Ear Tubes and adenoids

Laura - posted on 05/10/2012

This is very helpful..my son who is almost 3 had come down with rsv in December..worst week of my life..the Dr. Then said there was fluid in his ears he also has 1 very swollen adenoid which his.pedetrician told me was no big deal but we were sent to mass eye & ear for the ears..the Dr. There has now scheduled him for tonsils our & tubes..u was so torn on if u wanted to do it but after reading this I will. He also has periods of not breathing at night and breathing heavy. No one ever wants to put there child in a position to
have to go under anesthesia but if in the long run hr will feel better it will be worth it..also he still has a binky so I was wondering if he will have to lose it before the surgery.

Kathleen - posted on 01/29/2009

When I first went to our pediatrician he basically recommended waiting and seeing if he grew out of the ear infections, mouth breathing at night, restless night and sometimes night terrors. But when I asked for a referral to an ENT he said ok. I don't think he would have recommended a specialist until I asked so it always pays to be your child's advocate.

Heather - posted on 01/29/2009

I would just make an appointment for the ENT....they're the experts and can tell you. Be persistant is the best advice I can give. My pediatrician told me I was over reacting for a year...but snoring is never normal especially for a young child. As someone said above you can ask for a sleep study....they do them at home and just measure the oxygen and air flow (it's completely non invasive) although in kids they aren't always conclusive. The best thing is just to make the ENT appt. She'll be ok until then :) Good luck if you need anything don't hesitate to ask!

Kerri - posted on 01/28/2009

I'm kind of having the same trouble with my daughter (age 4).  I've not taken her to the doctor about it yet because I didn't think that it was anything for me to worry about until I started reading some of these replies!  Now I'm more than a little bit worried.  My daughter has always had trouble sleeping.  She tosses and turns all through the night, seeming to never get comfortable enough to fall into a deep sleep.  She wakes up and wants to sleep with me to see if she can get into a deep sleep but that never works either.  She snores like you wouldn't believe.  She actually wakes herself up with her own snoring.  I know that's not normal in itself.  She's always had a problem with allergys, or at least that's what the doctors have told me, but now I think that its something much more than that.  I had to have my adenoids taken out when I was a young girl myself due to the same problem, so I'm growing more concerned about this for her sake.  I would like to see if any of you have any advice at all that you could give me.  I'm going to go ahead and call her doctor tomorrow to set up an appointment for as soon as possible, but in the meantime, any information that anyone can give me would be really helpfull!

User - posted on 01/28/2009

Hi again, thanks for the replies..she had inhalers for coughs when she was little..around the time of the ear infections, but nothing otherwise. She does not "snore" persea, she breathes out her mouth, kind of raspy...I just sat in her room for a while and she did infact hold her breath for about 3 seconds..so I have called the family dr to tell him that I wanted it checked out by him or the ENT..not sure if she has to be referred again. Nonetheless, I'll keep you all posted.

Bobbi - posted on 01/28/2009

I would recommend getting a sleep study done. They can find all sorts of different things through that.

Stacey - posted on 01/28/2009

My son (now age 5) also had tubes in his ears early (before his first birthday). They whipped the ear infection problem, but a year later we were back at Mass Eye and Ear to have his tonsils and adenoid out. He had been suffering from repeated respiratory infections AND snored loudly at night (except when he stopped breathing briefly, typical of sleep apnea). He was a changed kid after the second procedure -- better rested, more talkative.

Kathleen - posted on 01/28/2009

I don't think the ENT would notice while putting tubes in because the adenoids are in the throat. The ENT would have to be looking at the adenoids-- although i would think that he/she would have checked her for that prior to the ear tube surgery...but you never know. "Mouth breathing" is common with large adenoids. To be safe see he doc.

User - posted on 01/28/2009

Thanks ladies..she doesn't really snore but she is a mouth breather at night..she snores sometimes and does NOT lay still for a minute..she's always tossing and turning. When she had her tubes put in, would her ENT not have noticed her adenoids?

Kathleen - posted on 01/28/2009

My son had to have his adenoids out when he was 2 years old. He had sleep apnea caused by very large adenoids. My son never had tubes put in because the doctor could tell by looking in his throat and nose that his issue with interrupeted sleeping, snoring and ear infections were because of the adenoids. He had to have an X-ray to confirm. You should check with your daughter's doc but it could be her adenoids. After he had them removed he started to sleep so soundly-- I now have to check on him because I can't hear him anymore. He is refreshed in the morning since he is getting restful sleep.

Heather - posted on 01/28/2009

Hey! My daughter had sleep apnea. She had chronic ear infections and was snoring like a bear. We took her to the ENT, found out she had eustacian tube dysfunction and also sleep apnea and he showed me her tonsils....they were literally kissing each other. Her anatomy was that when he lied down her airway would obstruct and her body would wake her up which was why she never rested through the night-she literally had no REM sleep which is when you get your rest she only would have light sleep and then would in turn be sluggish in the daytime. At two years old she had tonsils and adenoids out as well as three sets of tubes. After the operation (which wasn't a cake walk) she was a different child! She slept better, ate better, had a better disposition. It changed her life. My pediatrician told me she didn't need the operation but the ENT was wonderful (we were in long island if you're near there he is excellent!) he explained everything and improved her quality of life. She's six now and if I had to do it again I'd do it in a heartbeat.