Has anyone had any problems with your child's ears right after tubes put in?

Amber - posted on 03/01/2012

@Kami, good luck to you too. here is a link you may be interested in. Also, just a side note, I am a Holistic Nutritional Consultant, so I do know a little more than the average joe, you could say ;)

http://www.jigsawhealth.com/resources/te...

Kami - posted on 02/28/2012

@Amber. My daughter has been tested for every allergy known to date, not just by blood work but by a dermatologist/allergist as well. We have cats which is why she is still stuffy but it is getting better as she gets older and her Ped. DR. doesn't feel its necessary to get rid of them due to her getting better. She is also allergic to pollen and dust. Ask any doctor and they will say they would prefer NOT to remove dairy from a diet unless medically necessary. We have one of the best pediatric/family doctors in our state so I'm going to have to go by what she says and what we have experienced. The hope is since her allergy to Casein is not so severe that it requires a Epi-pen, that she will probably out grow at least the egg allergy and may end up with a lactose intolerance. Also both my husband and I had massive ear infections as children and he had tubes as well. So I guess you could call it a family trait ha. She is in speech therapy now for the delay the fluid caused. She is on a soy based diet as well. but You have to watch how much Soy is ingested as well since it can actually hinder digestion of nutrients. As for the yeast overgrowth. She is 3. ALL three year olds do half of those things. Especially a 3 year old with a speech issue. She will act out due to frustration. I am a trained child development specialist. I always appreciate input and opinions from families who have experience but i can guarantee this is not my daughters problem. yes shes hyperactive.. yes she jumps off of things. but again I say, shes THREE AND A HALF lol my husband who is reading over my shoulder says hes 30 and does this LOL. nor does she display any of the physical symptoms. But good luck to you and yours as well.

Amber - posted on 02/27/2012

@Kami, I realize that not everyone is allergic to dairy, but you should know from experience that taking her off may be worth it. Also, just an idea for your daughter who is constantly stuffy, my 5 year old was the same way and I have never put her on dairy, no ear infections but just stuffy, had her tested for allergies (which food allergies most likely will not show up in a blood test, elimination diet is best) but it turned out to be yeast overgrowth in her gut. You may want to google it and see if your child has any of the symptoms. It's amazing the simple things it can be sometimes. Good luck to your daughter as well.

Amber - posted on 02/27/2012

Does your ped know how much milk she is drinking, because if that is all she will drinking then it's way too much. Yes, not all ear infections are caused by milk, but why not try something as simple as removing the most common allergen and see if it makes her feel better. you have nothing to loose and your baby may thank you for it. If all you offer her is water, then she will eventually drink it. There are also many other types of milk that are much healthier than cows milk. It may be worth a try.

Kami - posted on 02/27/2012

i have to disagree with taking her off dairy. my daughter is on a dairy and egg free diet due to a casein allergy and still has tubes. but you might mention it to your dr. if she DOES have an allergy to the casein (a blood test will determine this), she might not display like you would think. extreme stuffiness, a tiny rash around her mouth and if there is a lot in her system, she may vomit resulting in an ER visit or DR visit for an anti vomiting drug to stop it. My daughter was constantly stuffy and still is due to regular allergies but MUCH better after her dietary change. her allergy did contribute to the ear infections but was not the root cause.

Jill - posted on 02/27/2012

I appreciate the advice Amber, but milk is the only thing she will drink so I won't do that to her! She won't drink juice or water or anything else!

Amber - posted on 02/26/2012

Take her off dairy immediately I can almost guarantee her symptoms will go away and you will not need the tubes at all. Dairy creates mucus, among other things, which in turn creates ear infections. please try removing all dairy from her diet for at least 2 months and see if she improves. Elimination diet is best thing for children that young, you will not need drugs or tubes.

Kami - posted on 02/26/2012

I forgot to mention. She will probably be more noise sensitive. Shes gone from an underwater charlie brown sensation to suddenly being inundated with noise. try keeping music and TV to a min. and vacuum when shes in a different part of the house. Signs of noise sensitivity will be crying covering her ears (kind of like an ear infection reaction) hiding under covers, shaking her head hard side to side and even biting herself. My daughter was leaving HUGE marks and bruises on her forearms and having worked with autistic kids I started to worry but once i figured out the noise level was bothering her everything stopped. Her sensitivity is so bad I have to have white noise in her room or any noises from outside (or in the house) that are above a whisper will wake her up for the whole night. I also found that explaining the noises and what they were helped. it gives the noise an identity and for her something to think about. The worst has been the construction outside her window for the last 4 months. SO we went outside one day and looked at the trucks and the men working and shes been better about it.

Barbara - posted on 02/26/2012

Make sure you either put her in her car seat to sleep or put a pillow under the crib mattress. This will elevate her head so that the fluid will drain down her throat and not into her ears. I would also seek medical help if the her symptoms don't stop soon.

Jill - posted on 02/25/2012

Thanks for the advice everyone! She is doing ok now with her ears! One of her tubes was clogged and that was causing the problem! She is a lot happier and playful now! Thanks for e care and concern!

Pamela - posted on 02/24/2012

Prayerfully you have called your doctor by now, since it is two days later. Also, it is never too late for medical attention as there are emergency rooms....unless you live too far away from the nearest one Laws state that you have a right to emergency room treatment even without health insurance. Just make sure not to abuse the privilege.

Neesha - posted on 02/24/2012

i have 4 children......my boys are 11 & 8......my girls are 6 & 18 months.......each one has a diffrent health problem........my oldest has ear & asthma........my 8 year old is 60% deaf.......my 6 year has kidney reflux and my baby has a hard time with her hips & legs and she also has eye problems like yours.......the dr went thru her eye to try and fix the muscle when she was 9 months...........it didnt work so they are gonna try it again

Lynn - posted on 02/24/2012

Wow, Neesha! Your poor little boy has a lot of ear troubles! And, I thought my son had it rough. He had his first surgery, to cut a muscle in each of his eyes, at 3. He had his first set of ear tubes at 5, another set at 7, and one at 9, along with his adenoids taken out. We just went back in a few months ago for his fourth set of ear tubes, and he's 10 now.



He always throws up a couple of times after his surgeries, and has a little ear drainage the day of the surgery. He's never had trouble a few days later, like the OP described.



@ Jill, I hope your daughter's ears are okay. We've never had that problem, so I can't offer any advice.

Lizzie - posted on 02/24/2012

draining fluid is good...means it's not building up inside and blocking..being that it is just over a month she might not still be used of the tubes being in and can now hears more things which are strange, but if still concerned ring the doctor. My daughter had tubes in and out of her ears for 12 yrs. and still has some problems now 15 yrs later. Just noticed you posted this 2 days ago so hope all has worked out. :-)

Neesha - posted on 02/24/2012

o man...... i know how you feel.......my oldest son (he is now 11) had his 1st set of tubes when he was 7 months old.........he is now on his 15th set of tubes and his 18th ear surgery. (hes also had to have the canel and mastiods repaired) your babys tube might be blocked i would get ahold of the dr asap to find out.......there is nothing more painful than an earache........i would know i still get ear infections too

Jennifer - posted on 02/24/2012

You need to get in touch with your ENT right away or another ENT if you can't see the actual doctor that put the tubes in. My daughter had her tubes put in 3 weeks ago. We just had a follow up post-op check-up yesterday to see how she was doing. My daughter's tubes have been great and when she got sick right after getting them put in, she didn't develop an ear infection like she usually did. The doctor told us yesterday at our appointment that if there was any drainage or pain, like you are describing with your child, to call immediately. Sounds like your doctor might have been a bit incompetant if they just left you to your own devices after the surgery. Contact a doctor ASAP! Our ENT also scheduled another appointment to check the tubes in another 4 months.

Kami - posted on 02/24/2012

all doctors have an after hours line. its there to put us at ease. they will page the DR on call and they will call you and tell you what to do. Also, If the drainage is clear you shouldnt have anything to worry about but dark yellow or green I would call, although it could be the infection coming out. My daughter is 3.5 and on her second set. When she had the first set in just before she was 2 the ENT said it was the worst infection he had seen in 14 yrs of surgeries. she did have some yellowish waxy discharge with clear liquid with it. her ENT said it was the infection coming out and to keep the drops going for a week. When one of her tubes came out (naturally around 10 months) She immediately began having ear problems again. I also bought an otoscope to check her tubes. You'll want to make sure her natural wax build up is not obscuring the tubes, which can counter what the tubes job is. We also found keeping her head propped while sleeping (a pillow under the mattress works) helped keep the drainage going and the pressure off her ears. and keep the baby tylenol going while she is showing pain. it is an invasive surgery afterall.. good luck! it gets better!

Amanda - posted on 02/24/2012

My daughter just had tubes put in 2 weeks ago. While we didn't have fluid draining, she is still crying and waking during the night like she did with her infections. I took her to the doctor and they said the ears looked great. My friends child had this surgery 2 days before my little girl and said he was experiencing the same thing, and they took him in and his ears were fine. They said it can take a couple of weeks for the tubes to adjust, and with this cold weather and colds out there, the middle ear can swell and cause some pain. They told us to use the drops for 3 days again (that they gave us after the surgery). They said if it's not better in 1 week to be seen again. Hope this helps.

Katherine - posted on 02/23/2012

You are welcome. I had tubes also as a kid and one leaked if I remember correctly. It hurt like the dickens!

Jill - posted on 02/23/2012

At Katherine I gave her motrin! She actually seems better this morning! I have found out that one tub is not functioning so she may have to have it replaced with one that works! Thanks for the advice!

Katherine - posted on 02/22/2012

Have you given her infants Tylenol?

Katherine - posted on 02/22/2012

Here is some info: http://www.seattlechildrens.org/medical-...

Elfrieda - posted on 02/22/2012

Poor baby. :( If she can't sleep, I'd go to the ER. If she can sleep in the night, call the dr in the morning.