Son Needs Hole in Ear Patched from Tubes Being Removed

My daughter has tubes because she was born with fluid in the ears, and I have also never heard of having them removed... her doctor said they would just fall out. Where does the ENT work out of?

I was born with a syndrome that caused chronic ear problems for me throughout my 20+ years. I have had an eardrum patched and it was not as bad as everyone thinks it is. Tubes can fall out or be removed by a doctor when they no longer feel that the child needs them, and yes, sometimes it does leave a hole. Mine had been inserted and removed so many times that it did leave a hole. The procedure wasn't really that complicated. They took a piece of fat from the back of my earlobe and rolled it up, and inserted into the hole, and "patched" it. I had my procedure done at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, about a 3 1/2 drive from here. BUT they have had the #1 rated otolaryngology department for the past decade. I have experienced some hearing loss in that ear, but it does fluctuate with the seasons and whether or not there is fluid behind the ear drum. I hope this helps as I have personally gone through this, and as an adult. Your son is young and will not have as hard a time as an adult would.

I had tubes as a child .... and a patch. My hearing was never 100%, but I don't notice a difference. I talk loudly, more so when I am in loud places, or drinking ... but I never had a problem in school or at work. The major lifestyle change that affected me was that I could not get that ear wet, specifically during swinning ... So I wear silly putty or earplugs while swimming.
Hope this helps.

L. S

Hi L.,
Well, I don't exactly have experience with tubes. However, I myself have a hole in my right eardrum...it has been there since I was 2 (an earring back fell down into my ear when my mother was changing my earrings). Anyhow...yes, I have hearing loss in that ear, about 15-20% the last time I was checked a few years ago. They do anticipate that the hearing loss will get worse in that ear as I get older, I am now 30. But I don't have pain or have to wear any hearing device to help me hear. I guess patches weren't an option when I was a child though. :) Plus, I guess it also depends on how larget the whole is. I wish you and your son luck.

hi, L.!
Step #1: get a new ENT!!!!
You should never be "taken aback" at news from any doctor. And I never heard about that hole-in-the-ear-patch stuff.
Demand that your pediatrician give you
an experienced mother of 3 (now teenagers)

I have a 12 year old that has had 3 sets of tubes and at one time a cyst on his ear drum and we just had his 3rd set removed two months ago,both his ears are now healed,but I do know that there is a chance that it can leave a hole after the tubes come out ,but I have never heard of a patch.I hope the hole ends of closing for you,
C.

Think of the eardrum as a drum, it is thin tissue that vibrates when sound waves hit it, that is what enables us to hear. Fluid can build up behind the eardrum making it bulge outward and eventually burst, tearing it and making it so you can't hear, not to mention it is painful when it happens. The tubes are inserted thru the eardrum, sort of like when you have your ear pierced, and are left there. They are hollow and allow the the fluid to move thru them like a safety valve. BUT they are open to the outside so you have to be careful not to get liquid from the outer ear going back thru the other way, that is why they tell you not to let the kids dunk their heads in water.
When they fall out or are removed there is a hole that heals up but leaves a scar. Think, again, like having your earlobes pierced, if you let it heal it will leave a lump. This interfers with the hearing. It may be that the eardrum is so badly scarred from rupturing that the hearing is comprimised as well. This does not mean that tubes are not worth it, they are!
The eardrum is very thing skin/tissue. Unless they are using a different material that I am unaware of, they can take a skin graft from somewhere else and make him a new one. It is worth it.
I hope this helps. =)

I'm sorry, but I don't have any advice. However, my son is turning 4 and has had ear tubes since he was 2. We were just at the doctor's office and the tubes are still in place. When I mentioned that I was surprised that they haven't fallen out yet, I was told that the tubes could be in place until he is 5. No one ever mentioned that if the tubes didn't fall out on their own and needed to be removed that there was a chance of hearing loss. How long did your son have the ear tubes? and why were they removed or did they fall out on their own?

Thanks. S.