Fluid in Ears Concern

You might try eliminating dairy from his diet. Dairy can play havoc on upper resperatory and ENT issues.

The tubes are no big deal. Get them if he needs them. My grandson didn't talk well and had the sound of a hearing-impaired person when he did. When he had the tubes put in, they found a huge wad of mucous in there that would never have gone away on its own. He said to us "why are you talking so loud?" His language is fine now. It was an amazing difference!

K.,
I just went thru the same exact thing with my daughter who is 18 months. She experienced an ear infection basically from September until the tubs went in, February 2009. I was very concerned about the procedure but it was actually very simple and she didn't even seemed bothered. It took all of a few minutes, I didn't even have enough time to grab a cup of coffee and the procedure was done. Hardest part was when they put her under, used gas which is much easier to come out of. It did effect the speech, she is just starting to say things which is alot different then my first child when he was talking or at least saying several more words than her. I see a complete change in her though, seems to me she can hear alot better. Hope all goes well, you need anything else let me know.
P.S. - Several people I know have had this done.

My son had chronic ear infections from age 3 months to 11 months. He ended up getting tubes. While I was very nervous, it is a very routine operation and lasted only 10 minutes. I do not regret a minute of it because he could hear and sleep finally at 11 months old.

My nephew had hearing problems too and it was ear infections. Tubes cleared it right up.

If you do have the tubes put in I am sure you will see a huge difference. Of course as a mom you are going to be a wreck that day, but the rewards are great.

Good luck.

Tubes are no big deal. My son started talking words almost immediately. He was two. In fact, the kids do not realize anything had been done afterwards. Warning: When using the wax ear plugs when they go swimming, do not push them down inside; just spread it inside the outer ear. I did the pushing and my son had to have them surgically removed. I did not want any water to get into his ears. Tubes fall out when they are ready.

K.,
Everyone has fluid in their ears. It is a natural occurrence. Adult bodies are able to drain the fluid because our ear canals don't lay horizontally. Infants' canals do, and sometimes the fluid builds up and turns into ear infections. My son had many infections before he turned 2, but was talking before he was 1 year old. My nephew had delayed speech (about 6 months behind) due to his ear infections. Both boys had ear tubes done in surgery. It helped mine with his infections. My nephew is still delayed, but received speech therapy and is progressing nicely. It is a routine surgery.

i also highly recommend a chiropractor and a food elimination diet.

hi there when mt son was little like that he had tubs put in. it was not to bad he was down for about a day or so. the tubs fall out on there own and you dont even know. just watch his speach. he got the tubs right before he was 2 and we had 2 years of speach with him he had a prossesing disorder do to the fluid he heard the sounds a different way it is a lot of work in trying to fix the issue you had to pratic the sounds till they get them. good luck some kids get the tubs and things just click right away and the get the sounds without help we did not get that lucky
take care

Like someone else said earlier everyone does have fluid in their ears. I know that it is very scary, especially the first time, but it really is worth it. My son, now 11, had many many infections. After getting his tubes they stopped. He got his first set just before his 2nd birthday. He has Down's, so his tubes will always be horizontal, instead of naturally declining, however it really has been the best thing ever. As a warning though, sometimes they do fall out early and if it hasn't been over a year, you may have to have it done again. It really is a routine surgery and we've been through it 5 times now. I hate to say that it becomes easier, because you do always worry, but in some ways it does get easier! Good Luck to you!!

K.,

My daughter had tubes put in yesterday. She is 18 mos. She had a lot of fluid and persistent ear infections since Jan. DON'T WAIT!!! I would push for the tubes now.

She felt immediate relief...we can tell by her personality and we heard 3 news words yesterday pm alone.

The surgery took less than 10 minutes. They had her away from me for less than 20 minutes. She was back to her old self (just little more sleepy) by noon yesterday.

K.,
fluid in the ears is common, especially for instance after an ear infection but it is cause of concern if it stays a while since the child listens as if he's underwater...

My daughter has fluid in her ears for several weeks after an ear infection and it was not draining by itself very well, she has trouble hearing and I got concerned. The pediatrician gave some nasonex to help dry out the fluid but it was not enough and he was already talking about glue ears and tubes.... I went to see an osteopath for her, he "manipulated" her (gentle massages) and 3 days later at the pediatrician's office...no fluid anymore in the ears !!!

I highly recommend to see an osteopath or a chiropractor : for them helping the little skull bones to move better is easy and safe and very efficient to drain ears from the fluid. They can even show you how to do it (for just the "help drain the fluid in the ears", you basically have to massage around the ear) and when your child has a cold you can do it and help prevent ear infections.

To find an osteopath who does manipulative treatments (what your son needs) :
http://www.osteopathic.org/directory.cfm
uncheck "Search All Specialties" and check "Osteo Manipulative Treatment

It's really safe and efficient, consider this solution ! It usually takes 1 session, it's a pleasant time for the child, he gets to have little massages, no fear, no pain... and it works wonders ! Worth a try !

my daughter had tube put in at 18 months because of cronic infections....at the surgery centers I have been at (one for tubes for daughter one for tonsilectemy & adnoidectomy for son) you get the maks they will use to put them to sleep with when you git back in the prep room to try to get them used to it...then 1 person was allowed to go into the operating room until they fell asleep (about 30 seconds) then by the time you get situated in the waiting room for the "long wait" the ENT is coming out to let you know that the tubes are in and everything went fine...really no more than a 10 min surgery yes they are put under so there is a concern but the benifits outweigh the risks in my opinion....after the surgery we just had to be careful about getting extra water in the ear so she wore earplugs when bathing and swimming other than that there is no special care....your son will be groggy for a little while after surgery but by the next day you wouldn't even know he had anything done and the inprovement to his speech will seem to be immediate (excuse the spelling errors as spelling was never my strong suit)
K.

Both of my kids had tubes, and it really is a piece of cake. It only takes about 10-15 minutes and they're set. It was horrible waiting for them because it is surgery and they are put out, but it was definitely worth it. My son's hearing improved dramatically, and we noticed a difference with my daughter, too. It's a hard decision to make, but I'm definitely a believer that it helps. Good luck!!! =)

Yes I have! Try to cut back on milk-and give your child robitusin and zyrtec! If ANYTHING...at least try the Zyrtec! Robitusin gets rid of fluid. Works like a charm! Promise!!

I'd look at his diet and consider some major dietary changes and use tubes as a last resort. Milk can be related to fluid in the ears...do you have a good allergist?

Hi K.- My son just had tubes put in his ears in February- and what a difference- He had constant ear infections and fluid from about November 2008 til February- since we had the tubes put in he hasn't been sick at all and he suddenly starting saying more words more clearly- The tube procedure went quite smoothly- it took about 20 to 30 minutes ( spent more time trying to calm him down than anything) We had it done a Children's. I would say if your child has constant fluid to get the tubes- you won't believe the incredible difference.

Hi K.,

Reading your post brought back so many emotions as we went through the same thing with our son (he's now 5 and doing VERY well). At age 18 months, he drooled excessively and like your son, did not speak clearly. I took him for his regular visits and his Dr. felt he was fine. When I took him to a shot clinic, the LPN suggested I have his hearing tested because she felt something was wrong. We took him straight to our ENT Dr. He ordered a hearing test and our son had hearing loss and blockage in his ears. He placed tubes in his ears the following week and our son began speaking clearly within a couple of days. He was hearing as if fingers were in his ears. We are SO grateful to the nurse and ENT for helping our son. I wish I had not trusted the Dr. so much. Her office was always so busy and she never really took much time with our children. This may be different for your situation, but the tubes did wonders for our child. My oldest also had to have tubes. It's a very simple procedure and I'm pleased with the results for both kids.

K.,

Our son had frequent ear infections from birth to age 3 when we learned he has 7 food intolerances - some of which cause his body to produce more fluid and mucous that his body can get rid of.

Right away we took him off the "bad" foods and started substituting ingredients in all of our recipes. We also took him to our local chiropractor. Before the chiropractic visit our son had a bit of fluid in the ear and was starting to show signs of being uncomfortable. The chiropractor shifted the vertebrae in his neck to adjust the angle of the drainage tubes from horizontal to the proper angle. Two days after the first visit the symptoms disappeared completely and he hasn't had an ear infection since - our son is now 7 years old. In the beginning we took him to the chiropractor once a week and then just once a month. Now we are down to about once every 3 months. He is doing great!

Try eliminating the most common food culprits from your son's diet - all cow dairy products and wheat products. You will need to check labels religiously while going through the elimination. If you see his symptoms ease, then you will want to introduce one of the foods in its pure form at breakfast and track his symptoms. Continue to add the food at lunch and dinner and watch for symptoms for the next four days. Do not introduce the food again - just keep track of any changes. If you notice symptoms soon after you introduced the food at breakfast do not give him any of the suspect food for lunch or dinner. The results of this test will tell you what foods your son cannot tolerate and how much of the food he can eat before he starts to visibly suffer symptoms.

Just keep in mind it takes 4 full days before foods are completely eliminated from our bodies. No testing should be done until after this time period.

Good luck with your son and I hope he is feeling better soon.

-C..