truman Hospital?? They have excellent doctors there and they will work with you about setting up a payment plan. It's worth a shot, you can explain your situation and it might be cheaper than paying the $5000 deductible. Just a thought, good luck!

D.

Carrie,

When my children were small they all ended up having at least one set of tubes. My Granddaughter who is 4 has had three sets. The tubes truly do help with the ear infections.

Shame on your Dr. for not explaining to you why the tubes are necessary. Sometimes the ear does not develop properly therefor it can not drain the excess fluid, so it gets backed up into the middle ear. Unfortunately one of the side effects of constant ear infections can be hearing loss (this happened to my nephew) not to scare you, but it is always a possibility plus children often times have a hard time hearing when they are infected.

It really sucks to have such a high deductible on your Health Insurance - I do believe that the last time my Granddaughter had this surgery it was out patient surgery, so all they paid was the out patient surgery co-pay - this would be a good thing to ask if you have co-pays. If you don't you can always try explaining the Insurance situation, sometimes the Dr. will reduce the charges.

Also here is a link to the Mayo clinic information on ear infections and tubes. Take a few minutes to read it - it will help you.

Good Luck and I hope your little guy feels better soon!

N.
http://mayoclinic.com/health/ear-infections/DS00303

After posting this I remembered a friend of mine that had taken her little one in for ear infection after ear infection and they kept putting him on a "round" of antibodics each time - ok - so different Dr.s prescribe for different amounts of days - they finally decided that the typical 7/10 treatments were not working so they put him on a low dose for 21 days and he never had another infection - this might be worth a try before you incur the expense of the surgery. Many pharmacies are now giving away free oral antibodics too.

Carrie, you have received a lot of good reponses. My first question would be how much income does your household have? I know in Kansas if you make under $35,000 in year your children qualify for Healthwave and most other states have that too. Healthwave covers 100% of everything and will go back 3 months from when you send in the application. The premiums are -0- if you make less than I think $20,000 and only about $15 or $20 a month if higher. Well worth it. If you think you might qualify get that application going today and it will cover most of your back appts for him also.
I am in my 50's and have always had ear problems. I have had 3 ruptures (twice as an adult and have had 2 sets of tubes both as an adult. I have 40% hearing loss in one ear and 15% loss in the other. Please listen carefully to the ENT because he will let you know if it is necessary or not. If you can't get Healthwave (or whatever your state has)then let the doctor now of your high deductible and set up payments ahead of time. I'm praying you qualify for the Children's insurance which will also cover 100% of all medications also.

I am a speech pathologist and we were recently told about the ill effects of tubes in children's ears. Please do your own research. i know from my practice tah tubes have helped many children that have const.ant infections I also have seen some tubes that were full of pus etc. and were not working well to help the inner ear drain. I would highly recommend that you try eliminating certain foods that many children are allergic to foods like lactose, wheat, corn syrup, processed foods and GMO foods. I personally know moms who have taken their children off of these foods and were amazed at how the health of their child changed. I also would also remind you that a severe earache is extremely painful to a child. Oftentimes a child will get an earache during teething, due to their immune systems being compromised. Dose he get water in his ear during bath time? If so you may want to protect that situation also. Hope some of this info is helpful. There are are agencies that may help you financially, perhaps a local childrens hospital would look at your case, sometimes a Shriners Club or service organization. During these economic times, it is realistic to get assistance if the food allergies are not the problem. Hope this info helps, C.

Earaches and ear infections are two different things. Ear infections and fluid behing the ears can sometimes not be corrected without tubes. If there is fluid but not infected fluid, you can not tell on a visual exam. Fluid can prevent your son from hearing right which will impact his speech and ultimately how he does in school. Also, a child does not grow out of ear infections. Even adults have to get tubes when the fluid will not drain properly.

However, you could also try a chiropractor. I have heard that ear infections can be caused by a problem with position and that a chiropractor can fix them. We have not gone that route but several friends have.

So long story short, if your son has fluid on his ears, he will not grow out of it and yes he will need tubes if you don't want long-term hearing damage.

Hi Carrie. I can tell you, from personal experience, that the tubes don't always work. I had the procedure done 3 times before I was 6 years old! My body rejected them every time so they quit trying. I am now 35, I do still get ear infections but it's nothing that I can't live with. I don't think they are necessary just based on my own life. My hearing is fine, by the way. I think it is a personal decision.

Carrie,
As a child I had tubes put in my ears and I truly remember the pain of the infections! But my tubes were put in at 5 years and I was deaf at the time. My first son also had a lot of ear infections between four months and 2 years and he was not talking during this time just grunting and pointing. When he was this age the medical opinions leaned towards the use of antibiotics rather than putting in tubes. But the medical opionions changed since then because of antibiotic resistance. Needless to say, my son finally got tubes at my insistance at age six. After the surgery the surgeon told me his ears were permanently deformed from all the infections. I truly understand your delema with the financial situation and only your ear/nose/throat specialist will know what is best for your situation but I just wanted you to know my opinion. I don't think ear infections at the rate your child is experiencing is normal. I have two other children and only one of my other children had at the most two ear infections and he is now twelve. My question would be how much does your child talk? God bless you on what decision you make.

I reccomend taking him to a chiropractor, it has really helped lots of my friends kids and it SO much cheaper than surgery and less stressful to the kids. Has the doctor checked the source of the infection sometimes certain bacteria only respond to certain antibiotics. Good luck with your decision.

I agree with the last three or so comments. It's unfortunate that you've thought ear infections were so serious. With each round of antibiotics his system has actually been weakened. Research shows antibiotics to be fairly ineffective to the treatment of ear infections: results of repetitive use......unnecessary surgery (tubes) and often (these days), tubes again (after more ear infections)! Go the chiropractic / probiotic route and it'll pay off in your pocket book, your child's health and your time :)

They can become more serious,hearing loss etc...My nephew had alot of ear infections and he had to go through speach therapy for years and he still does not talk "normal."Also,my Son had tubes put in at 18 mos old and I never regretted it!I was so happy he was feeling so much better and he never had trouble with his ears again!I understand about the insurance,my Son needs braces.However you need to talk to the insurance and find out if that is in fact a procedure that you would have to meet that deductable.Also talk to the doctor and find out how much the procedure will cost.If you are required to meet the deductable and the cost of the procedure is less than $5000 maybe you can just pay out of pocket.I am sure they would work with you and set up some kind of payment plan.And not only will your little one feel better but eventually the regular doctor visits and anti-biotics will rack up to the same or more than having the procedure done.Hope this helps,take care

I'm 46 years old and I had tubes put in my ears the last 2 years . If your little one is in as much pain as I was I would try to find a way to get it done most hospitals have payments plan

my cousin had tubes put in his ears at age 5 and did really well after he had them put in.
I have had ear infections when I was a teenager and a few as an adult. They are very painful and would want something done if I had them often but I don't get them often but when I do they are so painful I am in tears and I can tolerate pain.
My daughter has ear pain from sinus drainage/allergies and usually doesn't have an ear infection when we take her to the doctor but is also very painful. When her ears hurt and she doesn't have a fever within 24 hours then we try the ear drops for pain first along with tylenol and if that doesn't help then we take her to the doctor. She does get about 2 ear infections a year so is always a possibility when her ears are hurting but she also just has ear pain from sinus drainage and the doctors won't give her anything for that except ear drops to ease the pain because it isn't an ear infection.

I don't really have an answer for you but wanted to let you know they are very painful and if the doctor recommends tubes and he is having ear infections that often then you probably want to go ahead and have them put in. You don't want to put your child through that pain every few weeks if there is a way to fix the problem. Sometimes the hospitals will write off a lot of the bill if they know your financial situation.

Contact a Shriners Hospital. They do a lot of surgeries for free & will drive you to the hospital & have a place for you to stay. I haven't done this, but I have been thinking about contacting them about my oldest son's hip problem.

God bless!

We had some of those same issues with our oldest and FINALLY found the answer. I don't know that it wold work for everyone, but it's a lot cheaper, and if it works there's no meds, either! We went to a massage therapist who does ear candling (I know, it sounds weird) which basically pulls wax, etc. out of the ears & cleans them out. If there is infection or something, it will pull that out, as well. It cost us about $25, and you can do it whenever you need to. I'm not sure how it would work on one as young as yours, seeing as they have to lie still for about 20 min., but it might be worth a shot. Hope it helps.