Ear Infections and Tubes

themissizz · August 2011

My little guy has had ear infections regularly since he was 4 months old. We're going on our 7th one and have just been referred to an ENT specialist. He just seems so young to be getting tubes. Is it common for infants this young to be getting tubes?

orangedaisy85 · August 2011

Not sure, but my son has had 2 or 3 and our pedi said if he had another one they would be referring to ENT too.

lgeorge06 · August 2011

My DD had her first ear infection at 2 months! We've had six since then so I'm ready to go in and request a consult with an ENT. I know one woman I teach with requested her son get tubes, but had to wait until one year. Another teacher friend had her son get them at 7 months due to an untreated ear infection that ruptured his ear drum. I think it depends on your doc when it comes to tubes! GL!

themissizz · August 2011

Thanks! I guess it's more common than I thought. Every kid I've known to get them has been at least 18 months old.

wife1014 · August 2011

Abigail has her fourth right now. This has been since April. I am not sure what I want to do about the tubes. I am thinking of waiting another couple of months. Our ENT is on board with whatever we decide.

jnaden2 · August 2011

DS had tubes put in early. It was a life saver. He finally felt better & finally started sleeping through the night. It was the BEST THING EVER. It was harder for me to see my baby go into surgery than it was on him. Good luck!!

themissizz · August 2011

jnaden2:
DS had tubes put in early. It was a life saver. He finally felt better & finally started sleeping through the night. It was the BEST THING EVER. It was harder for me to see my baby go into surgery than it was on him. Good luck!!

My LO only STTN when he is infection-free. It's the only way we're able to tell when he has an ear infection, he shows no other signs.

I'm leaning towards getting them put in ASAP if it's recommended by the ENT. I'm afraid that when fall/winter hit, he's going to constantly have them. He's been on so many courses of antibiotics already.

(Ma'iingan) · August 2011

Our daughter had her tubes put in a 8 months and it was the BEST.DECISION.EVER! DH and I work in the area of child development and broached the topic of tubes with our pediatrician due to her ear infections. ENT also thought it was best to procede after the office visit, so we scheduled the procedure ASAP.. The earlier the intervention, the better the outcome. Ear infections are very painful. Not too mention having the fluid in the ear drum impacts the child's ability to hear clearly (hear sounds as if they were under water), as well as language development.

The procedure took about 5 minutes (it took longer for her to fall asleep for the procedure), and we went home right afterwards. She slept for 4 hours and woke up happy as can be!! No more ear infections, pain, crying, etc. Like PP stated, it was harder on us than her. We noticed an improvement in her hearing immediately (she startled to sounds that she never noticed before). Huge improvement and we are very pleased!!!!

abs05 · August 2011

Page JoannaJess either here or on the Nov. board. I know her daughter got tubes put in right at 6 months and it made a huge difference for her.

So sorry you are dealing with these!

themissizz · August 2011

(Ma'iingan):
Our daughter had her tubes put in a 8 months and it was the BEST.DECISION.EVER! DH and I work in the area of child development and broached the topic of tubes with our pediatrician due to her ear infections. ENT also thought it was best to procede after the office visit, so we scheduled the procedure ASAP.. The earlier the intervention, the better the outcome. Ear infections are very painful. Not too mention having the fluid in the ear drum impacts the child's ability to hear clearly (hear sounds as if they were under water), as well as language development.
The procedure took about 5 minutes (it took longer for her to fall asleep for the procedure), and we went home right afterwards. She slept for 4 hours and woke up happy as can be!! No more ear infections, pain, crying, etc. Like PP stated, it was harder on us than her. We noticed an improvement in her hearing immediately (she startled to sounds that she never noticed before). Huge improvement and we are very pleased!!!!

Thank you so much for sharing! I haven't noticed him having any issues with hearing thus far, but the possibility of hearing and language development issues was definitely a big concern for me.

Not only am I dreading the anesthesia, I'm also really dreading not being able to give my kid a bottle when he wakes up in the morning. He is a screaming, crying mess until he gets that nipple in his mouth.

jaxmom1 · August 2011

DS had tubes at 10 months. He had infections so bad that his ear drum perforated. Thus the need for the tubes. He has not had an ear infection, or even a cold, since. Procedure took about 10 minutes. They gave him a little sniff of gas and popped them in. Didn't even have to put him out completely.

Linny0316 · August 2011

My Dd had them at 8mo. As soon as she finished antibiotics she would get another infection within a week or 2. She still got them after the tubes, it was just easier to notice because instead of her fussing, puking, running a fever and not sleeping then having to take her to the dr I would just see the fluid leaking, call the doc and they would get me drops.

However, the difference I noticed was when I took her out of the daycare center and put her in an in home that only had 6 kids. She hasn't had an ear infection since. I don't know if your LO is in a center or not, but it might be something to consider, if he is more prone to catching colds that create an ear ache maybe it would help to keep him away from any additional germs.

(Ma'iingan) · August 2011

crazystace:
(Ma'iingan):
Our daughter had her tubes put in a 8 months and it was the BEST.DECISION.EVER! DH and I work in the area of child development and broached the topic of tubes with our pediatrician due to her ear infections. ENT also thought it was best to procede after the office visit, so we scheduled the procedure ASAP.. The earlier the intervention, the better the outcome. Ear infections are very painful. Not too mention having the fluid in the ear drum impacts the child's ability to hear clearly (hear sounds as if they were under water), as well as language development.
The procedure took about 5 minutes (it took longer for her to fall asleep for the procedure), and we went home right afterwards. She slept for 4 hours and woke up happy as can be!! No more ear infections, pain, crying, etc. Like PP stated, it was harder on us than her. We noticed an improvement in her hearing immediately (she startled to sounds that she never noticed before). Huge improvement and we are very pleased!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing! I haven't noticed him having any issues with hearing thus far, but the possibility of hearing and language development issues was definitely a big concern for me.
Not only am I dreading the anesthesia, I'm also really dreading not being able to give my kid a bottle when he wakes up in the morning. He is a screaming, crying mess until he gets that nipple in his mouth.

We didn't notice hearing issues until later that night (noticed her startling to sounds she never startled to previously). She could hear, but apparently not as clearly as was thought (we felt bad about this ). What was really nice is that the clinic schedules babies first thing in the AM (right away at 7:00 am) due to the fact they can't eat prior. That way they aren't starving while waiting. :0)

Also, they described the anesthesia as a twilight anesthesia, so she woke up a few minutes after they were done (it's not as heavy duty as you may be thinking). We were still a bit concerned about the anesthesia, but we had to come to terms with the fact that our fears of anesthesia should not dictate what was in her best interest (I had to repeat this to myself silently). That morning, we woke her up, took her to the clinic, and gave her a pacifier while waiting for the procedure. They gave her a some liquid medication to make her sleepy (no IV), then once asleep, took her from us and carried her to the other room. We waited maybe 10-15 minutes in the waiting room before they called us back in to see her and give her the bottle. After we gave her a bottle, they checked her over, and we took her home to sleep. It was such a quick, simple procedure that we felt a little sheepish laying awake worrying so much the night prior to the surgery!!!

We would absolutely have tubes put in again without a second thought! It is amazing to see how happy she is with no ear infections, can sleep through the night, etc.

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