Recurrent Ear Infections - Fresno, CA

We had a child with the same problem, I went in & out of the doctors for 3 years. Until we had a good friend who asked if I had ever taken her to a Chiropractor. We went, and she did not go back on the anti biotics again. It is a life saver, after her adjustments her ear would drain, and her crying would stop. In Monterey I reccomend Shawn Lasko who has a newborn, and works with babies children, and adults. His ####-###-####.
Blessings,
M. Stotts
Doula Postpartum & Lactation Support

Chiropractic adjustments work extremely well for this. My friends and I have all have seen good results. I personally like to stay away from antibiotics, as they are often over-prescribed and can lead to more problems down the road. Best of luck!

Hi, I am a mom of two girls ages 8 & 4. Both of my girls have gotten tubes, my oldest had them around age 3 and they stayed in about a year and a half. My youngest got hers at age 2.5 and hers are just now coming out. However, before tubes we were constantly in the Drs. office with ear infections and after tubes, they never had one infection! Good luck!!

I would be wondering why this is happening and look for ways to deal with the problem holistically. A chiropractor or osteopath that specializes in children would be my route to ensure there is no structural obstacle to the fluid draining. I would also look at other potentially underlying causes such as food and environmental allergies (my daughter gets fluid built up in her ears from dust mite allergies.) The antibiotics could also be a cause for recurring ear infections as candida can play a part in otitis media. Every time my kids or I have to take antibiotics, I always follow up with probiotics to restore the balance of good bacteria. I am assuming no one is smoking around him... My philosophy is surgery as a last resort.

I had tubes put in my ears as a child and it helped for a while, but eventually I had the same problem again and in fact was deemed deaf at age 6 because my ears wouldn't clear out. Kaiser wanted to take out my tonsils and adenoids, but we went with another opinion and used Dimetapp for 2 weeks instead to dry up the fluid. Luckily that worked and I never had any further surgeries.

I just recently spoke with a friend about this type of issue and she told me a story of a friend who had multiple ear tube surgeries over the years which created so much damage and scar tissue that now he is mostly deaf. That's the problem with surgeries is there is always the risk that more will be needed in the future and the potential problems from the surgeries themselves.

I hope your little one gets better and stays well.

Poor baby...he must be so uncomfortable! Your son keeps getting the infections because the fluid in his ears hasn't gone away after the antibiotic kills off the germs. Their eustacian tubes are too small to allow the fluid to drain normally. The fluid in the ears is like chicken broth in an oven...it is warm, moist, and dark in there...it breeds it's own bacteria. As adults, we can blow our nose to make our ears "pop" and that drains the fluid. The babies can't do that. Tubes are a way for the ears to "drain". The problem is that ears are usually a "window" to what is going on in the sinuses. So tubes will help his ears but you might find that he has chronic sinus infections once he gets the tubes. A very common practice is to put children on low dose prophylactic antibiotics after the initial infection has cleared up. This keeps them from reinfecting while you wait for the ear fluid to drain. A commonly used antibiotic is Septra. It won't fight an active infection but it will keep "little baby bacteria" from growing in the fluid. A lot of people freak out when they hear of using an antibiotic for 6-8 weeks and that they will develop an immunity to it. This is wrong information. The dose is too low for that to happen. Honestly, I would rather put my child on low dose antibiotics for that long as a first option before putting them under general anesthesia for a procedure. The scary thing about tubes is that they are not guaranteed to stay in! Often, they only last for a few months or sometimes even a few weeks and then the procedure must be repeated. Ear massage helps to drain the fluid but is not always successful. You also need to evaluate if the fluid in his ear remains there because of an allergy. I know from experience that if a child is completely off of all cows milk protein, they will clear up faster and often times do not reinfect. I would encourage you to see an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist (ENT) if your regular doctor is not familiar with these options. Good Luck...it is a battle you can win!

HI, D.. My 2.5 year old son went through the same thing. We went to a Homeopathic MD or Integrative Medicine MD who helped find him a remedy that would get his system back on track. We did not have to put tubes in his ears or get his adenoids out as was recommended by the ENT doctor. We got to avoid surgery and he hasn't been on antibiotics for over 8 months now. He is able to get a cold and recover without it moving to his ears. You might want to try this first. Take care, I know how frustrating this is!

At 18 months my daughter got tubes after many ear infections and didn't have any after that. What she did have was scarring from the infections, which can cause some hearing loss if it gets too bad. By the time she was 4, when the tubes would have been removed, both tubes had fallen out on their own over the past year. I had not heard of chiropractors being able to help with the drainage, but it sounds like that is worth a try first. Good luck!

Is your baby getting cow's milk / dairy products? Allergy / sensitivity to dairy products can cause recurrent sinus (including inner ear) infections. I had the same problem until I eliminated dairy from my diet. Have not had the problem since.

Is it not possible for you to stay home while your baby is young and therefore avoid the germ-farm (day care)??
Tubes are not fun :(

Tubes, tubes, tubes. Its sooooo easy. I was so reluctant to do it for my son. Everyone kept telling me it was no big deal. After another ear infection and another dose of antibiotics (which i hated), we did the tubes. It was over so quickly. I wish I had done it sooner.

Have you tried something like Dimetapp as preventative? I know they have changed regs/ingredients on those meds since mine were little..
Okay, in my family there are what we call "screaming ear infections". (for obvious reasons)
My first child is 24, she did a long term low dose of Bactrim (as opposed to tubes) in the 80's, she was almost 2. This can cause some yellowing of the teeth and I don't know if they even do it anymore. It did clear up the recurring ear problems.
My second daughter had tubes at 7 months, and again at 2 yrs.
My son/baby - well I was volunteering at a free clinic then so they looked in his ears every week. So it never got too bad, we were on top of it. He did not require those treatments. I was a stay home mom though...he came with me to every clinic, exposed to lotsa stuff.
It good that yr doc is asking you to think about it. Sometimes allergies are the culprit.
A good thing to know is about age five, most kids outgrow the eustacian tube problem of fluid collecting because their face grows so the tube can do its job more properly. But I have a friend whose son had tubes MANY times, even at age 14(bad allergies).
My sister had tubes way back in the day when they were state of the art. could not get head (ears)wet. They are different now, many options available-most fall out when their job is done.
My granddaughter had tubes. Bad ears run in families.
That said: They wake up in pain from the surgery. For real.
Sometimes they had to "clean out the tube"-this made my two year old cry/scream with pain, altho they said it did not hurt her, was just noise in her ear. (I doubt this)
But overall it is a good solution. Still you might ask yr doc about a medicine like dimetapp. You will learn the signs before the infection starts with time, head shaking/ear pulling. Dizziness/unbalance in walking/toddling. If you can treat the collecting fluid (get rid of it) it may not turn into infection. But therein lies the crux, getting rid of the fluid!
The fluid can make (learning to)talking/hearing difficult (they dont hear well, like they are under water, so their speeck is indistinct). It can impede walking too (balance).
It is a hard choice to make, but there are way worse surgeries a kid could have to have. And you'll be there when they wake up! to make it all better.
Good luck.

My twin grandchildren had ear infections last fall/winter one right after another. Doctor said she would consider tubes if they had three back-to-back. Ended up they did not, so no tubes. So far this fall they haven't had any (knock wood). Being in daycare is hard, as they pass those colds/germs around so quickly and they seem to cycle around for months!! Make sure your baby isn't laying too flat when drinking the bottle or nursing --- keep them in a sitting-like position helps combat the onset of ear infections, something about the fluid puddling (possibly washing back into sinuses, then into eustachian tubes?).

When my son was in day care he had constant ear infections. I moved him to a private one with just a couple kids which helped but he did have to get tubes which was an easy procedure that was harder on me than him. He never really had ear problems after that.

My daughter had recurrent ear infections starting when she was three weeks old. We were told to avoid group daycare because of the infectious breeding ground that this situation produces. She was on amoxycilin constantly and eventually it stopped helping her. Our regular pediatrician suggested tubes, however, the head of the practice said that often the problem goes away by the time children reach 18 months-2 years of age. The eustacean tubes drop into a more vertical position at that time and drainage becomes normal. One thing that helps is not letting ones child take liquids lying down. Give them a bottle in a seated position only. The problem did indeed disappear when she was around 2 and we never went through with the tubes. For pain relief and the high fever that went along with infections we used children's motrin once she was old enough. The infections are VERY, VERY painful so avoid air travel if possible and laying down flat can be very painful as well.
Good luck.

Hi D. ~
My son always had ear infections when he was young. The problem was that his eustachian tubes had not properly formed before he was born. I had to convince my pediatrician to refer me to an ear, nose & throat specialist. My son had the surgery done twice and finally was able to hear. I would get it done if your doctor recommends it. We were told that when a child has ear infections, it's like hearing everything under water. (He has only had 2 ear infections since the surgeries ~ about 10 years ago!) Good Luck to you! Lucy B.

You might want to go to Dr. Thomas Engel in SF an ENT. I think having the pediatrician care for chronic ear infection is a waste of time. My daughter was not in day care or preschool and had 8 ear infections her first year. It was awful it was not until her dentist said to have her tonsils looked at and hence we ended up with a T&A lectomy. She now sleeps through the night, breathes better and doesn't have issues as she did. Good luck.

Hi D.-

At 6 months old my daughter started with ear infections and they were none stop till she had her tubes put in at 1 year old. I am talking about 10 ear infections within 6 months. It was CRAZY! I highly recomend tubes. She is now 28 months old and has had 1 ear indection since. And we still do swim lessons. We havent changed anything. Her tubes are still in place and working great!

How long is your son okay after the antibiotics? The first line antibiotics the doc used with our son, Amoxicillin (most docs use this first), wasn't strong enough and we had to go to Augmentin. If your son is okay for several weeks, that's probably not the issue, but if not, perhaps he needs a stronger med.

Our son's kept getting them and the use of too much antibiotics messed up their guts, causing CANDIDA... The best thing for them is to go to a homeopath and add vitamins and minerals to their diet... but stay away from cheap and commercial ones...also stay away from fluoride...get a good colostrum and probiotics!!! Trust me you want to go the natural way... after that we have not been back to the pediatrician at all...only for check ups!!!

Love, G.. :0)
http://stemcellforautism.blogspot.com/

"I know of nobody who is purely Autistic or purely neurotypical. Even God had some Autistic moments, which is why the planets all spin." ~ Jerry Newport

I've read several reponses here that seem to think the ear infections are 'caught' at day care which isn't accurate. I've been told over & over by my ped. as well as a friend who is a ped. along w/reading many articles on the subject that all say ear infections are not contagious. What is contagious, as we all know, is the colds which then results in the fluid build-up in your son's ear. Your ped. may have told you this may be due to his eustascean (SP?) tubes not being fully matured. That said, I do have experience w/tubes. Our oldest son had tubes due to the fact that after a cold, the fluid in his ears just wasn't draining. Like most kids w/tubes, he did not have constant ear infections, just the one cold that caused the problem. So, when he almost 4 yrs, he had a set of tubes put in. The surgery was incredibley quick....no longer than 20 minutes. He had no problems/side effects from the anestesia & came out of it quickly. When all was said & done, we were there & back in maybe 2 hrs or so. After the surgery, he was fine & totally unaware they were in his ears. They're VERY small & actually look like the letter 'T,' which is why the dr. will tell you that you most likely will not see them if they fall out. Most of them do fall out on their own but there are some kids who have to have the tubes removed which was the case w/our son. Again, a very quick & painless procedure. The dr. put a numbing agent in his ears & 1/2 hr. later, the tubes were out. No ear infectiosn while they were in & none in the 4 yrs since they were removed. While the tubes were in his ears, he has to wear ear plugs while in the water or tub. After a short period, the dr. said not to worry about the plugs except for in water that was dirty or had germs &/or bacteria in it like a lake or bathwater. So, if your ped. recommends tubes once your son is older, make sure you see an ENT for the most accurate diagnosis & advice & go for it. Everyone will be so much happier. Also, keep in mind that not all anitbiotics work for all kids &/or some kids build up an immunity to the drugs, too. So, if the ear infection hasnt' cleared up as quickly as it should, it may be due to this. Best of luck!

Go with the tubes. It is a simple procedure and makes a HUGE difference!

Hi D.,
my middle child is now 8 years old. when he was a baby he always had ear infections and at one point for 4 months a recurrent ear infection that we could not get to go away, I could tell his hearing and speech was affected. At about 11 months old the doctor finally did tubes in his ears. The doctor mentioned tubes although he was very reluctant to do it. doing that for him was the best thing we could have done for him at that point. the procedure took less than an hour if that, he was a completely different child by the next day. you could tell he could hear a lot better and he was a lot happier. The doctor explained that for him he was listening as if he were under water. not to mention the pain from the ear aches were gone. Since the tubes were placed almost 8 years ago he has only had one ear infection. I can not say enough about what a great choice that was for him in his situation. I would not hesitate to do it all over again. Oh I forgot to mention we tried the chiropractic route and for him it did not work, and it was also scary to watch my infant's neck being adjusted.
Good luck
S.

My daughter had painful recurrent ear infections the first year and a half of her life. We had Dr. Wesman at Children's Hospital put tubes in her ears because the infections would not go away without heavy antibiotics and they were affecting her hearing (which leads to speech development). It has been nothing but a positive step for our family. The infections were painful and every cold she received brought one on. Plus we are able to save our PTO for fun stuff like vacations instead of moaning on the couch!

D.,
My son had a lot of ear infections when he was younger and when he was about 2 they decided that he needed the tubes. I really didn't want them and about that time my husband became friends with a Chiropractor. He didn't beleive in them, but said that we could go and after going consistently for about 9 months (when I was pregnant with #2), he has never had an ear infection again. Of course, this chiropractor has moved so I can't recommend him, but there are some good ones out there (and not so good). But I am glad I listened to him when he said it would work.

Good Luck
K.

My children had alot of ear infections when they were young, until about 7yrs. old. We later found out it was because one was lactate intolerant and the other reason was because my husband smoked. Just FYI...MK

my son, as an infant had the same problem. but our ped would not put tubes in because kids are growing so fast they fall out. they said after 2 years is when they would consider it. by 18 months he stopped getting them.

the ped also said, as long as they are responding to the meds and the infection goes away, then they really shouldn't put tubes in.

my son got ear infections because whenever he got boogery, like even when he was teething, he would get them because his ears wouldn't drain.

take him to a chiropractor and they can make it so his ears drain, and that will help. Also sprinkle some probiotics in his food or bottle and that will help build up the good bacteria in his intestines that will help fight infection.

good luck
cb

D.,

Have you considered complementary medicine? Because what you are doing now isn't working long term, what do you have to lose by considering something else?

We faced the same issue that lasted until our son was 4. A friend, who is in health care, told us that antibiotics wipe out the good white blood cells as well as the bacteria causing the infection. She said she relied on homeopathy for her children's health and wellness. Once our son consulted a homeopath and she prescribed a remedy that fought the infection without killing the white cells, he got over the recurring problem. We were impressed with the results!

He was sick very, very seldom from that time on, once we made the switch to the homeopathic practitioner (also an MD). It wasn't covered by our health plan but we really saved money because he didn't get sick, we didn't get sick, and we didn't waste time taking care of a sick child or getting sick ourselves.

(If you are not familiar with homeopathy, it is mainstream medicine in Europe and used by the Royal Family in England.) See the Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy

Along the same line, I heard a short talk on ear infections by Dr. Norlin Merritt of San Rafael, CA, in which he talked about a tiny chiropractic adjustment he performs on children that allows more movement and, therefore, better health in the ear area of small children. He has found that it clears the reason for the ear infections. He and his wife, Maria, are both chiropractors who enjoy working with children. If you are open to complementary medicine, our family has had very good luck nearly eliminating disease using the two approaches. (www.merrittfamilychiropractic.com)

Blessings to you and your child!
S. Merlo

Hi D.,
Congratulations on being a first time mom! I'm sure you're having so much fun with your new son. As for the recurrent ear infections...chiropractic care can help A LOT with ear infections. I'd be happy to go into the details of how and why if you'd like. I practice in Oakland, and would love to help your little boy. Or I can help you find someone GREAT close to you. Just let me know how I can help!
Best of luck,
L. Clum, DC
www.thespecific.com

Osteopathy and chiropractic care CANNOT under any circumstance "cure" a child that gets chronic ear infections. They would have to physically change the anatomy of a child's ear which, obviously, is ridiculously impossible and would require completely re-orienting the face, head, skull, sinus cavities --- silly . Ear infections are caused by bacteria, but there is an anatomical reason why children get them over and over and over, and not adults: the orientation of the eustachian tube. Children's' Eustachian tubes are horizontal, so bacteria can travel from the back of the nose directly into the middle ear on a simpler path. In adults, the Eustachian tube is more vertical, so it's more difficult for bacteria and fluids to get from the nose and throat up into the middle ear. That's the simple reason why children get more ear infections. Bottle feeding or breast-feeding with the baby laying horizontally allows that fluid to travel easier from the nose or the throat up into the middle ear as well. Some children are just more prone to ear infections due to the anatomical position of their eustachian tubes and how their fluids drain.
We all know the risks of giving our children frequent and/or prolonged doses of antibiotic: you are obviously a well informed mother, and are thinking about the possibility of having tubes placed in your child's ears before the 50th round of antibiotics. However, three doses for three seperate ear infections in his 9 months of life is not , as your pediatrician has told you, a dire situation yet. I was one of those "dire situation" kids that had ear infections chronically all through my young life, and even into my older teenage years (my doctor always joked that I was his oldest patient to get ear infections more than once every blue moon). It was not a routine thing to put tubes in when I was a kid, but I certainly wish we had had the option! I took so many antibiotics and had ear aches so often - and my mother managed a chiropractic office my entire life (and this chiropractor attended MEDICAL school and had an MD as well as having attended the chiropractic school stand alone education)!
All in all, give it time. As he ages, he will grow out of it as his anatomy matures, but I would definitely put those tubes in younger as opposed to older if he continues to have chronic ear infections, poor baby.
Good luck!

I suggest you go for the tubes! My son had tubes put in at 18mos. After rounds and rounds of "Augmentin", we decided to look into tubes and had his hearing tested, we found out that for the last 6mos., he was hearing as if he were under water, which also was affecting his speech. After the tubes, he rarely got an ear infection and his talking improved. They fall out on their own and we've never had a problem. Go for the tubes!

Surprisingly, antibiotics actually end up making the infections worse. Get him to a holistic practitioner or a chiropractic internist for natural treatments. Also need to strengthen his immune system.

That happened to my daughter when she was about 13 months old - we explored other options because the antibiotics kept giving her really bad yeast infections. We were told to try changing her diet...I don't know if it matters in your case since you said a cold precedes them. One thing I absolutely believe in is chiropractic care as a way to avoid both the meds & the tubes. It sounds unusual, especially on such a little guy, but the adjustment on a baby doesn't look like an adjustment on an adult. Our chiropractor just held our daughter (and now occasionally our son), and "played" with her as he felt her spine and carefully adjusted the vertebrae. After that, she didn't have an ear infection for a few months - & after that last one, hasn't had one since!
Good luck - I would be happy to provide more details if you need, but it is definitely worth looking into!

D. -

Your post brings back a lot of memories! I went back to work when my (now 11) daughter was 1 1/2, so into daycare she went, in 5 months she had so many ear infections, she was sick more than healthy, it was traumatic for both of us.

I cannot tell you what you should do, but I will tell you our experience. I decided on tubes, it was scary putting my nearly 2 year old into surgery. She came out fine. That first year with her tubes she had 2 ear infections...total. It was a blessing for us after having endured so many! The tubes did not fall out as planned, so we had to put her back under at age 4 and have them removed, and we had her hearing tested for a couple years after that as well. Everything was fine, no adverse reactions. She hasn't had an ear infection since she was about 6. So for our family, tubes were the way to go, but I cannot deny it was a little scary.

Take care!
D.