Ear Tubes for 19 Month old...how Risky Is It?

My son had tubes put in his ears when he was three. He had failed the hearing test at school so I took him to our doctor. He had almost total hearing loss in one ear and the other ear wasn't much better. (He had repeated ear infections since birth.) He was also having problems with his speech.

The surgery didn't take very long and let me tell you. The differance was amazing!!! He had to tell us to turn the radio down in the car because it was too loud! That was ten years ago and he hasn't had any infections and his hearing is still good!

I have never had one of my kids get tubes in their ear but I have had to watch my son be put under and completely understand the concern/fear that you have with that. I have had several friends that have had tubes put in their kids' ears and they have actually noted a lot of improvement, not only with their ear infections but also with their hearing and communication. It is something that if I were told that is the best thing for my son/daughter, I would do it only because of the great releif both for the child and for the parent. Also, as you know already I am sure, Antibiotics given too often create an antibody in the system and then they don't work anymore.

It is terrifying to put your child under anesthesia. Our son was 2 1/2 when he had tubes put in. He had a terrible ear infection last winter and the fluid never drained and he was having a terrible time learning to talk. Less than a week after the surgery he was able to tell everyone that Barack Obama was going to be the next president. I felt terrible that he had to suffer with the fluid for even five minutes much less six months. But it has been taken care of now and I would do it again. Just make sure you get a doctor you completely trust. Don't let the doc bully you in anyway, like they know more than you. She is your child and you know what is best for her! Good Luck.

Dear C. M,
I was touched by your comments because I too am a C. provider (in home) and have two children. My son had to have tubes at 16 months and I had the same fears as you did. It was a difficult thing letting them take my son from my arms and into the OR but it was the best thing for him. He had so many ear infections that we had tried all of the antibiotics out there just to give him some relief. The poor thing only went about 1 week in 4 months without an infection. Do some research and talk to other parents in your area about who they would recommend to do this procedure and you will be so glad you did!!! It is always scary to put a child through surgery but if you think of it like immunizations (which of course is not fun either) and that you don't like to have the doctor poke your child but you know it is in their best interest the same principle here. Also consider the long term affects if you choose not to: permanent hearing loss, develop an immunity to antibiotics, etc. Good luck with your decision and I am glad that I made that decision for my son!!

consider taking her to a chiropractor. my son had ear infections every month (sometimes a couple of times a month) from the time he was 6 mo to a year. he was even taking anitbotics daily to prevent them and would still end up getting them. he got to the point where the strong anitbotics didn't work. they to suggested tubes. my grandmother told me to try a chiropractor first before doing the surgery since the tubes doesn't prevent the infection only drians the infection into the stomach and he may have to have it done several times as he grows or they fall out to early.

after talking to the chiropractor to me it made sense that the neck is out of place and pinching the drain tubes in the ears. with learning to sit up, crawl, climb and walk and all the falls and tumbles they take while learning moves the vertabrae's out of place. after taking him to the chiropractor only a couple of times he didn't have another ear infection for 8 years... he got that one after swimming alot one summer. just another suggestion before doing the surgery and putting the little one out.

good luck with your choice and little one, i know how its no fun to have them in pain!

My daughter had tubes at 18 months after repeated (6 in 6 months) ear infections. It was hard but I'm so glad it did it. It was most hard to be there when she was put under but before I could even get settled in the waiting room and grab a cup of coffee, it was all done. And, she just got her first ear infection since the tubes - 1 year and two months later! It was totally worth it for her not having to go through all the pain and the repeated antibiotics. I understand your trepidation, but unless you have some sort of medical history of not doing well under general anesthesia, I would say the benefits far outweigh the risks. In fact, I just scheduled my 6 month old for tubes since she’s had an ear infection for 3 months that hasn’t cleared up. Some kids are just prone to ear infections more than others. I had tubes when I was little too (and my parents were big believers in Chiropractors but it didn’t work for me). Good luck!

My daughter had tubes put in both ears right after she turned only 13 months! It is sad to see them being put under.... But it literally takes 15 min & the recovery is really fast, not even a few hours & back to normal. Everything went fine with hers, she is now 2 & they are still in place.

My daughter was 18 months old when she had ear tubes put in due to repeated ear infections. It was one of the most difficult decisions of my life, but turned out to be one of the best. Prior to getting tubes, she was having speech issues. On the day of surgery we were home by noon and, at lunch, I had never seen her so giggly, happy and 'talkative.' She could hear! In very short order, her speech improved dramatically. ... and she never had another ear infection - not one.

Hello!

My oldest son who is now 7 had tubes put in his ears right around the same time your child may or may not. His reasons for getting them were different, but he got them. Watching them put your child under is horrible! I cried as I was walking out. When he start to wake up, that was horrible, he cried for forever. Last summer Seth had to go under again to get the tube removed because it was causing infections, apparently they put to big of a tube in. Now that probably isn't normal, however I would reccomend trying a chiropractor before having the procedure done. I work for Express Health in Lakeville. It is a family chiropractic office and I watch Dr. Cory help lots of kids every day. Including both of my boys. I wish I would've known back then that chiropractic care can help with ear infections and many more issues as well. Ultimatly you need to decide what is best for your child. I hope my story has helped. If you have any q's don't hesitate to ask. Good Luck!

My daughter has tubes put in when she was 6 months old -- it was the best decision we made! She hasn't had any issues since (she is almost 2) and once she had them in, she started sitting up, crawling, etc. Getting tubes put in is an every-day occurrence for these doctors so I see no big risks. We went to Childrens and the people were wonderful! I wouldn't hesitate if I were you! Good luck!

My oldest (who is now 8) had tubes put in 1 week before he turned 1. It was the best thing we did for him. He had the tubes in for 3 years and he only had 2 ear infections. Since his tubes came out he has only had 1 other ear infection. Like someone else said, it was amazing the change in his speech after getting the tubes. It was like a switch came on, I guess his ears were so plugged he wasn't hearing things right.

As for putting him out, our experience was just fine. Recently my youngest had to be put under. He was under in 1 minute. When he woke up he was just fine, he didn't cry. He just wanted to drink and eat.

Good luck in what you choose.