Ear Tubes for Toddler

Don't worry! My family has a genetic tendency to have under developed ear tubes. Both of my brothers and 2 nieces and 1 nephew needed ear tubes. One niece was incorrectly diagnosed as ADD and put on Ritalin for a year when she really was deaf in one ear and about 50% in the other ear - she didn't talk much - didn't say the ABC's and said "Ha" instead of "Hi" kinda like a deaf person who has learned to speak. Anyway - they finally got a decent pediatrician who took her off the Ritalin ( it made her a zombie) and had tubes put in her ears and she also needed to have her adenoids (sp?) removed. Within 2 months she was reading and writing and skipped a grade because she could finally hear what the teacher was saying!
The only real precaution with ear tubes is that they can't put their head under water. Ear drums don't have pain nerves so that's why she didn't act uncomfortable.
Getting a 2nd opinion is always a good idea. Tubes sound scary - but it's very simply done and can make a big difference.
Good luck!!

Hi H.-
I think I may have answered your previous posting as well, but I thought I'd spare you the ear tube experience. Once again, I'd suggest a Chirpractic adjustment. I get referrals from pediatricians frequently for children in just your child's situation: fluid and infection in the ear tube, not responding to usual treatment, and ear tubes pending.

A gentle adjustment of the upper neck does two things: it releases the pressure in the ear canal which is linked into the upper cervical spine and it also stimulates the immune system which is controlled in the brain stem. Ear infections often resolve with just a few treatments and without any medication. The more traditional approach: antibiotics only offer temporary relief, if any at all, and ulimately weaken the immune system's ability to fight off future attacks. The best bet is to boost your child's own system so she can be more immune in the future. Insertion of ear tubes are painful, evasive, and are often rejected by the body anyway.

You can find a pediatric trained Chiropractor in your area on www.icpa4kids.com.
I hope that helps.

-L.

L. Gerner, D.C.,FICPA
Gerner Chiropractic
429 F St., Ste. 8A
Davis, CA 95616
###-###-#### (LOVE)
www.gernerchiropractic.com

When I was a kid, the ENT wanted to take out my adenoids and tonsils because my ears wouldn't drain and I was mostly deaf. A second doctor recommended taking Dimetapp for 2 weeks to clear the fluid and it worked!

My daughter has problems with excess ear fluid due to dust mite allergies. When I first mentioned I though her ear problem was due to allergies and I wanted a panel done, he looked at me like I was crazy, but he did it anyway. Sure enough she has dust mite allergies and as long as I keep up the house, she doesn't have problems with ear fluid. Occasionally she'll go for a sleep over and come back with "slugs" in her ears, so we just give her Claritin and it clears up.

I can also reaffirm chiropractic care for helping ears drain. Depending upon where you live I know of a few outstanding chiropractors. I have also done massage under the ears and pulled on the ears (gently) to help fluid move. See if you can get your daughter to make a big "lion's face" at you regularly :)

I would definitely check into the possibility of allergies though. It is not something the doctor is likely to mention, but I know for myself and my daughter that it is the answer to ear fluid problems. Good luck!!!

Our older son had tubes at a rather late age...he was almost 4. It was not due to chronic ear infections but fluid build up at the back of his ear that wouldn't go away. It wsa a VERY harmless & quick procedure...all done w/in 20 minutes....literally! We ran to the othe rside of Kaiser to deal w/some paperwork for something else & by the time we got back, he was in recovery & awake. He was a bit groggy & kind of confused but the anastesia wore off pretty quick & he was back to his usual self by late afternoon. Fluid cleared up & he was fine. The are so incredibly small & they generally fall out on their own. With our son, one tube fell out by itself & the other one we had taken out by the ENT.....again a VERY quick & painless 5 minute procedure. I highly recommend you take care ofthi & quick as you don't want to run the risk of any more hearing loss or scar tissue build-up. Best of luck!

If you're in the East Bay, you should see Dr. Wesman if you haven't already. He works through Children's Hospital and he's excellent. My son had tubes put in when he was about 7. Even though it is surgery, it's a fairly simple procedure. When asked for a referral, I've recommended Dr. Wesman to my Gymboree families and they also have generally been pleased with his recommendations and the success of the procedure.

J. F.

Hi H.,

I know what you're going through! My son had repeat ear infections that began at age 6-mo's and we finally decided to have tubes put in when he was 10-mo's. I was so scared and worried and felt terrible! Mostly I was concerned about putting him under. Dr. Wesman at Children's Hopsital in Oakland did the procedure with a very skilled anesthesiologist assisting him. The procedure only took about 20 minutes and everything went very smoothly. The tubes lasted about a year and really helped reduce the amount of ear infections and improve his speech development. He did end up seeing a speech therapist for about 6 months when he was about 18-mo's old, but now he's 4 and doesn't stop talking!! :)

I wish you the best with whatever decision you make...

Don't feel guilty! If your baby does not act sick you have no way of knowing! Both of my kids have had numerous ear infections, and both had tubes. It is a really simple procedure and it helps a lot. My son was 1.5 when he got them, and he was RUNNING up and down the hall of the hospital within a half hour after he woke up from the anesthesia. Studies show that development is not effected due to ear infection related hearing loss. Once she can hear, she will catch up with her pears, even if you opt not to get the tubes.
If you want a more holistic method, you could look into using a chiropractor. They are able to do an adjustment that really helps kids with chronic ear infections.
Once the ear tubes come out (about 9 months after they are inserted) kids become prone to ear infections again, and you have to start the whole process over. We opted for chiropractic treatment after the tubes came out, and it has helped a lot. Good luck!!!

My son had to have tubes put into his ears when he was 8 months old. He had fluid and re-occuring ear infections. When you have the tubes put in your daughters ears you are going to worry about this and then about that, but when it comes time for them to take your little one for the procedure you won't even have time to think it happens so fast. Then your in the waiting room for all of about 15 mins. Then they call you back to see your baby. NOTE: Have a bottle or sippy ready though, because I went back there and I have never seen my son so mad. He wasn't hurting he was just ticked off. Oh! and remember if she gets sick after the tubes are put in...the fluid will drain out of her ear instead of staying in there when she is sick. It's normal. Gross but normal. Good luck! She'll be fine.

I had one child who got tubes twice and then my second started having problems with his ears also. After 8 ear infections in one year, they recommended the same thing. I was worried about the surgery and also upset at the constant antibiotics in his system. It was then that I discovered a pediatric chiropractor. This made a world of difference for our family. With gentle adjustment and massage, the ear infections completely disappeared. He never had to get tubes, nor have any more of our children. Look for chiropractors who have graduated from a good school (like Palmer) and have worked with children before. Good luck!!

Hi H., I overlooked this in my 7 month old as well, and I felt very bad, I think it is common for that to happen! My DD was born with fungus, thrush in her throat, and she did get ear infections for a couple of months that i didn't recongnize.

I think a large majority of ear problems are sinus cavities/ear canals that are infected with bacteria, but more often fungus.
Its more tricky to get rid of fungus. Try doing an online search for this and see if you can come up with some helps.

My sister has CHRONIC SINUS problems.I Gave her a nose spray that had grape seed extract and xylitol in it, she said it worked better than the Flonase and threw out her prescription.

More stuff to lookup:

XYLITOL works well for fungus. It is a 5 chain sugar. you can use it to flush out her sinuses. (xyclear is what i gave my sis)

Iodine (potassium iodine) is suppose to be a great anti fungal. antio bacterial, anti viral.If i remember right the excess flushes out of the system.

Fluvic acid feeds the body all the minerals we lack in our soils and diet, and gets right into the cells. I gave some to a plant and it grew 2 inches almost overnight!

Oregano oil- one of the best anti fungal/bacterials you can get. 2 drops under her tounge 2 x a day will get into her bloodstream( I call them pizza drops)

Samento/cumanda , are more things that are antibacterial.

VIt A helps the immune system.

Dip a q tip in 3% hydrogen peroxide and swab inside the nose and ears (check w/doctor 1st about the ear)

try to avoid tubes at all costs. Just my opinion.

Gail
ps....many ear issues are due to a MILK and dairy allergy. Those substances make the mucous slighly tacky and thicker than normal,, and the bacteria stick to it like glue.

GOOD MORNING H.. MY SON (NOW 26)HAD FLUID BEHIND THE EAR DRUM & WE DIDN'T KNOW IT EITHER. WHEN WE DID HAVE HIM CHECKED OUT BY MY ENT, TO OUR SURPRISE, HE WAS 90% DEAF. THE EUSTATIAN (?) TUBE NEVER WORKED. THE SAD PART, MY SON HAS HAD 7 EAR SURGERIES ON BOTH EARS. NOW, AT 26 YEARS OLD, HE HAS ALOT OF SCAR TISSUE & HE WON'T GO BACK FOR A HEARING TEST. I PRAY FOR WISDOM & GODS PEACE FOR YOU ALL. KEEP ME UPDATED. DON'T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT A PROBLEM HAS BUT DEFINATELY GET A SECOND OPPINION.
BLESSINGS,
A.
____@____.com

My son had tubes put in when he was 1. He had constant ear infections and his hearing wasn't good. I was scared of the actual procedure, but it went well, only took 15 minutes and it greatly improved his hearing and the amount of infections. The tubes fell out by themselves when he was 3, they are the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen. I was amazed that such a tiny thing could make such a big improvement.

My daughter had many ear infections from 3 months to 1.5 years of age. Her hearing was impaired and I was scared of putting tubes in her ear also. We saw Dr Wesman at Children's Hospital in Oakland (where I work also). He has a fine reputation and is "cautious" about going forward with any procedure. He definitely said we should put tubes in. We decided to put them in because it was effecting her hearing and therefore her speech development. Plus when she had the infections my husband and I switched off being home with her from work. She was out of day care for at least a week with each infection because they were so painful and usually we had to go onto multiple antibiotics (which also worried me).

http://robertwesman.com/

We went forward and had the tubes put in her ear when she was 1.5 years old. We never regretted doing it. It has made any minor cold easy to deal with and her ears have been clear every time we have had them checked. She is 33 months old now and the tubes are still in there! I am so glad we h had them put in. I recently had an ear infection myself and it was so painful. I felt guilty that it took us so long to make the decision, but that was our course that we needed to take to fell good about it.

Before surgery, I would look into other ways to deal with the ear fluid. Has she been on decongestants? Has she been checked for allergies? It is good to check out all of the non-surgical alternatives.
My youngest son had ear tubes three times and they only helped for a short time. Don't feel guilty that you didn't notice. We didn't either.

Burst ear drum is very serious, maybe was just a PINHOLE, to allow fluid to drain? Once the fluid went out, it did not bother her anymore, probably.
She was not shaking her head or stumbling? These can be signs of ear trouble.
Well. tubes: well useful invention: my sister had them when they were brand new state of the art in the 60's. They have come a long wya since then.
Bad ears run in my family.
My granddaughter had tubes.
My middle daughter had them 2x.
It is awful to see them wake up from the surgery, they are in pain.
My first did low dose of Bactrim instead.(this can cause adult teeth to be a bit yellowish)
My third, well i used a preventative dose of Dimetapp, and avoided the tubes. Dimetapp is different now, but some docs still do a daily preventative dose for ears.
You kinda have to figure out their ALLERGY cycle. My son has them in fall (he is 16 now), uses zyrtec and nasonex now. Good luck. If it was a pinhole it will mend itself, but it is true that you need to get rid of that fluid! And you would not want a bigger hole to occur...

As a toddler I had to have tubes put in my ears twice. My mom did not realize that there was an issue either but once the tubes were put in my ears there was a huge difference. Tubes are not that bad and believe me, going through it twice, it was worth it.

My daughter had tubes before her 1st birthday. And I was really scared and nervous about the whole procedure. It was a piece of cake. I think it is harder on the parents than it is on the child. The procedure took about 45 minutes and then we went home. She was up and playing like nothing had happened by that night. Good Luck!

Our oldest daughter had lots of ear infections; we were always at the doctor it seemed. Finally husband asked the doctor what we could do to prevent this and he said it could be a milk allergy. She was on soy milk for six weeks and she was "Little Miss Sunshine!" The doctor says it take six to eight weeks to see a difference. Then our youngest daughter was so constipated. The doctor gave us chocolate non habit forming medicine to put in her bottle and it worked. But I did not want her on medicine. So I switched her to soy milk and in three days she was never constipated again. They were both on a non dairy diet and now there is even more choices for soy cheese, soy ice cream, etc. that the child does not feel like she or he is on a special diet. My husband and I continue to use soy milk for our cereal and for cooking. They have it at Costco in containers that don't have to be refrigerated until they are opened. Milk is not good for everybody like the ads say. They can cause many problems. My daughters still can only have a small amount of dairy or the problems start again. My oldest daughter's ears were like glue and they wanted to put in tubes. I said I wanted to wait to see if the soy milk non dairy diet worked first and it did!
The ear doctor was amazed.
F.

Get the tubes, she is missing important sounds for her speech. The porcedure is a very quick one and they don't have any pain. You wouldn't know that my kids had ear problems either but at the hearing tests they both had moderate hearing loss. Once the tubes were in my older son had normal hearing and my 21 month old still had hearing loss in one ear but the other ear was normal.

Hi H.,
Yuck, what an ordeal!! Just wanted to offer a little support...specific chiropractic can really help kids with ear troubles. You can check out www.icpa4kids.com for research about it, and I'd be happy to tell or more, or answer questions for you.
Best of luck,
L.

Hi H.!

My son had his adenoids taken and tubes put in. It was a procedure, but really no big deal. The tubes will actually improve the hearing alot, and we saw remarkable improvements in behavior and listening.
Don't feel guilty - if the child didn't show any signs then they didn't show any signs.

It will be ok and your daughter will be fine in the long run!

Those darn ear issues come up so fast. My kids would get sick and say their ears were hurting and I would go off to the pediatrician where he would say that it was ok only to go back a day or two later and have full blown ear infections. My son had tubes put in and the procedure was a breeze. He came out of surgery ready to play and eat ice cream.

I want to share this with you of my experience with my son. My son had to have tubes put in both ears. First he started to have ear infection in both ears so he was treated with antibiotic. It actually happened every month for 4 or 5 months straight and been treating with antibiotics. I told the pediatrician that I wanted my son to see the ENT for possibilities to have tubes put in because he constantly have fluids in his both ears. So he saw ENT and there is no question about it that he needed the tubes put in. He explained the procedure and the risks and I signed the consent to proceed the surgery. Once he was scheduled to have tubes put in his ears was very quick and simple procedure. They only give him anesthesia for a little bit and he is awake within 30 minutes after the procedure. He was perfectly fine and we had to put ear plugs in his ears for at least a year to keep it dry. It is very important to keep it dry. I only have to do it when he showers, or go swimming or playing water guns. He was only 4 yrs old and he is now 7 yrs old and doing great. The tubes eventually fall out by itself. The surgery is very simple and very quick. It is better to have it done than have it damage your baby's ears. Believe me! I lost my hearing in both ears because the dr never recommended to put tubes in my ears and it got so bad to the point where I was screaming my head off (per my mom). I was just a baby when that happened. I have to wear hearing aides in both ears. This is why I'm recommending you to go with it and protect your baby from hearing loss. It is no fun to wear hearing aides for life. I am now 33 yrs old. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message. Good luck!

H., it will be fine. Get the tubes.

Our daughter struggled with ear infections from 8 weeks old and it didn't stop for the first year. It was terrible. We had her ears tubed for the same reason as yours, fluid build up. She was hearing 35%, which was evidenced by the vol. the TV would get turned up to as she watched Raffi, 36. (She had mastered the front buttons before she was 8 mo.)

After the tubes, the TV literally went down to 14. Her hearing was tested and it was 100%.

Yes, we fretted during the surgery, but she was fine and we had fewer issues, few runny noses, fewer ear infections, etc.

They don't recommend it lightly, so go with it.
Stephanie

First of all, take a deep breath, & relax. You, and every parent out there, tries to do the best possible.
My son, now 26, had chronic ear problems (& allergies too). At two, he had the ear-tube surgery. He grew!! I was so happy, & he was not sick. We had to be careful not to get water in his ears.
About year later, he had terrible ear pain (@ 3am). Apparently, he had "lost" a tube, & had an ear infection.
6 months later, he had the surgery again. He did suffer some hearing loss, but he recovered.
Pls check w/ ENT to see how he is medicated. The first time, he was carried off drowsy. The second time he was not medicated until he was in the room. We had to deal w/ frightful & terrors everytime he woke up for months.
The surgery helped him in many ways. I'm sure he missed swimming, beach trips, & baths weren't fun. But I've no regrets...good luck w/ your decision.

Hi- When my son was around 11 months old he did have alot of ear problems (ear infections) his ear drum burst he seemed fine before then. We then found out he had lost 80% of his hearing. It was probably due to all the ear infections over the past 11 month. The recommended the tubes. We did go ahead and do the tubes and when we brought him home is when it hit us that our son probably couldn't hear that well for some time. This was the child that would ride on the vacum. that is now screaming. Over the years he had the tubes put in 2 more times and had some speech therapy but he is a happy 13yr. today who thrives. Hopes this helps.

Hi H.,

Had a chuckle when I read your request. 25 years ago, I was going thru the same trial as you are now. Our two year old daughter was taken in for tubes. Going into the operating room she spoke a few words. Coming out, she was speaking non-stop sentences---and hasn't stopped since! Relax. We even went thru a whole summer of swimming with the "wax plugs" in her ears and survived.
Hugs, N.

Hi H.. Since you have a few weeks before I would get her to a homeopathist for a remedy. I personally know 2 families that were advised ear tubes because of ear infections. Their children had both been on repeated rounds of antibiotic during the first 2 years of life.They never had to get the ear tubes and these were serious cases of ear infections. I've heard of many other children who have been helped. I am certainly not disregaurding that ear tubes are an important option in protecting your childs hearing ,and certainly do what ever is nessecary. I Think you should do the homeopathy even if she has surgery. Best wishes

Definitely get a second opinion. I can't remember all the details, but I'm pretty sure it's around 2 that a child ear canal moves so it doesn't have a valley where fluid can sit. Go to webmd and read about ears. If she can hold on for 6 more months it start to correct herself.
You could also talk to a chiropractor. I thought it was crazy when I heard it, but i asked my chiropractor about and he said he's never studied it, but it makes sense that an adjustment would help.
Best of luck,
C.

H.,
We were in a similar situation with my youngest son. It all felt like it happened quickly and I didn't feel like I got all the time to research that I needed. In retrospect, I would have looked at some alternative therapies, but for us the tubes worked our quite well. He was just about 1.5 and was talking a lot already, but we noticed huge improvements in speech the day after the tubes. The procedure was not traumatic at all except that as he was coming out of the anesthesia, he cried. I was still nursing and that really comforted him. He just needed comfort and Mom or Dad. I was very impressed with all the staff at the hospital that supported us and felt like he was in good hands. The procedure was over very quickly and he was like new that afternoon. No ear infections since and we are just waiting for the tubes to come out on their own.
S.

My daughter very rarely had ear infections. However, she had continuous fluid in her left ear with a slight decrease in her hearing. We spent many visits at the ENT watching her until she was five. What they look at mostly is how elastic the eardrum remains, even with the fluid. If the eardrum loses it's ability to be springy and vibrate, then tubes are a great idea. They remove the pressure and let the eardrum recover. However, there should be no rush into surgery unless your child is in pain or very sick. Talk to your ENT about this.

And if she needs the surgery, be reassured it is a quick and simple procedure. My son was out playing basketball the same afternoon (he was 3 years) and my daughter was back to school the next day. OK, maybe they are not the "normal" cases but it can be that easy.