Planning Ahead

My nephew has had 2 sets of tubes put in his ears and they may have to put a third set in. He was 13 months old with the first set of tubes and they instantly saw a change in his hearing ability. The number of infections also decreased. His second set of tubes was probably around the age of 4. One of the tubes has come out and the other is about to come out. He is now 6 years old and is still gets an ear infection a couple of times a year, sometimes quite painful. The doctors still think tubes are a good choice. So it's not unheard of, it doesn't seem to eliminate all infections but it does seem to decrease the number of them. Good luck!

HI S.

I know what you mean about not wanting to get the tubes uless necessary. In Feb 2007 the ENT said one of my boys needed them but I wanted to avoid surgery if possible. He continued to get ear infections and needed to be on an antibiotic which I did not like administering. Surgery or antibiotics???? I chose to go ahead with the surgery. He needed the tubes for he had fluid as well as those on-going ear infections. The tubes really helped him and I was pleased that I had made the decision to go forward with the surgery. This Feb, 2008, he began to be a fussy boy, just not happy as usual. I took him back to the ENT for a checkup and the tubes were about to come out.He had fluid on his ear again. My other baby the same age had not had as many ear infections...was not as prone to ear infections as the first but had been diagnosed with more than 5-6 so the ENT said he should get tubes also. I really did not want to do both boys...BUT after much thought I decided if I was going to err, to err on the side of caution as far as the pain, antibiotics, possible hearing loss, etc., due to ear infections. They both got tubes late Feb.and both have been really well since. You might decide to go ahead if the ENT says your child has fluid..OR wait to see how your baby does this spring. You can always arrange for the surgery at a later date. Good Luck, K.

S., does your daughter have allergies? In the days when my son had ear infections, it was thought that an adenoidectomy for allergic children was as effective as tubes and never needed to be repeated. I don't know what the thinking is now, so maybe asking the ENT his/her opinion on that is a good idea.

I know a person who had many repeated ear tubes in childhood, and he was left with a permanent opening in his eardrum, which had to be closed surgically. He has a loss of hearing due to the scar tissue from all those ear tubes. So just putting them in over and over is not a good idea, but your daughter's lasted a long time. Did she get ear infections in the ear that the first tube fell out of? I would not put them back in unless the ear infections return and can't be controlled with antibiotics, but that's just my opinion. Let the doctor's information guide your decision.

Hello S.. My son is 6 years old. He has had ear problems from an early age and 1 set of tubes by age 1. The ENT is suggesting accupuncture, another set of tubes and or tonselles and anoid removal. I personally do not think in our case a 2nd set of tubes would help. He had so many problems with the first set. One tube stayed in for about 4 years and caused the hole in his ear drum not to close. In my opinion, I don't recommend a second set but every child is different. Yours may respond better than mine to the tubes. Good luck, I know how frustrating this can be.

My son Nathan had 3 sets. After each set he waited many months between surgeries, and suffered hearing loss and bad colds. For the third set, they removed his adenoids AND put the tubes in and we have had no further problems in 2 years (and the set fell out awhile ago). He no longer has ANY infections and he is breathing better at night.

BUT there are diff. symptoms for diff. kids. If your child doesn't have difficulty breathing (ie - breathes through her mouth not her nose) and sleeps quietly without snoring, she may not need the same course of action.

Dr. Hessan is a very conservative ENT if you want to know if she REALLY needs the tubes or not. He has an office is Ellicott City and one by St. Agnes. Sometimes kids just need the tubes until the grow enough for their Eustacian tubes to curve down and let the fluid drain rather than collect.

Good luck!

S. - my son is a bit older but have your ENT check your daughter's adenoids. We had constant infections, antibiotics, etc. Had ear tubes for awhile also but it turned out my sons adenoids were large and were blocking the airflow which created an environment where bacteria flourished and infections ocurred resulting in more fluid, etc. Once the adenoids were gone and the fluid suctioned out of his ear tubes he was fine and we never had to go back to ear tubes.
Hope this helps.
Gabriele

My son has had 2 sets of tubes. I will tell you I put off the second set fearing it was not needed. He later had a eardrum rupture. I am not sure it was because we put off the tubes a second time...but as a mom I do fell a little guilty. He is doing fine now. We also opted to have his tonsils removed at the same time as the second set. Our new ENT suggested it would help reduce the ear infections too since his were enlarged and near the tube from his ear in his throat. I do not regret that either. He has been much better since. I wish you the best with anything you decide. Share your concern with the doctor too.

Take care
W.

HI, my son had 2 sets of tubes as the first set fell out also. He had the second set for 2-3 years, and only had 1 ear infection when we PCSed and he stayed in a pool for the whole time we were in hotel. If the ENT suggests it, I would seriously consider it. He just recently got them out and we have had no other problems. He had hearing loss after the first set, but not after the second. He starts swim lessons in a few days, so I guess we will know for sure more soon! Good luck from one military spouse to another...the medical route is not fun!

Yes S., my name is W. and my son had three set of tubes put in his ears. They all helped very well he is now 12 years old. The third set was an emergency set, when i took him in to the doctor he had a temperature of 102. So i had to rush him in to a ear doctor for a hearing test and he was almost death in both ear so two days later he had the third set in. So yes no matter how many it takes it will help, that was his last set. I had the problem with my son from the age of 6 months to the age of 4 or 5.

S....I know EXACTLY what you are going through. My son, who is now 7, has bee going trough this same thing since birth. He got his 1st tubes at about 1 yr old and the ENT suggested doing another set again when those fell out. We, like you, hesitated at the thought of putting him through it again because our son was born with a heart murmur and putting him under for that again seemed wrong. But the benefits out weighed the # of infections he has had. Those fell out about a year later too and the Fluid and infections started to come back again. So...yes we did another set last year-this time it was the permenant tubes that don't fall out after 6 months or so. And it has worked great. The number of infections decreased. He still gets the fluid and some infections but it is usually around the change in season, so I am thinking its all allergy related. The one thing that helped us is buy a good set of ear plugs and use them in the shower,bath or swimming. I got my sons set from the ENT's office. They cost $8 but it works alot better then those wax ones from the drug store. Good luck and hope this helps.

Hi S.,

These are questions you need to ask your pediatrician. If you are not satisfied with your current pediatrician, seek a second opinion.

As you know, tubes are put into the ears to relieve pressure from fluid build up behind the ear drums. This is to prevent hearing loss. If their is fluid behind your child's ear drums then, the pressure needs to be released. Many children now a days have to have this done multiple times.

Good luck. HOpe this helps. D.

S.,
My son is 5 and he has had 2 sets of tubes as well. I would not hesitate to do it if your ENT says she needs them again. As a child I had cronic ear infections and back then they waited to do tubes. I would not wish that on my worst enemy, I remember the pain and it was excruciating. I know that as a mom we never want to send our children into the operating room, I was sick to my stomach each time he went in. But it was so worth it, my son is delayed in his speech because of the fluid that was behind his ear, but he is catching up, but more importantly he is not getting the infections like he was.

A.

Hi S.,
I am also a military wife:) So to help with your question. . . I have 4 year old twins that both had tubes put in when they where 18 months old. My daugther did fine with hers, no more ear infections, started talking more, etc. My son on the other hand continued to get ear infections (always had a ton of discharge too). Not as many as without the tubes, but still too many. His set of tubes fell out very soon (like after 9 months). We had a second set put in and also at that time had his adnoids removed. After this he was great, no more infections, talking up a storm, etc. So I guess just be prepared to talk about adnoid removal too.
good luck,
C.

Both of my children had 2 sets of tubes when they were young. My daughter (13 now) had one set at 10 months & the second set when she was 3 1/2. When her first set came out, her ears filled with glue like fluid, therefore we had the second set. She said she could hear again after the second surgery. My son (10 now) had his first set at 2 - he did not talk until he had tubes. Then, he had a second set at 3 1/2. After the second sets fell out, we did not have many ear infections again. The tubes were a great choice for us.

My now 3 year old has had 2 sets of tubes. The first set helped but he still had some ear infections. The second set really did the job! He has only had one ear infection since and he began talking really well after the 2nd set. I would trust your ENT, they usually know best.Express your concerns to him/her and maybe he can soothe your concerns! Best of LUck!

hi S.,
both my boys had agonizing ear infections and i was at my wits' end, so went along with several sets of tubes for both of them. they still ended up with ear infections (possibly fewer than they would have had) and scarring in their ear drums.
if i had a do-over, i'd have stopped with a single set. the ear infections are so awful for the little guys, but the surgeries (and anesthesia nightmares) were no picnic either. it's a tough choice. good luck.
khairete
S.

Ask what type of tubes. Some will stay in better. Your doctor will hopefully explain this to you. My daughter had a second set put in at 3. Her doctor called them "t-tubes" because of their shape. She is 5 and they are still in with no problems. She had cronic fluid in her ears which resulted in a hearing loss. She no longer has the fluid and has had no ear infections since the second set. Of course, all kids are different.

My son had massive amounts of problems with his ears. He had tubes put in at about 2years of age and had his adnoids removed. At about the same time his ENT said he had Eustation tube disfuction and he was put on a liquid allergy med. I wish I could remember what it was called it was 16 years ago. The liquid help to keep his Eustation tubes opened so that they could drain properly. His tubes came out after about 9-12mo. and he had an ear drum rupture when he was about 4 years old. All that said he has perfect hearing and has not had an ear infection since he was about 5years old when is Eustation tubes strated to drain correctly on there own.

Hello S.,

My 7-year-old son is on his 5th pair of tubes. He has profound hearing loss in his right ear and moderate to severe loss in his left. He uses hearing aids. His hearing loss is part of a syndrome. Fluid in the ears completely eliminates any hearing he does have. Very bad for school-aged children trying to make it in a hearing world. If you've seen a decrease in the number of infections your daughter has had to endure and your ENT doctor recommends a 2nd set, do it!

Hi S.
My niece (a twin) had a lot of problems with ear infections, but the key for her was the doc took out her adnoids (not the tonsils too) & put in the tubes & it worked really well for her. The tubes eventually fell out, when she was younger. She's now 13, fails almost every school hearing test, but when she goes for the more extensive hearing test at the doc's, she passes every time.
So maybe ask your doc about the adnoid thing (I don't know if I'm spelling it right - I spelled it like it sounds). Good luck, because there is nothing more miserable then a child with an ear infection.

This is the first time I have responded to a question but feel I have some knowledge in this area. I worked for an ENT for many years. Sounds like your daughter kept her tubes for quite a while if she is now 5 and got them @ 8 months. I don't know if she has seen the ENT since the tubes came out but the first thing you need to know if has the holes closed from the tubes. If they have not then the doctor will watch that situation to see if they close on their own or need a patch. I think the main consideration of a second set of tubes is how the ear infections/fluid are effecting her hearing. If she has hearing loss without the tubes but it improves with them then the tubes are important. If she has continual fluid behind the ear drum that fluid can cause a thickening of the ear drum which can cause a permanent hearing loss. Hopefully this is a situation she will grow out of and maybe has already. Many children just need the tubes at an early age and then the ear infections seems to decrease and hopefully go away. Tubes do help to ventilate the eustachian tube which can help to prevent the fluid build up so if she continues to have that fluid your doctor may very well suggest another set of tubes. Good luck.

N. H.

you can always leave it out for say 6months and see what happens. if she continues to get ear infections then at that time you can have another one put in. its hard to tell how she is going to do. but given her history i dont think it will hurt to have another one in at least until she is around 2-3yrs old. especially if it will help prevent any further hearing loss.

Hi, S.,
I would not hesitate to proceed with a second set of tubes, if your ENT recommends it. My younger two boys both have had multiple sets of tubes. The older of the two went without tubes for 18 months(he received inadequate medical care). He is now 9yr and has slight hearing loss in one ear. My youngest son did not have the delay in surgery and at 6yr has no problems hearing.
Good luck.
K.