Tubes in Ears - Thornton, IL

I had them put in when I was little. I remember playing in my play kitchen and one popped out. I didn't know what it was at first, but my mom told me. :) It's not painful at all. Maybe a suggestion would to be that this is a different procedure and he's going to do something special for her....make it seem like it's a treat or something. I think my mom told me that I'd be able to hear better, and made me feel like it was something special, and told me it would help with the ear infections and all. I still have ear infections today, but not as bad...I'm not sure if the other one ever fell out or not. I hope everything goes well. I also hope this helped, if there's any questions you need to ask my mom I can put you in touch with her. Good luck.

Both of my sons have had surgeries for different things. With my first son he was probably about 9 mths old, and Loyola gave him a versed cocktail (it's tylenol and versed). The reason they did that is so that the child doesn't care about being taken away by a stranger, or a doctor or anything like that. They are very calm and happy and don't have that 'trauma' associated with it. When my second son had tubes but in at Central Dupage, I asked that he be given that SAME cocktail because he was ULTRA freaked out about going with strangers. They did it reluctantly, but they did do it.

My son was 1 when he had tubes put in. They lasted about 10-11 mths before the first one fell out. I actually saw a huge scab in his ear, and the tube was attached to it. Sometimes they will need more sets, but as of now, my son hasn't had anymore and he's currently 4. =)

What doctor are you using? If they are PED friendly they should be understanding of these issues! Hope that answers most of your questions.. there are definitely things that can be done to make it better for her.

My son, (1 year) just had ear tubes put on on Tuesday, by the time we got home he was playing and laughing. They can give your child something ahead of time to calm her down. They said if a child comes in scared and upset they usually give them something ahead of time. When he came out of surgery (15 min. tops) he was very inconsolable, but that is normal due to the disorienting effects of the anestheia, (pardon my spelling). We are so grateful this was done, so far no problems, he has had an ear infection since Thanksgiving that would not go away, and he was so immune to antibiotics. From what I hear they come out when the ear is maturing and sometimes the child may need them 1-2 more time, rarely that happens. We had his done at the Lombard Surgical Center, they were so nice. My son also had some problems hearing my husbands voice and when we got home my son was playing and my husband said his name and he turned around, it was awesome, he could finally hear his daddy.

What timing! I just returned from Rush North Shore where my 3 year old had eartubes put in this morning. He also had his adenoids taken out, which made it a bit longer and a little more difficult than just the tubes. But even with that, he was wheeled into surgery at 7:30AM and was home playing and laughing by 1pm. He was a trooper.

We have been reading a book called "Chris Gets Ear Tubes" by Betty Pace, that we found at the library. And, while it is not a caldecott award winner, it explains pretty accurately how the day goes when you go to have ear tubes put in. The ear tube insertion only takes about 15 minutes if they are not doing anything else. We were with him right until they wheeled him into surgery and were brought back to see him within minutes of him waking up.

The tubes will usually fall out themselves and you may not even notice it. In some cases, they may not fall out on their own and may have to be taken out by the Doctor. But I think the younger kids usually fall out because they are growing faster. Also, they may need to have it done agian if they outgrow the tubes and still need them. The change in hearing is amazing and it is immediate. My son now complains that the toilet flushes too loud (he had so much fluid in his ears he had never really heard it before).

It is absolutely worth doing it. Just try and explain how quick and easy it is to your child, the book might help.It also mught help if your daughter could meet or know about another little one who had it done. I think it also helped my son knowing that other kids he knew tubes put in.

Good luck!

Poor baby! My son had tubes/adenoids removed a few years ago. As they grow and their ears grow, the tubes fall out. He hasn't had any further problems.

I like the idea of using a book to talk about it, and maybe come up with a great reward/toy she can look forward to right after the procedure. It's hard when they are scared, though. Just try to be matter-of-fact and act unworried and don't let her stress and your stress magnify each other (I say that, but I find it very hard myself.)

Hi M.,
My experience with the tubes was great. My daughter was 5 at the time and Dr. Gartlan in Joliet, IL did an awsome job. She had the tubes put in both ears. The L ear came out on its own, but the R ear did not. The Dr. had to go back into the ear and remove the tube after a year. My daughter is fine. She had no trauma and we did it at our local hospital as an outpatient procedure. I wish you the best!!
C.

my daughter was 4 when she had tubes in her ears at Childrens in Chicago.. for some odd known reason she likes Dr's??.. i think its because when she was 8 months old she had surgery because her soft spots closed too soon.. and now everytime she gos to the dr up there they take pictures of her, and tell her how beautiful she is..LOL..
she got alot of popsicles after the tubes were put in.. and she did fine...
but now were takin her back because shes haveing a hard time hearing and talking really loud again..