Ear Infections, HELP

Both of my kids ended up getting tubes in when they were two years old. It has helped immensely. We noticed a difference with my son's hearing and speech after getting them in. I insisted on getting them for my daughter based on my son's experience. It was hard to make that decision, but they are both doing wonderfully. We have earplugs/headband that they wear in the water, and they haven't had any problems since. Good luck!

From my personal experience with ear infections getting up from a laying down position is when I had the most pain. When laying down it feels good, but the pain felt when sitting up was not worth it for me.

It may help her to sleep upright. Maybe a recliner.

I personally do not have any knowledge regarding tubes and such, but maybe my above thoughts can help get through this time.

One step at a time. One day at time. :)

Sorry if this is a repeat of an earlier response--I didn't have time to read through them all. My son has been on antibiotics multiple times for ear infections as well, even after he had tubes put in. We saw the ENT a couple weeks ago, and she said that drops work better than oral antibiotics because it acts right on the area where the infection is and doesn't have to travel through the baby's system.

N.,
Well I've been through the tubes with one son. And honestly I don't know if it made a big difference. I thought doctors were actually phasing out tubes.

Another son did the amoxicillin circuit and eventually in high school opted to have his tonsils out and be done with this stuff.

Third son did more of a homeopathic treatment for achey ears. I just can't recall exactly what herbs were used tho.

You might do good to consult an otolaryngologist. Ears/nose/throat specialist. This is their area.

I ended up bypassing my doctor after 7 ear infections in a row. The ENT said my sons ears were horrible after she did the surgery.

The tubes are falling out now and we are now on our second infection in a month - different ears.

The chiropractor did not help us, but it may help you.

N.,

I didn't have a chance to read through all the responses, but when this started happening again with my son (he was 3 or 4 years old at the time) we took him to our local chiropractor in addition to the antibiotics and changing his diet to eliminate food intolerances.

The chiropractic visits helps to keep his inner canal at the proper angle so the fluid can drain on its own naturally. It is very easy for this angle to become disturbed through play: falling too hard, bumping her head, jumping up and down too hard, sleeping wrong, etc.

We saw a dramatic change in our son within two days, the pain had almost disappeared and he was feeling much better. I'm sure the antibiotics helped immensely, but the adjustment helped to prevent more fluid from building up. Once the infection was gone we continued the monthly adjustments to prevent future infections along with a permanent change in his diet. He has not had an ear infection in three straight years!

I would suggest trying out the chiropractor before having tubes put into your daughters ears.

Good luck!

-C..

N.,

I have been told by my son's allergist that putting tubes in the ears along with asthma are the 2 most grossly misdiganosed things there are for kids. I was told my son had asthma in about a 4 minute evaluation. I went and spent all the money to get breathing machines and medicines. I never gave him a breathing treatment because of the side effects I took him to an allergist instead. Turns out NO asthma just asthmas type symptoms when around cats. . Thank the Lord we got a second opinion otherwise he would have been breathing in steroids for 15 mins. everyday for NO reason. If I were you I would absolutely take your son to an allergist. Alot of times kids that are allergic to milk have ear problems. Just because you hear about a lot of kids having tubes does not mean it is not a big deal. My husband got tubes as a child and did not need them, he had major ear infections because his tubes never feel out. He had a life of hearing loss, about 40% in each ear is all he could hear.. A few years ago we found a Dr. in Nashville that basically took his ear off and started over. He now has 80% in 1 ear. I am not trying to scare you. I am just telling you get a second opinion. Tubes are great for kids that need them but not for ones that don't.

Good Luck and God Bless!
R.

N., I would take my child to an ENT (ear, nose, throat) who deal with children. There may be something going on other than ear infections. Both my sons have tubes and since getting them it has been relief and pain free in our house. We were getting ear infections back to back and I was tired of pumping antibiotics into them that were only hurting them in the long run. There is a great ENT in Plymouth (Ann Arbor, Canton area) that I can give you his name/number

I see moxt people are telling you to go see an ENT and I agree with them. However, I haven't seen anyone mention things that can help with the pain. Other than rotation the Motrin and Tylenol as mentioned you might want to try and raise the head of your daughters crib. You don't have to put books under the legs just raise up one side of the crib adjustments. That should help alleviate some of the pressure from when she lays down. You also might want to try a humidifier in her room. A lot of times whn my boys had ear infections the dry air would also irritate them. I took them into the bathroom with a hot shower rolling and let them sit in the steam and it seemed to help. That will also help alleviate some of her congestion. You can't always tell when they're congested. It all depends on where the mucus collects. Good luck - Remember, this too shall pass eventually. Here inner ear will grow as she does widening the tubes that connect the ear to the throat.

It is true that they usally require a certain amount of time or a certain number of ear infections within a certain period of time before they put in tubes....

but this seems a little riduculous. I would ask for a referal to an ENT.

Try a chiropractor. A friend of mine did that before the tubes and ended up not needing tubes.
I didn't realize what kind of pain my kids had when they had an ear infection until I had one. It hurts!!!

I would recommend that you go to see an Ear Nose & Throat Doctor. I'm not sure where you live or if your insurance allows it but an Ear,Nose & Throat doctor will be able to help your child. Dr. Becker is wonderful! Both of my kids have seen him. ###-###-#### Sterling Heights & Rochester offices.

Milk is a common contributor to ear problems, but other foods can play a role as well. What does your child eat? Is there a food she craves? For starters, consider removing milk and ALL dairy products. If milk is an ingredient in a product, don't feed it to her. Then consider removing anything she craves.

Consider pro-biotics as well.

And allergy testing. An ENT will be more likely to recommend tubes or a tonsillectomy than find the root cause, which may be allergies.

Good luck.

Well - it sounds like it has all been said as far as the doctor or treatment is concerned.

As far as the SLEEPING....try elevating one end of the crib by putting a blanket under the mattress or something. I needed to do this for 2 of my children. This will help releave some of the pressure just like when you are holding your DD close.

Good Luck!

Hi N.,
Ear infections can be so bad. Last year, my son had one that lasted 6 weeks or so. He went through amoxicilan, omnicef, and finally augmetin got rid of it. However, we went on a low dose antibiotic that we gave to him every day after that (the doctor assured me that he would not get resistant). He did not have another ear infection until this fall. We did go on amoxicilan this time and it worked. We are hoping not to have tubes. Hope this helps! M.

Amoxicilin isn't strong enough to fight a bad ear infection. I am really suprised your doctor isn't being more agressive with this. At this point I think you should go to an ENT (Ear Nose and Throat specialist). That is way to long to let this go on. My daughter just had tubes put in last April and while going through all of this I learned that even after the infection goes away the childs hearing can be impaired for months. You don't want anything to slow down your childs ability to grow verbally not to mention the fact that severe ear infections can cause permenant hearing loss. I don't mean to be over zealous about this, but I am telling you from personal experience that I wish I had taken my child to a specialist a lot sooner. It never hurts to get second opinion. Good Luck.

Wow, I hope your daughter gets well soon! My first suggestion, if you are still going to a regular ped dr. I would recommend (if you can) go to a ear, nose, and throat specialist.

Second, I was told there is some tie in with acid reflux and ear infections. So, cut out acid foods (tomato based, pizza, ect.) and cut down on sugars. Grapes, bananas, and watermelon are very high in sugars. Probably cut down on the servings of juice too. Fresh fruit and raw veggies carry the most amount of nutrients so keep that in mind.

My Dr. also recommended a product called BioGaia, which is a probotic over the counter. This is behind the pharmacy usually at walmart, target and rite aid. This is actually for colicky babies, but the probotic is good for all children! It helps with their immune system. Or here is the website www.chilsrensprobotic.com Discount code balance and get 10% off and I think the shipping is free. Might be something worth looking into.

Good Luck,
K.

Don't get discouraged! My son is now 15 months old and had tubes put in two days before his 1st birthday. He had 5 or six ear infections from 5 months on and they used amoxicillin and that would clear it up temporarily, but they would come right back. The screaming at night was very common in our house.
When my son had his tubes put in I saw a huge difference. He started walking right away and you could just tell he felt better even the same day. I hope that everything works out for you and hang in there.

A.

Hi N.,
I'm sorry to hear about your little one! I know it is very hard to see them in pain. Have you tried taking her to a chiropractor who specializes in pediatric care? Go to www.mcpakids.org to find one.
Often children will have a misaligned vertebrae in their neck and this will pinch or irritate the nerves going into the ears and so the eustachian tubes won't drain as well so infection can be reoccuring. Often ear infections are viral, not bacterial, so an antibiotic will NOT reslove it. It will decrease the symptoms temporarily and maybe they will get over it during that time, but more commonly the infection comes back, like you've seen.
The previous suggestions are correct... take her off of all dairy. Dairy is a mucous producing product so when you are suffering with an infection dairy just aggravates it. Also, to relieve her pain there are homeopathic drops you can try that you can get at health food stores.
I'm a chiropractor and I have seen many children with ear infections and all of them have improved! One child was scheduled for a tubal surgery and it was cancelled because after treatments his ears were 100% normal. Another child had a 2 year history of fluid in her ears and her speach was affected by it. After adjusting her a few times her ears cleared and her speach began to improve quickly.
Go to www.icpa4kids.org and learn more as well.
There are SO many more options out there besides drugs, congrats at asking the hard questions. I hope you find what you are looking for and that she feels better soon!
Give me a call if you want to talk more about it.
Dr. Heather S., Lathrup Village, ###-###-####

N.,
I highly suggest trying the probiotic route and limiting dairy intake. Also, you might want to put off any vaccinations while your daughter is fighting the ear infection. Many pediatricians will balk at this and say that immunizatoins are fine as long as there is no fever present but I've read a lot of anecdotal research that suggests that while they're fighting any kind of infection or illness, it's not a good idea to put more stress on their immune system with the vaccinations. Best of luck as this sounds miserable :(

Go with your gut. If it has been going on for 2 months straight and your just coming into the cold and flu season then I would probably be more proactive. I would tell the doc that I wanted to go and see an ENT doctor to get their opinion. It doesn't mean that you have to go with tubes but just getting in to a specialist will make you feel more comfortable. I believe that Augmentin is one of the strongest antibiotics used for ear infections. Good luck.

My son had double ear infections from about 2 months, till 10 months, we couldn't get rid of him. I did a lot of motrin and tylonal rotating each, aslo amox. for an antibody. We saw a ENT and he finally recommended tubes; he said some kids out grow the problem, that's why they like to wait a little bit. Two weeks after the tubes he was tested for allergies and had one to dairy and eggs, and they said that was probably the cause of the ear infections. So I would go to an allergies and an ENT. It could just be the structure of the ear and that's why your child can't kick it. But I would recommend acting on it now because I waited like I was told to, my son is now having his hearing tested and didn't do so well, there was damage from all the ear infections. He is also starting speech theropy, and he is only 17 months!

Hi N.,
Advice from Dr. Joel Wallach... for ear infections, put colloidal silver in ear and if surgery is recommended (putting tubes in ear) then the child should give up cow's milk - can have goat's milk or sheep's milk (different type of protein) and there will be no more ear problems. Go to www.youngevity.com to find colloidal silver or contact me and I'll help you become a preferred customer and pay wholesale. I'd try this before surgery...
Hugs,
L.

N.; yes those dreaded ear infections, decongestants are good, sometimes their little ears hurt if they are teething, to sooth an ear ache we used to have a salt sock, basically its coarse salt poured into a sock, to make a small pouch of it, tied off of course, then you put this sock in the microwave , the salt heats up, rock salt works well, and the you can lay it on the ear, the warmth helps the pain to go away also, like a little heating pad, for the ear, any way, my oldest son had tubes put in in kindergarten when we knew his hearing was affected, this was one difficult to put our son through, the first surgery went well, and worked well, however after a time the dr wanted to do another surgery to put tubes in again, after about 6 months they fall out , the second surgery was also very hard to put son through, and the tubes did not stay at all, they were out in about aweek, we decided to not put him through it again, now that he is 20, we both have talked about it, and said if we know now what we did not know, we would not of put him through that surgery, his problem was he had very small eustation tubes, the canal ear wax comes out, he never produced ear wax it just got binded up inside, however, he knows how to clean out his ears and we use candles from time to time which do help, and he does not seem to have much of a problem , however the tubes have scarred his ear drums, and he has a hearing problem in one ear, it was a slight hearing loss when he was little, but the scar tissue from the tubes made a greater one, it is not large enough that he cant hear you at all, its just one ear, but he also did not have many ear aches when he was little, i know the ear tubes, do help , his hearing did improve with the first surgery, but once the ear tubes fell out, it was back to square one, so his hearing was naturally blocked with the ear wax unable to escape, once cleaned out it worked fairly well, so you have to weigh the tubes carefully, im not saying this caused his hearing loss, im saying it may not be worth it , in case it did, but choose wisely, once tubes are in, you cannot get that ear wet, no baths, no swimming, even showers you must take caution, have to buy special wax, and ear covers to keep them dry, it was hard enough to do this, on a 6 year old, let along a small child, anyway see how long the earaches go, first couple ear aches i would not bother with, just comfort as much as possible, if they continue, then i would seek more advice, you can also flush her ears with warm water, or have a dr flush them even water from this could give an ear ache, keep a watch on her, test her hearing, say her name in one ear and then the other, or whistle, or make a noise, see if she turns her head or jumps, any way, keep smiling, and have a good day, D. s

Has the doctor suggested totally eliminating dairy products from her diet? Dairy can cause all kinds of issues with all the ear, nose and throat stuff.
The thing to be careful about with constant ear infections is damage to the ear drum from the pressure caused by the fluid build-up.
Eliminating the dairy would be worth a try.

Hi N.,
My son had a lot of ear infections before AND after he turned 1 yr. Because they cut so many teeth around this time, there is always extra swelling in the ear canal and that can irritate an infection and also prolong it. If she wakes up alot or just isn't sleeping good her ears might be getting too cold and causing more pain than normal. When we were kids and had ear infections my mom always put cotton in our ears to keep the cool out. It also absorbed any drainage we might have had.
My cousin had tubes when he was little because of so many infections. Now he is TOTALLY DEAF. Make sure that is the ONLY answer left before you do it.
Hope this helps... E.

I'm not an expert by no means but, I have what I believe is bronchitis. Friends have told me to take Silver (it's a drinkable liquid, or put into the ear cavity). So I borrowed some from a friend and the imformation sheet on Silver says it can be used for ear infections. It is something they used to use in the olden days before there were antibiotics. Ask around or do some research on the web. I wouldn't know the dosage or age appropriate information. It might be worth a try. I know that antibiotics can be harmful to your immune system in the long run.

C.

Our daughter started getting ear infections at age 2. It was every month for six months until they had to put tubes in. It was so hard to see her in pain...but the doctors make you wait until they refer you to an ear nose, throat specialist. It's to make sure that she really needs them. Your daughter's infections sound like eventually she would have to have this done. Sometimes, she would only go a week in between ear infections. However...the tubes worked wonders and she only had one infection when a tube fell out (which they do about a year later). Now, she hasn't had one in about 9 months, and her tubes are out. I did some research and found that soy can cause sinus congestion...and we had been giving her soy milk right before her infections started thinking that soy was better than dairy. This summer, we got rid of the soy milk and are now drinking organic milk and she is rarely stuffed up. Can't help but wonder now if the soy caused her ear problems. About the actual surgery...our daughter was 2 and a half and the surgery only took an hour or so. It was at 8am and by 1 in the afternoon, she was running around and begging to go swimming. :) No worries, it is a quick and simple procedure and your child will be fine if she needs it done.

Hi N.,
My heart remembers what you feel like as I have a now 23 year old son who had recurrent ear infections; and way back then, tubes were kind of "new" so that is not what I wanted to do; when the ENT doctor mentioned those as the next choice, after many doses of amoxicillin and also another "prophylactic" antibiotic, it was suggested to me by a friend to take him off all milk and milk products; I was still nursing him at the time, so I took myself off all milk and all milk products. We had one month to trial this before we had to return to the ENT so I was motivated. We became very good food label readers - anything that said milk, milk products, whey, or any other name for milk(I can't remember them all right now) I didn't give him for one month; we also prayed that his ears would be healed; when we went to the ENT a month later not only were his ears much better - the ear that was the worst was now better than the other one! Story be told, my son continued to enjoy apple juice on his cereal; as he grew older and I would get on a jag that he must drink milk for strong bones, he would hold his nose and glug down the glass of milk - that truly told me that milk was not for him - just the fact that it was so repulsive to him was his body's way of saying, NO! Now, he is 23 and still doesn't drink milk. As he grew older, I am sure his milk sensitivites have decreased as he has been able to eat cheese, yogurt and ice cream for some time now, though not his favorites.
I would seriously think about a milk allergy, or milk sensitivity - sometimes our little ones can tolerate "some" milk and milk products, but have a threshold to how much. It's an easy trial and if you get clear eyes and a happy baby, that is great!

Ahhh! I would question your Dr. here. I usually recommend to my patients if they have fluid (whether it's infected or not) for three months, they NEED to see an ear nose and throat doctor for a tube consult! Fluid for this long not only affects their ears, but can affect their speech development as well. Ask for a referral to an ENT, or if you don't need a referral from your primary care, just GO to an ENT. Ask me if you need names, I work with many of them, and there are some great ones out there!

N.,

Sounds like she may be building up an immunity to the antibiotics and she is probably developing Candida (an overabundance of yeast in the intestine). Also, 70% of the bad bacteria resides in the lower intestine.

What you can do is increase the friendly/good bacteria in the lower intestine and that will build her immune sytem. This is a great prevention against all illnesses not just ear infections.

The way to do this is with a probiotic that will give the live (good)bacteria to the lower intestine. I use one and it is very easy to give to children.

Also, watch her dairy intake. If you can switch from regular cows milk to rice, soy or goats milk that will help. My friend had the same experience with her son at about the same age. Took him off of milk (gave him chewable calcium/magnesium supplement) and limited other dairy products.

If you would like to talk about this, email me at ____@____.com with your phone number.

M.

Ear infections are generally a winter thing. And the winter that babies are 1 year old is usually the worst for ear infections. So hang on till the weather breaks and your daughter will probably be fine.

The decongestant will help her quite a bit. She must have a lot of gunk in her sinuses and ears..Somehow you have got to get that out so she can get better.

I wouldnt worry about the meds that the dr prescribed. Antibotics to get rid of the infection, decongestants to get rid of the excess mucus, and pain relievers to make her comfortable until the infection is gone.

Do some research on ear tubes before you try that. I think the latest studies show that ear tubes did not really help that much. Some kids have lots of ear infections but almost all kids grow out of it.

N. -Both of my girls had terrible ear infections! They would be on antibiotics for 10 days off for maybe as long as a week and back on a different antibiotic again. My oldest daughter, who is now 26, had her tonsils and adnoids out and tubes put in at 3 years old. My youngest daughter, who is 10, had tubes put in her ears at the age of 8 months. They both did so much better after getting the tubes. They still got an occassional ear infection, but nothing like we had dealt with up too that point! I would say that if the doctor recommends tbes, don't hesitate!

First off I would like to say how sorry I am that you and especially your daughter are going through this! :(
My son had ear infections SO much when he was a baby - he SHOULD have had tubes, but his pediatrician at the time said "no he doesn't need them" well, needless to say - he is no longer our doctor (not just for this reason but for another major one)! Anyway, has your doctor suggested taking her to an ears/nose/throat doctor? They specialize in this and they might be able to assist you more..
I hope you get help soon - i know (personally) how bad ear infections hurt!! :(

If you can't get rid of an infection at the start of cold/flu season, it's probably going to be a long, long winter for you. We got tubes for my daughter (then 9 months) after an infection wouldn't clear for about 3 months. They have really helped tremendously (although the surgery itself is frightening - it's very, very brief.) Now, she (very rarely) gets an ear infection with a long-lasting cold, and the pressure and pain don't build up in her ears. We can usually remedy it with antibiotic drops in her ears (not her whole system).

I'd be more concerned about all the meds/antibiotics and/or limiting healthy food she needs - than exploring tubes for her. Talk more to your ped dr., or a ped ENT specialist. Good luck!

One mom advised you to stop the antibiotics. NEVER stop antibiotics once you've started a round of treatment. (Of course, unless there is a severe allergic reaction) THE main reason that we have developed these super illnesses is because as a whole, we stop taking antibiotics when we feel better...which doesn't allow the bug to be killed off, just mutated into a different strain that is resistant to the meds commonly used. We use antibiotics WAY too much in this country (and yes, Im a medical professional) and we are paying the price! Sometimes, though, they are necessary, and once you start, you've got to finish the whole treatment. Then you can explore new ways to treat the problem.

Also, our son was scheduled for tubes, but the doc made the slit in his eardrum and was able to extract all the fluid. He left the opening without a tube to heal on its own in a few weeks. It's made a huge difference, so there are other options...talk to the ENT.

~L.

Hi N., I know exactly what you are feeling. My kids are grown now, but I went through this with my daughter when she was an infant. The ear infections went on and off for months. It was awful for her and me. It ended up being she was allergic to dairy. Took forever for them to figure it out back then ( she is 32 now). She was put on soy formula and stayed on it for her first year or longer. That pretty much solved her problem till she got old enough to sneak and eat things she wasnt supposed to. She did out grow it though..Good Luck

It really depends on your doctor and your insurance. I've heard most doctors want to wait at least 4-6 months to see a pattern or repetition with ear infections. My son had his first ear infection shortly after his first birthday (April). He finally got his tubes in March. He didn't constantly have ear infections, but towards the end he did.

The antibiotic switching is normal. I can't tell you how many antibiotics we went through. My best advice is to make sure you have a good pediatrician, who listens to you.

Also, try lifting the head of her bed slightly. It helps relieve some of the pressure when they are laid down.