Recurrent Ear Infections - Houston, TX

We went through that same cycle. After the 4th infection we put tubes in his ears. I would do it again in a heartbeat! My hubby is an audiologist and the professionals that he asked for an opinion said that many kids are really prone to ear infections and that tubes are the most effective way to clear the ears. We had them put in when he was 10 months. To this day if he has any drainage from his ears, we call the ENT and he simply prescribes ear drops. Antibiotics are nasty but necessary! I think that most moms whom opt for tubes are relieved that they had.

The tubes in ear are no big deal. Just remember when they have fluid in ears they are not hearing clearly. You baby is learning to speak by hearing. It is to important not to have tubes in ear.

I went through the same thing with my daughter and at 11 months (after almost constant ear infections from about 3-4 months on) we put tubes in. She has had 1 ear infection since and that was when the first set of tubes fell out and she got a cold. She literally started walking the next day after she got her tubes at 11 months. She is now 2 1/2 and has had her 2nd set of tubes for just over a year and they are still in and working perfectly and she has not had an ear infection since. Another bonus us while all the others kids have runny nasty noses, her's is clear and clean!!!

i have heard amazing testimonials from chropractic care for ear infections.... give it a try!

if you need an office, i have a good on...

Okay...here's the thing...tubes are overdone, in some cases parents just get tired of dealing with the multiple infections and place the tubes...In some cases the doc is over protecting himself, if i do this it will prevent the child from POSSIBLY having future issues...

Tubes should ONLY be considered in three cases. 1)your child's ear drums have burst more than once (extremely painful, and i promise you will know when it happens) as ensuing scar tissue can cause hearing problems and deafness. 2)if there is so much fluid in your child's ear on a constant basis that they do not develop normal speech patterns. Constant fluid filled ears make it difficult for the child to hear you speak and this he/she falls behind in speech development because their speaking is garbled (just like what they hear) or non-existent because they cannot hear well enough to know what to do... and finally 3)is becasue there is some genetic or other major problem with your child's ear canal or timpanioc membrane (where the tube gets placed) requiring such and action to relieve the problem.

Other than that kids get ear infection. Some get them more often than others. I am FULLY aware of the inconveniences regarding so much illness, but it only lasts through the first 2 - 5 years with some tapering off beginning after 2 and after 5 ear infections should be rare...

I fully respect and encourage people falling within the above guidelines placing tubes in their kids ears, I had to do so with 2 out of 3 kids (oldest experienced issue #1 and youngest experienced issue #2), but there are alternative for helping your child with an ear infection if you do not believe the antibiotics are working or simply have issues with giving your child so much medice...I have linked several sites that discuss it.

http://www.drgreene.com/21_1767.html

http://www.betterhealthcampaign.org/your-stories/natural-...

http://www.homemademedicine.com/home-remedies-ear-infecti...

I hope you do not think that I am attacking you in any way...my oldest and my youngest had ear infection after ear infection and I completely understand the difficulties involved with sick kids (especially as i weas a single mom when my oldest was small and having these issues - i ended up missing over a monh of work because she was constantly ill) so I am well versed in how over done the procedure is. In both cases I waited until it was determined as absolutely necessary, it is very hard to see a small child being prepped for surgery of any type...

Good luck to you and I sincerely hope that your son overcomes his ear infections without the tubes. Barring that, I wish you well for his surgery, it is outpatient in nature and he will be a completely different child once he realizes he can really hear. Just remember to follow the docs advice regarding water in and around the ears afterwards.. ;-)

http://www.4healthykids.com/infant-ear-ache/ear-infection...

http://www.healthychild.com/ear-infections-alternatives.htm

I had two children with recurrent ear infections. Because we kept trying all sorts of different meds it never really cleared it up, my son has speech problems. So, if anitbiotics really aren't working I suggest tubes. It really isn't a big procedure. It's harder on the moms than the child. I have heard that cutting out dairy products will help with ear infections too. Your child might have an allergy an that is what is causing the problem.

When my son was 8 months old he started getting ear infections over and over again. After almost 6 months of being on different antibiotics I finally took him to an ear, nose, and throat doctor, even though my pediatrician said that this was not something that he was worried about. It turned out that my son needed to have tubes put in - and that he was behind in speech (by this time he was almost a year and a half) because he wasn't hearing other people's words as clearly as he should because of the build up of fluid in his ear. Basically, in his case it is a hereditary thing - no big deal. We had the tubes put in, and almost immediately his speech got better and he caught up quickly. He is 6 and 1/2 now and I think that we have maybe had 2 ear infections since. The tubes have long since come out.
The doctor that we saw here in Austin is Dr. James Kemper. He is really really good and very nice. I would recommend just having him take a look. He is not quick to just put tubes in and it would be good to at least rule that out. Especially if it could help so much.
Good Luck,
E.

J.. I am so sorry to hear of your situation, but have you ever tried Chiropractic? It has worked wonders for kids with ear infections, and parents that are hesitant about the tubes and medication. I know a super pediatric chiropractor that my son adores. Message me for his name.
L. S

J., get the tubes as soon as they will offer them. I am the mother of a child with chronic ear infections. For the first two years of her life my husband and I refused to get tubes. We were all freaked out about our baby under general anesthesia and complications that could arise. If I have one regret it is that we didn't get them sooner. There is no reason she should have gone through the constant pain of reoccuring infections. Once we got the tubes the change was immediate. The same day, she became a happy and interactive child and started speaking right away. The infections typically make everything sound like they are underwater and can retard speech and even lead to hearing loss. The whole procedure lasted all of 15 minutes and changed her (and our)lives...we finally started sleeping through the night. Please re-consider the tubes.

I understand exactly how you feel. Our son was constantly getting ear infections. It's not good for a little one to always be taking antibiotics.

It was a tough decision, but we decided to have ear tubes put in. He's on his 4th set! It really has made a difference. He will still get ear infections, but not as often and not as bad.

Good Luck.

Rosie

FYI, if you do have to put tubes in his ears, remember that he will grow and eventually the tubes will fall out on their own. My son had what we eventually concluded was one year long ear infection. When he had the tubes put in the Ent Dr. said that the pus was so thick he had to irrigate and irrigate. I couldnt believe how much better he seemed to feel after the surgery. About a year later he was so cranky and yelling alot for about 2 days. I was feeding him in his highchair, and noticed something black by his earlobe. It was the tube which had been working it's way out and must have been bothering him...Just to let you know...Hoping for the best for you and your son.

My daughter is 6 years old now but we had similar issues with her at 9 months of age. Amoxicillin never worked. Sometimes she would respond to Omnicef but the fluid would remain even after the infection cleared up then in a few weeks the infection would come back. She could not sleep at night because everytime we layed her down in her crib, the ears would hurt (from the pressure of fluid behind her eardrum). I did not want to resort to surgery but I could tell that she was suffering so often that we did decide to have the surgery when she was about 12 months old. We were refered by a friend to Dr. James Martin in sugar Land. He is a great ENT I highly recommend him! She started sleeping all night that very first night! The surgery took only about 15 minutes! I was so nervous and asked lots and lots of questions (especially to the aenesthesiologist) But I was so happy that we decided to have the surgery. It made such a difference in her life as well as ours. Sleep deprivation can be brutal! Also, she would have eventually had hearing loss which would have delayed speech. She actually started speaking very early and could sing the ABC's beautifally by 18 months.

I hope this helps and that you find an excellent pediatric ENT like Dr. Martin. Good luck!

My son had the eternal ear infection starting April 16th, 2005 (3 months old) and lasting until October 10th, 2005 (date he got tubes put in). His kept switching from one ear to the other during this entire period and he was on various antibiotics during the entire 6 month term. No ear infections since.

HOWEVER, if you do not wish to get tubes and would like to get him healed without antibiotics, then I suggest a treatment called Neuro Modulation Therapy. My son has a skin condition called Epidermal Nevus that is very rare and has no cure. I found out about NMT when I started a new job and the lady I work with has a holistic practice and performs NMT. I decided to give it a try (I had nothing to lose). My son has been going to weekly treatments for 4 months now. We have literally seen the condition clearing. He developed a patch on his forehead that is completely gone. The patch on his back is also disappearing. It's a slow process for this condition, but it is working. There have also been some other, more common conditions we have had treated that have cleared up quickly. The best part is that there has been absolutely no drugs involved, no invasive procedures and great results. My son is actually treated through me as a surrogate, so he gets to sit and play during the entire treatment. It has been wonderful.

If this is something you are interested in, I would be happy to talk to you more about it. You can reply to me by e-mail at ____@____.com.

Make him sit upright to drink or nurse - daytime or night - the angles of his tubes, which are not yet fully grown will not be proper until he is a bit older.

Consider switching him to soy milk, and keep his congestion controlled so othe infection is not so quick to have a breeding ground.

Good luck. We went through this until my daughter was 2 - finally go ttubes, and her adenoids out and life has been 10 times better for all of us since.

good luck.

My son was like this too. It once got so bad when he was 9 months that he had to go in for antibiotic shots three days in a row.
We tried chiropratic care with him and it did seem to help, but you have to be willing to take your child in multiple times in a month.

We finally opted for tubes and he hasn't had an ear infection since. The surgery was less than 20 minutes and he was up and playing that afternoon.

Hope that helps.

hi i to had that problem with my one year old, we waited to long to put the tubes in and due to all the ear infections he has early hearing loss. in the week following the procidure i saw a big change. it has been 6 months since the tubes were put in and he is not fussy, he talks more, and knock on wood infection free. so as a mom who was against tubes i say it may be the best thing for you little boy.

I have a few friends who have had the same problem, and their doctors refused to put tubes in the ears before a certain number of ear infections within 6 months. You are right that 2 months is too soon to think about tubes, but don't be too hesitant about them. My sister and I both had recurrent ear infections for years as children, and our pediatrician refused to put tubes in (he didn't believe in them at all). As a result, our ear drums have so much scar tissue that we have had numerous problems as adults. Neither one of us is allowed to scuba dive, go too far down in the pool, or jump into the water from too high up. Once our ear drums rupture, they are unable to heal on their own. I have had surgery twice on one ear drum (in different spots) to repair holes, and my sister has had one surgery and probably needs another for her other ear. Neither one of us can hear as well as we should, especially if there is alot of background noise. She will probably need at least one hearing aid before the age of 40. My surgeries were more successful, so my hearing is still within normal ranges (without background noise).

I'm not trying to scare you, but I would not let the infections continue longer than the doctor suggests (1 1/2 years or more?). I'm sorry I don't have any other suggestions, but I just wanted to let you know that tubes are not always a bad thing. Good luck. I hope things resolve on their own.

My son had recurring ear infections. He would have in one ear and in ten days it would be in his other ear. Soon it would be in both ears. It would continue for months. All the doctors would do is alternate with antibiotics and then he had two get two big shots in each leg for two days in a row. Finally, he got tubes in his ear. Yeah, no more ear infections. Don't wait too long because your child is getting scarring in his ear that could affect hearing and also delay speach development.

My daughter developed ear infections a bit later in life about age 2. She had 1 maybe ear infection before that was treated because we were going out of town the next day. Doc said it would probably clear on it's own but since we were leaving the state he went ahead. Well getting chronic ear infections at a later age was really strange to me. I started doing all kinds of research and came across information about reflux being related to ear infections. They did a big study at children's philly. So I researched my daughters other strange symptoms....chronic runny nose dark circles under eyes; vomiting while sick(but no stomach bug) always seemed like she had a cold to go along with her ear infection. Then the clincher she had morning breath. Strange on a 2 year old. Brought it up to my pedi and he put her on Prevacid. She has not had a cold or ear infection or even a sniffle in over 6 months!!!! From what I read the Stomach acid gets pushed up while they sleep and gets into the eustation tubes in the ears thus causing the infection. It also causes irritation to the sinus cavities in turn giving her a cold like symptom. Just a thought. Smell your kiddos breath or if you notice a really foul odor while sick it might just be Reflux. Good luck!

I know you don't want to do tubes, but we have 4 boys that have or have had tubes. They have really worked wonderfully for them. The procedure is short, and from start to finish you are only there for about 2 hours. It was the only thing that stopped and/or lessened our boys almost constant infections. Just recently we had tubed put in our 8 month old because we didn't want to wait until he turned 1 (why spend 4 more miserable months?) He was the youngest that had them done and he hasn't had one since. I know surgery for your your baby can be scary, but all of those antibiotics aren't good for him either. Good luck, hope he feels better soon!

My son had the same ear problems that your son is having. I had to take him out of day care. The ear infections stopped. I know that's not an option for you, so tubes may be the answer for him.Good Luck!

my daughter started having rally bad ear infections after i stopped breast feeding and the antibiotics and other meds they gave her never seemed to work. so...i went to our local health food store and asked if they had any suggestions, they gave me some ear candles and those worked like you absolutely wouldnt believe. if you wanted to try those i would definately recommend them.

I understand your apprehension about tubes. My daughter had her first ear infection at 3 months and it continued until she was 5 months. In that two month period, she was on three different antibiotics because nothing would clear the infection up. At the suggestion of our ENT, my daughter had tubes put in at 5 months. After the surgery, the doctor came out and told us our daughter had a massive amount of fluid in her ears. My daughter continued to have infections in her left ear and we had the tube surgically removed a year later. It is amazing how much her speech was affected by having all that fluid in her ears. She is 11 now and completely fine but it took several years for her speech (she had a lisp) to clear up. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.

Hi J.,
Sorry to hear about your son's problem. My son Roman suffered from chronic ear infections the first year of his life. I too wanted to use tubes as a last resor.Allergies were causing my son's ear infections. When we were put on the correct medication we were infection free. It was something as simple as a nasal stray and ? (can't think of the med, this was 13 years ago).Hope this is some help.

Good Luck, L.

This might sound strange but what is your son eating? A lot of time ear infections allergies asthma all can come from food intolerance. contact me for more info

Hi, this may sound a little strange. My daughter was having terrible ear infections and we went ahead and put the tubes in but they still happened. It was weird because my first daughter never had them. I was talking to my cousin who is a chiropractor who specializes in wholistic healing and pediatrics and he asked if I had used petosin when I delivered. I told him that I had, and he said that the petosin contractions were so hard that they put too much pressure on the baby and that her alignment could have gotten messes up. He said that it could cause really bad ear infections. He suggested I start having her seen by a chiropractor. He said not to go to just any though, but to look for a wholistic doctor who will be interested in correcting and preventing, not just easing pain. I haven't done it yet but I am looking in to it. I just don't want to take her in for further surgeries. Hope this helps.

I would also look at what he is eating. My daughter suffered from a lot of ear congestion and ear infections. Once we stopped the cow's milk she stopped having ear infections. If he is on formula you could try switching to a type with a different base in case the has congestion due to allergies.

You could also look for a chiropractor that is experienced in working with children and infants. If things are out of alignment they could perform a gentle adjustment. My daughter also had three rounds of antibiotics before she was one year to clear a persistent ear infection. I'll never know if it was the third antibiotic or the chiropractic adjustment or both together that cleared up the infection & congestion.

You could also learn how to do lymphatic massage, or seek out a practitioner, to help with fluid drainage from the ears.

hi J.,
i also had the same problem with my son i feel the best way to go is with the tubes to mant antibiotics are not good the less you have to use the better ,i choose tubes and we had no problems at allgood luck
L.

You might want to suggest that he gets an allergy test. More than likely, he's draining that is settling in his ear canal is caused from his allergy to milk. Since he's only 6 months old, I can't imagine that he has been introduced to much more than milk. Once the allergy test is done then you can eliminate the food group that is causing him to drain which will eliminate the ear infection. Since he's already showing sign of allergies to something, it wouldn't hurt to see if he may be allergic to egg products. The reason being that most of the vaccines that he will be given in the upcoming visits are made with some strain of egg by product. A young person's body may not beable to handle the reaction and you may end up with the wrong reaction. Take the signs that your child's body is giving you and look for other options as oppose to just accepting the result of what it is that's causing the reaction.

J., There is something called earwicks. They look like dried up pieces of a sponge and you stick them in his ear and apply ear drops in them. This way, since he is only 6 months old, you can keep drops in his ears. Like Bevin, I had reoccuring ear infections since I was born. my parents tried everything under the sun to get them to stop. Sometimes there is nothing more that you can do than wait it our with the medications that are given to you. I wond up having surgery on my eardrum when I was 9 years old and now have a fake eardrum that works just like a real one. It is just made of plastic. Don't nix out the idea of tubes because it is something that would work wonders for your son, but at the same time try waiting it out with medication oral and drops a little longer. It may go away as he grows, and it may not. But I am sorry that are having a fussy 6 month old! I know how it gets when their ears are bothering them! Until that goes away, nobody is happy! Good Luck and God Bless!

My son started with chronic ear infections at 4 months old as well. He had to be on so many antibiotics that he is now drug resistant and his hearing was becoming damaged. The only thing that saved us was tubes. It eliminates the need for antibiotics most of the time since you can use antibiotic ear drops instead. His hearing is perfect now and I truly believe they were the best thing we ever did.

The surgery only takes about 10 minutes max and he was back to his normal self by the end of the day. I'm not sure what your hesitation is, but some kids just can't get over ear infections on their own. It is just their anatomy.

Good luck and we have a great Ear Nose and Throat doctor if you need a recommendation!

try acupuncture or accupressure - jennifer crain at www.thegojiseed.com has great experience and success in clearing up ear infections in kiddos

Hi J.,

Recurrent ear infections can be serious. They can compromise your child's hearing, speech, balance, coordination, and learning. It's always good to look for alternatives to surgery, but my child had 3 sets of tubes before age 5--she did not get any ear infections until I stopped breast feeding her at 8 mos. I wanted her to be comfortable, safe, and proficient in bodies of water, so the pediatric ENT referred me to his audiologist who made custom ear plugs for my daughter that did not leak. This was 20 years ago, in Austin, TX, with Dr. Sawyer, and I think he is still practicing. BTW, he told me to remind him to remove her adenoids. Good luck! jenifer

Some children with persistent infections can benefit from tympmanocentesis, which is an office procedure that involves puncturing the ear drum with a needle, and draining some of the fluid and pus behind the ear drum. In addition to relieving pain that your child may be having, draining the fluid allows it to be tested to see what bacteria is causing the infection and which antibiotic the bacteria is sensitive to. This procedure is usually performed by a Pediatrician who has training in performing tympanocentesis or by an ENT specialist.

My 3 year old had 23 ear infections before she turned 2. After numerous trips to the doctor with no solutions we finally took her to an ENT Spec. He said the 1st thing to try was putting cotton in her ears when taking a bath or swimming and to keep her out from underneath fans or out of high wind. This helped tremendously. Her infections got lighter and lighter and finally went away. She hasn't had one since right before she turned 2. Also, (don't know if you do or not) but smoking around infants and toddlers causes ear infections too. We were offered tubes but the doctor wanted to try the simple old school ways first and it worked. Some kids it will effect their waling and speech but my daughter was walking at an early age and her speech is wonderful. She has never had any problems with either.

Hi J.,

I wouldn't spend too much more time and money seeing his pediatrician. You might consider making an appointment with an Ear, Nose, and Throat physician that sees children. Both of my sons had recurrent ear infections when they were little. I spent a ton of money, time, and anguish going to pediatricians for help only to end up getting a solution by seeing a pediatric ENT doctor with each of them.

If you live in the Austin area there's an excellent ENT who sees children - his name is Brad Winegar, M.D. He's board certified, very knowledgeable, and very kind and gentle with children.

Good luck to you and your little one.

J. L
Austin

My daughter had recurrent ear infections as well as a baby, toddler, and young child. I discovered later that 1) I had been letting her drink a bottle in bed, and that may have contributed. 2) I never made follow-up appointments, so the original infection may never have been eliminated. 3) (and this may not be too helpful here in the summer), If I let her out to play so that her nose ran, she did not get an ear infection.

I know you will find an alternative!

Blessings,
M.

Hi J.! My son was the same way at that age! We tried everything and he would get a new infection like every other week! I didn't want to do the tubes either b/c i didn't want my child to be put under anasthesia. We took him to an ear nose and throat dr. And he failed his hearing test in both ears. They highly recommended tubes. After asking all of the questions i could think of i gave in. The surgery was 15 minutes max! That includes recovery time! He woke up a tad bit fussy for about 5 minutes and the rest of the day he was sooo happy! He started talking the same day. What a joy that was! He could hear what we were saying to him finally! But, i know how you feel. I just wanted to tell you that you're not the only one. I understand if you still are not convinced. But, he has not had another infections since! It's been about 6 months now! Good luck and take care!

HI. My son had recurrent ear infections and he is now 7. We have just maintained them by putting garlic oil in his ear. You can buy it at Whole Foods or Sun Harvest. It's a disinfectant just all natural. It is keeping them at bay. The doctor says they are red, but not infected and it's been 7 years. Hope this helps.

Hi1 My name is P. and I thnk you should put tubes in his ears. My son is 3 years old now but when he was that age he kept on getting ear infection after another and nothing would work so me and my husband decided to put tubes in his ears and it turned out to be the best thing for him. Ever since we put tubes in his ears he had not had another ear infection since then. I am in the medical field and the doctor I work for and several other people I have talk to had told me if I did not do this it could cause permint damage to his ears. GoodLuck!

I have suffered ear infections all my life. They are miserable. I have fluid in my ears 99% of the time. When my ears pop (hurts) I suddenly hear well, at least for a little bit, and then it's like I'm underwater again.

I am allergic to milk (didn't show up on the test) and mold but there must be something else I am allergic to as well. My allergist suggested a de-humidifier to keep the humidity less then 50%. I haven't tried that yet but I do avoid milk and it's BETTER but not GONE.

He's too young for most allergy meds and drs mistakenly say that children don't have allergies. But I would talk to your ped about that. My niece has been on antibiotics every month for the last five years and now her little sister is on them as well. Their pediatrician said that tubes in the ears is no longer used. I wish that she would pursue tubes or SOMETHING. antibiotics are really bad for you.

S., mom to four girls ages 1-5!

Unfortunately, some kids are more prone to ear infections than others. Many children will recover from ear infections on their own even without antibiotics. However, if your child is one of the lucky few that keep getting them over and over again, your pediatrician will continue to cycle you through the range of antibiotics (this is to avoid or limit resistance). After a certain number of infections over time there is the possibility of hearing loss. The only real way to avoid them is to prevent illness (almost impossible with a small child). Practice good hygiene and hand-washing and avoid sick kids. The extreme is to keep your child out of day care (not an option for most of us).

My daughter had 7 diagnosed ear infections in six months, so by the time she was 12 months we gave in and got the tubes. They were a life saver!!! She recently had a second set of tubes (the first set fell out early) and I can't tell you what a relief it has been. I understand wanting to avoid the surgery if at all possible (and believe me we tried), but when your child is sick all the time you will be willing to find relief for him/her almost anywhere. It is a big decision to make, but the tubes worked for us and I would make the same decision again.

you probably need a longer course of a stronger antibiotic. my middle son had the same problem, and we went round and round. i think he had 1 ear infection that lasted for 18 months, he never was completely cured, so it kept coming back. after 10 days of antibiotic everything seemed ok, but a week or 2 later we'd be back in the dr's office and his ears would be horribly infected again. it didn't help that he had no symptoms until it was really bad. ALSO - VERY IMPORTANT - have a follow up with the dr after the antibiotic to make sure there is no trace of infection left. if there is any fluid or infection ask for a refill or a stronger antibiotic. i am not a fan of giving babies lots of meds, especially antibiotics, but i wish i had known more when my son was a baby. we could have avoided lots of problems. 1 strong antibiotic for 2 weeks is better than 10 days of a weaker one over and over.