Non-stop Ear Infections

Paula - posted on 11/09/2012

Check out this article on ear infections



http://www.empowernetwork.com/dreamerchr...

Jennifer - posted on 06/28/2010

Actually Jaime I've noticed that as well. He hasnt been on the bottle for MONTHS now but he does drink a little warm milk in a sippy cup to calm him down before bed. This might have made the problem worse this whole time and I had no idea. You can imagine how bad I feel now knowing it was probably my fault this whole time. Ever since I started holding him up and rocking him to sleep while he drinks he hasnt had a single ear infection. YAY!!!!! I guess all I can do now is learn from this. So far I think it's been about 2 months and no more infections!!! Thanks to everyone who responded and thanks for the advice and ideas. I certainly learned a lot from everyone. I hope all you moms and your babies are doing well and are getting better. All I can say for now is sitting him up or tilting him up made the world of difference. Now he's been sleeping through the night more often to. Thank God for that one. HA HA

Jaime - posted on 06/21/2010

Is you son on the bottle? If so read on . . . My son had recurring ear infections around the age of one. I don't know if it was a coincident but they seemed to start not long after a weened him from the breast and onto the bottle. I hadn't really thought about it but now that he was having a bottle he was laying flat on his back when drinking. My mother in law suggested sitting him up to drink bottles, something to do with the tubes that join to the ear being horizontal at this age, it really seemed to work in my opinion, worth a go. Also flushing the nasal passage with an toddler friendly nasal spray can help clear any mucus when he has a cold so it doesn't drain down the formentioned tubes. I still do this with my son if he has a cold. Good luck.

Jennifer - posted on 05/29/2010

Hadn't thought about the type of tubes either. Hmmm. I've heard that with numerous infections it scars the ears some and affects the hearing as well so I'm also worried abut that. That is why I want to figure this out so soon. Thanks for all the new ideas ladies.

Kerry - posted on 05/29/2010

I have the same problem with my 18 month old. She got tubes when she turned 1 and it still made no difference! My doc said that sometimes bacteria actually sets itself up in the plastic of the tube itself and that if that is the case they can take out the plastic tubes and put titanium ones in. Maybe you can ask your doc about that option. Good Luck!

Jennifer - posted on 05/27/2010

Ya you have to be careful if alot of wax starts flowing out the ear because that could me. At first it just wouldnt stop draining then it did then the next day it started again took her to the dr and basically said antibiotics and it heals itself hopefully with minimal damage but it was not caught since my daughter doesnt complain or show any signs of pain!!

Tia - posted on 05/26/2010

Plz let me know if u find out what is causing it because my little girl seems to get it nearly every month & its so stressing to watch her in that pain & constantly vomiting.

Thanx heaps... xxx

Lisa - posted on 05/26/2010

my nephew had similar problems . he had tubes put in and thy removed his adenoids and now he is infection free. Ask your dr abt it.

Natalie - posted on 05/25/2010

Ear infections are more common in boys, bottle fed babies and children in child care and do decrease with age as a child's ear canal grows. My son had them continually from the age of 12-15 months too with continous antibiotocs. We had to see a diff doctor one day and he told us about a trial by an ear,nose & throat doctor using the medicine "Bisolvin" This medicine is used to thin the fluid in your chest when you have a bad cough/chest infection but has also been found to thin the fluid in the ears. We started using this anytime our son started to get a runny nose and my son has only had 1 ear infection since (he is now 4!!!!) In the study, over 80% of children avoided having to have grommets put in their ears!! Bisolvin is available in the chemist/pharmacy and is recommended for over 2yo but can be used from 12+ if recommended by the dr!

Jennifer - posted on 05/24/2010

Well it feels a lot better knowing that I'm not the only one that can't figure this thing out. I love all the ideas you ladies put out there and I'm seriously thinking about making another appt and trying to go over these things and figure something out. I feel so bad that he is going through all this and I can't seem to get him to stop hurting. He is good for a while and then it seems to keep coming back with a vengence. Luckily, I must be doing something right because it hasn't happened again for a while now (about a week and a half). **Knock on wood** lol. Soon enough...soon enough. Thanks again ladies and I wish you all the best of luck and thanks for all your responses and inputs. Definatley put a new perspective on this problem.

LaShana - posted on 05/23/2010

hey Jen, my name is lashana and my on had his first ear infection,it start with a temp that would not quit. his temp range from 102.3 till 98.7 back to 103.4 for a week. Well needless to say i took him to the doctors due to the temp and they told me it was a ear infection.the reason I'm writing you is my son weighs 26 pounds and the Dr. gave him antibiotics according to there size so he had to take a Lil more than the average child. Also they don't give enough its important to get the right amount as well as finish the whole 10days. Just make sure his Dr. gave him the right amount to take which is 5 for kids under 25pounds and 6 for over. or go to another Dr for another opinion sometimes that helps kids are being miss diagnose all the time.

Geneviève - posted on 05/23/2010

I used to have the same problem and my son has it as well. He probably has a high vegetation in his adnoids.

Chrissy - posted on 05/22/2010

Take him to see a chiropractor. Treatment can prevent tubes in the ears. Probiotics are very important with the antibiotics, to keep the good bacteria around.

Susan - posted on 05/21/2010

Have you tried taking him off dairy? Our son started getting ear infections AFTER we started giving him daily milk cups and more of other dairy products----yogurt, cheese, dairy in things, ect. We thought we removed it all, but have since found more hidden sources, so we are still working on removing all dairy. It takes approx 3-4 weeks for the body to rid itself of dairy products. I'm still nursing, but will be weaning in the next month or so. Google "dairy allergy and ear infections" and start reading.

Robyn - posted on 05/21/2010

I also had this problem - my daughter had about six before she was a year old. She has been seeing a chiro since she was born but didn't seem to make much difference with us either. However when she was 11 months I went to see a naturopath as I hated continually giving her antibiotics. The naturopath advised me to temporarily take her off all dairy products and bananas as these can increase the production of mucus. She also advised me to put a couple of drops of garlic oil in her ears morning and night any time I suspected an infection was coming on. (I bought some garlic oil capsules and just put a hole in the end the capsule and squirted about half a capsule into each ear then put a little wad of cotton wool just at the entrance of the ear to stop it draining straight back out.) I wasn't sure how she would go having stuff squirted into her ear but she was actually really good - she even seemed to enjoy it! She is now 17 months and since I started doing this we have only had one ear infection (although a couple of bouts of tonsilitis!) In the last few months I have reintroduced dairy and bananas into her diet with no problems. I don't know whether the garlic oil would work for those kids who have tubes in but may be worth getting an appointment with a naturopath to find out.

Leanne - posted on 05/20/2010

My daughter is 17mths now and had the tubes in at 14mths after 4mths of constant ear infections. She currently still gets ear infections and also has the anibiotic drops, which does clears it up but doesn't prevent. We have discovered that the main cause of her ear problems are due to the wonderful teething process. She will get the infections just before she cuts a tooth. Other than that sorry no more info or solutions. Even knowing the cause of teething I still cant prevent the infections, just counting down the day when she finally has all her teeth. Good Luck.

Nickie - posted on 05/20/2010

I can so relate my son is going on 17 months, and as I'm writing this he is working off a current ear infection. He has tubes, and he sees the ENT and yet and still i find myself constantly paying 50.00 for these ear drops. I'm sorry i can't offer any words of wisdom, but I'm glad to know I'm not alone... if you do find a answer, please come back and share with everyone.

Olivia - posted on 05/20/2010

my son had his tubs put in and anoids taken out all at once then last week his right ear drained so bad like someone squarted water in his ear or something but it drained out put his drops in his ear and it cleared out it goes away faster cause its not oral just the drops then it goes away i think it just happens not like its normal dr.s dont know anything either it sucks lets just hope they grow out of it soon

Kris - posted on 05/20/2010

My son had a fair amount of ear infections as a baby. A few people suggested we try the chiropractor. I was very skeptical, but took him anyway just to try it. We only went once, but he never had another ear infection after that. I'm not sure if it was just a coincidence or not, but i would at least suggest trying it.

Sarah - posted on 05/19/2010

My son is exactly the same and my husband and I were the same as children. More than likely its just to do with having small tubes and therefore its a grow out of thing rather than a specific problem. We've been advised to not keep giving antibotics but let each flare up ride its course and to give pain meds instead. I can vouch for the fact that as an adult I don't get ear infections any more infact didn't get them much after 5. Less is more with this situation....

Jenny - posted on 05/19/2010

Hi, I sent this as a private message without realising it, but noticed there is more than just Jennifer with a similar problem, so will post it again.

As you are probably aware, frequent ear infections are one of the most common problems among children in their early years.

Misalignment and restriction in the cervical spine (neck), may cause irritation and spasm of the neck muscles. Muscle tightness can result in the restriction of lymph drainage away from the head, resulting in an earache and infection of the middle ear cavity (called Otitis Media).

Most earaches are acute, short-term problems that ought to resolve within a few days if the body's normal immune system is strong. However, if your child is constantly irritable, clingy, crying, and seems to have ongoing infections, I would suggest taking him (or her) to see a Chiropractor or Osteopath. These people are trained to gently remove nerve interference that may be causing irritation or pain.

Kealy - posted on 05/19/2010

We tried the avenue of using a chiropractor, and my daughter had more ear infections after starting there than before. Her ear infections started at 6 months and she is now 17 months and in those 11 months she has had 8-10 ear infections, with 5 of those happening since March, which is when we started seeing the chiropractor.

Now, I am not saying that he caused them, just saying that it didn't work for us, and he even went back and re-x-rayed her and to see if something was off with his corrections and it wasn't. The bad thing about using the chiropractor is that they will try to talk you out of the surgery, but the ENT did a hearing test on her which didn't turn out great, and my concern was permanent hearing damage, so we went for the surgery.

They believe she will not have permanent damage at this point, so I am hoping that all turns out well.



Again, my whole family goes to a chiropractor, so I am not against them, but I also do not believe they are a cure all. Our pediatrician also said he likes chiropractors and will refer people to them for neck and back issues, but he doesn't believe they help ear issues.



But this is just our opinion. You have to go with what is right for you and your family.

Emma - posted on 05/19/2010

My son doesn't suffer from ear infections, but my chiropractor said if he ever did suffer from them , to take him to a chiro. I can't remember exactly how, but if a babie's spine isn't aligned properly it can affect the ear tubes (or something along those lines) & how they work. It might be another avenue to look into, without all the drugs & tubes. I hope this helps.

Kealy - posted on 05/18/2010

We are also in the sme boat, and my 17 month old just had surgery for tubes this morning. We will see how it goes from here.

Jen - posted on 05/17/2010

We were the same way. He had tubes put in when he was 6 months and had a reprieve but then the infections started up again. When he was 16 months, and still having infections...we replaced the tubes. Turned out that the skin had started to heal behind the tube and they were non-functioning. My advice: Keep taking him in, keep asking questions.... my favorite non-confronational question, everytime was..."Is there anything else I can be doing?" Good Luck!

Vicki - posted on 05/17/2010

I had similar problems with my oldest son, who is now 12 years old. Ear infections on top of ear infections. Fortunatly, we never had to have the tubes put in, because we figured out what was triggering the infections. The doctors told me that he had bad allergies and we tried all the over-the-counter medicines. Nothing seemed to help, so finally did allergy testing and found out that the poor baby was allergic to everything ( non-food )! We started allergy shots, took prescription medicine, limited time outside on high pollen days, wiped his skin and hair down with a wet rag after coming in from playing outside, stopped opening windows on pretty days, got rid of the cat, put allergan covers on his bed, vaccumed at least once a week and limited time at the in-laws. (They had smoked in their home for over 30 years.) The ear infections almost completely vanished over the next couple of months. It was a lot of extra work, but it made all the difference in the world!!! Good luck!

Erika - posted on 05/17/2010

adenoidectomy is the name

Erika - posted on 05/17/2010

No they dont have to have them...they are there to be the first line if defence...to catch bacteria before they do harm but when they get bacteria colonizing on them it is kinda like small abseses that eventualy rupture and cause and an infection. i dont know what the procedure is called as untill recently they only took them out in conjuntion with the toncles. But from what i read they dont need to remove the tonles if it is just the ears that are a problem.

Jennifer - posted on 05/17/2010

Hmmmmm. Hadn't heard of that yet. Thanks for the idea. So if it's like the tonsils thing is this the same where they don't really need them? Won't make a difference if they're gone or not? Do you know what the procedure is called so I can look it up?

Erika - posted on 05/17/2010

my daughter has this problem too just not as bad. i read that if tubes do not work then you should look into having the adnoids removed because they sit at the opening to the ear tubes and bacteria can colonize on them them the colonie ruptures and boom new infection....it is the same thing that happens in the tonsles with strep. most dr will not recomend this as it is a newer finding...might be something to ask about though

Jennifer - posted on 05/17/2010

Well thanks for the idea Marlala and Nicole I wish I could tell you something I've learned but there isn't much. Every time he gets an infection it's just more antibiotics. The ears, nose, throat doc told me he just had really bad allergies so they have him on Singular. The only things I know are the same things the doc tells me. No water in the ears with the tubes. Use half-half solution of hydrogen peroxide and water to flush out the ear. It's all just mucus so that gets it out real well. To clean the crusties off the ear you can use very warm water on a washcloth or I've heard of using vaseline. I'm guessing you've heard all the same things but if not I hope this helps.

Nicole - posted on 05/16/2010

I'm anxious to see if anyone has any ideas. My daughter fought ear infections for a while. Last month she had tubes put in and last week she got another ear infection. I'm frustrated with it because I know it's hurting her and I don't want her to be uncomfortable. I tried no milk before the tubes for 3 weeks and she continued to have problems. I wish I could give some advice but am in the same boat. Just wanted to say it stinks and I understand.

Marlana - posted on 05/15/2010

Theres no evidence behind this but Ive always heard that some babies keep them while they are teething....maybe, we had the same problem with my daughter and had tubes put in and havent had any since then.....hope you can find out why soon!