Tubes Question

My son had tubes put in at 14 months. I can't remember exactly but i think it was 3 ear infections in 6 months.

My baby was only 6 months old when her dr told us to talk to an ENT specialist...she had one long ear infection that lasted on and off about a month. She hasn't had any infections since and it's been 4 months now. It's a very easy and short procedure and the aftercare was no problem...he even said not to worry about getting water in her ears.

J.,

I just wanted to tell you my experience with tubes. My daughter (now 10) had tubes put in when she was 5 years old. She has very bad allergies to almost everything and had been battling ear infections her entire life when I finally decided to just skip our normal family doctor and go straight to a specialist.

The specialist looked at her and decided that she needed tubes and to remove the adnoids. It was an outpatient surgery and in about 24-48 hours she was up playing like she had never had surgery. The tubes were only temporary and stayed in for about 6 months before falling out. I have to say this...I wish SOOOOO bad that I had taken her to the specialist sooner! After having the tubes we have never had ear infections again.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not pushing you to do the tubes. If he has suffered from many ear infections, I would definitely consider it. I know how many infections my daughter suffered through (SEVERAL!) not to mention the fact that with the infections came very high fevers and constant antibiotics. So, if he suffers from constant problems, it might be the way to go. However, if he's only had an ear ache or two, you could always wait and see if it looks like it's going to be an ongoing problem before going with drastic measures.

I hope that helps! Good luck! :)

My son had tubes put in this past October. He had turned 2 in September. Our pediatrician didn't think he needed them & we sought a second opinion. James had 6 ear infections in 7 months. He has environmental allergies but was also allergic to milk while he was a baby. James' overall health improved after he had tubes. It was a simple 10 min procedure. He did have to be put to sleep but not through an iv or anything. He had his tubes put in around 9 am & was wanting to jump off the couch by noon. I understand some pediatricians not wanting to have invasive procedures done on small children but James' entire quality of life changed for the better. He began to talk clearer & his vocabulary exploded. He is more coordinated & doesn't trip as much. His dr that did the procedure said that he was a prime candidate b/c he had so much fluid in his ears even when they weren't infected. If his allergist thinks it would help, I would suggest you seriously consider it. I would do it again for my son without hesitation. Hope this helps!

B.

my son was 16 months the first time and then he got his second set at age 28 months , and for his ear infections well he had the same one for over three months and nothing they gave him seemed to get rid of it until they did tube his ears

Hey J., my daughter had acid reflux when she was born also. That year she had just a couple of ear infections. When fall rolled around the next year and she had just turned one, she began to have ear infections regularly. First it started at one a month. When January hit, she had two that month. The doctor said if she had another one within a month she would get tubes. She didn't have another. The next came around the end of February. She did a round of antibiotics, got another infection, did another round, got another one, did a 3 day round of shots and got another one. Four infections in a row. Finally the doctor recommended we get tubes. We did them the next week. Since she has had them we have had one ear infection. I would give anything if the doctor had put them in earlier (she told us it would be safe). It would have saved Teensy from having to go through four ear infections and shots. This is one of the best things I have been able to do for Teensy. She was about 1 year and 4 months old when she got them. They took her back after giving her a "baby cocktail" (fun to watch her. She sat facing me with a perma grin on her face and played with my hair) and I went to get a cup of coffee. When I got back, she was already done. The scariest part is when they come off the anethesia (sp). The don't know what is going on and the can jerk around and cry like crazy. The doctor assured me this was not from pain, but from being scared because they didn't understand why they felt funny (if you have ever been under, you know what it feels like to come out).

As for how frequent they had to be before she got them, every doc is different. Ours told us if she had one, had a good couple of weeks, had another, a good couple of weeks and had another, she would put them in. Pretty much three was her limit. That was the reason she didn't do it the first time. Teensy had two and then didn't get another for a month.

Her right one fell out a couple of months ago. This was a little early and was her worst ear. However, she hasn't gotten one yet (knock on wood). Hopefully her ears have almost fully developed.

If you have any questions feel free to message me.

T.

By the way, why doesn't the doctor want to do this. It is one of the safest procedures and can save both your baby and you a lot of angst. How frequent are they?

My daughter got tubes in her ears about age 3. Up to that point we had many ear infections and no fun. For us, she would not pull at her ears or let me know that they hurt in any way. She would just get a fever and cry all the time. Once she had the tubes, things were so much better. I was afraid of the surgery just because it was my baby girl and I didn't want her to hurt. It worked out just fine. I had absolutely no troubles with her tubes. Ultimately they fell out and she has had very few ear infections since then. She is almost 8 now.

My name is M. and I am the mother and step mom to 7 children. My youngest is 4 and has had a lot of ear infections and she has chronic bronchitis. Her doctor brought up tubes last summer when she was 3. After that nothing else was mentioned about them untill last month. She told us that they don't usually refer children to get tubes untill they have had 4 infections in 6 months. I have mixed feeling about them, but I do have to say that when I was much younger, my brother, who was 6 or 7, had to have them twice. They were a wise decision. If it will help to keep your children healthier and happy, then go for it. Just talk to your doctors and find out as much as you can about them and make up your own mind. After all, they are YOUR children. Good luck and hopefully everything will end well.

Hi J., my daughter is going next week for her third set of tubes so I will tell you what her ENT told us this last time. Three months of fluid that doesn't go away with tretment or 3 months of recurrent ear infections. It took us over a year to convince her first pediatrician to send her for tubes even though she basically had one a year, so I just took it upon myself to go past him and go to the ENT. As long as the tubes were in and functioning (hers came out of the ear drum but not the ear) she had no ear infections, but both times she had the short term tubes they came ut after only 3-6 months, so now she is going in for ong term tubes. I do recommend them though. If nothing else if they do get an ear infection while they are in you can tell without a doctor visit because fluid runs out of the ear. Both of my doctors told me if I see that just to call them and they would call in a prescription for an antibiotic without having to take her in, which saved a co-pay and on gas and time.
So all that being said, get him to an ENT and let him decide. that is what an ENT does and they can direct you a lot easier than a pediatrician on the decision.

My son was put on nasonex and claritin to try and help with the fluid in his ears. He kept and ear infection for a year before having tubes put in and honestly it is wonderful. The procedure was 30 min long (this included adnenoids being removed) and he has been ear infection free since.

My little one had about 14-15 ear infections before they decided to put tubes in. Ask your pediatrician about it, i think they go back by how many they've had over the past six months. Tubes were the best.