Tubes and Walking

S.,

I am an audiologist who worked consistently with kiddos in the clinic before I went back to school. If your son is scheduled for pressure equalization tubes, that means he has fluid behind his ear drum that will not drain or absorb on its own. Chronic fluid can often lead to speech, language, and hearing deficits. It can also lead to secondary issues, like the balance problems you described in your son. Others have reported it as clumsiness with or without delayed gross motor development (crawling, walking, etc.).

The doctor will suction the fluid before placing the tubes. You should notice a difference relatively soon in his responses to your voice. However, I do not recall reading anywhere about how quickly his motor skills will get back on track.

Good luck and I hope you all do well. Take care!

Hi S.! My son had the very same issue. He had one continuous ear infection the 1st 10 months of his life and his hearing screenings didn' go well. We got tubes one day and he VERY next day he took off walking so fast it was almost a run! I know that each child will respond differently, but thought I would let you know of my experience. My son actually had 11 ear infections in 10 months. Basically the doctor explained that it was the same ear infection that never was cured. Tubes worked wonders and fell out on their own about a year or two later. The hardest part is watching them come out of the anesthesia!

Hi, my name is J. and I am a Social Worker with the Infant & Toddler Intervention program and we give Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) services. Children develop in a range and that range can be pretty large. Fluid in the ears can effect equilibrium but once he gets the tubes he should be okay. Sometimes, especially if there is a lot of fluid and "gunk" in the ears, it may take a little time. As far as walking, if he is not cruising furniture by 16 months I would encourage you to get a free at home evaluation by your local ECI program. They can look at his language and walking which are two things that can be effected by ear infections. However, if you are very concerned right now you can go ahead and they will come to your home and let you know where he is developmentally and give you some ideas on how to help him achieve they goal of walking or talking if he does not qualify for services. The services are also given in your home. For more information about ECI or to find a program close to you go to http://www.dars.state.tx.us/ and click on Early Intervention Services (on the right hand side of your screen). You can also email me at ____@____.com if you have further questions. I hope this is helpful. J.

You are right on target, Mom. When a child has problems from ear infections it can most definitely affect walking, talking, hearing and overall development. I think you are doing the right thing to have the tubes put in as soon as possible. Hopefully, (unless there are other unforeseen problems)you'll see a tremendous difference.

There's no particular time limit on how soon a child walks after taking the first few steps, so try not to be concerned unless the delay lasts past 15 months. But I do think you'll see a difference when the tubes are in place. And, as he grows and the tubes drop out, you'll know it right away if he still needs them.

Good luck and God Bless you. I'll have you all in my prayers on June 9th.

Your ears do control your balance. I have heard a lot about how they start talking quickly after tubes, but not a lot about walking, but it makes sense. If you are worried, I would go to your pediatrician and talk to them, or find another pediatrician. You do have to be your child's primary fighter and trust your instincts.

S.,
I am no expert, oly a mom who has had a very similar experience! My oldest daughter was 11 months when she got her tubes put in, and like your child, she had been taking a few clumsy steps for at least 1.5 months, but not making it too far without falling. Her hearing wasnt as compromised as your childs is, so I am not sure how serious his situation is. I can tell you this, however, the day we came home from the hospital, after the shock wore off, she walked across the room for the first time and never looked back. I was in shock, as it had never even crossed my mind that she could have a balance problem. So, it may just clear itself up. One word of warning, in case no one tells you. He will cry a lot when he is coming out of the anesthesia, and there wont be much you can do to calm him. It feels eternal, and a bit shocking, but it will subside, especially when you can feed him again! All my little one needed was a bottle of formula and she was fine. Also, things will sound much louder to him at first, so the phone ringing, or the tv on, kindof scared her at first, but she quickly got over it. It was a great decision for us, one that we had to make again for our second, but you willbe so happy when you can stop guessing if he is teething, just grumpy or has another ear infection! GOOD LUCK!!!!

I wouldn't worry too much about the walking thing yet. Alot of babies will take a few steps and then decide not to walk again for a while. However, your ears do play a vital part in your equilibrium and may be throwing him off too. What doctor is putting his tubes in?? My son had tubes placed at 10 months and it's been WONDERFUL....no problems since. Take care of his ears first before you worry about his walking, esp. since he's just now 1. Many kids don't even walk until their 15 months or so. Hope this helps.

all i can say is that tubes are miracles! both my kids had them and they never had another ear infection, their hearing improved, etc. i can only assume that ear infections could cause some balance issues.

but about the walking. i wouldn't worry too much about that. my kids didn't walk until they were 16 months old.

but i do again have to say that i think you will be so happy with the results of the tubes. for me they were lifesavers. good luck.

I don't think there's any need to freak out. The ear is involved in the vestibular system and if he has frequent infections like you're talking about then he definitely is afraid of falling and therefore not going to walk. My son has had two sets of tubes (he'll be five next week) He got his first set at 2years. The process immediately releases the fluid from the ear and so I would think your son would start walking very soon after. He may still be afraid of falling if he's become accostomed to the lack of balance sensation, so you might help him walk with assistance so he gets a safer more steady sensation and is ready to go on his own. If he's not walking by 15 months, tell your pediatrician. Also, how is his language developing having had these infections? You may consider having him evaluated by a speech pathologist if you have concerns.

I'm not a doctor or anything. Just a mom who has been through it all. My son has Down syndrome and my mom is a pediatric nurse. I'm also an occupational therapy graduate student and so I've been plugged into the medical world for a long time. I've been a nanny for seven years also and I've seen and heard it all.

But really, you should ask this question to your child's ENT that's doing the surgery. If you're not comfortable asking your ENT, I would recommend contacting Dr. Evan Bates at Plano Presby. He is the best in this area. I can't stress that enough.

Let me know if I can help further.

R.

I'm a deaf ed teacher, and I took some audiology classes. This is just my opinion, but I would ask an audiologist or your ENT doc. The inner ear is what determines your balance. Some deaf people (depending on where they are deaf in their ear) have trouble with balance. It should clear up if he's getting tubes in and since you're taking care of it early instead of later, but I'm not a doctor. My son didn't fully walk until he was about 14 months old, and he's not delayed in any way. Hope all this helps!