Wait 3 Months for Ear Tubes?

K.,
You could try Craniosacral therapy. It is wonderful for this problem and you may not even have to go thru the tubes. Integrative Pediatric therapy in Plano and Dallas have the best therapists in town. You can look it up at www.upledgerinstitute.com
L.

I absolutely agree with your ENT. My son had numerous ear infections last year and he likewise had fluid on his ears. Sometimes the fluid is there from a cold or allergies and will go away on its own without surgery. His went away on its own and didn't require surgery. Although having tubes put in isn't major surgery, it still requires them to put him under general anesthesia which always carries some risk. Why put your child through a needless surgery. My son was slow to talk at that age. I actually had ECI evaluate him at 2 because he had very few words. At this age they probably wouldn't even consider him speech delayed. Be patient. Wait and see if after 3 months his ears are better. Surgery isn't something that you should go into lightly and should be done only when absolutely necessary.

I personally haven't heard of waiting for 3 months. My DS had tubes in his ears at 13 months due to excessive ear infections which has caused him to be speech delayed and hearing loss. We waited 6 wks to get rechecked which we had scheduled his surgery day before hand. She suggested that he stay off of dairy and take allergy meds for that time. We came back 6 wks later then rechecked his ears but no drastic change and the very next day we had the surgery.
He has only had 1 minor ear infection since then, It has been 13 months since his surgery. He has been going to speech therapy twice a week since March which has been a HUGE improvement. He was only says about 5-7 words that weren't very clear and now his says about 30-35 words.

I would definitely ask why wait 3 months and possible get a second opinion.

Good Luck to you

Personally, it sounds to me like your ENT is just playing it safe, which can be good or bad when dealing with special needs children. I have two, so I know how you feel! If I am understanding your post correctly, this is the first time you have had to take him to the ENT? Has he had a history of infections, ear problems, etc? If he hasn't, I would definately wait the 3 mos. Reading throught the rest of the responses, the ones that said push it, their children have had multiple ear infections and problems, so I would agree under those circumstances. Many things can cause fluid behind the ears that can and will resolve itself quickly! I would definately give it a chance to do so.

But, if you are uncomfortable with waiting 3 mos, see if the dr will compromise with like 6 weeks or something like that. If he refuses to compromise, I would seek a second opinion. Doctors that won't listen to parents or compromise with things they are uncomfortable with aren't the ones I care to take my kids to! It is a hard balancing act with special needs children. You have to fight for what you think is best sometimes, but you also have to take the drs advice to heart also! That is why it is KEY to have a dr that listens to your concerns and will compromise.

In the meantime, I would have his speech evaluated. If you have a speech therapist agree with you that the fluid is part of the problem with his speech delay, you can use that to get the dr to move things along quicker and I would be more apt to say go for the tubes! (BTW-my son with cerebral palsy did indeed end up with tubes due to constant ear infections, but it didn't help nor hinder his speech at all...he was still greatly delayed).

I hope this helps allay some of your fears! A lot of drs don't like listening to parents and that is when they don't see me or my children again! But drs also like to have documentation in order to stray from their "norm" routines for dealing with things....

Good luck!!!
H.

I would get a second opinion and reasearch other types of treatment. I would most definatly ask him why he thinks that it is nessecary to wait 3 more months. I would also check into speach therapy. The big question is did he pass his hearing test? My son who just turned to was the same way with out any delveopmental delays. I really got concerned. I wonderd if the numerous ear infections had caused permenant damage. To my amazement he passed with flying colors. Just about a month later he finaly started talking. Little stinker I think he was just trying to make me worry :). Fluid build up is somewhat a normal occurance and unless it is causing infection they really don't like to do much about it. Good luck!

There is a face/ear massage that you can do that can help drain the fluids from ears and sinus infections. It also relaxes the child. I learned it through Doctor Mary Ann Block at The Block Center. She has a video that demonstrates how. The massage really helped with the ear infections my daughter got when she was younger. It also relaxed her and she got to where she liked the massage so much she would request it. Back then she would say, "Sage Mommy" and put my hand on her head.

We never had to go to the tube option. My daughter ear infections turned out to be food allergies. Changed her diet and she has only had 1 ear infection in the 4 year since the switch.

Before the tube operation, if you can, you might want to try double checking to see if the infections are cause by food allergies. Hope your little guy feels better soon!

Hi K.!

I would highly recommend checking out this site regarding ear tubes -- http://www.icpa4kids.org/research/children/earsurgery.htm. You can also find a pediatric chiropractor in your area that can discuss less invasive approaches as well.

Let me know if you have any questions! Best wishes!

Hi K.,

Although your son currently has fluid in his ears, it does not mean it will remain for 3 months. If he currently has allergies or an ear infection that can be the cause. Also, if the upper vertebrae in his neck are out of place it will not allow the ears to drain properly which will result in fluid accumulating in his ears. It is very common in children and is very easy to correct with a chiropractic adjustment. It is common for children with Down's Syndrome tend to have an abnormality at that level. Before getting tubes put in his ear, I would definitely explore other options to determine the cause of the fluid in his ears. I would take him to a chiropractor that works with children. At my office I can use muscle testing to check for allergies, I can examine his spine to determine if there are vertebrae out of place in his neck that may be contributing to his condition, and more. If you have any questions, are interested in scheduling an appointment or would like a referral to someone in your area, please give me a call at ###-###-####. Thank you!

Dr. Sandra S.

I would insist on it sooner. My daughter had frequent ear infections and when she was 8 months we had tubes put in her ears. She wasn't babbling at all prior, sitting up or crawling. Once the tubes were put in, her balance was back and she was able to hear better. She sat up for the first time, crawled and began babbling directly afterwards. However, at 18 months she wasn't talking like she should. I had her evaluated by ECI and found out she had a speech delay. Started speech therapy and is now 4 years old and is still receiving speech. She is enrolled in a PPCD program which falls under the special ed umbrella at the elementary school. But it's to encourage her speech and get her prepared and ready for regular kindergarten. Prior to this past January, she continued to get ear infections but not as frequent as before. The ENT put new tubes in her ears and removed her adnoids. She has not had one ear infection since. I believe that the adnoids stayed infected and that they would just flare up from time to time resulting in the ear infections. I wish we would have had the adnoids removed at the first time. If I were you, I would get a second opinion and I would ask about the adnoids as well. You could always insist on it if that is what you believe needs to be done. Waiting any longer will only delay his speech even more. It's a very minor surgery but it is surgery so I completely understand how stressful this can be. I wish you luck and keep us posted!

K.,
Ok, here goes. Two things. A child with downs may or may not be speaking at 18 months even without an ear issue. My sisters daughter did not start saying words until she was 3 and 1/2 years old. We taught her sign language. She is almost 6 now and we can't get her to stop talking now but all of the doctors, specialists and P.T. workers told us the same thing. She will learn at her own pace. I know how hard it is, really I do. He'll get there.
The other thing is this. If your son is having ear infections or the Dr. says that the fluid is infected then I would push the issue and push hard( my daughter had infections every 2 weeks until I had the tubes put in at 8 mos. old). I f those things are not happening and you are just concerned, and I see that you are, call the doctor. Set up an appointment with him or his nurse practioner just to talk about your options and conserns. One of his jobs is to make sure that you as a parent are as well informed as you need to be. Sit down and write out your questions and ask him all of them, and don't leave his office until you are satisfied that you have all of the info. I am not saying be mean. I would just make sure to get a good understanding of why he wants to wait 3 mos. and will it affect his speach more. Ok so there it is thats my thoughts. Hope it helps.
R. D

You can always get a second opinion. That is what we did and I am so glad that we did. I really was against the ear tubes in the beginning, but after 2 docs recommending it I am so glad that we did it. Even if there is absolutely no difference in speech development etc later on down the road, my child was in pain with all the thick fluid behind his ears. He turned into a different child after the surgery. He sleeps better at night, he naps longer during the day and you can tell he is not in anymore pain. He was having frequent ear infections from the thick fluid behind his ears and he has not had any since the surgery.

All this to say.. I believe you know your baby best and if you don't agree with what the first doc says.. do your research and get another opinion.

Good luck to you!

PS. My son's pronunciation greatly improved after 2 weeks! Poor guy was not hearing or learning the correct way to say his words!

K., I would call Dr. Cindy Haggerton in Hurst and get your son an appointment. She is a chiropractor who specializes in children. I have seen her treatment of children who were told they needed tubes in their ears totally avoid the surgery over and over. I know chiropractors are related to back pain and such but Cindy works with children with neurological issues, dietary issues, and ear, nose and throat issues. Her number is ###-###-####. She is out of town until Sunday but you can call her office and they will set you up! Take my word for it! Its much better than surgery and your sons verbal communication skills will improve also with the treatment.

A. Crowell, CPM, LM
Gentle Beginnings
Birth Center
###-###-####

Who told you to wait 3 months? Which clinic/Doctor do you take your son to?
Our son just had his ears tested ,again, they finally recommended tubes at the DS Clinic in Plano, it will probably take about 3 weeks before he can have the surgery.
My son is 2 and I wish they told us that earlier because he does not say any words. He is very verbal but not something you can understand. A speech therapist is working with him, but I think once his ear problems are dealt with i will only be a matter of time before he actually starts pronoucing words.
Call them and find out if it can be done sooner. The sooner the better!

Having done a little research on this myself, I understand that about 90 % of children with fluid in the ears will clear up over about 3 months, so waiting may mean you can avoid tubes. If the fluid lasts longer than 3 months, tubes would be the right thing to do.

Also, many people talk about research for ear fluid and infections. I completely agree. Be aware of treatments that are not scientifically proven to help. WebMD says the following: "The effects of chiropractic treatment on nonspinal conditions, such as high blood pressure or ear infections, have not been scientifically proven."

My son had several ear infections and it seemed he was on antibiotics all the time. I took him to a pediatric chiropractor twice for two adjustments. He has not had an ear infection since, and we were able to avoid tubes. The gentle adjustment to the neck helps with drainage.