Ear Troubles??

nicole27th

About 2 months ago I brought DS in as he was tugging on his ears and was acting out of character - no ear infection, just fluid in his ears.  2 weeks later, same thing so I brought him back in - ear infection!  Got meds, and he was doing better for about 2 weeks, then back to tugging.  He's teething, so I assumed tied to that and we had his 1 year apt coming up.  Went in, healthy as a bee, but has fluid in his ears.  She said it's teething related and can stick around for awhile, and that we will just keep an eye on it and to bring him in if he spikes a fever at all.

I guess I'm unsettled by him tugging on his ears so much and that there's been fluid in there for about 2 months now and seems to be ongoing.   I know the teething ties a lot into ear troubles - but I think it's knowing that he's had fluid in there for so long that's kinda freaking me out, and I wonder is anyone else dealing with anything like this?

I did schedule an appt with another dr for next week just to get another opinion

mben1119

I'd go for the second opinion as well. It never hurts to be sure. I hope your LO's ok!

AlmostMrsI

We're on our 3rd ear infection in the last 10 months and it does seem to me that it could be tied to teething somehow--or at least the teething is aggravating the situation. 

My son doesn't tug on his ears though--he just gets irritable/starts screaming and we have to wait and see to figure out if he's just being a toddler or if there is something else going on. 

It can be frustrating, but I think its very common for them to have minor ear issues off and on at this age--everyone I know seems to have dealt with it at some point during the toddler stage.

It would be so much easier if they could use their words to tell us.  :-(

Mountaineers

Do you need a referral for an ENT? I'd try them if only to put your mind at ease. Our pedi said everything was fine with DD and then I took her to the ENT and he saw much more than the pedi could. She needed tubes. It may be teething for your LO but it never hurts to be sure.

Mr. & Mrs. Woodtick

I agree that you should get a second opinion, but I would request it from a ENT doc and not a general pedi. Good Luck and I hope it's nothing.

meganandchase

I would ask for a referral to the ENT at this point.  DS is in a very important time as far as language development goes and it's important for him to be able to hear clearly.  If he has fluid that is not clearing up, it may cause language delay (which is not a huge deal, because he can definitely catch up, but still).

I'm not sure that teething actually causes ear infections.  I think it just makes their ears hurt, so they tug at them.  Anyway, here's a link to Dr. Sears that may be helpful for you:

https://www.askdrsears.com/topics/parenting/childhood-illnesses/ear-infections