Experience with Ear Tubes and Adenoid Removal - and Earplugs

My dd was 1 year and 4 days when she had tubes put in and the after care was my BIGGEST concern. I thought there was NO. WAY. she would leave plugs in her ears. I may have had age on my side; but now, she knows that when the plugs come out it means pool or bathtime; which she LOVES. Maybe starting now putting plugs in will help. We use the antimicrobial silicone type kids size ones from CVS. They come in bright orange which has been helpful to watch when they get pulled out in the tub sometimes. Good luck!

Our son had tubes put in at 18 months and I had many of the same concerns. The ear plugs have worked great. We had the custom-made ones at the doctor's office done and he loved chosing the colors. The custom-made plugs are great, because there is less chance of them falling out. The ear plugs have never been an issue, as he has no problem wearing them. Good luck.

When I was ten (4th grade) I had my tonsils and adenoids removed. After surgery my biggest problem was drinking from a drinking fountain without the water coming out of my nose from leaning forward. We had a cottage on a lakefront and I never had any problems. Because your child is younger than I was, he might even bounce back more quickly than I did. Good luck!!!

i did not went for MD recommended "ectomies" tonsils and adenoids when my son was ~6. it took me ~ 2 weeks to dig up on the internet all possible ways of treating him w/o irreversible "solution" of removing crucial immune system tissue. There are many other options - alternative meds - explore! here is the link to the website that has helped me immensely: you can look in archives or ask your own question and get answer from MD with alternative practice:
http://askwaltstollmd.com/wwwboard/wwwboard.html
there is also my personal favorite - homeopathy, but at that time i was too cheap to actually go to professional homeopath. knowing what i know now i'd probably coughed up needed $$$, so if you decide to research this option here is how to find a good one:
http://www.homeopathy.org/directory.html
Good Luck
V.

Hi B H,
Do to chronic ear infestiions, we did have tubes put in our daughter's ears when she was 11 months old. We got the "Ear Bandit". It worked awesome for both bathing and swimming (she started swim lessons at 5 months after tubes when in). She did fight it at first but eventually, once she knew there was not an option she stopped fighting it. She had her tubes until she was about 2 1/2. I would defintely get the Ear Bandit to keep the tubes in place, if he is a swimmer. It wraps around his head and velcros in the back.
Grant it, with the age difference I imagine it will be quite about different. She will be 5 in June so I have an indication in how it would probably be different now vs then. In some ways easier in other far harder. I think for us it would be easier now because we can explain it to her.
Don't fret over his need for the surgery. It was the best decision we made with our daughter. Yes it was a huge hassle with the plugs for baths/pool time as no water can ever get in the ears but it was 100% worth it for us.
good luck!

Please, please, please, before you have a surgery, go to a chiropractor and see if your son's neck needs adjusting. My oldest son had numerous ear infections until he was almost 4. He loved to swim and even got a fungal infection of the outer ear. I told my chiro what was going on and he asked me to bring him in for a check. He adjusted his neck and guess what? He has never had an ear infection since and he is now 11! I take all my kids a few times a year now for regular maintenance. My youngest, now 5, has had three sore throats in the last year. I am afraid of him needing to get his tonsils out. This last time, I took him to the chiro first and the next day took him to the MD. The MD said that his sore throat was already clearing up and we should try to get through it without antibiotics.

I guess the deal is that a jacked up alignment in the neck puts pressure on the middle ear which increases the temperature. That in turn makes it easier for bacteria to grow so they get ear infections and sore throats more often. A lot of MDs are afraid to recommend alternative medicines, but thankfully mine is not. If you can avoid surgery and clear up your child's hearing and drainage problems with a few adjustments, isn't it worth a try before you put him through all of that? Especially if he can swim without the plugs. Good luck!

My daughter had her tonsils and adnoids removed and tubes put in when she was about 3. It was no big deal. Surgery was quick, recovery was quick and the tubes were never that big of a deal. We have a pool and my daughter has been swimming since before she was two. We just used ear plugs. I found that the soft pliable ones worked best. And, our doctor told us it wasn't that big of a deal if she did get water in her ear, just not to make a habit of it. It isn't the water necessarily that's the problem - it's the bacteria. So, dirty bathwater or natural water (lakes, oceans, etc) would be more of a problem than the chemically treated pool in your backyard. There were a few times we forgot or they fell out and it was never a problem. It will be fine. Good luck and God Bless!

I am not sure what kind of plugs you are looking at-but, i recommend getting custom ones made-and any hearing aid center should be able to make a mold. Keep in mind they'll only fit for 1 season. They come in any color/pattern you can imagine. They are so much more comfortable.

Hi....
I have had tons of experience with tubes.My daughter wound up having them perhaps six times....I lost count. SHe was happy and healty while tubes where in place...but as soon as they came out..we were back to runny noses, fevers, ear infections and pneumonia.

This was from the time she was a year old till about eight years old at which time she had perforated ear drums...which was a GOOD thing at that time...no need for more tubes......anyway..lol..I digress..
Ask your specialist about ear plugs. They can do custom which is pricey..or..they have premolded clear soft rubberish plugs that mold to the ear and they are great!!! My daughter was a swimmer..even on swim team..and we had no trouble with water. Good Luck..and it will be fine...btw..adenoids can anymay grow back......

Both of my boys (now grown) had tubes in their ears when they were little. Being in San Diego at the time, both of them were also water babies so I understand your dilemma.

Our doctor made a mold of the part of the inner ear that you can easily see. He then created personalized earplugs for the boys so that they could swim. These plugs did not cost extra because they had to have them so they could take baths. Although the earplugs are kind of "ugly", we explained to our oldest son how cool ear plugs were because they would ONLY work on him. He was young enough that if mommy and daddy said it was cool then it must be the truth. After that he never argued about wearing them and in fact was upset when he outgrew them even though by then he did not really need them anymore.

I would suggest asking your doctor about this type of earplugs for your son. They are really amazing.

Whatever you do, don't hold off on this procedure. It will mean a world of difference to your son. Good luck and I hope all turns out well.

W.

I would chat with your Dr. both of my boys have had tubes and they were not restricted from ANY water play,pool,ocean activity.We did the custom plugs and just handled it like that was it and if we were going swimming we needed a suit, sunscrene, earplugs and a towel! We have to put drops in the ear after they are in the water and go under and that is it. It truly is a blessing that we live in a day and age where mecical advances can help our children or we would have very handicap kids as a result of not being able to fix problems such as this...it is a blessing!
Good luck and keep asking questions!

Hi,
My son was 4 when his preschool did a free hearing test. We had no idea he was having problems. We followed up with another test at the Dr. office, and found out that he needed tubes. They removed his adenoids at the same time. He also loved swimming and bathing. We were advised to have special molded ear plugs made. They fit right into his ears, and he learned to "screw" them in himself. He also wore a latex type head band to help keep them in place, and I didn't mind that because it was so easy to spot him in the pool. He didn't mind because he knew it was temporary. You can overcome this! There is a book called "Tubes in my ears...my visit to the hospital" that helped him also. I hope you can find a copy of it. It was a big picture book with soft covers. I think it was just about 1 year later that they both came out on their own, and he was done with the ear plugs.
Good luck, and I hope this info helps you.
B.

Our son just had the same surgery done in Feb, at the same age. It was great, he could finally hear and he recovered super quickly. I did everything to avoid surgery and attempt to get the ears to drain and they just would not. He didnt' hear for over a year. So, get the surgery and he will be fine, adenoids and all. We have the custom ear plugs the dr made for us for the bath and pool. No head/ear band necessary to hold them in. I was avoiding it but our son could finally hear and that is all that matters!

My middle son had 2 sets of tubes put in and had his adnoids removed because he had chronic ear infections from the time he was 1 until 2, every day! After the second set of tubes fell out on their own, he hasn't needed them since and at 7 he is a wonderful swimmer (and has been since he was 5). He always loved the water and "swam" in the tub when he was little and we had no problems. Even with the tubes. I would suggest as others have, to have ear plugs while the tubes are still in place. It is an outpatient procedure and very quick recovery. Luckily, my son one didn't have any pain at all. It was his first surgery so I was pretty upset, but when all was said and done, (after the second set of tubes), I could tell a difference when just carrying him to the car to take him home. Even as drugged up as he was, he was looking around for the birds chirping! I couldn't believe it. All the way home, he heard all the cars passing and kept looking up. It was awesome! You and you son can and will get through this. Good luck and my prayers are with you!

I would go see DR. Debi Novik in Encinitas - ###-###-#### to do some cranial work to relieve the pressure and see what her suggestions are for the rest. There could be other outside things, such as allergies or intolerances causing the pressure.

Hello,
i had to wear earplugs from age 5 to age 11. I had tubes put in my ears 4 times and had my adenoids & tonsoles removed at the same time. I have alot of problems with my ears. For example my side of my face would swell and the doctors could not figure out why and still to this day they have never figured it out. My face doesn't swell up anymore i grow out of it but sometimes hurts for a couple of days in the same area. What ever you do only use the green tree looking earplugs, the wax does not work. They also have swimmers ear drops that have worked really good as well. Talk to your doctor about the drops.