Ear Tubes - Yukon,OK

Updated on June 20, 2011
M.M. asks from Keokuk, IA
14 answers

Alright Mamas I need some questions answered. Has any one had a two year old who had to get tubes in there ears? If so whats the down time like? is there crankiness after the procedure? Are they more susceptable to ear infections? what about bathing and swimming is it hard to keep the ear covers in there ears? ANy information you got I would like to hear. If you want here is a brief info piece. My girl has battled ear infections since one year old when she recieved her first as a secondary infection after the flu. she had her ears tested time and again since and came out fine now the test are not reading the best and we are recommended a second opinion to see an Ear Nose and Throat DR. and get tubes. It has affected her speach bc every sounds muffeled to her when she has fluid on her ear drums.

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E.G.

answers from Jackson on

My 1 year old got them. He said she was not hearing as well. She was better within a hour or so. Bathing is fine but they need plugs to swim

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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

We got our daughter tubes when she was 1 year, after a ton of ear infections. Her surgery was about 15 minutes, maybe even less, and she was a little tired that day, but that was it. We had absolutely no problems after that until she was a little older than 4, when they fell out. She got one ear infection then, and now she's 4.5 and hasnt had any problems since.

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K.M.

answers from Chicago on

Ok, my son got his tubes in at 2.5yo ... The procedure was done as the FIRST of the day so we were there at 530am and his surgery time was 6am. They give the kids some stuff to help calm them ... they look very drunk if you have the right attitude it's kinda funny! Then they take them into the operating room, took about 45min (watched a CSI:Miami on the Ipod) for both adnoids and tubes ... he came home and acted as if nothing happened that morning ... his speech improved by the end of the week and he had not even seen his Speech Therepist!
We were not given any instructions on swimming or baths they were handled as normal but we were not avid swimmers. They should fall out between 6-12 months and we have not had an ear infection since ... my son is now 4.5.

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C.S.

answers from Milwaukee on

Our 3 year old got them in April and our 16 mo is getting them in 2 weeks.

Easy-peesy. Really. With my son it was done in the morning and he went to lunch with my mom and me and shopping later for a Buid a Bear. :) Kids can still get EI's but it should dramatcially reduce them. I have a friend whose 10 month old got them-he had never slept more then 2 hours in a row from birth, always had EI's, etc...good ever since. Since my son had them inserted he's been the healhiest he's been since August 2010. He also had his adenoids out in December and that was slightly more in terms of recovery, but not much.

Oh and the procedure-super fast...they don't use general anesthia, just the mask. I literally walked to the waiting room, went to the bathroom, poured a cup of cofee, was sitting down and the nurse was coming out to say they were done.

As far as baths, etc...kids are usually pretty good about the plugs-they do make some that they can fit specific to each kid.

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S.H.

answers from Spokane on

My oldest had tubes put in at a year and a half. My only regret was not doing it sooner! It was the best decision we made for him. He had battled multiple ear infections and was also having speech issues b/c, like your daughter, what he was hearing was muffled.
He came out of anesthesia a little grouchy, but was totally fine by the time we left the surgical center. It was 5 years ago so I don't remember a lot of the small details but I don't remember him having any down time at all. He was sleepy that day b/c of the anesthesia, but didn't have any pain whatsoever. His tubes stayed in for almost 2 years and he has only had 2 ear infections since they have come out.
In all honestly, it was a lot harder on me than it was him!

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N.G.

answers from Dallas on

Downtime is minimal to nothing really. When they wake up from anesthesia your daughter will be like a demon but its temporary and it passes very quickly and she won't remember it.

You have to keep her ears covered, don't let water get in them. They sell ear plugs at the store, or the ENT can make you some custom plugs, or you can use a cotton ball coated in vaseline, all three work great.

They are much less susceptible to ear infection because the tube allows fluid to escape. However, the tube opens the membrane protecting the ear, hence the reason for protecting it from excessive water.

My daughter has had tubes twice. You will be absolutely glad you did it!

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

We got them last July and they had fallen out just like they are supposed to by this Spring. He has had NO ear infections since getting them.

He woke up from the anesthesia screaming like a banshee. He was WAY freaked out. He was back to normal in about an hour and playing. He had no other effects from it.

As for swimming, the ENT gave us ear wax plugs. We actually forgot to use them last Fall when we went out of town and stayed at a hotel with a salt water swimming pool. It broke me out so we didn't swim but one time and he had no problems.

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S.C.

answers from Minneapolis on

My daughter got them at one and went from having ear infections every 6 weeks to one in a year and it was so much easier to recognize (she had crusty stuff all over her face after napping on the side with the infected ear) treat (ear drops helped within 36 hours). She doesn't have to wear ear plugs for baths or pool, but would if she swam in a lake. Her speech has taken off since she got them (took a couple months, but then she went from barely within normal limits to better than typical). I'm really glad we did it for her speech, for avoiding pain and antibiotics, and for avoiding all the trips to the doctor when we weren't sure if she had an ear infection (and when she did). Good luck.

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C.W.

answers from Washington DC on

My son got them at 3 1/2 yrs old last spring. He got his adenoids out at the same time so it was hell for several days, but I hear the recovery from just tubes is very simple and quick. He got several infections last summer because the darn ear plugs that we put in kept coming out and he would shove them back in, introducing bacteria and fungus into the ear. The tubes fell out after only 3 months, but because the adenoids were the main problem, fluid was now draining and he could actually hear again. I would do the surgery, just ask the doctor if she needs the plugs (some docs say yes, and some say no).

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M.D.

answers from Minneapolis on

Ear Tubes are easy and simple, my son has a ton of ear problems and has had tubes many times, my twins even had 1 set of ear tubes. The medicine that makes you forget about the procedure and such is called Versed and it works WONDERS!!! With swimming and bath time the moldable ear plugs work great, I never had an issue with them. Yes your child can still get ear infections but for my kids they didn't have any pain, you can still tell if he gets an infection because the fluid will be a thick snotty color.

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N.L.

answers from Chicago on

My daughter had her ear tubes put in at 19 months. It was maybe 20 minutes from the time they took her into the room until we saw her in recovery. She was crying when we got to her, but it only took a few minutes of holding her for her to calm down. They said that she had to eat/drink before we could leave, so after some milk and cheerios, we were on our way. No "downtime/recovery" needed after that.

Our pediatric ENT said we didn't need to worry about ear plugs for bath or for swimming (unless we went to a lake or something).

She used to get an ear infection every time she got a cold/got sick. it's been 6 months since her surgery, several illnesses later, and we haven't had an ear infection yet.

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D.S.

answers from Houston on

I have had 2 kids with tubes. 19 yrs apart so I am going to give you the answers for the youngest which was done about 2 yrs ago.down time 15 minutes in surgery and out. Lots of tyelnol for about 2 hrs I did it all day though. He was very cranky when he comeout of anestesia lasted till the tylenol kicked in. And I did it every 2 hrs till bed time. Tubes should lessen ear infections. it did with my oldest but not with my youngest but he is an exception to the rule. He has so much going on with his ears it is not normal. Bathing and swimming keep plugs in their ears no water in the ears.

My oldest was real sensative to loud noises when he got his done.my youngest wasn't but we think he has hearing loss. we just haven't done the abr to find out if its permanant or temporary. and to what degree. with my oldest his words went up almost 250 words in 2 days after tubes and that is not an exageration. My youngest has had tubes for over a year and only has about a 75 word vocabulary. But he has more going on wth his ears than his brother did. You will have to keep the wind out of their ears. I never buy a jacket that doesn't have a hood ever. Most outcomes with tubes are good but like my youngest there are exceptions to the rule. Youmight also try a chiropractor. So now you have 2 different cases on how tubes effect them.Don't expect yours to be like my youngest. We have battled ear problems over and over and over on him. I never had this problem with his brother. With his brother once tubes were in he did good no more problems. No more ear infections speech drastically improved word numbers went way up. Now with my youngest he has had 3 infections since the tubes.One was a massive double ear infection that wasn't responding to antibiotics. Then when we got that under control we found out he had wax blocking his tubes had that removed it helpe to a degree. I am seeing about tonsils and adnoids removed and replacing his tubes. And then we will go from there. The wax blockage was also keeping his ears from draining like they should.

D.B.

answers from Boston on

It's one of the most over-performed procedures because our children's immune systems are so compromised these days. This is the first generation of children who will not live longer than their parents. So we see huge upswings in infections. The surgery is not complicated but the tubes often fall out and frequently don't prevent infections. It's the only medical procedure doctors know about since they have no background in nutrition and boosting the immune systems. I work with people who have gone another route and never done anything invasive, but their kids don't get infections anymore. There is a lot you can do very very simply to build her immunity and get her speech where it needs to be.

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K.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

My daughter had tubes in April. She was 20 months at the time. She was cranky in the recovery room, but was blowing kissses to the nurses by the time we left! She had zero downtime. She was eating normally--actually better than normal since she wasn't hurting--that day for lunch and dinner. Our ENT said as long as she isn't swimming in dirty water (lake or ocean) we didn't have to cover her ears. She takes baths and swims in the pool without plugs. Her speech improved within 2 days of the surgery. It has literally changed her life!

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