My son had ear tubes put in on March 7th, and they are working well as far as no more painful infections. But, there is still a lot of yellow sticky paste-like stuff (for lack of a better word) coming from his ears. And, it almost smells like dried blood. Last week he got some kind of a cold/head congestion, and there was so much of this fluid coming from his ears that it was running down the side of his face. It was all over his crib sheet. As soon as I would get it cleaned up with a warm cloth, a few hours later it was right back crusted and running in his ear and on his face.
It cleared up for a few days, but last night and this morning I noticed it is starting back up.
We have taken him back to the ENT who says that the tubes are just working correctly and gave us drops to keep the tubes clear, and that the ears are not infected. But, it just seems like a LOT of fluid. Maybe I'm just worrying too much!!
Has anyone else noticed this from their kids ears after getting the tubes? How long did this gross stuff last or is it soemthing permanent that happens until the tubes fall out?
Hi Chastity...
My daughter Katelyn (2yrs now) has had her tubes in since June 3,2007... during the 1st 3weeks her ears drained like that (omg its gross and scary...) after that it stopped and she hasn't even had a cold or anything at all since... in a way think about it ... the reason he had the infections was cuz the body wasn't rejecting or draining all that gunk in the 1st place so it was all accumalating... so now its all coming out... are the drops called flonex or something like that... a yellow label? if so make sure you put them every day as instructed... that loosens up the gunk that has hardened in there.... he'll be fine... if it doesn't get better by the time it makes a month schedule another appointment...maybe get a 2nd opinion... I know its hard to see this stuff but its better out than in...
Hope this helped...
Vanessa
that is the reason your son needed the tubes. he has a lot of drainage, that could not get out on its own, so the tubes are working great. make sure you use the drops the ent gave you, because if the tubes crust up with the discharge, it can build pressure in the ears and cause your son pain, or worse push the tubes out of place and they have to put new ones in.
YES! the dr is absolutely correct! I am 33 and have had problems my entire life w/ my right ear. I had tubes put in both ears when I was about your sons age. If there is some sort of infection in the ear then the tube allows the drainage to drain vs. getting clogged in the ear and causeing more damage to the drum! Now, if you start to see blood, thats a whole nother issue! The drainage will smell foul because of the infection in the ear! Dont worry, if u are going to a specialist ask all the questions and voice all the concerns u have! You wont ask a question theyve never heard before...thats what they specialize in! And trust me they will appreciate you as a parent more if you do ask questions cause then they feel safe that you are a caring mom and they can trust youll do the best for your son at home after all the work he does in the office! Relax sweety...but keep your sons health as first priority!
Although its scary, this is ABSOLUTELY normal. The others who have commented before me are right - this is precisely why he needed the tubes. They do not prevent infection, but they do allow the infected fluid to drain. The yucky drainage may go away and come back, and it may change in odor or consistency or color, but its normal for his ears to drain with working tubes.
I am going through the same thing but I am not sure that it has anything to do with the tubes in the ears. My son is 10 and had tubes put in 8 years ago. That said, I know he has since lost one and may not have the other. He has the same type drainage. His ears also have received the same "clean" bill of health even with this severe drainage.
The only thing I have found to help is to clean them very well after his shower and this has kept them clean for almost the entire day and night until the next shower. A warm shower helps loosen the drainage and it sometimes takes as many as 6 Q-tips (just around the areas you can see- NOT into the ear) to get all of this out.
If you find there is a cause and/or solution, I would love to know. At 10 years old this is hurting his self esteem.
Hi Chastity,
Yes, this happened with my daughter after she got her tubes also. The first month or so seemed to be the worst, but then after that there would be times she would get a lot of drainage. It does look yucky and scary, but it is normal. Good luck to you and your son!!
Jenni
My son had tubes 3 times when he was younger. Anytime he had so much drainage it was ususally infected. It seems odd to me that your Ear Nose Throat doctor was not concerned. Especially if it has a terrible smell. Alex did this and every time he did it was an infection. You may want to check with your pediatrician.
Hello Chastity!
In my experience, this is completely normal. My daughter has had tubes insterted twice and this has happened to her both times. The secretions (for lack of a better term) will not last for long. If I recall correctly, my daughter had these each time she had a head cold, but the secretions would clear up as the cold eased. I would not worry, but if it is disturbing to you, I would call the ENT for reassurance. Have a great day!
Tammy
Yes, it is normal. My eight year old son had tubes when he was a toddler and my three year old daughter has had two sets of tubes already. The tubes keep the infection from staying inside. The tubes are working just like your ENT told you. Every time your child has an infection there will be drainage comimg out of his ear and yes it does stink. I went through a horrible time with my daughter so I know all about tubes and ear infections. She has had yeast infections in the ear, staff infections, strep in the ear. Possibly any type of unheard of infection that you can possibly have she has had. She has had infections and cultures come back that not even the ENT had heard about and she would have to see a different type of specialist every time. Just be happy that it is draining out and not staying in.
My ears ran constantly as a child. Sometimes they still do. My doctor assured me that this was normal for some people. Another way for the body to cleanse itself. At least it draining and he probably will not suffer from inner ear fluid retention that can cause problems with balance... Vertigo and the like.
Yes, this is completely normal. This is why you had the ear tubes put in--the stuff was there before but had no where to go. My daughter used to wake up with dried gunk all down her earlobes and her neck. Over time it got better and then completely stopped.
Don't worry, trust your ENT--he's seen it all (and more) before, keep using the drops, but most of all DON'T WORRY!!
Fluid is a good thing with tubes. As long as the fluid is coming out, even in buckets, that means it's not sitting in his ear canal getting infected. My kids has tons of fluid all the time until the tubes came out. After my daughter's first set the fluid stopped and she ended up in the doctor's office with a sever infection because the tube had blocked and ended up rupturing her ear drum. Keep using the drops they gave you and just wipe the gross stuff away. It will get better eventually. Good luck!
My daughter has had ear tubes since August and we only had yellow discharge once. When we did, I took her to the pediatrician and she said that this was an ear infection. She told me that tubes drain the infected fluid out of the ear and that this was the purpose of the tubes. This has only happened once. I would suggest that you check with your child's pediatrician or go to see a different ENT.
Hi there! I don't have a lot to offer other than what has already been said, but my 11 month old daughter is going through this right now. She got tubes back in October, and she has had drainage a couple of times. The ENT told us to put the drops in her ears. The most recent time, though was at the beginning of this month, and even though we put drops in her ears for over a week, they still drained occasionally, so we took her to the doctor. He said she had an ear infection, but said only to keep putting the drops in. I thought it was weird, but the drainage is starting to go away again. Don't worry - like everyone said, the tubes are doing their job. Just be sure not to get water in his ears. Good luck!
Chasity, I have been told yes. That the tubes are there to allow danaige when the ears did not allow it before to prevent infecetions. My son's tubes did not do that but my counsin's little girl's tubes did and a child in my class had tubes that drained. I ask my son's doctor about that and he said yes some do. I thought it was odd too. Melissa
This is very normal for ear tubes. The same thing happened to my son. The ENT is right, when they don't drain at all, there is a problem. I will warn you though, that after my son had his for about a year, I notice a very thick "gunk" for lack of a better word, and it was more red than yellow or orange. My son's tubes did not fall out, they had to be surgically removed because his ear drum was growing over the tube instead of forcing it out. Keep an eye out about the 1 year mark.