Tubes in Ears - Tempe,AZ

Yes the anesthesia is what most people worry about. The other problem is that often the tubes fall out so people feel they went through it for nothing, and they either go through it again or they feel they are right back where they started from. A lot of people are delighted they chose this because the infections are miserable and the antibiotics aren't without risk. Others choose to use non-invasive, non-drug approaches to reducing inflammation and boosting the immune system, safely and simply, based on food science and proven results. I know plenty of people who have done one or the other with success. It's up to you which path seems best for you. Doing nothing is probably not a good option at all.

I was worried when our ENT told us that when our dd was 1. But ultimately he told me we do it now or risk permanant hearing loss.

When we went in for the tubes, she was in and out so quickly I couldn't believe it. She was screaming when we went back, then she had a bottle and was happy, and we went home. She was more tired that day than usual, but did not seem to be in pain, and there were no problems after that. It was amazing.

I was so nervous too, but it was the best thing we did for my son. He did still occasionally get ear infections, but we could treat with the drops right into his ear instead of using oral antibiotics that were hard on his tummy. And since the gunk could come out through the tube, it wasn't painful for him.

The surgery was so fast. From the time the doctors took him from the waiting room, it was about 15 minutes until the doctor came out and said everything went well. And then about another 10 minutes until he woke from the anesthesia and we could go to him. My son did wake from anesthesia crying, but he was still nursing so I nursed him immediately and he calmed right down and we went home.

His tubes stayed in for almost 2 years, which was great. By the time they came out, he had outgrown ear infections.

I was nervous too, when my 5 mth old had them put in. He did fine and that was 23 yrs ago! It did not stop the infections but at least I knew when they were happening (fld came out of his ear) and the pain wasn't near as bad for the little fellow.

I had tubes put in my daughter's ears when she was three. She had had so many ear infections that her eardrum had actually ruptured.
My only regret is that I didn't have it done sooner.

We put it off too long. I did this because my husband so so worried. after a lot more illnesses and then I found out how much hearing our daughter had lost, I told him to suck it up.
Our daughter did just fine, but my husband had to be given a Valium and have his mom there to sit with him..

As parents we have to do what is best for our children and put our own fears aside.

My grandson had tubes twice. He had terrible ear infections & pain. We trusted his doctor so my daughter felt better after talking with him. He learned to talk by hearing words "under water". Therefor, he had speech problems that required therapy.. He had no problems after the surgery & woke up laughing & hungry. My grandson has had 4 surgeries in total (one on his eye & one internal) & each time, he had no problem with the anesthesia. Each person is different, but being nervous is normal. Good luck

it IS a concern! both my boys had crappy ears and a series of ear tubes. overall it was worth it, but it's not without risk. i don't say these things to increase your anxiety, but to make sure you're aware.
the anesthesia didn't do anything awful to my boys, but they both come out of it in full cry. the older one just howled and then threw up on the way home, the younger screamed like a banshee and fought like a mini ninja. it's not unusual, and they won't remember it at all. but i tell you true, it's awfully hard on a mom!
i felt very much in a catch-22 with my kids. i wasn't very whoopie on having tubes installed every couple of years, but the ear infections were pretty dire, and the tubes were the only things that seemed to help (ie reduce in severity, not eliminate) the problem. both my kids had trouble hearing because their ears were so bad- in the 'normal' range but way down at the bottom of it. i had to make sure my younger always sat at the front of the class, which was occasionally an issue if i got a less than cooperative teacher.
and now they both have some degree of scarring due to the amount of tubes they had installed. some people are lucky and only need one set before their kids outgrow the ear infections, but my kids both had at least 3. and that's with having custom ear plugs made for swimming and bathing.
sometimes there just aren't any great choices. with 6 infections in 6 months i'd have it done too. one pediatrician wanted them on prophylactic antibiotics, but i hated that notion even worse than the tubes, and i'm glad we didn't go with that suggestion.
khairete
S.

Hi Zeldagirl,

Chiropractic care can stop the ear infections. I've seen the results over and over again. I wouldn't put my little one under anesthesia until I investigated other options. The immune system is an amazing thing and can perk right back up with the right attention.if you don't know of a good one in your area go to upcspine.com. Interview them like any doctor....

God bless,
M.

My sons had them too around 1 year, since they are the youngest they usually will be the first surgery of the day. I kept my kids up late so they would sleep through breakfast since they can't eat. They will take him back for surgery and within 30 minutes or less your son will be back with you. As soon as they can keep down some food we were told to head out, took about an hour for som to wake up and eat. Son was sleepy and very cuddly most of the day. Since our kids had lots of fluid in the ears it was encouraging to see them react differently to sounds. Our dr was wasn't very limiting with restrictions, showers were encouraged but don't be afraid if the ears get submerged during a bath. Swimming we would use plugs. Only time we had to see the dr was when the kid stuffed a piece of waffle with tons of syrup into the ear where it sat and well we did get an infection from that. One son's tubes fell out after 3 years, the other took almost 5 years, and thankfully they have outgrown ear infections. Good luck.

There's always a worry. But it's a safe procedure and will protect your child's hearing. My son got them when he was 2 years old, and what a blessing.

My son had his tubes put in when he was nearly three. The surgery and recovery were a breeze. The tubes came out on their own before he was five. He did get a couple of infections with the tubes from getting water in his ears, but those were easily treated with drops. The putty type ear plugs didn't stay in his ears well when he was swimming even with a headband, and he loved swimming. I had custom ear plugs made for him by an audiologist and that solved the problem.

You have reason for concern but remember these are done very successfully every day. Anesthesia is hard on their bodies. Both my kids had tubes with different results. My daughter did well but had to have another surgery because one tube never came out.

My son had his put in when his ears were very infected by an ENT that I had reservations about to begin with. About 6 months later I found a pediatric ENT who was great. He recommended taking the tubes out and removing adenoids. He said in over 80% of cases tubes are reinserted but he believed the tubes were part of the reason he was keeping ear infections. He removed the tubes and adenoids and my son has had maybe 2 ear infections in 9 years.

My best advice is to make sure you are confident in the doctor and know you'll see goop draining from his ear when he has an infection. Loud noises (vacuuming) bothered both kids post tubes.

Mine were combative after surgery but in less than 4 hours later they were running around the house with no issues. The harder part for me was they give them some small dose of liquid to swallow and they get groggy quickly. Handing them to the nurse to wheel them down to surgery was the worst.

Hang in there and don't schedule anything for a couple of days. You'll be tired from the stress of it all. Be kind to yourself.

Blessings!
L.

Okay, this is a hard one because I do NOT want you to worry! Okay! He's going to be fine. Really.

When a kiddo goes under anesthesia they usually do 2 different kinds. One is the IV kind and the other is a gas. The gas one is harder on the kiddo. It's just one of those things.

They won't remember it half an hour later but when they're coming out of gas anesthesia they can still be under the influence of the drug but awake. This means they are in recovery in the process of waking up but still really drugged up. It takes about 30 minutes to an hour for this gas to get out of their system.

When my little guy had tubes put in they warned us up front that he might be really screaming when he woke up but that's okay, it's one of those possible things.

He woke up screaming and grabbing on to us basically hysterical. My husband has more patience with him and crying so I went and got the van so we could leave. Hubby sat in the middle seat and we drove all back roads to the pharmacy to get his prescriptions filled. By the time we had them in hand little guy was all better and mostly normal. He slept a bit more in the afternoon and didn't even remember why he was so upset.

When he's had dental work done under anesthesia they put him out with gas then did an IV. He woke up happy and ready to go eat and play.

my niece has had tubes several times and because her ears are so bad she has to have them put in again because her ear drum has collapsed. be aware of water and loud sounds. its best to do now than to wait