Tubes in Ears - Council Bluffs, IA

I work in a hospital and see a lot of children get tubes and get tonsils and adenoids out. Most of the parents sound like you. There are a few people who have problems with tubes but those that are happy by far out number those that are not. I would not go against the father's wishes, but I think maybe he should talk to the ENT. Maybe the ENT could refer you to parents who have been in a similar situation.

M.
I would take him to the Docs. with you & have the ETn . explain to him . Why she needs the tubes in. Having a child with an ear infec. is NO pickinc . I have a 12 & 10 yrs. old My 12 yrs. old was 4 at the time & my 10 yrs. old was 18 monts. Believe you me when they get an ear infect. they do nothing ,but scream & that`s NOT fun . I know.

Try stopping milk and milk products for a few weeks and see if that helps. It worked for my sons. It's worth a try isn't it?
T.

My cousin went through this with her first two sons, and when she was given the advice to do tubes for her next daughter (who was only about 4 months old at the time), she went looking for other options.

Please realize that not all physicians welcome complimentary types of treatments (read: "non-traditional" or "alternative" medicine), however there are some who encourage it -- and her doc was one of them.

She used a combination of chiropractic care and also took her daughter to a pediatric craniosacral therapist -- and the results were great! Her body was able to adjust and she didn't need to consider surgery at all. That was a huge relief to my cousin.

Personally, I think docs are very quick to prescribe meds and surgeries these days for many things, so I always look for options in terms of treatments. We have a preemie who was delivered at 26 weeks so I'm thankful for allopathic medicine; however, our little guy has experienced a lot of complimentary medicine as well and I believe that is why he is doing so well.

If there is a treatment that doesn't involve surgery that would be a compromise for you and your fiance -- and it doesn't put your child in danger -- it may be worth checking out.

Good luck!!!

Would your fiance be willing to go with you to the ENT? It's very possible that ear tubes have advanced in technology since he had them as a child, and that your daughter's experience would be different. Maybe the ENT could answer his concerns about what he didn't like.

Good hearing (especially avoiding "plugged ears" for long periods of time) is VERY important at 15 months for speech and language development, because they are just beginning to practice talking. Try plugging your ears and talking. You just sound like mush. So a young child with plugged ears is not going to be able to tell when she is making sounds and words like those she hears.

Hope this helps, and that your fiance can see the big picture here for the sake of his daughter and her learning. Her life is not his. Good luck!

My son went through the same thing at that age. From the time he was 13 months old until he turned 2, he had constant ear infections as well as catching every virus that went around. His tonsils were very large and I attribute his ailments to that. He was a very sickly little boy and even started losing weight as his tonsils were so large it was hard for him to swallow and I don't think he was getting enough sleep as his snoring would wake him up at night. The funny thing is that he never had sore throats or strep, just caught everything else under the sun. It was a battle with the ENT to get him to agree to remove the tonsils and adnoids at an earlier age; however, they finally did the surgery three days after he turned 2. That was the best thing we ever did as he has not been sick since other than the occasional runny nose. We never had to worry about the issue of getting tubes because taking out his tonsils was his life saver. Good luck to you in whatever you decide!

Be very careful.... sometimes tubes are necessary, but make sure it is the only option. I had five sets of tubes before age five. Yes, they help with drainage. No...they do not always pop out on their own, many times they have to be removed. If you get water in them, the drops that help the problem are quite painful (from personal experience). Also, when they are older the scarring and weakness in the drum caused by tubes can cause problems. In fact, my right eardrum has ruptured twice as a direct result of the scarring and weakness and actually caused me to loose some hearing. I don't mean to scare you, sometimes they work very well, but do not let anyone talk you into continuous sets or usage of tubes, and be well aware of the risks. Also, tubes will cause more problems with pressure changes on the ears (i.e. planes, swimming, altitude changes). As for the tonsils and adnoids...had that problem too. Get them taken out as soon as possible...your child will feel better and it hurts an lot worse when you are older. Good luck!

Hi M.!! All I can tell you is that I worked in a daycare for 2 years and I could'nt believe how many kids needed tubes in their ears!! I also could'nt believe the great change it had on them!! They are worth it if your child needs them!! Maybe you should take your hubby along to the doctor's so he can discuss his concerns!! Things are alot different now than when he was a kid!! Hope everything works out for you and especially your baby!!!!

M.,
My son was 7months old when he had his first set of tubes.... and 4 when he had his 4th set and adnoids out... It seems like a lot, but in the end was so much better for him with the relief he was given (and the sleep i got lol)..... I think your fiance needs to know that things are so much different now than when he was a child (as with many things).... And in the end you have to look out for your little one...
Good Luck
Tam

Wow, I had tubes as a kid and the only thing that went wrong was I liked to swim and wouldn't always wear my wax/swimcap, and well water got into my ears with them in and I can't hear all the way out of one ear now. You just have to make sure you are very careful with them and water. But also you have to think what is best for your child. Ear infections are painful for a child or anyone. I would talk to him again and let him know the possitives this is going to have on your child, unless he can come up with negatives, more then he didn't like them. I don't see what the big deal is about having them. It's going to make your daughter feel better and be less sick as well as take less meds for ear infections. Sounds like tubes is the right way to go :o)

If you are hesitant you can always wait a few weeks while you try something different. Garlic and mullein(sp?) oil drops are amazing for treating and healing ear infections(they help with the pain too). Chiropractics and eustatian massage is great too. Cutting out dairy products can be huge too. There is alot of treatments out there you just have to research and do what you and your fiance feel is best.

I am an audiologist at an ENT office and a mother of a 10 month old. I am completely for tubes. I see children all the time in our office that has fluid or infections in their ears and they are sooo much better off once they get tubes. 95% of the parents say that it has made a world of difference for their children and they wish they would have done it sooner. I have always said that if my child has 3 or more infections in 4 months or less I would get him tubes. However saying all of that, this is your child and you need to be comfortable with whatever decision you make. I would set up another appt with the ENT and bring your finace with you to this appt to discuss the pros and cons and make a joint decision that you feel comfortable with.

Maybe do a little more research and see if tubes in the ears have changed/improved since your fiance had them done. Maybe that would give him some reassurance that it's ok and needs to be done.

All three of my kids had tubes.(six sets between all of my kids) My son got his first set around 9 months. I am totally in favor of tubes. He still got a few infections while he had them, but not much pain as the gunk just drained out of his ear. (kinda yucky, but better than a screaming child in the middle of the night. You get antibiotic drops for this) The tubes will fall out on their own. My sons first set fell out after a year, then he got more infections and we had them put back in. Tubes not only cut down on ear infections, but they help with your child's speech. When there is fluid in the ears it is harder to hear, and thus harder to learn how to speak. My son also had his tonsils and adnoids out.(age 5) His were so large that he snored and stopped breathing for a few seconds.

We took him up to children's hospital in milwaukee, wi. It was a long drive, but well worth it. Dr. Robey (ent) is a blessing. I have never heard of waiting for tonsils out until you are three/thirty pounds. If the tonsils are that bad, they need to come out. especially, if she is having trouble breathing at night. You could prop her up so that she sleeps better. We put a pillow under my sons crib matress to do this.
If you don't like the dr. around here, go to children's hospital in milwaukee.

Hi M.- I am getting this a bit late. My 10 year old boys had chronic ear infections- nothing would help and we were constantly in the doc's office and they were always on antibiotics. The ear infections caused some scar tissue to form in one of my son's ears! When they were around 18 months, the doc suggested tubes- I was nervous, but didn't know what else to do. Putting the tubes in literally changed everything immediately. Since then, my boys have had only 1 or 2 ear infections and they are 10 years old. Chronic ear infections are painful and can do damage. I am not suggesting you go against your fiance's wishes, but I think the pros of getting the tubes outweigh the cons. At least they did for us. Good luck!

My second child was always congested and had many ear infections until I gave up all dairy. I was breastfeeding and didn't think it would make a difference but they cleared up right away and she did not had another ear infection. I kept her off dairy while she was a toddler and it worked. It's worth a shot.

Also, I use something called "Wally's ear oil" in my baby's ears whenever he shows signs of developing an EI. It's oil with garlic, mullein and other helpful stuff. You can also just heat a clove of garlic in olive oil, cool till it's just warm, and put a couple of drops in the ear. Garlic is antibacterial and it works really well for ear infections without all the side effects of antibiotics. Google it for more info. Good luck!

Hi!
My name is A.. I just read your concerns about tubes. Maybe your husband had a bad expirience, but the majority of people who choose this method are quite successful and happy with the outcome. I myself had ear infections most of my early years and then had my tonsils and adnoids out in the second grade. I then had tubes put in my ears. I never missed a day of school after that and I am 25 now and never miss a day of work. I almost never get sick, not even common head colds.
If I had not had tubes in my ears and so forth, I probably would have nissed a lot of school and would have been forced to suffer through antibiotics well into my teens.
Maybe mention to your husband the benefits of making sure your child doesn't miss out on a lot due to always being sick. Not having to have to take so much medicine. When I was sick i was miserable.
Hope this helps.
A.

3 of our babies had tubes between/around 1-3 years old. For the most part it worked well for us. Our son's tonsils and adnoids were removed when he was 5. Our oldest daughter still has her rather large tonsils.

Maybe your fiance could talk to the doctor about his concerns? Maybe ear tube surgery has changed since he had them? I would agree that you should try to be in agreement on whatever decision you reach.

At one point one of his doctor's actually suggested having my son chew gum! (It is still his favorite doctor advice ever.) Chewing gum uses the jaw muscles, get saliva flowing, and helps loosen up congestion in the ear canals. Your daughter would probably be a bit young for that, but I mention it in case you think it might help?

Good luck.

My son had so many ear infections in his first years of being born. I went to the doctors so much and he was from one medicine to the next. We finally went to the ENT and he recommended tubes as well. We opted to have them put in. They lasted 6 months and he didn't have an ear infection, then one fell out. We went back to the ENT and he decided to have a bigger set of tubes put in his ears. He is 3 1/2 now and they have been in for 1 1/2 and he hasn't had one ear infection. I think it has helped my son. You hate to go against your finance but you will have to come to an agreement so you won't have a fight. But I would definitely recommend you try them out for your childs safety. Good luck!

I dont have advice as a mother...but my sister had this exact same problem. She never had the tubes put into her ears and she turned out ok, but I would go with your doctor's recommendations.

I also agree that you two need to be in agreement. Do you know why your fiance is against tubes and has he discussed his concerns with the doctor?

My 6 year old has had tubes put in 3 times in her left ear, once in her right ear. She has had her adenoids removed twice (they grew back larger). She now has a hole in her right ear drum from the tube that was in that ear.

While I hate the thought of her having to go through another surgery to repair the hole in her ear drum....I would do the tubes all over again. She has been infection free for 3 years. We didn't realize she had a hearing loss until the tubes were put in the first time and the change in her speech, attention span, etc., was amazing.

I did have a nurse tell me (after the tubes were already in) that allergy meds can help with the drainage, help prevent ear infections. Since my daughter already had tubes, I never checked into it.

I believe you and your fiancee need to be in agreement. I would assume his surgery was quite some time ago and believe he needs to come with you to the next appointment (if he hasn't already) to get reassurance that things are different now.

My daughter (8 months old tomorrow) just had tubes placed in both ears three weeks ago. She had drainage last week from both ears either from a new infections or from the infection we had been fighting since thanksgiving. This was her third infection in three months and the third antibiotic. I was nervous about the surgery but didn't want her to build up an immunity to antibiotics by being on so many in such a short time. She also cut her two bottom teeth in the past month. I am definitely liking the results so far.

My DD had tubes put in at 15 months. We haven't had any problems since, the surgery take like 15-20 mins, most of that is wake up time in a recovery room. She was bouncing of the walls in 2 hours.

I would go by the advise of your Dr.

I know when my daughter was little she had many ear infections, but my Dr. was against them for her. We were told by our Dr. to consider several asspects to decide on tubes; 12 or more infections a year,hearing loss,and size of child. They told us that as my child grew, so would her tubes and then they would drain better, and they were right on! She also had about 9-10 infections/yr., and her hearing was not compromised at all, so for her surgery to implant tubes was not worth the risks involved.

Talk again with your Dr., and if you trust their opinion, do what they recomend.

I have a 15 month old daughter with the same exact problem, However, she has not suffered from ear infections. BUT, her nose is constantly running, she breathes very heavily, and when she sleeps at night she snores louder than an adult! Her pediatrician said they will look into getting her adenoids out when she is 3. But I am thinking I will take to an ENT before that.
I am very curious what responses you will receive because it sounds exactly like my daughter. I want to get this issue resolved soon. Just thought I would share my story with you.

Tubes in the ears is a no brainer. My kids had them and so did the some of the grandkids.

I don't know what her father didn't like how it turned out but i would assume that it has been 20 to 30 years ago. I think that if he had a complications that with all the years since they have made them better and the surgery is better.

Go for it.

M. b
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My twins were about that age when they began having similar problems. I began taking them to a chiropractic kenesiologist who had me eliminate all dairy, sugar and white flour from their diet. They were getting ear infections every month and after cleaning up their diet they stopped and we avoided tubes and other interventions, which my husband also had with many long term effects. They are now almost 21 and doing fine. We had a hard time changing their diet--and ours--and we haven't always stuck to it as we should, but we definitely have seen the effects of diet on our health in many ways.

HI M.

I'm getting to your question a day or so late. Here are my two cents. My son who is now 7 but, when I stopped breast feeding after he was 7months old he had chronic ear infections, every month they gave us medicine,never worked his ears would still be filled up it never drained. I went in Month after month talking with my doctor about this and they just didnt think it was anything to worry about and back then you had to have over 9 ear infections before they sent you to a specialist for tubes. Finally on his 3rd birthday we went into the doctors again for a double ear infection and every visit I asked how is this affecting his speech! This time the doctor was like oh!My dumb founded that he was not talking or saying sentences. Immediately wanted him to get check for speech. Dont let your little one suffer like my son did. He has had two tubes in his ears and its been a great success for us. His speech is doing so much better. But when your little one gets so many ear infections and the older she gets it does affect her speech.

Its so much different now, have your fince read some of these or have do some research before he says No!!

Sincerely
T. H.

My 4 year old just had a T&A in August because they found a growth on one of her tonsils. If she wouldn't have had that growth they wouldn't have done a tonsillectomy. However, as far as the snoring goes, my daughter snored just like your did. After the surgery, the doctor told us she had almost complete blockage from her adnoids. They also say that for a few days after surgery, they will snore pretty bad, buy for her it was an improvement from how much & how loud she used to snore! As far as the tubes, I had them put in when I was in 6th grade and they fell out on their own when I was in 7th. I would get a 2nd opinion from another ENT before making any decisions. We live in Omaha, NE and went to Dr. David Denman with ENT Specialists PC. Their phone # is ###-###-#### and are located just south of the Regency Mall.

Hi, M.. My nephew was a wheezer and snorter as a baby, and he had several ear infections. My sister-in-law chose to have tubes put in, and when he was old enough, he had his tonsils and adnoids removed. He's now 8 1/2 years old and has had no long-term effects. She said he doesn't snore, and he didn't have any ear infections after the tubes were inserted. She's happy they made the decision they did. Good luck.

S.

Try using Ear Oil by Wishgarden Herbs. It is all natural and works great at clearing ears and congestion. It can be used for all ages. Tubes can be a never-ending process, so if you can avoid it, I would. Also, you may look at taking Dairy out of her diet and see if that helps.

I also have to take my 19 month old son to a ENT.... My question would be does she take alot of antibotics to get rid of the ear infections. Now days no matter how many times they change the different antibotics for a ear infections kids are gettin immuned to them and they seem to be not working for the right reasons. My oldest daughter was on different kinds of antibotics in her first year. For a while it took alot of the antibotics to work on her ear infections. At the age of 7 she was sent to a ENT and her tonsils and anoids were taking out. She has yet to have a year infection and she is 9 now. Now that i look back at her gettin immuned to the antibotics i thank god that she don't get sick very often now plus I wish the doctor she had back when she was younger would of sent her to the ENT sooner for either removal or tubes. Trust me its hard when she gets sick now. So when my son goes to the ENT I am goin to take whatever they suggest. GOOD LUCK!! Oh and u should maybe mention to her dad about her possible gettin immune to meds. Maybe that would make an effect on the decision.

Both of my children had tubes in their ears and my daughter had her adnoids out when they put her tubes in. When my son was small, the doctor suggested tubes as he had one ear infection after another, but like your fiance, my husband was against it and so I chose not to have the procedure done. Shortly after he turned 4, one of his ear drums ruptured, which I might add, is horrible! Seeing your child in that kind of pain is terrible. Upon doing surgery, they found that the infection was only in the ear, but I was told that it quite easily could have spread into the brain and killed him. Talk to your doctor and find out if maybe the procedure has changed since your fiance had his. Ask your doctor to help you explain how crucial it can be to get these ear infections under control.
As far as the tonsilectomy, they had said the same about my daughter, but by the time she was 3, her problems had cleared up and now at 4 1/2 she is as healthy as can be. And as for removing the tubes, they will fall out on their own after 6 months to a year.
Good luck!

Hi, I went through this with two of my daughter eldest is now 24 and my 9 year old. Two different results. Eldest daughter tubes 3 times from 3 years old and until she was 12 years old, scars and constant ear trouble even after the tubes. She was always sick before the tubes during the tubes and after the tubes, she had her tonsils out at 16 the same time our 9 year old daughter was 2 1/2 years old(we did it on the same day...room mates). The now 9 year old had 12 ear infections and numerous colds, sinus problems until she had her tonsils out at 2 1/2 and she weighed less then 30 pounds. To this day she has only had 2 colds in the past 7 years, never had tubes. The eldest still has issues, not as bad but I think much of her suffereing could have been avoided. Look for a second opinion, my 9 year old had absolutely no problem with her surgery and her doctor specialized in pedicatric surgeries,he was an absolute gem. The 16 year old struggled with healing and was very miserable and took 3 weeks to heal while the 2 1/2 year old healed in days. The surgeon stated that he felt she should have had it done when she was a lot younger(the 16 year old), she wouldn't have had to go through so much for all those years. I know this might not of helped much. I do believe when it comes to suffering...why put anyone through it especialy a child?
Good Luck,
E.

M., My son had 6 ear infections in the first 10 months and had tubes put in when he was 11 months. He has had them in since mid November and has not had an ear infection since. The preocedure took less than 15 minutes and he was back to his normal self in two days. My 7 year old daughter has severe hearing loss because of all the infections she had and the refusal of her doctor to put tubes in. Have your husband talk with the ENT with you so that his fears can be put to rest. Good Luck!

Hi M.,

My daughter had to have tubes put in her ears twice. The first set fell out after a year or so and because she began having several ear infections again we opted to have a second set put in. She hasn't had an ear infection since! It has turned out to be a really good decision. I would definitely recommend the procedure. Let me know if you have additional questions. I'd be happy to answer them. Good luck!

H.

My daughter had horrible fevers resulting in one seizure and multiple ear infections. Her tonsils were also enlarged. He decided against putting tubes in her ears and said as your doctor did that her tonsils couldn't be taken out until three. It is ok to get a second opinion and then you can make an informed decision.

My son had tubes put just after he turned 1. He would get double ear infections every couple of weeks in his first year. He is now 2 1/2 years and has had only one very minor ear infection. He did not even need meds. I'm glad we had them put in. They worked for him.

Hi M.,

My daughter had tubes put in her ears when she was 10 months old. Over all, I think getting them put in was a good decision on our part. She would get an ear infection whenever she got a cold or was teething. Since getting the tubes she has had 3 ear infections. Which is still alot, but compared to how she was before the tubes, its really a major decrease in ear infections. Also, I noticed imediately, that her motor and verbal skills improved dramatically after getting the tubes put in.

I do strongly feel that this is a decision that both you and your fiance need to agree on. You might want to get a second opinion from another ENT also. It couldn't hurt. They might have another idea of how to help your daughter out.

A trip to the chiropractor may be in order. I have heard of infants/children being adjusted by a pediatric chiropractor for periodic ear infections and they were able to avoid tubes. Hope that helps.