Chronic Ear Infections

My daughter had many ear infections and we got the tubes and she didn't get another ear infection while she had them. She did have 2 sets of tubes but getting them in wasn't an issue. She cried some after waking up but we took her home and she played like normal the rest of the day. She was 1 for her 1st set and 2 1/2 for the 2nd set. I was thankful for the tubes they are out now, she is 5 and has had only 1 ear infection in the last few years.

My son had the same issue. He was 8mo when he got tubes in both ears. I think it was the best thing to have done. He is now 2yo and has not had 1 ear infection since the tubes were put it. Get it done it will help...

We went with tubes for my son who had chronic ear infections,RSV, etc. He's been doing great with them, no ear infections since and he doesn't mind the ear plugs when he swims.

Just to give you something to balance with, my ex-husband has a son who had chronic ear infections and they didn't go with tubes. He is 10 now and is in speech therapy - he learned to talk with the ears infected, so his speech sounds off. He talks like he heard it and he doesn't enunciate (sp?) well.

While I have not had to go through all of that with my daughters ear infections (hers were due to a food allergy), you are a parent and need to do what is best for your child.

If it is tubes, so be it. I know several people who have had tubes and sware that with out them - they dont know what would have been.

A girl friend of mine is going through something similar with her daughter - her daughters speech and balance is extremely affected by her chronic ear infections and illnesses. She too is meeting with and ENT specialist.

I would wait until you have spoken with the ENT specialist before making any decisions... ask for alternatives and what would be the most productive given your daughters circumstance (which is what I am assuming this appointment is for anyways).

You can not please everyone, but it will be a personal choice because it is whats best for your daughter and family. If you go with the tubes, and things turn out successfully - maybe your father will change his opinion because he will see first hand how effective they are.

But put all your ducks in a row before you make any decisions!

I hope someone who has had a similar conflict will be able to help you out. And I am sorry to hear your baby is always having to deal with this.

my oldest (now 6) had ear tubes put in at 2, it was the best thing i ever did for her! she never had an ear infection the whole time she had them in, unless she got bath water in her ears, she would get a gross pussy thing that didnt hurt, eeew. I demanded that she get them because chronic ear infection run all through our families, and for 1 1/2 yrs she constantly had them. She had to have them removed last year (5) and has still yet to have an infection, DO IT! I had my tonsils out at 16 after 8 long years battling strp throat every 4 to6 years, and never had a sore throut since! Dont let them tell you no either, its not healthy for her to be on antibiotics all the time good luck!

Please look thoroughly into the assertion that without tubes there can be speech delay. This was assumed for years... decades even, but a very VERY large epidemiological study has just come out that looked at tens of thousands of kids with and without tubes and found there was absolutely NO statistical difference in speech skills if tubes were used or not. You pediatrician or ENT, if they keep up on the latest research, should know this. But it is hard to change decades of medical opinion.
My son went through the exact same pattern two winters ago when he was 10 months. He had over ten ear infections that winter. We saw an ENT too, but he encouraged us to stick it out since there wasn't any gross abnormality. It was awful, but we made it through, and during summer he was cold and ear infection free. Come last September it happened again, but this winter he had only two ear infections. They just need time for their little systems to mature. Their ear canals are so small. Obviously, listen to your practitioners advice, but try to take the least invasive path possible.
Remember, placing ear tubes is surgery, and with any surgery there are inherent risks. Ask your provider to describe those risks clearly and thoroughly before you make a decision. Our society has a tendency to regard surgery as a magic bullet for everything and have forgotten there are true risks.

I had always been worried about tubes but my youngest who was about 20 months had his put in and I wish we had done it 7 months earlier. He had an ear infection everytime he got a cold, which was almost everymonth. Since the tubes, he has not had one ear infection and even his colds have been non existent. For us it was the best decision we made for our son. Good luck.

Hi S.
Is you daughter eating/drinking dairy? That can be a cause of ear infections and all the other mucous-y symptoms you have described. If so try switching her to enriched rice milk or a soy based formula if she's drinking formula. Also giving a child a bottle while they are lying too flat can also cause fluid to back up into their ear canals and cause ear infections.

The whole ear tube debate is a huge one. Personally I feel like it should be the last resort and sometimes it is necessary. You certainly don't want your child's hearing to be compromised due to the infections. If you've tried dietary changes and other methods that haven't worked then tubes are definitely something to think about. You are doing what you feel is best for you child and that's all anyone can ask.

You also mentioned a chiropractor in the family. Have you tried that for her?

Hi! I have four children ages 9,6,almost 3 and 10mos. Ok so when the 9 year old was a baby she was sick constantly nothing seemed to make her better. Ear infection after ear infection, bronchlitis, pnemunia you name it. Any way it took the doctor a long time to recomend seeing an ENT. Plus I had the tubes when I was a child and they didn't work. So I was very leary about putting them in. Finally when she was almost 5 we took her and had the tubes put in. She has been ear infection free since and she does not get sick as easily. I couldn't believe how easy the procedure was. So when my third child came and had ear infections as soon as he had a few we got the tubes, he was about 18 mos. I am now going through the same thing with my fourth child. Although he is only 10mos he is on the same path. My third child was the only one who has lucked out, I think he has had only 2. Anyway I recommend having the tubes, I fully believe after two of my children having them and both not having another infection that they work. I had tried taking my first child to a chiropractor it seemed to work only for a short time. I couldn't see my children suffer anymore. I hope this helps.

Carol

Hi S.,
Despite what you might hear from your father-in-law, I would go for the tubes or whatever the ENT recommends. You want to make sure that you do what is right for your daughter.
I think my almost 3 year old has had chronic ear infections, we just never knew about it because he didn't complain(still waiting to hear for sure what has been going on) But now he has permanant hearing loss & needs hearing aids. If you can prevent that then you definitely should.

Good luck!!

Hi S....my daughter whos now 3 is going on her 3rd set of tubes June .While the tubes are in they work great...but keep in mind they fall out...and if your daughter is anything likem ine the ear infections will come back...This time they are putting T- Tubes in they never fall out...Something to consider so she wont have to go through it more than once likem y daughter has,Also make sure no water gets in her ears..thats always a issue with em..Ask about her adnoids and tonsiles as well those can cause ear infections...My email is ____@____.com if you ever have any ?s...sad as it is em and me are pros at ear infections!As for your FIL and this is my opion only..is that ear infections suck and your daughter is suffering...its a5 min surgery and its over...why cont multi sessions with a chero when it can be over in 5 mins?Just a thought.

I, too, struggled with the decisions surrounding ear tubes and surgery and was really hoping to avoid that route when my son, now almost 4, started having multiple ear infections after starting preschool at the early age of 2 1/2. Basically, he would get a double ear infection that could not be left to resolve itself (excruciating pain and temps of 103+), go on a 10-14 day course of antibiotics and then within days of finishing the course, would get another ear infection. We even tried a low, prophylactic dose of antibiotics for a few months last winter at the recommendation of our pediatrician (also something that concerned me greatly), but as soon as he came off of that at the "standard" time (May/June when cold & flu season is typically over) the ear infections came right back. We finally chose to have the surgery last July and we have had amazing results - only one minor ear infection in the last 10 months that only needed 3 days of ear drop antibiotics to treat. We also saw improved speech and diction that had been somewhat slow before the surgery. The hospital staff were wonderful with him and with us and although he did wake up from the procedure crying and was disoriented for about 20 minutes (someone warned me about this very common reaction ahead of time and I was so grateful for the heads up), he was 100% himself within an hour and spent the rest of the day playing, eating, etc. as if nothing had ever happened. To this day we cannot drive by the hospital without him asking if we can go back soon, as he had so much fun there. These were the results we had and I am so glad we made the choice we did. I encourage you to make the decision that feels right for you and your child and I wish you the very best of luck.

Hi S.,
Like you I had chronic ear infections as a child. I got my first set of tubes when I was three. By then, I was 80% deaf. To learn how to speak, I would hold onto the speaker's face and read their lips. I did recover all of my hearing.
I do believe that chiropractic works wonders. I had the experience of getting an adjustment (I was 24) when I had a double ear infection; one in each ear. As soon as he cleared my neck all the gunk from my ears drained down my throat. (sorry about the graphic) It was gross. It also cleared up the infection.
Most of my ear infections have been treated with anti-biotics, very effectively. I did build up a resistence to certain types of antibiotics. That is one of the big concerns with medical intervention.
Chiropractic likes to remind people that almost all ear infections will clear themselves up in a few days. As an adult, I can choose for myself between drugs or chiro. Right now that choise is dictated by our limited budget. But as a mom, I am not going to sit by and watch my child scream in pain, not eat and not sleep, knowing that he is hurting, and knowing that each day his ear infection goes untreated scar tissue is building up on his ear drums.
Ask your father-in-law if he is willing to stop by the house everyday she is sick (maybe multiple times a day) to give her the adjustments she would need while trying to heal an ear-infection. Then see your pedi and get a prescription for anti-biotics. Maybe your father-in-law will pay for your daughter to get daily adjustments while she's sick and then maintenance adjustments after the infection clears. If the chiropractic works, it will PREVENT future ear infections. If not go for the tubes. My nephew had his first tubes when he was 6 months old. It was wonderful.
I know this is a really hard decision for you. And it's made more difficult having such strong opposition from your extended family. Good Luck with whatever you choose. Your daughter is very lucky to have such a loving and concerned mom.
-C.

Hi S.!
So sorry to hear about your situation- it's never easy to make these choices, especially when you have two very respectable yet conflicting advisors.
Here's what happened to my sister and her son- they both had chronic ear infections as children. They both suffered hearing loss, and my nephew became delayed in his speech and language because of it. My little brother also had suffered lots of ear troubles. My sister did not get tubes, and still has ear problems. My brother and nephew got tubes, and it made all the difference.
Ultimately, you need to make this decision based on what's best for you and your baby. It sounds like her ears need some help regardless.
Blessings!
H.

Hi S., sounds like you're in a tough spot. I didn't have any strong opinions to influence my decision, but in March we had tubes put in my (then 15 month old) daughter's ears. She had been suffering from chronic ear infections since the previous fall, and I was flying with her at the end of March. The ENT I met with was great (Dr Gentry Thatcher in N Andover) and he did not push the tubes at all, said we could take a wait and see approach as well, but said the quality of life improvement could be drastic. And it has been, we've gone from seeing the pediatrician every two weeks to every two months, not a single problem with her ears now, no fluid discomfort or infections since then. The surgery itself was fast and easy, she was away from me for about five minutes, and she was fine later on that afternoon. The worst part was as she was coming out of the anesthesia, she was very upset as she was waking up, a lot of crying for 10 or 15 minutes.

They'll do a hearing test at the ENT appt to make sure there are no likely problems and I really think that in the long run, it won't matter which way you decide. However it will affect you in the near term, and not having constant difficult nights and a sick baby makes a world of difference for both her and you.

Best of luck.
S.

My oldest had an ear infection for 3 months and when they started talking tubes I got pretty stressed because I didn't know if they would be good or not. A friend told me to see the chiropractor first as the jaw could be pinching the ear canal, hence giving the ear infection. So in that case, when it can be taken care of naturally, why not do it. Now if that hadn't worked, then ear tubes would have had to been done. My sister had them when she was a baby and she never has had any bad side effects because of it. Also a friend's son would get an ear infection each time he was teething and he would see a chiropractor to adjust his jaw cause it would pinch his ear canal. Every time he got new teeth in, he jaw would go out of alignment. Personally, I like to try non-invasive "procedures" first before I jump to having an invasive one done. So what I am saying is, sometimes tubes have to be done while other times you can take care of it naturally.

Also, like others have said, food allergies/sensitivites can cause ear infections. So if that is the case, tubes aren't going to do a whole lot of good.

Hi Sara... my son just had his 5th set of eartubes put in in April.(he's 10 now).. he has only had one or 2 ear infections, but he always had fluid in his ears resulting in loss of hearing, temporarily.... he alos has pretty bad asthma... he has had tonsils/adnoids out and his sinus area scraped when he was 2... hte ear tubes are an amazing thing... and my opinion is if you don't do it.. the child will continue ear infections and possibly result in permanent hearing loss??? Another thing you might want to do is to have your daughters IG immunity levels checked... we just had ours done ( pulmonologist requested it) and we found out that our son is IGa deficient ( has no IGa antibodies), and that antibody is the one that protects mucus areas... nothing can be done, except treat infections with antibiotics, but at least it gave us an answer and I wasn't thinking I am a paranoid mom! Good luck with whatever you decide to do! T.

Chiropractic, cranial sacral therapy, homeopathy, probiotics, and nutritional therapies/ specific (guided) food avoidances (with a naturopath or nutritionist) may help. There may be a food or environmental sensitivity that is causing all the ear infections. Tubes will offer relief, and can make a big difference in some cases, but won't address the cause. Might be worth investigating further before going to surgery- it may also help address other issues that can be related to the sensitivity (if that is what it is.) Antibiotics are often given for their anti-inflammatory effect- but they can be very disruptive to the body, especially when given in the first year of life when immune system is still developing, and can actually sensitize kids to things that are normally benign in the environment. That being said, it seems like tubes are well tolerated by kids when other avenues have been exhausted!

any child with chronic ear infections due to fluid in the ears is at risk for speech delay. The reason they are recommended is to prevent permanent hearing damage from frequent infections as well as to prevent developmental delay. If your chlid has chronic ear infections and the ENT recommends tubes I would get them. The tubes are temporary and will fall out, which is better than speech delay.

As a nurse and a mother, both my oldest son and I had to have tubes when we were very young. It's very rare to have problems with the procedure itself and it does help significantly. The risk of continued ear infections is eventual hearing loss from inflammation and possible scar tissue. I believe the benefits far outweigh the risk. I do believe in chiropractic too for my children, but continuous infections require other interventions. Go with the tubes!! You'll be glad you did for your childs sake.

Hi S.,

I recommend that you try building your daughter's immune system up using probiotics. I have been using FloraBaby by Renew Life for my kids. You mix a tiny amount( approx. 1/8 tsp) of powder into any liquid and they drink it. Firstly, if she has been on all these antibiotics, her natural flora is probably wiped out and she can't fight off new infections very well. 80% of our body's immune system is in our GI tract, so the probiotic will help rebuild that for her. Even if you decide to go with tubes, she will have better health overall with a stronger immune system.
Good luck.
-L.

Hi,
My 2 year old little boy used to get one ear infection after another, after another, with a lot of fluid also. We did the procedure and unfortunealy 2 months later had to do it again. The first set of tubes did not work, but thankfully the second set did. And he has not had one infection since. I would absolutely opt for the tubes if I had to do it over. I don't know about you, but it broke my heart when he would cry because his ears hurt or if he couldn't sleep well at night. I'd do anything to make that little man happy and healthy.

I feel your pain! My son is now 3, but when he was 4 months old he had a perferated eardrum which was the start of our trip to hell with chronic ear infections. We were referred to an ENT (Dr. Sharon Gibson in Providence) who is AWESOME! She explained everything, gave us several options to try and in the end we had tubes put in when he was 8 months old. It was the best thing we ever did! I AM A PRO TUBE PARENT. Looking back, I wish we had done is sooner--I am not kidding! The very next day after the procedure my son reacted to hearing windchimes and birds outside and crawled over to the window he was so excited--then I figured it out--he had never heard those sounds before! The trapped fluid in his ears had blocked his hearing so much he was missing out on so many things. I had a brand new, happy baby on my hands who started making so many sounds and 'talking' more. Yes, it is surgery (at Hasbro, the best children's hospital in the world) and they do have to use anesthesia, but it is a very quick procedure and you're only at the hospital for a few hours. He never had another ear infection and the tubes fell out on their own when he was 2. So, not only did I have a happy baby on my hands, I saved a ton of money by not having to get a script filled every week at the pharmacy and doctor co-pays. I'm telling you, as difficult as a decision it is, it really was the best thing we did for our family. Good luck!

Hi S.,

My daughter had the same problems as a baby with constently getting ear infections, being stuffy and having her nose run. Due to the amount of ear infections she had, we ended up getting the tubes. Honestly it was probably one of the best decisions we made. She ended up not getting infections anymore, she started to talk more and she finally started to walk. Because of all the ear infections, her balance was off and she had a harder time hearing. The tubes completely resolved all that and within a few weeks she was speaking full sentencees and running.
Unfortunately, the tubes do fall out after a certain amount of time. After the tubes fell out, my daughter started getting ear infections again and all the same symptoms, including snoring. We went back to the ENT specialist and this time he suggested we get her adnoids taken out at the same time that we put tubes in again. This time, with the adnoids being removed, her snoring stopped and so did all of her "colds".
My daughter is now 7 years old and is hardly ever sick at all. She hasn't had an ear infection since she got the tubes in the second time and she sleeps so soundly now that I used to check to see if she was breathing! I am a huge proponent of the tubes.
Good luck on your decision, I know how hard it can be, especially since it is a surgery. Although putting your child under anesthesia is scary, the outcome is more than worth the few minutes of fear.

Good luck,
I.

S.,
All my 3 girls had ear infections. One was so chronic that after several months of antibiotics and my being nervous about surgery for her, we had the first set of tubes put in. They lasted for 1 1/2 years or so and we had to put the 2nd set in. (That's typical) Looking back, I wish I had the tubes done sooner. I would have saved us many sleepless nights. I am not the type to jump at surgical procedures. I tried to exhaust every other avenue, but it basically boiled down to her taking every antibiotic under the sun. From what I hear now, most ear infections are viral in nature and therefore don't respond to antibiotics, anyways....and to keep little kids on them with all the info out now about super bugs, it doesn't sound like a good idea. They're such a pain to give little kids and I had to torture my little daughter with day after day of holding her down while she screamed. The Dr. told me once to take a taste of the liquid antibiotics to see what it tasted like. It was absolutely awful!! and if your child is on them a lot, that in itself tells you they are not working. Put you and your daughter out of misery...get the tubes.
Write back if you have any more questions. We went through a lot over it.

HI
My daughter too suffered from ear infections about every two weeks. We had tubes put in her ears and had her adnoids taken out. Before we had the tubes we had her hear eval. and then after. Immidiately after you could tell she could hear a lot better. She beegan talking more(she was always a chatter box but more so after)she didn't snore as much if at all(adnoids) and she didn't get ear infections any more. She did get them once about 8 months later but that was the only one. I am glad that I had them done for her. She had so much fluid it could have damaged her ears permanantly. I hope that you will make the right decision not for you but for your daughter. Good Luck!
-A.

chronic ear infections can be a sign of allergies I would look into that before deciding on tubes

Hi S.,

I think I can relate to your story. My son who goes to daycare full time and now 26 months of age had his first ear infection at 9 months. He also had lot of fluid in his ear constantly. From Dec 06- April 07, we took him to a chiropractor in Westwood who worked miracles on his ear and he was EI free that winter.

We stopped our chiropractic visits in Summer of 2007 and come September 2007 the fluid buildup/ear infections started with the onset of each cold. He got 2 EI's in fall 2007. We went to an ENT specailist and they recommended PE tubes more so to prevent hearing loss and future EI's. We however decided to try going to the chirpractor again but the fluid still remained though he was EI free. I also felt my son was not doing too well speech wise compared to other kids and was sure that the fluid buildup was to blame.

Ultimately, and after a lot of consultation with several doctors and talking to many parents (I was very very skeptical about PE tubes and wanted to avoid them at all costs) we did the ear tube surgery on March 12th, 2008. It was a 5 minute procedure and my son was back to his normal self within 2 hours. After the PE tubes, I can proudly say that he has made remarkable progress in his speech going from 2 words to full sentences, singing the alphabets and now talking non-stop (all within a matter of less than 2 months). I am hoping the EI's do not return. He has had 2 colds so far but I think next fall/winter will be a real test!

As a mom who has tried both chiropractic and medical, I would suggest you try the former first (esp considering your Father-in-law is a chiropractor). If it works on your lil' girl, great-you can avoid surgery. At the same time, I would also strongly advise you to do a hearing test with an audiologist. If she fails and chiropractic treatment is still not helping, then tubes would be a great way to go. This may also provide both you and your family and most of all your lil' girl a lot of relief (not to mention staying off antibiotics). Hope this helps and hope your daughter gets better soon!

Hi there,

I considered myself lucky because my daughter never had an ear infection. Then when she was 5 I noticed she was not answering us very well. Come to find out, she is one of those rare kids who had been having chronice ear infections her entire life but had never had any symptoms. As a result, she had so much puss (sorry such a gross word) packed in her ear canals that she was losing her hearing because her ear drums could not vibrate correctly.

At 5 She had a T&A and tubes put in the same time. Never had another problem and her hearing returned to normal on its own. The tubes also fell out on their own eventually, as the doctors had told me.

Unless your father in law can fix what ails her, go with the tubes. In my experience, it worked.

Good Luck,
M.

My son has had two sets of tubes and is doing great! His first set was at the age of 14 months, they lasted for about a year (as they tell you) and then he got another set at 4 years. He is now 6 and hasn't had an ear infection for about a year. The procedure to put them in is simple. I went with Dr. Readon from Mass Eye and Ear. He has an office at Crown Coloney in Quincy. My concern was that his hearing and speach would be effected if we did not get the tubes. Just something to consider. Good luck in making your decision.

Hi S.,

I'm also a chiropractor and have helped dozens of kids get rid of ear infections for good, never need an antibiotic again and even prevent scheduled surgery for tubes. Do your own research but ask your father-in-law to adjust your daughter and her ear infections should go away. If you want any more info or research so you can make your decision let me know.

Allie

My daughter got her first double ear infection at 7 months and proceeded to have five infections in six months (all except one a double EI), back to back. She'd be off the antibiotics for a week and it would be back. We went through countless antiobitics as she developed a tolerance. After the fifth EI, we were referred to an ENT, who gave us the option of putting her on preventative antiobiotics every day or doing the tubes. We are not big on medicating when we don't have to and feared if we put her on another antibiotic she would develop a tolerance and then when she got something other than an EI, we'd have no treatment option. So, we made an appointment for the tubes. Of course, the day of the appointment she has another double EI and is running a fever too high for them to do the surgery. She finally had the VERY EASY and QUICK procedure a week later and has not had a single health problem since (other than common colds). It was a year in February. Before the tubes, it seemed like she was always sick. My only regret - that we waited so long to get the tubes. They have been a godsend and I would not hesitate to tell a single person to get them. Just trust me, it is a lot harder on you than on them - two hours after the procedure, my daughter was crawling around as if nothing happened. The only side effect we had was that things seemed loud to her because she had been so used to having to hear things through the fluid. Please feel free to email me at ____@____.com if you want to talk about this at all.

I have a beautiful granddaughter who also had numerous ear infections. Her pediatrician recommended a pediatric ear specialist who after examining her determined she should have tubes placed in her ears. Her parents vacillated back and forth about whether to or not. After researching they finally came to the decision to go ahead with the tubes. I was distraught to think she would be placed under anesthesia and what ifs...but when I thought of all the pain, the fevers, the crying when she tried to sleep, I knew this was for the best. They made an appointment with Children's Hospital and the procedure was performed. I also was there and was very relieved at how it was done with minimal invasiveness. The doctor told us that the tubes would eventually fall out on their own and made an appointment to see him again to check things out. She was 1-1/2 years of age when this was done, and today she is 4-1/2 years old and has not had a problem since, just the usual colds, etc. When I think that she could have had hearing problems because of the scarring of all the ear infections, well this just reinforced their decision. I hope this has helped and my suggestion would be, talk this over with your husband, your child's pediatrician and have it done at Children's.

My daughter had 6 ear infections in as many months as soon as she started daycare. And they were bad ones. We got lots of advice, and went with tubes, and I'm so glad we did. The surgery was so fast, and, after some crying in recovery, she was totally fine. We never needed another pair, and post tubes, she's had one ear infection (and she's three now! She got the tubes when she was 10 months old).

People suggested eliminating dairy, chiropractic care, homeopathy, etc. Perhaps all of those things would have worked. We went with what, to us, seemed the simplest option with the best evidence of improvement.

I can only imagine how the stress of a sick kid is compounded by arguing over the best course of treatment. My only advice about that is that you and your husband listen to the doctors that you chose (your pediatrican and ENT) and make a decision the two of you. Ask their opinions and for evidence about alternate methods of treatment. Whatever you decide, your in-laws will deal.

I would only use tubes as a last resort (which it may feel like, but bear with me). One of our foster children (2 y.o.) had chronic ear infections - double ear infections, and the doctor started talking about tubes and profilactic (sp?) antibiotics. My partner had tubes as a child and thought it was awful and didn't help. My sister also had tubes - she still had ear infections. I didn't want her on a long-term antibiotic. I had heard that chiropractors could be helpful in stopping the infections and found a pediatric chiropractor. Insurance didn't cover it, so we paid out of pocket (and had to get bio parents and DSS permission), but since the course of treatment she hasn't had one since (we are still in contact with her a year and a half later). The adjustments were very gentle. She got to hear "popcorn" in her head a couple of times, but mostly it was just gentle touch to open up the ear canal and let the fluid drain. The night after the first visit she really cried and I called the chiro who said that it was normal. The next night she made no complaints and didn't make complaints about her ears after that. Maybe your father-in-law could work on her - or suggest a pediatric chiro.

Good luck.

I had to make this decision also when my son was 10 months old. He had ten ear infections within six months and finally we saw the ENT who recommended tubes. It was the best thing we ever did! I am a nurse and work for a pediatrician but I still had difficulty knowing I would be putting my son under anesthesia. Since he had his tubes done two years ago he has only had one ear infection - and that is only because the tubes are now displaced. I think the one thing that really pushed me to have him get tubes was when our pedi mentioned that his hearing and language could be affected by so many ear infections. Good luck to you!