EAR Tubes - Gilbert,AZ

Hi T.

This is my comment to a similar question.
My DD is on her 2nd set of tubes, and fingers crossed this time no problems. She is so happy now, no ear infections, no pain and she hears everything, No kidding as soon as we got home from hospital she was sitting on the couch all confused and was like "whats that noise" kind of freaked out. It was the washing machine downstairs!! She had never heard it before!! Also one day we were in the garden and again she was like "whats that noise" we finally realised she could hear someone getting there grass cut like 3 streets away!! We could barely hear it! Her school work has also improved dramatically. We don't regret it at all. :-)

My son got tubes last year. We had some initial infections after the tubes but they were because we were in the height of swimming season and he had to put the foam plugs in and every time they came out he would just shove the same one back in, introducing bacteria and fungi in there. Haven't had an infection since though. What really helped was taking the adenoids out (the fluid wasn't draining because the adenoids were so large they were blocking it in there). I will say, I wish I had pushed the ENT to take the tonsils out all at the same time. He has large tonsils and every time he has a cold he has trouble breathing and drools and the ENT is reluctant to go in again and take them out. The ear tube recovery is pretty quick, combined with adenoid removal it is about 3 days.

I am a pysician assistant with a five year old boy. I avoided tubes out of fear of anesthesia. I can honestly say that finally "giving in" and getting tubes was the best thing I've done for my son. No more antibiotics, no more pain and he can get a cold without getting an ear infection. He was two when he got them, one has fallen out but he still has had no problems. The procedure was less than 10 minutes. I let him go with the nurses, got a cup of coffee, sat down and he was done.
I hope this takes some of the fear out of tubes for you.
-A.

You've gotten a lot of responses and I didn't read them all, but just wanted to say that my poor son has had countless ear infections this year and never had them before. We have been to the ENT and he is on a steroid nose spray, another kind of nose spray and allergy meds right now. We have until June 7th and if the fluid is not dramatically decreased, he will then be scheduled for tubes. I know it is surgery and I don't really want him to have to go thru it, but so many people have such great success stories once their kiddo got the tubes, that I am all for it now.

Here are my pro's
*Hopefully the hearing loss will be temporary and fixed for good if he gets tubes.
*He has to be miserable with all that pressure. Doc explained it feels like you are going up a mountain and yours ears need to pop. He has felt that way for over 7 months now :-(
*The much greater chance of less ear infections and less painful if he does get one.
*Not being on antibiotics all the time. I'm so scared he is going to build up a resistance to them and then when he does get another type of infection, they won't be effective.
*As if the above reasons are not enough--I can't stand his behavior on this steroid!!!! Ugh, the kid is, well, mean! Much more aggressive, much more easily angered and acts on the anger, much more sensitve, cries over everything now. Not sure if this is due to the steroid or not, but suddenly he can't live without being up my butt all the time. Throws huge fit when I drop him off at daycare. Won't go anywhere with anyone, just wants to be with Mommy. He used to love spending time with other family members, but not anymore. Mommy, Mommy, Mommy! This might also be because he can't feel good with all that pressure and he gets so frustrated that he can't hear. *Oh, and one more thing. He yells all the time now! I'm sure it's because he can't hear, but I catch myself thinking, if we don't get this fixed soon I'm going to have hearing loss too!

Con's
*Have to keep ears covered when gets wet. Swimming and bathing will be less fun this summer.
*It is a surgery.

Good luck with the doc and hope you get some answers very soon!

You may want to speak to a naturopath about trying nutritional therapy. It's not just eliminating things in his diet, but getting recommendations from the naturopath on what you can give him (likely in excess) that will regenerate the cells to heal.

The body does not choose what to heal first. It heals what is needed, when it is nourished.
The typical lunchable or peanut butter and jelly sandwich does not nourish the cells in the body. High nutrient content raw veggies and fruits however, do. There are ways to get picky eaters to eat these things, you just have to be creative.

For example, our "smoothies" are packed full of red cabbage, spinach and kale. It's simple: 6 ice cubes, 1/2 cup frozen berries, rinsed leafy vegetables, 1 scoop chocolate protein powder, and cold water. Blend till smooth.
When I use blueberries the smoothie is as purple as someting you get at Jamba. It's sweet, creamy, cold, and they LOVE it!

The fresher it is, the more nutrient dense and better for the body. Cooking foods immediately reduces nutrient and protein content by 50%. So the more fresh concoctions you can offer your family, the better.

If you have a juicer, you can experiment with different veggie and fruit combinations to see what works well together. And then you can use the pulp to make muffins - a little deceptively delicious. It's a great way to get kids vegetable fiber without them even knowing it.

Spinach can be added to just about anything. Pineapple is the best fruit to aid in digestion. Avocado spread on bread is a great substitute for mayo, or try hummus.

Try to stay away from hydrogenated oils (basically anything made from corn), white sugar, corn syrup, food dyes, preservatives. If there are more than 6 ingredients on a packaged food, or if you don't know what they actually are, you should not be eating it or feeding it to your kids. Is this always feasible? No, but you can control what he eats in your own home.

Good luck !

We did choose for our daughter to get tubes, and it was the best thing we could have ever done for her. The outpatient surgery took less than 5 minutes and we went out to breakfast afterwards! It's been about 8 months since she got the tubes and not one single infection since. Not one! No more infections, no more antibiotics, no more pain for my little girl:)

I might suggest seeing a naturopathic pediatrician. My friend is one and has really opened my eyes to different ways to treat medical issues. Before, I was definitely inclined to go straight to medicines and fairly invasive treatments. However, she's shown me a lot of research about the benefits of trying less invasive methods first and then ramping up treatment as needed. It's worth a shot!

Have you tried a humidifer? It helps my kids and me. It helps to coat the sinus's and help drain them. They help alot, I got them for both my kids and my room especially since the wind wont stop blowing in AZ. Stinking state. Have you done an allergy test? He may be allergic to something and that is what is making it worse. There is also a vicks humidifier which may or may not help.

I had 2 sets of tubes placed in when I was younger. There's nothing wrong with getting them and it might help your son in the long run. I agree with Patty K. see what the ENT says first. They might have a solution to all of this. Hope that your son gets feeling better soon.

Don't panic! My nephew and my sister both had ear tubes put in when they were little due to these same problems. It was an easy procedure and they never had ear problems again after this! It was WONDERFUL!!! My nephew it turns out also was having hearing problems and once the tubes were put in he suddenly could hear again. Don't worry. It will all be fine.

my 2 year old son just got tubes put in his ears a little over a month ago and we have nothing but good things to say about it. The procedure was quick and though it was a bit traumatic for him to wake up around a bunch of nurses he didn't know he was just fine and we haven't had any problems with ear stuff since. I know it's only been a little over a month since he got them but we were dealing with ear infection after ear infection and antibiotic after antibiotic so we are loving the results we have, not to mention his speech has more then doubled since getting them.

So worth it for us. It was a 15 min procedure. Our son was losing his hearing bc of fluid build up in the ear. He had the procedure done and now he hears at 100% again. He is much happier now too!!

Good luck w your decision.

My son's had them twice. He also had his adenoids removed. He is so much happier and healthier because of it. He may need his tonsils removed at some point; his ENT (Dr. Redfeldt who is phenomenal, absolutely love her) wants to hold off on this because it's not affecting his breathing but I know he does get more congested than normal because of it. His congestion did improve with the tubes and adenoid surgery. It was well worth it.

Hi, T.! My son had tubes put in at 23 months old and has not had a single ear infection since (he is now turning 3, so about 1 year ago he had them placed). The tubes are supposed to last between 6 months-1 year. My son still has his in, but I hope they fall out soon because our ENT said that they will need to be removed if they don't fall out soon....

If your son is a candidate for tubes, I say go for it. It is a very quick and simple procedure. Anything to help your child feel better is worth it!

Good luck!

My son went through a similar experience when he was 4 - no previous ear infections then bam one after another after another. When his hearing was tested and it showed significant hearing loss, I went with the tubes. The kind my ENT used did not require ear plugs when bathing or swimming. He had to have them removed (more permenant kind) when he was six and he has only had one ear infection since he had them placed/removed. His hearing was back to normal right after they were placed. I was scared too when those surgery forms came out, but I talked with his ped and realized that his hearing was at stake from all the infections! That was what convinced me. The surgery took less than 20 minutes and the removal took less than 10 minutes. Good luck with your decision.

Hi T.,

Bless your heart! I have 3 kids, all grown up now ages 24, 23 and 19, but your story brought back memories of when my son Ryan, the 23 year old, was little. I too was at the end of my rope trying all that you have, and determined not to have surgery for tubes. He seemed to always be sick, and one check up revealed that he was losing weight. We decided to have the tubes put in, and it was one of the best decisions ever made. His speech flourished, he began gaining weight, and he LITERALLY has not had an ear infection in the past 19 years! I hope you find a solution that brings health and peace to both you and your son!

L. :)

Both my girls had a TON of ear infections before they turned 2. My 2nd was sent to an ENT and she had tubes put in. WOW, what a HUGE difference! Sooooo happy we did it, even though I was a wreck because she was only 18 mo old. She did have a few ear infections after having the tubes, but the diff was, the fluid drained OUT of the ear, rather than pooling up inside causing pressure.

Crazy enough, my 6 year old has had 3 ear infections this year! Hasn't had a single one since she was 2! What the heck. During my last visit to the doc with her 3 weeks ago, I was told between 6-9 (I think this was the age) the anoids are still growing and as a result, the kids can start to have ear infections again. She said if she has any more this year, off to the ENT we go. Hoping we are in the clear, but who knows. The anoids start to shrink after 9 I guess. 1st I have heard of this.

Let me tell you, the tube procedure is sooooo quick. After they wheeled my daughter back, I walked to the waiting room and called my husband at work to say they had just taken her back. As we were in mid conversation (maybe 2 mins), the doc walked out and said he was DONE!! REALLY?!? It took an hour or so for my daughter to come completely out of the drugs, but so, so, so worth getting it done it they are needed!

He seems old to start with ear infections. See what the ENT says. My
son was on antibiotics for three years and he is a healthy as a horse now.
He eventually had tubes put in and worked well but he was 3. Good luck.

My 14 month old just got tubes this morning and it was SO fast! They do give them gas to make them sleep but they wake up right away and are only away from you for about 10-15 minutes! (my other daughter got them when she was 1 1/2 then got a 2nd set a year later)
I think it's a MUCH better option than continuing to have them on antibiotics which is what we would've had to do with both of our girls. My baby had been on 5 different antibiotics in as many weeks right before her surgery and the last one they did was Rocephin which is a very strong antibiotic that they give as an injection for 3 days in a row. It still didn't clear up her infection. :o(
I am so glad we went ahead with getting the tubes! I know it's nerve wracking though!

I can't imagine not wanting to let my child have tubes put in if that meant he would be healthier. Do what the doc recommends.