Ok my daughether now 8 has had tubes 3 times. The 3rd pair didnt even make ita week. She failed the hearing test that the school gave her so we took her to her ped and he said to take her to another ear doc. So, my question is if the tubes didnt work and she still isnt hearing at normal levels what is the next step. SHe is not deaf but her hearing level is a 35 across the board. Which I have no clue what that means but doc said not good. Does anyone know what is next option? Let alone has this happened to anyone else before? Or is it just bad luck?
I have no experience with this, neither of my kids had tubes. My chilren did have many ear infection when they were young do to allergies as do I. We all take allergy medication. Has she ever been an an allergy medication to drain her ears? What does her ENT Dr. say?
Just a thought. You must be very frustrated. I hope you find something that works for her.
GL:)
My son had fluid in his ears for months, accompanied with multiple ear in fections. When the docs started talking tubes, I wanted to see what else might work. Chiropractic care has worked wonderfully for my son! By the time we saw the ENT (a week after the dr appt, 3 chiropractic visits in that time), the fluid was gone! He is younger, and it may take more time with an eight year old, but you might be surprised at how well it may work.
I also agree that allergies may be an issue. I had tubes 3 times by the time I was 7 and told the dr I didn't want anymore. They did a round of prednisone, and detailed allergy testing. From there, I was started on allergy shots. I had an occasional ear infection, but the prednisone really helped clear up my ears, and the allergy shots helped my body adjust to the allergens.
I hope you can find something that works for your daughter. Make sure you ask the drs about scarring that can occur in her ears due to the surgeries. That won't help anything. If you need any names for good chiropractors for kids, let me know!
Well, I recently found out that there are different kinds of tubes (some are more pliable than others). Have you talked to your ENT about tube options? Her hearing is very important at her age and as you probably know can affect reading (via phonemic awareness). Are you opposed to hearing aides? In rare cases, hearing aides can be provided for conductive hearing loss.
Try elevating the head of the bed.
Drink alot of fluids.
S.,
Don't loose hope. You have a few more unconventional options that you can try.
1. Check out allergists in the area that treat children. Your daughter may have a food allergy or intolerance that is causing an excess of fluid to build up in her ear.
My son has a milk intolerance and this is exactly what happens when he gets too much dairy. We see Dr. Gilroy in Lansing and each time we visit my son has a tympanagram done which tests the hearing level of his ears. By eliminating dairy, among other foods, from his diet his hearing has improved drastically.
2. Check out chiropractors in the area. By getting a monthly back and neck adjustment the small bones in his ear are now slanted at just the right angle to promote drainage. In children this angle is very slight, so any change to that angle can cause fluid to build up in the inner ear. A chiropractor will help her body to maintain that angle and train her back and neck to the proper alignment. Her muscles will become stronger and will no longer be fighting against her spine, so she will be more relaxed and feel better too.
I hope these suggestions help. My son had constant ear infections from age 1 to age 3. He is now 6 and hasn't had one infection since we started visiting a chiropractor and changed his diet. He now can "hear" me, has fewer behavioral problems, and is a happier child all around.
Good luck!
Hi S.,
Average conversational speech is 40 db (decibels.) We, with normal hearing, detect sound, etc. at 0 db. Whispering is about 20 db. If your daughter isn't even detecting sound until 35 db, she is probably missing quite a bit. She's only hearing our speech at 5 db which is very soft.
My friends daughter had multiple sets of tubes placed. She had a different kind inserted the last time she was in that are permanent. When able, she will have to have them removed by the ENT. Maybe you could ask about those at your next visit.
If the first paragraph doesn't make sense to you, please email me and I will try to explain it in a different way.
My son had 2 sets put in and is on his third set of tubes now his hearing has imroved with the tubes once they got them to stay in. Definately check into the permanent ones if you are having problems. The other thing that helped because even with the tubes he was still getting constant ear infections was the chiropractor. We started going a year and a half ago once a month in summer 2 times month in the yucky sick time of year and he has not had an ear infection since. She adjusts his ears and he loves it like a message LOL. Good luck and hang in there I know it can be very frustrating when you can not find a way to help keep your child healthy. V.
Hi S., This is very frustrating for a lot of mom's including me. My son for 2 years had bad ear aches and always on med's for them. Finally with a new pediatrician she sent him to the ENT and he got him into surgery for tubes in Jan 08. Well things seemed to be looking up for him and he has a follow up appointment in April, but just recently he Say's he is having trouble hearing again but his ears don't hurt him. So I have been wondering if the tubes are helping him too. A friend of mine son had tubes 4 times and finally he had to get a permanent tube in and seems to be doing well with that. but I guess after he had ear problems for so long with the fluid on his ears he developed tumors like behind the ears and had to get them removed. So maybe you should ask about the permanent tubes. I hope you find out whats going on. If you have a minute could you let me no who his ENT is? Just curious if he is the same as my son's! Thanks
