Ear Tubes - Pekin,IL

Usually the IV is put in first and used to deliver the initial anesthesia drugs. After they are asleep, they are intubated and gas keeps them asleep.

Welcome to Mamapedia, E.!!!

My youngest had tubes at 13 months...no IV was done. The procedure was all of 17 minutes long. He was a TOTALLY different baby after the procedure!! They let me hold him when they put him under and it was VERY hard on me because the day he was born he flat lined on me and went limp in my arms...if it hadn't been for the leads hooked up to him? I would have freaked out...I just walked out of the OR crying to my husband's loving arms...I went to the bathroom to wash my face and it was over - that fast...

He will do GREAT!!! The day of the surgery - we went home about 1.5 hours afterwards - he was HAPPY!!! He was moving around...it was a GREAT experience - really!! My son slept the night through after that and could FINALLY lay on his back to sleep!! Even LIE FLAT to sleep!!

YAY!!!

We just had our 3rd set put in 2 weeks ago on my 2 year old. No there is no IV they just give them some gas and put them in twilight state. The procedure only takes about 10-15 minutes and they come out pretty quickly.

Since mine is so little I stay with her right until they take her back to the OR and they bring me in as soon as they come out. They even let me hold her as she comes out of the anesthesia. They do monitor them for a while to make sure they wake up okay, and they make them eat, drink, and go to the bathroom before you can leave. I took my own food and drink with me and make sure you have plenty so they go to the bathroom quickly, or you may have to wait a while.

If you realized how quick the procedure is, and the teeny, tiny size of the tubes you wouldn't get nervous. My nephew had a 7 AM procedure and was playing with his toys on his living room floor by lunch time. And that was 25 years ago when technology was less sophisticated. Consdier a chiropractor who specializes with children. I worked with a young mom whose son had dozens of earaches, he was in chronic pain it seemed. The tubes did nothing for him. 3 visits to the chiropractor and the child was healed!

Good luck mama - he will come through this with less trauma than you - we moms make ourselves crazy!

My daughter has had them twice. Yes, they should put the IV in AFTER he is asleep. They give some liquid med to make relaxed and sleepy, then give them gas to send them off, then insert IV to give further med to keep them under. This last time, my dd was 8 and they tried to just go straight to the IV, they were nice about it, asking her and I how we felt about it. She still wanted the gas first and then the IV once she was out, so that's the way they did it. Clear this with her doc first so there isn't any confusion on the day of the procedure.

Our 2 yo just had this done .... They did not give him an IV. Just some gas to out him to sleep for the less than 5 minute procedure. Your doctor will be better able to answer this question. Call the nurse and ask for sure.

I'm pretty sure there was an IV, but it was a long time ago. When my son had his done we were invited to the Childrens Hospital a week before the procedure and they walked us and our son through everything that would happen that day so we were all very prepared. Ask your doctor if they do something similar.

It's a hard one for the parents sweetie. The kids do fine.

They use gas at our out patient surgery center for it. For the kids dental work they use general anesthesia and it's sooooooo much easier than the gas stuff.

With the IV the meds go in, they're out, the meds stop, they wake up with little hang over.

With gas it goes in and they go out. They wake up confused, scared, and it takes nearly an hour for the smell of the gas to be out of their breath and get completely out. So it's harder on the parents, the kids really really really come out of it fine and don't really remember it but want to snuggle a lot for a day or so.

Please call the surgery center as all have different procedures and have them talk you through what typically takes place. This way you won't be surprised. The doctor should be called as well so you know what their ideals of how that day should go and you will know from the actual people who will be touching your child. You will also know better when to speak up for him if needed.

My daughter had her second set of tubes in January. She DID have an IV and was put under local anesthesia so she had a breathing tube. When she was 3 years old, she did not have an IV or breathing tube.

It goes very fast - 10-15 minutes. It is scary to see your kid go 'under' if you choose to be in the room with him while he's getting put under (and if they will let you) but I felt better BEING there with my daughter so she wasn't wheeled away without me. Recovery was the longest - about 1-1.5 hours and she had to eat a popsicle. Second time around, my daughter slept ALL day...but she was also given Oxycodone for the pain where as she was not given that when she was 3 (she also had her adenoids out so that could be related to that).

Next day (both times) she was back to completely normal but I did let her eat only ice cream, yogurt, etc for two days!

If an IV is used, it is put in after asleep. The Re not incubated for this procedure. In and out within two hours. Going to dentist is worse.

Hi E.,

My daughter had tubes when she was 4 1/2 and I was also nervous. She didn't have an IV -- just a mask. If they were to do an IV (my daughter just had her adenoids out and had an IV), they'll put it in after he's under anesthesia. If he's healthy, he should respond well to the anesthesia.

The procedure is very quick -- about 15 min. The hardest parts are saying goodbye (when the anesthesiologists take your child to the OR) and then coming out of anesthesia. (Because they are under for such a short time, they are super disoriented when they start to wake up.) My daughter was crying uncontrollably, but after 10-15 min., she was fine. And she was fine afterward -- she wanted to play when we got home. We were at the hospital for about 2 1/2 hours in total -- very quick.

One thing I should mention is that I highly recommend using ear plugs in the shower/bath/pool/etc., no matter what your ENT says. My daughter was VERY sensitive to water in her ears, and when we forgot the earplugs, and water got in her ears, she got a nasty ear infection. You can buy 6-12 pairs on Amazon for under $10. And you can re-use them until they lose their stickiness.

[If your son does get an ear infection once he has his tubes, make sure he gets ear drops with steroids in them right away. This should clear things up within a few days.]

If you have any other questions, please feel free to e-mail me. I gathered lots of advice from moms before my daughter had tubes, and it really helped. Her hearing improved significantly!

(We were at Children's Hospital -- now Lurie -- and they are really great over there.)

Best of luck,
R.

I know it's next week, but wondering if you tried chiropractic first? I've seen it work in about ten kids I know personally and is SO much safer!

when my daughter had hers done last summer (age 5) they put her iv in after they took her back. im not sure if they did it before or after she was under. they have to have an iv in for all surgical procedures.
my daughter and i also watched youtube videos about it.