Ear tubes

Danalana wrote: Today, I took Kade to the doctor...he got a cold in December that turned into an ear infection. He took antibiotics for 10 days, but got sick soon after he was done. BOTH of his ears were infected then. So he took amoxicillin for 10 days, and started with congestion and stuff on Wednesday. Anyway, now it's in his left ear. I don't understand why it's not going away. I was thinking it was the same infection that just wasn't clearing up, but she says they were far enough apart that they would be called separate infections. They are referring him to an ENT for possible tubes I know we don't have to, and she told me my opinion does matter. if I want to wait and see if it clears up and stays that way, the ENT will probably do that. My gut just tells me he really doesn't need them. Have any of your kids been referred to an ENT and were able to keep the tubes away?

Mommy2Isabella replied: Isabella was referred to an ENT, and had to get tubes, its not that bad, it took like 5 minutes seriously!! She had, had like 5 ear infections in less than a year.

DVFlyer replied: My ex's daughter had tubes... VERY quick procedure and other than keeping her ears dry (ear plugs in whenever she was around water) it was a non-issue.

Our Lil' Family replied: I think an ENT referral after 2 ear infections is a little soon. I would want to try a stronger antibiotic first and see how long he can go between ear infections.

Danalana replied: Well, she's calling this 3 separate infections, but I really don't agree. I think it just never cleared up well to begin with.

skinkybaby replied: I'd definitely keep a close eye on it. With our oldest we waited too long hoping it would clear up on its own and it ended up affecting her hearing and speech. Thankfully all of it cleared up after she had tubes inserted, but she still had to have speech therapy to catch up.

The surgery itself is a piece of cake. It took maybe 15 minutes and she was back to her perky self within an hour of waking up.

boyohboyohboy replied: I agree that it seems like to fast for go to the tubes..
he hasnt had that many..
I know caleb used to get them all the time, and he has no issues with hearing or speech...he had at least 5
and jake had over three
andrew has had a few, and this last time, he had one that was started in oct. and then every two weeks after an antibiotic we were back at the dr with the same thing..ears..
he had this until the first week of Jan and just now got rid of it.i think the antibiotics were not strong enough and it kept mutating the bacteria so that it took a stronger one to get rid of it.
there is no harm in a consult though, but i think I would hold off and see if he gets them further..

lisar replied:
It might have been only 2 to you but if they are not clearing properly tubes might be the best option. Lexi has had to have 5 ear surgries. And the tube ones literally take 5 minutes. Before you can walk to the waiting room sit down the dr is comming out to get you. And you would be suprised at he will be after wards. There is a big difference

Mommy2Isabella replied: Tubes made a huge difference with Bella. Before she had them she wasn't walking and was talking but not always clearly.

She started walking the SAME DAY she got the tubes and started talking much clearer in a few weeks.

If he does indeed need them I would do it. We were a little apprehensive but it has payed off big time.

lisar replied:
Its true. I never knew Lexi couldnt hear the wind blow. We literally walked out of the hospital and she heard it and it was amazing to her. It is perfectly normal to be worried about it though. I was for sure. But your a good Mom you will make the right decision that you think is right for your child.

A&A'smommy replied: while I think tubes are a WONDERFUL invention, have you thought about taking him to the chiropractor first? they align them so the fluid can drain properly so it doesn't get trapped and get infected. Autumn goes back to her doctor in a week or so and if she has another infection or fluid trapped I'm taking her to the chiropractor to see if that helps if not then we will probably end up with tubes.

MommyToAshley replied: I don't think it would hurt to go and hear what the ENT has to say. He may not even recommend tubes yet. But, if Kade's ears aren't draining properly, I would get the tubes. Ashley has never had an ear infection (knock on wood), but my neice has dealt with them all her life. She had tubes as a kid but still ended up with some hearing loss and having surgery in her teenage years. It's an extreme case, I know, but my point is that I would at least go and hear what the ENT has to say. If he does recommend tubes, you can ask questions to find out all the pros and cons before you make your decision.

I hope Kade feels better soon.

lovemy2 replied:
Chriopractor is not a bad idea but do alot of reasearch and make sure the one you take them to specializes and has mucho experience with infants - otherwise I would ask for a stronger antibiotic, go to the ENT for the consult and go from there - both my kids had at least 3 - 4 ear infections their first year and we were never told to go to an ENT but maybe because they were always far apart....

Good luck it can't hurt to see the ENT and go from there...

DillsMommy replied: Dylan went to the ENT when he was about 1 and a half. He started getting ear infections at about 3 mos. old They suggested we wait and see if he would grow out of it and he did. I don't remember him having many ear infections (if any at all) after he turned about 2. My friends son though, had them put in and they worked so well. It's such a simple procedure and can make a huge difference. But I'd say--go with your gut.
It wouldn't hurt to atleast go to the ENT and see what they suggest and then decide from there.

3xsthefun replied: Sorry I'm no help at all. But wanted to give you

jcc64 replied: I'm with Jessy--we went the chiropractic route with excellent results and no tubes. When Noah was a baby/toddler, he probably had over 10 separate infections, maybe some of them never went away and they were related, who knows? He had so many that he got used to them and never even indicated he was having any pain after awhile. We'd find them accidentally when we'd be at the dr for something unrelated. When the dr recommended preventative antibiotics for 3 months, I balked and sought alternatives. (living where I do, alternative medicine is pretty common) I took him to a chiropractor on the advice of a friend, not really understanding what a chiropractor could do for an ear infection. We went once a week for about a month. She massaged the lymph nodes in his head and somehow, she got them to drain more effectively than they had on their own. He was a pretty hyper kid, and he loved the treatments so much--he would literally pass out on the table every time, he was so relaxed! She also recommended that we cut out dairy for awhile, pointing out that dairy is a mucous creator. And finally, she put him on a probiotic supplement to balance out his immune system. I don't know which of those things did it, but he never had another ear infection again. Why don't you consider that before jumping right into the surgery option?
If you are going to consider the surgery route, if it was me, I'd seek at least 2 ENT's opinions. Surgery's surgery, it should always be a last resort, imo. If you do need end up needing it, I'm sure he'll be fine, but why go down that road if you can avoid it?