Adenoids Removed and Tubes in Ears of My 15 Month Old

We didn't do a T&A (not suggested by the ENT), but got tubes in my son's ears when he was about 14 months old. He had had pretty much constant ear infections for 6 months, and even got a double ear infection while ON antibiotics! (The family doctor was prescribing a 3 week "therapeutic dose" of antibiotics and was then going to keep him on a lesser "suppressive dose" ...... and he ended up with a double ear infection on the stronger therapeutic dose.)

Anyway, the tubes did a wonderful job.... but he still got ear infections even with the tubes in. The doctor then prescribed one of the nasal inhalers (I don't remember which one... that was 18 years ago ... probably like flonase or rhinocort), and that stopped the ear infections.

I knew he would outgrow the ear infections, I just basically wanted him off the constant antibiotics.

He is now a strapping 6 ft tall 19 year old, and has not had hardly an ear infection in probably 16 years.

Also, within a week or two of getting the tubes in, he was walking.... he had been "cruising" along the furniture, but hadn't let go... I can't help but wonder if the constant fluid in his ears messed up his balance. (This was at 14 months he was finally walking... seemed a bit late, to me.)

Daughter #3 had T&A, nasal polyps and turbinates removed (I think?) when she was a junior in HS...... she had constant problems with sinus infections that then turned into asthmatic bronchitis. The polyps were essentially blocking the sinuses from draining.... Once we did that, the sinus infections and asthmatic bronchitis went away for probably 5 years. She has had an occasional sinus infection since then. (The surgery was December 2003, I think?) I have a feeling she has polyps again, but unfortunately, she is on her own for that, and doesn't have insurance.

Not sure how to advise you..... I agree with the Flonase (or other appropriate nasal spray)..... I think the tubes are a good idea, though.

Just because the adenoids are swollen doesn't mean they need to come out.

Can you get some allergy tests done to check for food sensitivities?

Updated

We didn't do a T&A (not suggested by the ENT), but got tubes in my son's ears when he was about 14 months old. He had had pretty much constant ear infections for 6 months, and even got a double ear infection while ON antibiotics! (The family doctor was prescribing a 3 week "therapeutic dose" of antibiotics and was then going to keep him on a lesser "suppressive dose" ...... and he ended up with a double ear infection on the stronger therapeutic dose.)

Anyway, the tubes did a wonderful job.... but he still got ear infections even with the tubes in. The doctor then prescribed one of the nasal inhalers (I don't remember which one... that was 18 years ago ... probably like flonase or rhinocort), and that stopped the ear infections.

I knew he would outgrow the ear infections, I just basically wanted him off the constant antibiotics.

He is now a strapping 6 ft tall 19 year old, and has not had hardly an ear infection in probably 16 years.

Also, within a week or two of getting the tubes in, he was walking.... he had been "cruising" along the furniture, but hadn't let go... I can't help but wonder if the constant fluid in his ears messed up his balance. (This was at 14 months he was finally walking... seemed a bit late, to me.)

Daughter #3 had T&A, nasal polyps and turbinates removed (I think?) when she was a junior in HS...... she had constant problems with sinus infections that then turned into asthmatic bronchitis. The polyps were essentially blocking the sinuses from draining.... Once we did that, the sinus infections and asthmatic bronchitis went away for probably 5 years. She has had an occasional sinus infection since then. (The surgery was December 2003, I think?) I have a feeling she has polyps again, but unfortunately, she is on her own for that, and doesn't have insurance.

Not sure how to advise you..... I agree with the Flonase (or other appropriate nasal spray)..... I think the tubes are a good idea, though.

Just because the adenoids are swollen doesn't mean they need to come out.

Can you get some allergy tests done to check for food sensitivities?

1 mom found this helpful

Go ahead and get the tubes. He really needs them. However, you must work hard to get this congestion and mucous issue resolved so that his hearing isn't impaired to the point that his speech is delayed.

One thing I would ask is if they could tell in the nasal endoscopy if he has any structural abnormalities, like with his palate (like a submucous cleft palate) or if he has any signs of hypernasality - removing the adenoids can cause problems with either of these issues. If he has a very short palate, he needs the "roof" of the adenoids to help him make those nasal sounds effectively. Don't let any doctor tell you that if he doesn't have a bifid uvula,(that little thing that hangs down in the back of the throat), that he can't have a submucous cleft. My own son has a submucous cleft WITHOUT that red flag.

What you possibly can do instead of an adenoidectomy, is consent to allowing them to just reduce them. That preserves the "roof" and gets rid of some of the gunk. I don't think that the surgeons actually remove all of the adenoids anyway, but there's a difference in reducing them and the regular adenoidectomy. That's what our surgeon wisely did - reduced and not removed. We did not know that our son had a submucous cleft then - he didn't scope him and didn't catch it. (No one caught it until he was scoped at 4 years old - 2 years after getting his ear tubes.) But we had to have 7 years of speech therapy for this child. Thankfully, we got his ears and sinuses under control, though it was hard.

Another thing you can do is use Flonase and a neti pot. The neti pot is very hard to do with a small child. But you can teach a child to sniff for the Flonase. The Flonase will help shrink the adenoids. Our nasal endoscopy at age 4, in the midst of lots of continuing sinus problems that have plagued him now and again, showed that after all the Flonase, his adenoids were small and uninvolved with his sinus infections. If you do all the alternative therapies you are talking about, plus the Flonase and possibly the neti pot, perhaps you'll find that the adenoids will clean up and any other problems won't be because of the adenoids.

Lastly, you are wise to try to figure out the "why" of all the mucous. Just because it won't have the adenoids to cling to doesn't mean that it won't be there. It'll just find somewhere else to harbor if you don't get rid of it.

Wishing you good luck,
D.

1 mom found this helpful

My son had recurrent ear infections starting at 6 months. We did a set of tubes and I didn't listen to my gut when I let the ENT put them in. He put them in while my son was very infected and we kept the ear infections. I finally went to a pediatric ENT. After many different treatment plans he suggested we take his adenoids, remove the tubes and see what happens. He counseled me that most of the time the tubes have to be put back in, but he agreed that the infection was so bad the tubes needed to be removed. The procedure was done and my son was a different human. His surgery was at 15 months and he's had maybe 4 ear infections since (he will be 8 in Sept.) and I know 1 of those was "swimmer's ear". He never had tubes redone and was a much healthier kid after the adenoids were removed.

Just wanted to tell you my experience. I know my best friend has a lot of success with chiropractic care when her son has ear infections. I don't blame you for really looking at all the options. Just wanted you to know it worked wonders for us.

Blessings as you decide what to do!

L.

1 mom found this helpful

Tubes and T & A was the best thing I ever did for my son! He was a changed child. Never questioned my decision. So you know where I stand.

1 mom found this helpful

Our son had tubes put in at 1 year of age. Definitely helped with the fluid and he was able to finally pass a hearing test. I asked about getting his adenoids out at the same time and our ENT said they do not typically do that until after 2 years of age. Well, here we are at 2 years of age and our son is having major issues with his adenoids and his tubes came out too. He had a double ear infection and a perforated ear drum from sneezing when his adenoids and ears were so full of fluid. Poor little man! Anyways, before we decided to have the adenoids out we did allergy testing with an allergist so that we could be sure that his adenoid issue wasn't due to an allergy. Maybe you could try that to ease your mind?

Our son has gone through 6 sets ear tubes. He also has had his adenoids removed. He didn't have any complications, and had beneficial results. No need to worry, your child will feel a lot better.

My son had his adnoids removed as well as tubes put in and I could not be happier. Sometimes when body parts do not function properly removal or alterations are not a bad thing.

My youngest had this surgery and it was very successful. He had one set of tubes and when they fell out he needed a new set. Not uncommon. It was with those 2nd tubes that he had his adenoids removed. The adenoids are the problem. Swollen adenoids block the eustacian tubes and that leads to the fluid build up.

The adenoids are a type of tonsil. They have crypts in them that collect bacteria and other stuff and that what makes them swell. They are part of the lymphatic system, but with the tongue tonsils and throat tonsils still in place, are unnecessary.

I firmly believe that diet plays more of a roll in our overall health than most people, so I support where you are coming from. But, if your ultimate goal is you stop your son's discomfort, then this surgery is the right move. It can take months or years to narrow down the offending compound, if you ever do. He will need more useless surgery getting tube set after tube set until those glands are dealt with. You have already tried the diet route and it is not working, so now it is time to change your plan.

Good Luck!

When my son was three he got tubes done and adenoids removed. He was having infections a lot, although we didn't know it because he was not very symptomatic until he went in for well child visits and had bad infections. It affected his hearing and breathing at night. He did very well with both things and stopped having the troubles. I watched the surgery on camera, and it was over in about 2 minutes with no bleeding or recovery time except from anesthesia. I'm told adenoids grow back, but I'm no expert. I understand your concern about removing them, but our experience was very positive.
Out of curiosity, why no dairy? Does he have a milk allergy? Is he still nursing?
Good luck to you both!

My suggestion is go see an allergies first. Doctors seem to want to either give you pills or surgery. A lot of times allergies effect you in many ways. If that is your problem then you will have saved money and stress of surgery. No surgery is risk free. Some people fail to realize all surgeries carry a rick. After 10 surgeries I should know.

My son had his adenoids removed bcuz he developed sleep apnea and now he has grown 30% of his weight and height.

So why the hesitation on removing adenoids? Mine were removed, along w/my tonsils & had tubes in my ears, & never really got sick anymore except for maybe the usual once or twice a year 'cold' I caught from someone else. I don't really know if adenoids really serve a purpose but I do know it was the best thing for me as a child. I hope you reconsider, it may be the best thing for him. Best wishes.

Have you seen a naturopathic pediatrician?

Way to go mom, the first thing I was going to suggest is to remove dairy, wheat and oats (and barley or anything else he may have that has gluten in it.) but then, these specific allergies run strong in my family. In fact, my dr said I needed to stay on allergy meds the rest of my life. I stopped drinking milk and was so much better!

I'm sorry about the surgeries and hope you find a solution.