Pros/Cons Of Ear Tubes for Toddler

Doctors want to treat the symptoms but never the problem!! So often, allergies are the biggest cause of chronic ear infections. I would begin by cutting out all dairy, gluten, corn and refined sugar from Lily's diet, and see what happens. I have seen this happen over and over... the child has chronic ear infections, leading to tubes or even permanent deafness in one ear, as was the case with a friend's daughter. Later on, the children have other problems that the parents find are caused by food allergies and that the ear infections could have been prevented altogether. Drastically changing the diet is a big committment, actually a life-style change, that some find just too hard, but the potential health benefits for the child can be so great. Also, about 90% of ear infections are viral (or caused by allergies), but doctors seem to always prescribe antibiotics, which do NOTHING for viral ear infections. In fact, they lower the immune response and perpetuate the problem. You could try having allergy test done, or you could just eliminate the "suspect" foods. After a while, you can begin by slowly adding some of the suspect foods back into her diet, one at a time, to see if they cause any problems. I am not a doctor, so feel free to take or leave my advice :-). I am just a momma who is disillusioned with the over-medicating medical community, and I have found better ways for my family. I wish you all the best as you decide how to care for you daughter's condition.

My nephew started having a lot of problems with ear infections. I'll tell you what I told my sister. Have him checked for food allergies - specifically, soy, egg and milk.

All the MDs did at that time is to have him on antibiotics almost a year!!! They were so dumb they didn't even recommend screening for allergies. My sister did the tests and discovered her two-year old was allergic to egg whites and milk. Now that she doesn't feed them to Russell any more, VOILA! Result? No more ear infections.

Ear infections ARE NOT NORMAL. Call a Naturopath if they are excessive. My daughters (together) only experience 1 which was treated with homeopathic substances. So they have never had antibiotics.

It's much easier to cut out an offending food, than to put in tubes. I have had my own immune system destroyed with antibiotics. To this day I still can't swim in a chlorinated pool. Antibiotics can cause Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Hey girlfriend. :) Shanny here.

I was just wondering if you had tried something that I've had to do since we discovered I was getting swimmer's ear. My doctor said to swab the outer ear canal gently with a generously dipped in alcohol cotton swab (don't push into the ear canal, just the area where the most water etc, hits). He said the alcohol will help to draw out the water after baths and kill bacteria that may have entered during the bath/shower. I don't know if that is partly her problem or not, but it took care of mine completely after about 1 week of doing this. Also, keeping her sinuses free of stuffiness if she has allergies or colds with an over the counter decongestant will keep the mucus in there from harboring bacteria. God bless you darling, see ya Sunday!! :)

Me

Hi,
My daughter had frequent ear infections too. I was adamantly against tubes for the reasons you mention. Well both of her ear drums ruptured! I felt like an awful parent! She got tubes after that as well as tonsils and adenoids removed. The tubes fell out a couple of times and had to be reinserted when the fluid built up again. Now she is 17 years old and has no hearing loss despite having had ruptured ear drums and multiple tube insertions. I would go ahead and do it if you can possibly afford it.

I had tubes put in my ears when I was 2 due to chronic ear infections. They were replaced once, so I had tubes a total of twice before I was three. My experience is a long term perspective as I am now almost 30. The tubes eliminated my ear infections. So that is a huge pro. My parents never tried eliminating dairy from my diet, so I don't know about that route. However, my tubes never closed up completely so that to this day I have relatively good sized holes in my ear drums. I would tell you that this doesn't effect my hearing very much, although my husband would probably tell you differently. :) I have to be careful about swimming, or submerging my head in any way because water gets behind my eardrums. This is more irritating than painful but is uncomfortable. The plus side is that I never have pressure issues on airplanes. I do, however, have ENT issues with pressure and sinus problems due to an incorrect pressure gradient in my ears/nose/throat due to an open system that is designed to be closed. This is my experience with tubes. Good luck making that decision. I have found that making healthcare choices for my children is the biggest challenge I've faced as a parent.

A.,

I wish I knew what study I'm about to reference, but I'm sure I read recently that in studies of kids with chronic ear infections later in life there was no difference between the kids with tubes and the kids without. There also are good studies showing that ear infections go away just as quickly without antibiotics as with them. So think twice before giving the antibiotics. There is some wonderful Garlic Mullein ear drops that you can get at most health food stores (usually with the tinctures) that have anti-bacterial properties and are really soothing. You heat the oil by putting the bottle in a cup of warm water for a few minutes and then you drop 2 or 3 drops directly into her ear canal (she'll have to lay on her side) and massage it in on the outside of the ear (where that little nub of cartilage meets her cheek) stuff a bit of cotton in her ear (to keep the oil from leaking on her) and do it a couple of times a day. I know it sounds tedious, but if it can keep her off antibiotics then it's so worth it. Take care. I know it's so hard to decide what's best, medically, for our kids. It's agonizing! Good luck.

I found it! http://chealth.canoe.ca/channel_section_details.asp?text_...

I agree with Laura. Try the chiropractor. That is what I do for me, since the doctors won't do tubes for me. It has worked for me. When the neck is alligned the fluid can drain. I did have tubes put in my daughter's ears at age 5. She is fine and it did help her hearing loss. Which ever way you choose, I'm glad you are taking care of it. My peditriction didn't and I have permanet hearing loss. Back in the day that was the best they'd could do. Not the case today. Best Wishes.

I realize this might not address your daughters issues at all, but I thought I'd put it out there in case it gave you a different angle.

My daughter had many ear infections between 6 mos and 18 mos. She also consistently had a stuffy nose and, although the onset of allergies doesn't usually occur until a little later in life, she appeared to me to be having similar symptoms to me when I have allergies. Given that both my husband and I have allergies (grass, pollen, you name it)I asked the doctor if this could be the case. He said that allergies can certainly create the right conditions for ear infections.

We decided to try a mild prescription allergy medication for her. All of her stuffiness cleared up and she no longer had ear infections.

I'm sure the surgery is pretty expensive without health insurance. Before going that route I'd eliminate all dairy from her diet and take her to a chiropractor for a month. Many of them will do a monthly plan for you.

Look up other mamasource requests about ear infections and see how many have previously been told about chiropractic adjustments and ear infections. I've worked in chiro. for 13 years and have seen many kids get better without tubes! Make sure the dr. is comfortable working with kids and what they do to a small child shouldn't involve any "cracking" just gentle pressure with their hand or an activator.

Good luck, I know you want to do what is best for your baby, and I'd personally be willing to try anything before going the surgical route!

If you are up to it I would take her to a Chiropractor. We were in the same boat and on the road to tubes and I have been taking my 27 month old to the Chiropractor now for 1 year and he has had NO ear infections since. It is worth a try and keeps your little one out of the operating room! It is the best thing we ever did!! Good Luck!

I was very sick until I was 3 and had my tonsils out and tubes in my ears. I have been very healthy after that. The only problem I have had with my ears is they are very sensitive. They pop painfuly in a plane and even in a car if I am stuffed up. I have even had them pop going uphill on a bicycle! Not a huge issue I've just had to learn some tricks to pop them and relieve the pressure. You may want to get a second opionion and see a natropath before going for surgery to make sure this is the right option for you. Most hospitals have uninsured programs where they will wright off a percentage of your bill. You'll want to check with the hospital billing office to see if you qualify. Our hospital automaticaly takes 20% off if you are uninsured and more if you meet income limits but don't qualify for state aid.

Talk with the ENT and see what they have to say. They'll be very upfront witn you. Talk with your pediatrician and the ENT about the cost. You may not qualify for healthcare, but your child may, even with your income. Call DSHS and see about the state insurance you can purchase (low, low premiums) or ask about CHIP for your toddler. Most doctors will work something out if you talk with them. Go to Children's in Seattle. They have programs for folks who don't have insurance. You really don't realize the impact that any hearing impairment has on a child's communication skills. Don't hesitate. I wish you all well.

I would seek the care of a chiropractor and ND before ear tubes! Ask the chiropractor (and the ND) if he/she has experience with children.

OH MY GOODNESS! When My older brother was a baby he had tons of ear infections, One doctor said tubes were the answer,But my parents had a bad feeling about it, they met a nice doctor at their church and he simply told them to give him nose drops in his nose!way to simple right? the sinuses and ears are all conected somehow. It totally worked and everything was okay. My parents were astounded. He got a few more infections, and the nose drops always worked, eventually the infections went away. I really hope it works for you. NOSE DROPS!

Hi A.~
Here is my experience with ear tubes. My daughter, now 10 1/2, had a chronic ear infection from 4 months old until 9 months when we decided enough was enough and it was time for tubes. In the last few months leading up to the tubes she was almost literally on an anitbiotic for 10 days, off for 10 days, back on for 10 and off for ten. It was a constant cylce and her antibiotics kept getting stronger and stronger with little results. So at 9 months old I took my precious little bundle and handed over to the nurse who took her to surgery. I bawled my eyes out the entire time she was in there, all of 10 minutes. Seriously - 10 minutes and it was done. The surgeon said the stuff in her ears was the consistency of drying up elmers glue. YUCK! At three years old one of the tubes had come out but the other was stuck tight and had to be surgically removed and graft taken from the back of one earlobe. That was nerve racking for me and dad but all went quickly and smoothly. She is completley healthy with great hearing. The risk of hearing loss is not what they used to think it was. It really is quite low and as others have mentioned most kids will find they are hearing things they never did before. There are a couple of great story books about going to the hospital to get tubes. We used one of these books when my daughter got her tube removed. She still has the book as a remembrance.
Good Luck!!

My oldest had his first ear infection at 7 months. It seemed like he had an on-going ear infection for the next 4-5 months! We were always in the doctor's office. When we'd go for a followup appt, he'd just have an infection in the other ear. It was terrible!

FINALLY, an ENT suggested tubes! It was the best thing for my son. The only hard part was when they brought him out after putting the tubes in. He was really upset and not quite all there, but it only lasted a minute or two.

That was done in Oct '06, when he was not quite 18 months, and he's only had TWO ear infections since then (he'll be 3 in a few weeks).
(Tubes are NOT a cure for ear infections, but there should be a huge decrease in the amount of infections your child has.) It used to be hard to tell when our son had an ear infection because he NEVER pulled at his ears, but once he had the tubes in, his ear would drain and I would know to take him to the doctor right away.

I also had tubes put in when I was ten and they worked for me.

The biggest pain about having tubes is remembering to put the ear plugs in when they're getting wet (in the bath or a pool). They make really neat ones now though that are fitted to be the right size for your child so they are easy to keep in.

Tubes have worked for both me and my son.
Good luck making this decision! :)

I have experianced ear tubes with my nephew and a friend of mine's son.
With my friend's son, he was 2-3 years old, was getting CONSTANT ear infections, and was on antobiotics all the time. She wasn't sure if it all, until her husband thought it wasn't good for thier son to be taking antibiotics all the time, he was concerned about his liver. She decided to do it, and 2 days after the proceedure he heard a bird chirping and asked what that noise was. He could hear better with the ear tubes. He could hear things that he hadn't heard before. He hasn't had any loss since they were removed (I can't remember when that was).
My sister went through the same thing with my nephew. Constant ear infections, constant antibiotics. She wanted him to have tubes put in. He had them, and then they were removed-I just don't know how long they were in. He also, hasn't had any hearing loss.
The pros out weigh the cons on this one. You have to put plugs in thier ears when they take a bath or swim, but that's no big deal-being that they have great ear plugs for kids now.
I don't know if you have had an ear infection-I have had a couple (1 as an adult) and they hurt, you don't feel good, and the antibiotics help you, but make you feel icky as well.

Hello A.,

My son who is now 7 had MANY ear infections when he was a toddler. It was getting to the point that I was taking him to the doctors every two weeks to get his ears checked. At that time I was working fulltime and my husband was working on his masters at the UW. I was so frustrated with my doctor that I decided to look into other doctors to get other opinions. Our main concern was our son's hearing and his well being. He was always sick and had a runny noise. I was always worried when he went to sleep because he snored so loud that he always woke himself up. He would also cough when he was laying down that I would always get up in the middle of the night to make sure that his head was leveled up...I was so worried that he would choke in his sleep. It was very stressful and I knew something had to be done.

So again, I made an appointment with another doctor that agreed he needed ear tubes. They also did hearing test on him and he checked out ok, but his left ear is slightly scared due to the infections.

He had the surgery when he was 3 and is now 7. He has not been sick nor has he snored in his sleep or woke up coughing at all!! He is like a completly different child. He's my first born and if I knew than what I know now, I would have insisted that my doctor take quicker action after the second infection and would have had earler ear testing. Instead, I agreed with more medication and doctor visits.

I hope this helps.

Sincerly,
K. B from Seattle

,

When my son was 9 months old he had tubes put in. He had chronic ear infections. He was always on antibiotics, the infection would clear and 2 days later the other ear would flare. It was not an easy decision, and we did chose to do the surgery. The tubes were out by the time he was 18months old (came out on their own) and he has had only 2 ear infections since that time. He's 13 1/2 now. It was a good thing for our son.

A.,
I know three people who have had tubes at a young age. The first one was a little girl that my sister babysat. She at two, she couldn't communicate or use words. Everything was garbled. My sister suggested tubes. The parent took her in and that's what the doctor said too. Once she had them in, she began to talk clearly. Today she is a straight A student and has no hearing issues.
My nephew also had tubes. He had chronic ear infections as a baby. Once the tubes were in, the ear infections ceased. Today he is a successful young adult with no hearing issues or side effects.
Finally, my best friend had chronic ear infections a a child. She was a swimmer. The doctor recommended tubes but said that she couldn't swim anymore and that she may not be able to later on in life. The tubes took care of the ear infections. Today, she is a mother of two beautiful children and she is also a certified deep water scuba diver. She has no hearing loss or difficulties at all.
These are three successful stories. I don't know what the possible side effects are, but these three didn't suffer any.
If it's what your child needs, you will find a way to make it happen, insurance or no insurance.
Best wishes to you and your child.

My daughter got tubes at 9 months. I was scared to do it, but she started getting ear infections at 4 months and they never went away completely. She was in constant pain. I finally told the dr no more antibiotics because she was on 4 different ones pretty much consectutively and I was worried about the consequences of that. So we did the tubes, I guess there are different kinds and my dr did the smallest ones for her that would come out on their own in 6 months to a year. The surgery was incredibly quick, she was not even away from me for a half hour and she was already awake when they brought her back. By the way she was acting you would never be able to tell she had undergone a surgical procedure. She felt no pain at all.
And the best part? She is almost 4 now and has never had another ear infection. My personal experience was a good one and I am glad I did it. Good luck with your decision!

Hi there!

I am definitely in the "PRO" camp when it comes to ear tubes. Both my son and daughter had them shortly after their 2nd birthdays because of many, many ear infections since they were infants. The only things we had to be careful of were extra loud noises, like the lawn mower or going to the race track to see the cars. Both the kids had their own sets of ear protection (the kind you see when people are shooting firearms) and used them whenever something seemed too loud. Sometimes even when I was vacuuming. They got a kick out of it. And my son had swimming lessons so we were just not supposed to go more than 1 foot under water. But he was too young for that at the time so that really wasn't an issue.

Truly, it was like having new kids again. Both of them were
so happy because they weren't sick anymore! And no more antibiotics too!!

I just asked my husband what side effect warnings we were given and neither of us remember any so I don't know what you've heard. My son had his adenoids out at the same time his ear tubes were put in but it was about a 20 min surgery. My daughter's surgery was about 8 minutes long...no joke...because she just had the tubes put in. Now that I think about it, the only warnings we had were about the general anesthesia...not the surgery itself. After each surgery we waited for a couple of hours in the recovery area and had many Popsicles and they let us go home.

My son's tubes fell out 2 years later just after he turned 4...(he's 7 now.) My daughter just turned 5 in March and one has fell out and she still has the other one. Neither of them have had any ear infections since they had the tubes in. That right there was worth the cost.

If I can give you the Dr's name (he is in downtown Portland and the surgeries were at Emmanuel Hosp.) or any other info, feel free to email me!

Hope this helps,
K.

My daughter had tubes placed in her ears at 6 weeks old. She had non stop ear infections for that entire time after birth. Having constant ear infections can cause hearing impairments even more than tubes can. Getting tubes in can affect hearing at the beginning, BUT it will go away quickly. It will sound like she is hearing noise from far away. It doesn't affect everyone though. I had 3 sets of tubes placed in my ears and it never affected my hearing. After my daughter had tubes put in her ears she couldn't hear for 6 months. Completely deaf, because she was a newborn we thought there was delayed nerve damage that rarely happens at birth, but all of a sudden its like she flipped a light switch and she could hear again. I would rather my daughter have temporary hearing loss than go through the pain she had. She was getting antbiotic shots every day for 2 weeks and she would just scream out because of the pain. Tubes were not an option for us!!!!! Talk with the ENT, he can give you all the options. Where my daughter had her tubes placed in it cost only 600.00. I know thats alot when its coming out your pocket but to me its well worth it. Going to see an ENT is gonna be costly as well. I would suggest that maybe you try to get some insurance before hand. A hearing test was like 500.00 not including the dr. appt.

I don't have first hand experience, but a good friend has had tubes put in both children's ears. With her daughter, it was like magic. No more ear infections. Her son had them younger (maybe 9 months) and he still is battling infections, but not nearly as bad as before. She has had no problems with hearing loss or any other side effects as far as I know. For her, they were a huge relief to see her children not suffering as much and to quit the continual bouts of antibiotics and doctors appointments.

Good luck!

I see that you have many responces, so I will keep mine short. My 2 yo was headed in the same direction, 5 ear infections in 9 mo. But before I went the tubes route, I decided to do a dairy eminitation diet. A few weeks with no dairy at all, and then add a little back in to see if their is a reaction. My son can tolerate a little dairy, but the boogies will begin to flow if he has too much. He has not had an ear infection since January. You can give it a try, it is free and has no side effects! I consulted with the doc before hand, she didn't think it would work, but said it wouldn't hurt! Sometimes milk and soy allergies run hand in hand so we use rice milk as a substitute. Hope this helps!
Also, and this is not to scare you, but my husband had tube and susequently has hearing loss in one of his ears.

My kids both had to have tubes for chronic ear infections. My daughter only once. My sons first pair fell out, & the ear infections returned. Second time we did tubes & tonsils. Honestly, the tonsils were so big I don't know how he got all that food past them. (he still is a voracious eater.) He has not had any trouble since. Neither of them has hearing loss. As a matter of fact, my son hears things nobody else can. We were more concerned that the infections would cause hearing loss, as his eardrums would rupture before he would start to cry. And yes too many antibiotics cause other problems. As far as the cost goes, I would talk to the ENT about a "cash discount" he might be able to help you out. There is also an organization called "Good Samritain." They helped out a friend who ended up in the hospital for heart stuff without insurance. not sure how to find them.

As for insurance, I just got on a group plan (self employed) for $200.00.(no prequalifying) Family plan is more. But last year I bought each of my kids their own policy that is also individual. They were $75. at the time, and are up to $100, & $115 (she turned 19)
Perhaps you could get insurance just for her? If you want phone numbers, you may contact me. I'll pass them on.

Another angle to check would be for food allergies, as she may be reacting to something in her diet, causing more mucus than normal. dairy wheat, corn & chocolate are all typical. But when they are young, their eustatian tube are more horizontal, & as our heads lengthen, the become slightly more slanted. She will out grown the infections, the question is how miserable is she now, & is it worth the discomfort. Tubes really are easy, & made the world of difference for us.

God bless you, A.

I am a SAHM to 4 wonderful children. I will say that I recommend tubes. Three of my children have had to have tubes put in. None of them have had any negative side effects. One of the three did not get them in time and now is in speech therepy. The other 2 children got them before there was a speech issue. My older two are in their teens now and have only had a couple of ear infections since then and none of them have been very bad. All of them recieved the tubes before thier fifth birthdays. Some places have a way to request aid in paying for the medical bill. Start asking around and see if there is a place nearby that can help off set some of the costs of this surgery. The longer tubes are delayed the more problems that may occur including becoming immune to the antibiotics. Your daughter will be much more comfortable.

My son had tubes put in at 9 months and again at 4 (they fall out after a year or two). I am so glad we did- while they were in he had zero ear infections, after previously having them pretty much continuously. It would make me nuts when people who's kids "just had a runny nose" came to play because he would catch their cold and EVERY SINGLE TIME it would turn into an ear infection, which would mean a doctor visit and antibiotics, which didn't work, so then another visit and a different antibiotic (not to mention the copay on all of those things). The procedure sounds intimdating, but it takes about 15 minutes. Oh, my son also ended up with articulation issues because he had fluid in his ears so much before the tubes and needed speech therapy to speak more clearly (although he was an early talker with a great vocabulary).

A.,

I have seen many cases of ear infections in children being helped by chiropractic. I am not sure where you are located, but you can look for a chiropractor by using www.activator.com. Activator is a technique that is safe and gentle for infants. It is an instrument. My husband is a chiropractor in Salem, Oregon. To me it is worth a shot prior to tube placement. You can usually tell if it is going to help with an exam by the doctor and a few adjustments.

C.

My son had similar issues, but his went on for over 2 years prior to getting tubes. Our problem took so long because the doctors couldn't count how many ear infections he actually had because none of them seemed to clear completely. There was always fluid behind his ears and the locations from one ear to the other were constantly changing. Our son had no speech or language loss, but there had been some measurable hearing loss from the infections. We had the same concerns as you did but went ahead anyway for the same reasons you listed.

I can tell you that our son, since his tubes, has had only 1 ear infection in 2 1/2 years and directly after the procedure was a completely different child. My husband actually said "who knew we had such a happy little boy." We do not regret getting the tubes at all and if we were in the same situation again, we'd do exactly the same thing, but earlier!

Good luck with your decision.

Hi A.,

I am a mother of three girls, my middle one has had PE tubes for the past four years with three replacements so she has been through that particular surgery four times. My daughter Meghan had/has what is called otitis media with effusion which basically means that when she doesn't have tubes her ears fill completely up with fluid and that can damage the bones in the middle ear. She was not diagnosed until she was 21 months old and it did heavily impact her hearing. She did not EVER have an ear infection even with all of the fluid build up which is highly unusual. I really thought she would regain all of her hearing after the PE tubes were placed but she did not. I am not telling you any of that to scare you just to tell you our experience. Children's eustacian tubes are generally horizontal rather than vertical which can cause fluid backup. As the child matures the tubes become more and more vertical. I would definitely see the ENT (we see Dr. Milzuk at OHSU and he is fabulous) and just see what they have to say. Our doctor has always had great discussions with me about the pros and cons and I have never felt pressured but I will say that even though I am typically anti intervention, especially with children's issues, if I were making the decision today I ould make the same one. Meghan's deafness is genetic and not due to the tubes at all, in fact I would say that having the tubes has definitely helped her hearing rather than hurt it.

Only you can know what is right for your baby so the best advice that I have is to follow your instincts. They are almost always right!

Take care,
K.

I had nearly constant ear infections from age 6 weeks to age 19.. I can tell you that the ear tubes were a life saver for me. They reduced the number of infections by allowing the ear to vent. It allowed me to attend school (without them, I missed an average of 2 days per week and I nearly failed both 7th and 8th grade because I couldn't keep up with my classes).

However, the number of infections I had caused me to develop a dangerous infection called mastoiditis. Too much infection in this area of the body is dangerous in the long run and tubes help prevent dangerous infections.

I am now in college and am studying to be an audiologist. There are risks to any procedure, but getting that middle ear vented is crucial. So, my advice, as a former patient and a student of the subject, is to take your doctors advice and go for it.

Hello,
I just thought i'd share our experience with tubes in the ears. My son when he was 2 years old, had to have tubes put in his ears. It was the best thing for him. He had, had cronic ear infections and was always on antibiotics. He never slept well at night, he cried a lot, much more than my other two sons and he didn't talk a whole lot. After getting the tubes put in, he showed instant imporvement. He started sleeping better, he stopped crying all the time, he felt better and he started talking more.
The procedure was easy. The hardest part was seeing my 2 year old being wheeled off to a surgical room. When he was done, that was it. He had a little pain but, tylonol took care of that. The tubes stay in for a couple of years and then fall out. No big deal. He had no side affects and he has not had another ear infection since. He is now 10 years old.
He did suffer some hearing loss but not from the tubes. The tubes aren't the problem. In his case the cartilage that built up in his ears with each ear infection began to block out sound. His hearing is actually fine now that time has gone by and his ears have healed. He talks loud though because he was learning to talk during the time he had the ear infections and since he couldn't hear well at that time, he would talk very loud in order to hear himself. So now it's habit to talk loud.
I would suggest getting the procedure done. There are risks and side effects to any surgery or medication. The chance that you will actually be affected by those side affects are rare though. Good luck with everything!
J.

Hello, my name is L. and I'm a stay at home mon of three wonderful children. My son Christian who is my middle child had a lot of ear infections when he was under the age of one. More so than seven. He got tubes in his ears around 14 months and had no problem until last winter. One bad ear infection led to his ear drum bursting. He's gone to the ear doc's and he's gonna have to have surgery to patch the hole. I believe it had something to do with the tubes. My oldest who is six also had ear infections the first year and was on so many antibiotics but he grew out of them and never has had any. I would really wait it out and see how many more she gets.For some reason my gut tells me that I shouln't have put tubes in his ears. My baby who just turned one has only had one ear infection. I swear Skyler and Christian had way more infections than seven. Good Luck.
L.

I hope you have already totally eliminated dairy products as a possible cause of ear problems - a very common cause. And dairy products are not good for humans anyway, causing all kinds of other health problems. And if you are breastfeeding, you should eliminate them as well. If she isn't eating any dairy, and she is still getting ear infections, I would consult a naturopath, chiropractor, and/or craniosacral therapist. As you know, antibiotics and tubes both can cause problems and don't really address the cause - ear infections are a sign that something is out of balance, and it is of course much better to eliminate the cause of the imbalance and promote health.

It looks like you have a lot of suggestions and I won't go into grand detail but let me just say this:

I worked with babies 6 weeks to 2 years for 6 years and I seen MANY MANY MANY kids get tubes... and they went from cranky sick little monkeys to happy go lucky chickens!!!! I have never seen any ill effects.. I've only seen a few get ear infections with the tubes and I think only one that had to have tubes put back in after they fell out. I WOULD DO IT!!! If you could take away pain from your baby wouldn't want to? Here is your chance.... BUTTTTTT I do understand the money thing.. See if they can't set up a payment plan and some times they will reduce your bill because insurance doesn't cove it.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Allergies to milk could cause her ear infections. Please take a look at http://www.notmilk.com/e.html. I would try clearing her diet of any milk products and see if that helps before I would subject her to tubes. That means reading every label of everything you feed her. Many words are used for milk products: casein, caseinate, whey, dry milk products, etc. If there is any hint of milk in it, don't use it.

My son suddenly started having non-stop ear infections when he was 4. We had tubes put in a few months later, and he continued to have non-stop infections. Within a year, one tube fell inside, and the other fell out (he's 5 now). Then a new ENT wanted to put tubes in again and take out his adenoids and tonsils. I didn't like the idea of all that, so took him to my naturopath, who said his immunity was shot (he wasn't even getting a fever with any of the infections; she said his body had become complacent). She recommended stopping dairy, wheat, peanut butter and citrus in his diet to see if any of those could be responsible (I've known other people who stopped having ear infections after quitting milk), and said to rub castor oil into his belly (clockwise) every night, and to do warming socks every night, and she gave us several Unda numbers to give him, along with some probiotics. This has all been pretty recent, so hopefully it boosts his immunity so his body can fight off future infections. I think it's worth trying some other options before sending her under the knife. Good Luck!

A., Have you considered a nutritional approach? I know many families who have seen great improvement in their children's health using the nutritional shakes we have built our home based business around. I know my own 2 young children used to deal with 2 months of seasonal allergies in spring that are no longer an issue. It is a less expensive route then the surgery so worth looking into. If you are interested I can let you hear what has actually happened for other small children taking these products. my email is ____@____.com

A more likely cause of your child's ear infections are food sensitivities and or a misaligned spine, you may want to see a chiropractor, or crainosacral practicioner and or a Naturpathic physician and or some one who does ABC ( advance biostructural correction) all a lot less expensive and invasive than surgery and more likely to work.

Bravo to you for looking for other solutions!

Hi,
My older son had lots of ear infections also around that age.
our doctor suggested the same thing. I decided to try something else instead.The next time he had an ear infection I treated it naturally with warmth and ear drops of: olive oil, mullien, st Johns wort, & garlic. I put them in twice, once in the morning and once before bed. We cut dairy and tried boosting the immune system with vito C and once he went through it and got better without antibiotics he didn't get repeat sessions of ear infections. Homeopathy works on children usually real well too.

My son is now 3. During the first two winters of his life he was almost constantly on antibiotics due to ear infections. Freaked me out. However, his pediatrician and I decided to take a wait and see approach. We got through winter #2 and approached winter number 3 with the idea that if he started to get infections again we would consider ear tubes.

fortunately for us - no more infections. It appears that he inherited small ear canals from me. Since he has grown, the canals can now drain more easily with the result being no more infections.

I would suggest seeing the ENT with the idea that we are also through cold season for this year and then approach next cold season with an arsenal of solutions available.

Good luck

I was referred to a ENT specialist as a child due to chronic ear infections. I had scheduled surgery to put the tubes in and my mom asked my chiropractor about it.
My mom was told about some herbs to give me and to remove all dairy from my diet. At the pre-op appt the doctor was apalled that I no longer needed the tubes. As long as I avoid dairy, I didn't have any problems with my ears. The surgery was cancelled and I never had another ear infection again.
This worked for me, and I'm not saying it's a cure-all for everyone out there with ear infections or ear problems. But in my opinon removing dairy for a trial period beats having surgery.
Good luck with everything!

Yes- you should definitely get tubes for your little one! More than 3 antibiotics can really hurt her immune system. I have heard absolutely wonderful things about ear tubes. Do your daughter a favor & get them!!

Hi, A.. My son, who is now 3 1/2, had tubes put in his ears right after he turned 1. He had 6 ear infections that first year and was always on antibiotics. That is the biggest reason that we did the ENT consult (also the doc used to work with my mother in law and was highly referred). I hated having him on constant antiboitics!

I have heard that dairy can cause ear infections and people have suggested that we cut all dairy out of his diet to experiment and see if it makes a difference. However, he wasn't even on any diary by the time we did the tubes so we didn't try that at all.

The procedure was quite simple for him. My only concern was the anethesia, which he did just fine with. The recovery was very quick, we went home about an hour after the surgery and he bounced back that evening and definitly the next day.

He became a very healthy child after that. He's had to have them replaced once as they haven't fallen out even now. It's a bummer that he can't swim too much because he won't wear the ear plugs but other than that, it's been really good for him.

Hope this helps a little. Good luck with the ear infections! I know they can be h*** o* little ones. If you are the King County area, we went to Dr. Daniel Seeley who is at Overlake in Bellevue (Bellevue ENT). He is great.

W.

I thought my daughter was just an extra cuddly child. I knew she was having ear infections so we did go ahead with having her tubed. After she was tubed she was a whole different child! She was outgoing and had a lot more fun!! I felt so bad when I realized how bad she was feeling for so long! The tubing was a simple thing and fixed her ear infections completely! We were in the same financial situation. We had to apply for state help and show the hospital & doctor we didn't qualify. After that they cut their bills about half and put us on a payment schedule. Ask you the hospital and doctor if they have some kind of payment program that will help.
Another thing, ear infections are very serious!!! It is an infection close to your brain. I had a friend whose 16 year old son actually died from an ear infection so I wouldn't even think about the idea of letting them "outgrow" them!!!! Also, the damage they can get as more and more infections occur can give them ear problems later in life too.

Dear A.-
I am a total believer in chiropractic care. I am not sure if you have tried this option or not. I have talked with my chiropractor at great lengths about childrens issues and medical conditions. I have had my daughter in chiropractic care since she was about 2 weeks old. Thankfully she has only been sick once.
The belief is that when the spine is aligned, the body has the ability to function optimally. So far for us, this has worked.

I wish you the best in finding a solution for you and your baby girl. God Bless!

It is your call 100% you have to trust your instinct. But we had tubes at 7 months after as many or more tubes as your dd and it was me who was begging the doctor. She had 1-2 more after that we treated with drops with few side effects and she has been ear infection free (and still has tubes) for over a year (she is now 2). It was the ABSOLUTE BEST decision we ever made and I would do it again in a heart beat. The surgery was less than 10 minutes and she was back to herself after her afternoon nap.
I know other people can recommend chiropractors, etc. I would still see the ENT just to have hearing, etc. checked properly. All the antibiotics have side effects too (h*** o* teeth, stomach, bottoms, etc.)
If you are looking for a terrific ENT I can recommend someone (I should be click able for email) but we had the actual surgery at Kiaser (went to someone for a second opinion which is basically what your doctor is telling you to do - go to the expert). I wish you luck – medical decisions are never easy.

S.

I have two kids and both have had cronic ear infections. My daughter is eight now and we had the tubes 3 times and they were a life saver for her and me. She was getting the ear infections so often that she at the age of 2 was not responding to most antibiotics. It has only been in the last two years that she can use the most common antibiotics again. My son who is two had the ear infections but also because of the infections had constant fluid behind his ears and this has caused a huge developmental delay for him. It has only been since we were able to get the tubes in that he has finally started to catch up, mainly because he can hear. I recommend highly that you consult with the ENT and there are ways around the costs.

I had no idea that tubes were not a good thing, since it seems so many kids get them. i just didn't like the idea in the first place, so we choose not to do it. Since my daughter's challenge seemed to be with dairy, I just made sure she was dairy free. The few times she had ear problems seemed to be when she had dairy or the combination of dairy and suger. Like cake and ice cream at a birthday party. We still limit sugar and dairy and she is 7 and never got the tubes.

My son had tubess and has had no promblems with side effects at all. He is hearing just fine but the reason he had to have them was he had a lot of ear infections and he had fulid that needed to be drained out so he wouldn't contiue to get ear infections. There was no pain invloved at all. So I am for getting tubes but only after a doctor has recommened that she needs them. Hope this advice helps and hope you have a great mother's day.

I also have a daughter who had many ear infections. We tried all we could then decided on tubes, she is now doing wonderful and it is 11 years later. My only advice is do it during cold and flu season bc that is when the most ear infections are. Good Luck!!!!!

Hi A.! I had tubes in my ears around that same age as a little girl, because I had so many ear infections. My ears are a bit sensitive (to water and pressure) but my hearing has not been affected. I think it did help me in the long run! God Bless in whatever you decide to do!

best thing in the world - I have 4 children and they all needed tubes.... trust me.... my oldest and my youngest had multiple ear infections and had tubes in before they were one year old. My #2 and #3 children got their tubes at 27m and 16m of age. The ENT will do a hearing test and a pressure test to see if the ear drum is moving... you may not think there is a speech delay... get the tubes though and there will be a world of difference in their speech and reaction to sound.... i guarantee it. We saw Craig Rone at the Baker Center at Mary Bridge. DO IT. 4 kids, no side effects - the only down side is that they have to wear ear plugs for swimming and bath.