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Ear Infections, tubes

Lynette - posted on 11/13/2009 ( 16 moms have responded )

My son has an ear infection in both ears. We found out at the beginging of the month. We had no idea, we found out cause we took him to the doctor for a cold that he had. The cold has gone away but not his ear infection, it went from being in 1 ear to being in both ears. My husbands sister used to have ear troubles when she was a toddler. She had tubes in her ears about the same age as my son. I was just wondering could I have the same problems, this is the first time he has had an ear infection and I don't know what to do other then hope the medicine works. We were giving a new kind yesturday and we go back the 30th , which is the day after his second birthday, to find out if it has gone away.

Basically what I am asking is, is it likely that my son could have the same problems that my sister in-law had as a child.

Thank you.

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Sandra - posted on 11/15/2009

my son just got out of an ear infection and his nights where bad, but seems to be coming back on the other ear... so i mitt have to get tubes put in to.. ARE THEY BAD AT ALL? DOES IT WORK?

Lauren - posted on 11/15/2009

My daughter who is 15 months old is having tubes put in,in a weeks time,but for the last 8 months or so i have lived at the doctors every 2 weeks and soon as the anti biotics are finished she would start grabbing at her ears so id take her back to the doctors to hear she had another ear infection...no one wants to see their child have to have an operation but if it means that they will be free from ear infections or pain for that matter its all worth it,my daughter isnt picking up words well because there is so much fluid in her ears so she is hearing muffled sounds, so the sooner they can fix the problem the sooner she will hopefully pick up more words and hear like normal.so hopefully your child wont need them but it seems like early days for u....good luck

Angela - posted on 11/14/2009

my son started having ear infections they would give my son med but as soon as he got off of the med he would have another . The doctor gave me a choice to keep my son on med or put tubes . I choose tubes they put them in last may. Snice then my son has not had the trouble he use to . But give you a heads up reserch . dont put him on med because they get use to that med with there body because my nephew had that and now when he had ani bo he has to be careful . my daughter was having the same problem that my son but I took them out of daycare and they are doing really good

Mallori - posted on 11/14/2009

My son is 18 months old. He got tubes two months ago for recurring ear infections. It is easy and doesnt hurt the child at all. The doctors should go through all options before they go straight to tubes. It was scary letting him go in the surgery room by himself, but it completely changed his attitude. He was so much happier, even as soon as he woke up from the surgery. The tubes cn completely relieve all the pressure in their ears and just make eveything feel so much better. So if your child does need tubes DONT WORRY! :)

Cheri - posted on 11/14/2009

For all those that are dealing with tubes in their childrens ears: My mother dealt with this issue with my brother and he went through countless surgeries for tube placement and removal. At the age of two my brother was all but deaf, then one day my mom was talking with a woman that had found a Dr. that said the only way to ensure no more ear troubles is to have the adnoids removed, may be something you all want to talk to your Dr.'s about and find out if it will help you and your child at all. Good Luck!

Jessica - posted on 11/13/2009

it is possible. my son will be two in december we had to get tubes in his ears in august because of recurring ear infections and infections that took forever to go away. if the doctor dont say anything call and ear specialist thats what i did. if it comes down to getting tubes make sure u have lots of tylenol on hand for u both and try to keep thing a little quiet. and dont be suprised if he starts saying things differently but its only because he hears better and is trying to change what he learned to how it sounds now. good luck.

Amie - posted on 11/13/2009

believe it or not, try taking your child to a good chiropractor, my daughter has gone most of her life and the few ear infections she's had have been mild, and cleared up without antibiotics. However, in choosing a chiro, make sure it is one set up to do his own x-rays and scans, there are chiro's out there who are not concientious and they make the whole profession look bad. And don't think I am pushing alternative medicine over mainstream medicine, I work in mainstream med and am fully appreciative of what it is capable of, it's just that I have had the best results from chiropractic in certain maladies, and ear infections are one of them.

Lisa - posted on 11/13/2009

Most doctors will not advise ear tubes until they have had a certain number. I know this because my daughter started having ear infections constantly starting at the lil age of 6months ( her tubes did not drain properly) the doctor told me that after 6 she recommends ear tubes. Some kids get them for no reason at all. We did everything we were suppose to do by keeping her head covered in the winter and not getting water in her ears, We did not decide to get the tubes because she has not had an ear infection for quite some time and they just stopped. They do grow out of it, now my lil one gets upset because she can not have the pink medicine anymore(amoxicilin)

Falyn - posted on 11/13/2009

Honestly if your child is going to need tubes it is better than the alternative.
My daughter was 28 months with her second her infection. After taking her immediately to the clinic to start antibiotics the doctor told me it was irritated not infected. so we went home and she went down for the night in a lot of pain and needed Advil as well as being propped up by numerous pillows just to be able to get to sleep.The next morning when I went to get her up, there was blood and discharge all over her pillow due to her eardrum rupturing during the night.
It has been 8 weeks later and she is finally healed and now we are booking hearing tests to make sure that there is no long term damage.
After going through this and seeing the amount of pain she was in, not being able to have a normal fun bath for weeks.
I hope the medication works for your little one as i know how frustrating it is not being able to help them. Also in regards to bathing are you using anything to protect the ears from water as sometimes if the eardrum is getting wet it can cause the infection to continue to grow.

Dora - posted on 11/13/2009

Only if you can"t get rid of it should he need tubes.... My boy at 15 months had a ear infection in both ears for two months it took 3 different meds before it went away... good luck hope he get better...

Krista - posted on 11/13/2009

4,111

Quoting Lynette:

This is the first one he has had, so I'm not completely paranode, just worried that it could happen the same way, and he does like to stick his fingers in his ears, expecially when he is eating. He's done that since he was a baby, but he sticks them up his nose too. and in his eyes. I'm still a new mom and I'm a young mom at that so I am just conserned the possibilities. And you are right, if I wouldn't have known about the connection I wouldn't be so worried.

While I don't consider myself a young mom, I am a mom to just one 2 year old so I can understand your worry. But you have to just realize that there are things to be worried about and there are things that you shouldn't be overly concerned with. Tubes and ear infections do NOT cause death so, in my opinion, it's one of those things that you put to the side until you have to deal with it.

Lynette - posted on 11/13/2009

This is the first one he has had, so I'm not completely paranode, just worried that it could happen the same way, and he does like to stick his fingers in his ears, expecially when he is eating. He's done that since he was a baby, but he sticks them up his nose too. and in his eyes. I'm still a new mom and I'm a young mom at that so I am just conserned the possibilities. And you are right, if I wouldn't have known about the connection I wouldn't be so worried.

Chandra - posted on 11/13/2009

My niece recently had tubes put in her ears. My SIL tells me that as a child, she had to have tubes put in her ears as well, though I don't think that all children will be like their parents and/or aunts and uncles. It took a lot more than one ear infection though before my SIL got her pediatrician to send her daughter to a specialist. I think she had an almost reoccurring ear infection for close to 6 or 8 months before they decided to look into it more. For those 6 to 8 months she was almost constantly on antibiotics for them, and as soon as she finished the dose, within about a week she was back to having another ear infection.

So, I guess to answer your question, there is a chance that he could need tubes put in his ears like his aunt did, but they probably won't be doing it after one ear infection, as it is quite common in children.

Good luck with everything

Krista - posted on 11/13/2009

4,111

Quoting Lynette:

Thank you, I'm trying not to worry to much, but I don't want to not worry and act like everything will be okay. I just really hope it clears up this time.

If he has to get tubes then he has to get tubes. The only downfall for a child is that when showering, bathing or swimming he'll have to wear earplugs. Aside from that, it isn't a big deal and most kids grow out of it before their 5th or 6th birthday. Very rarely do kids go above that age. Unfortunately, I was one of those rare kids and had to keep getting tubes. I had 10 operations in total.

Sometimes, the amount of free information on health issues pertaining to our children is detrimental to us. If you hadn't learned about the connection between ear infections and tubes, you wouldn't be worried right now.

Also, the main reason for getting tubes is because the fluid doesn't drain properly from the ears, thus causing ear infections. Ask yourself this....is your child delayed in the speech department? Does it seem he can't hear you? These are all signs of improper fluid drainage. If none of this applies, you probably have nothing to worry about.

Lynette - posted on 11/13/2009

Thank you, I'm trying not to worry to much, but I don't want to not worry and act like everything will be okay. I just really hope it clears up this time.

Krista - posted on 11/13/2009

4,111

I was one of those ear infection/tubes kids and for me it started very early on. Anything is a possibility, but I wouldn't jump the gun and start worrying about possible tubes. This is his first ear infection and most times they do accompany a cold, due to sinus pressure and what not. They can also be very hard to clear up because weather factors and things like baths further abrade the issue as well as children sticking their fingers in their ears. As an adult, the most recent ear infection that I had travelled from one ear to the other and I also needed two different types of medication to clear it up. Don't worry about it until the time comes.