6M Old May Need Tubes in Ears

Hi B., my daughter had tubes put in and never had another ear infection, I was so glad I did it. The operation only took about 10 mins, I was so glad I did it, the older she gets the tubes will fall out, I think my daughter was 3 when hers came out, there very tiny blue tubes. Im glad I did it.

My son has 3 ear infections in 2 weeks when he was 8 months old. Because of his medical history they decided that he needed them. he had them placed when he was 9 months. He also had his adenoids taken out at the same time. When we got home he was running around playing like nothing had ever happened. He was just a little cranky when the sedation wore off. He's 21 months now, never had another infection and tubes are still in place.

Hi B.,

My son had tubes placed in his ears at 5 months. Why does the specialist waiting so long.

A.

my daughter,now 15 years,had to have them twice,,i feel that was the best thing i ever did for her,,after the first set,,had didnt have anymore earaches for about 3 years,,then when they did start back,it was because of extra fliud in her ears and the tubes had fell out ,,which they do come out on thier own,,we had the 2nd set put in when she was 7,never had any other problem with her ears.

is ur daughter on any allergy meds,like singular ? if so take her off ASAP.. the side affecyts of this meds is ear infections.. my son hsd the same prb until i read the side effects... hope this helps

O YA if this is the problem dont do the tubes

Hi B..

My daighter, Anna Claire, had ear tubes put in at 7 months. She had about 11 diagnosed ear infections. Ot was possibly one that never actually went away. It is hard. But they are little and cannot fight much, and it did make her ears a lot better. She is three now. We have an ear infection about once a year. One tube has fallen out, this past March, and one is still intact. I say go for it! Your life will be much easier and she will feel so much better. Ear infections can impede speech and learning, which is definitely not what you want to happen.

Okay... I know I am not the norm... but here is my opinion. My son is now 18 months old. Before he was a year old he had somewhere around 6 to 8 ear infections that we were aware of. Several rounds of antibiotics (which we hated) and alot of sleepless nights later, we haven't had one in over six months. They can definitely outgrow them. My suggestion to you is try to find out what might be causing them before you jump into the idea of tubes. Babies eustachian tubes (the tubes in the ears that allow fluid to drain into the throat) are seated different than older kids. As babies the eustachian tubes are horizonal instad of diagonal and do not drain as easily. If a baby lays down and has a bottle the bacteria from the milk/formula can settle into the ears and cause infection. When I started asking, I found out the hard way that one of the daycare teachers was laying my son down with a bottle, even though I asked her not to.

This idea is a bit alternative I know, and maybe not as easy, but I personally know of two babies who have had their chronic ear infections helped by a chiropractor. Sounds odd I know, but it is possible for a misalignment of the neck to cause the fluid not to drain right.

After years of studying the ear and hearing impairments it is just my opinion mind you, but intentionally rupturing the ear drum should be a LAST resort. Some will tell you different, but, like a c-section, once you have had one done it is recommended you don't have a baby naturally after that because it weakens the uterus. This is the same concept.

Okay... you asked for opinions, that is mine. I am not totally against tubes. I just make the suggestion that you explore other options before you jump into it and only use it as a last resort. Good luck to you and your little one in whatever you choose.

Have you ever considered chiropractic care? I worked for a chiropractor for three years and saw wonderful results in children. One child under age 1 was told by the family doc that the child needed tubes, mom brought him to the chiropractor twice, and after no ear infections for 6 months the family doc stated that no tubes were needed. Results do vary for each child, but Dr. Buckner on Hwy72 in Madison is AWESOME!!!!

my aughter was a little over a year when she got tubes and since then she hasn't had any problems with her ears.

I have two boys. The first had no problem what so ever with ear infections, but my second on the other hand was different. He had numerous ear infections!! We finally opted to do tubes. Thank goodness!!! The doctor at CENTA says that babies ear canals are made different, and that they cannot drain the fluid, so the fluid sits there and gets infected continuously. It is definately worth the investment for you and your baby. The long term effects are hearing loss, delayed speach or speach problems, and not to mention you don't want your child to become reistant to antibiotics. If they become resistant to the antibiotics, then if they really get bad sick, nothing will help clear up the infection. My son has had no trouble what so ever since we have had tubes.

My son is just about 16 months old. From the time he was about 2 months (he was born July 4th, 2005) until he was 14months, he had 9 ear infections. He got tubes on Sept 1st, 2006. I am no doctor but I would definitely recommend them if the specialist gives them as an option. All the excess fluid from the infection could affect hearing and possibly delay her speech. The tubes help drain any fluid brought on by infection.

My son had constant ear infections and sometimes when we thought he had them back to back, it was actually an ear infection that got worse and not a new infection. It would be wise to take your daughter to a a pediatric Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist. They specialize in the ear and have tools that your regular pediatrician would normally have that would give you a more accurate diagnosis of your childs situation.

So until your appointment for the specialist, take her to the doctor as needed for the fevers and give her the prescribed meds as directed by your doctor for the full course. It's hard being a first time mom (I'm one too), but remember our babies are stronger than you think they are.

my baby girl got her first set of tubes when she was five months old and the difference that it made was so tremendous. no more fussing more alert. more even tempered and she ate better. she is now three and has no problems with her ears. it was the best decision that i ever made was to go with the tubes

I strongly recomend tubes. I waited until my first child was 9mth old.....Big mistake. He kept ear infections until his tubes were placed. With my second, I decided to place tubes at 5months. He had already had five infections by this age and I was sick of antibiotics. My first never had an ear infection again. My second is now 10 months old and has only had 1. PLUS, once tubes are placed, you can easily treat the infection by putting antibiotic drops directly into the ears. So, no antibiotic induced diarrhea. Anyway, tubes got me more sleep and my children less pain, and not to mention all the money I saved not having to go to the doctor and pay for antibiotics. The sugery is simple and takes only about 10-15 minutes. They do not put your child under general anesthesia, meaning no intubation. Your child will still breath on her own with added oxygen. Of course they will be sedating her because she will need to be completely still for the procedure to be done. Each time we were in and out of the hospital with in 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Good Luck

It's scary to hear the word 'surgery' when it comes to your child but I can say I strongly support tubes. Two of my girls have needed them. With my middle daughter they waited till she was 1 and I swear her hearing is bad now because of it. My youngest daughter had them at 7 months and has perfect hearing. My middle daughter needed 2 sets and could possibly be in the market for another set now. And I won't hesitate in the least bit. She's also had her tonils and adenoids removed.
Good luck! I don't know what are you are in but we use Dr Jarchow in Concord and he is just absolutely AMAZING!

I had tubes put in my ears three times when I was kid. The first time I was about 6 months old.

I went thru the same thing with my son who will be 4 in Feb. He has tubs in his ears i think he was close to a year when he got hime done. It was the best thing we did for him. He wasn't sick all the time and he didn't have a runny nose constantly. It takes maybe 10 minutes and they are done. He was fine after it was done. He played like normally and ate with no problems. I think it would be the best for you to have your daughter get them now. It will also make you feel alot better because she won't be sick so much.

Good luck with everything
A.

B., I know its so hard to see our little babies suffer. My DD had cronic infections from the time she was 4 wks old. At 5 months we made the choice to put in tubes. It is so hard to watch your tiny baby head into the OR, but what everyone has said is true. Its a regular procedure and the outcome is amazing! She's 5 now, and she'd get infections still on occasion but they never affected her as drastically as they did before the tubes. What ENT are you you seeing? Good luck B.!

Hey B.!
We have been this route with my daughter and her ears. I sympothize as I know it is no fun!!! I would do the following:

1)Take your daughter back to you regular pediatrian regarding her fever ASAP! Infection is there somewhere if she still has a temp of 102. Maybe they can get you in earlier to the specialist if there is another problem. Sounds like she has another ear infection.

2)Unfortunately, it sounds bad and she is probably going to need tubes. If given the option, I would definitely do it. My brother-in-law has significant hearing loss due to the fact he didn't get them early enough. And he still to this day at the age of 25 has to go and be seen by a specialist because the problems are still there.

3)As a comment below stated that they didn't want to put their child through "that," but the end result can be much worse without them. Fortunately, my daughter's condition was not bad enough for tubes, but she saw the specialist anyway because she would shoot up to a temp of 104 out of the blue with an ear infection!

Good luck and stay strong! This too, will pass!

~Lee

My son had severe ear infections to the point that he was have fevers of over 100. Like your baby he would have 2 a month sometimes. By the time he was 18 months old he had grown out of it. Our dr kept pressuring us to get the tubes and we just didn't want to put our baby through that. Do extensive research before you make a decision.

Hi B.,
Both my kids had tubes put in, around 1 year old, and I definitely recommend it. My son still had a couple of ear infections after the tubes, and I remember complaining to the ear doctor, because I thought the tubes would stop the infections. He told me that sometimes children do have one or two ear infections after getting tubes put in. He told me that the tubes don't always totally prevent ear infections, but they at least make it a lot easier to treat them. Plus, the ear drops will fix it because it goes directly to the infection, unlike the oral antibiotics. My daughter had just finished her 4th round of oral antibiotics for the SAME ear infection, when the doctor decided that she had to have the tubes put in. She hasn't had an ear infection since she had the tubes. As for those who recommend waiting it out, you have to be really careful of their ears, because the infections have an effect on their hearing, which could delay their speech. Scarring from infection can cause hearing loss. Both of my children went thru the surgery just fine.

I have two boys, both with tubes. First one was 3 1/2 months old. That was hard giving him to the surgeon. But it was such an easy surgery and it really beat the 104 plus temps he would get for two months. Also, the pain from the infection and antibiotics.

My second child had tubes around 16 months (they also removed his adenoids). His ear has drained once and no infections since then. Again, anesthesia is scary. He had major surgery at 3, 4 and 5 mos. so tubes were a walk in the park FOR US at that point.

In our case, the tubes have been great. I just wish my oldest son would have gotten even earlier than he did!!!!

B., My daughter who just now turned 2 has had tubes since she was about 6 months. We saw Dr Bloomer at Charlotte Eye Ear Nose and Throat and he was wonderful. My daughter did and has done fabulously since. We were a little worried about her going under but the team at the outpatient facility were terrific. She will be just fine if they feel she needs it and believe it or not the kids don't even get phased by it. She was up and about before the day was over. Good luck, A.

My son had tubes when he was 8months old for the same reasons. It was like heaven on earth when they were put in. He had no more ear infections since and he is almost 14 years old now. He wasn't hurting anymore and I didn't feel like I had no clue how to be a mom because I couldn't take his pain away. She will be a little groggy after the surgery for about a day and they will give her something for the pain. (Don't let them tell you there are is no pain. I had them when I was 29 and it does hurt for about 2 days but it's not an excruciating pain.)But when she is recovered you will see an immediete difference in her mood and responses to sound.

Hi B.
My grandson had tubes put in his ears at 7 months and has never had another infection and he is 3 now he had absolutly no problems after the surgury matter of fact never was whiny or ill on the way home or in the days of his recovery.
J.

Hi B.,
My son was 10 months when he got his tubes put in. They were a blessing for him. He had several infections before we made that decision. It was one on our hardest, but one of the best. He has only had 2 ear infections since and he is now 4, almost 5. He went home 4 hours later and was just a little fussy, but alsolutley fine. Good luck with your decision.

My oldest son who is now 11 had to have tubes in his ears at 6 month old. They worked wonderfully until they feel out at the age of two. Within a week after falling out he started having ear infection again. So we went back in and had them put a second set of tubes in. At the same time they removed his abnoids and tonsils. He did great and when they fell out for the second time we have had no problems since. I would recommend getting the tubes because if left untreated it could affect your daughters hearing.

My son was about the same age when he first started having ear infections. He went about 5 straight months on antibiotics with infection after inifection even through the summer non-cold season months. He had tubes put in around his first B-day. He has had no problems since. The saddest part is when kids have chronic ear infections like ours do they just get so used to the pain and sometimes it is hard to tell when they are actually sick. Out ENT told us that when a kids ears are infected it is like covering your ears with your hands. That is what the world sounds like. That in addition to pain being their norm is what made us go with the tubes. He still got fliud in his ears but it drained right out without the slightest bit of pain to him. His tubes actually fell out when he was about 3. He had one infection after that but none since. So they do ourgrow it but I can't imagine him having to go those 2 years without his tubes. I got a slight ear infection (my first in about 20 years!) a few months ago and it about put me down! The surgery was totally worth it!

Hi B., My son had to have tubes around this age and they lasted a while and then fell out as his head grew. He had it done again around age 2. They really help alot with the ear infections. Dr. Robert Mahon of Piedmont ENT did the surgery and he is great. We now see Dr. A.J. Goforth with Carolina ENT. He removed B.J.'s tonsils last summer and he is really good also. The tube surgery takes about 30 mins. tops. That is the total time from when your baby leaves til the time she will be back in your arms. It's really fast but I know as a first time mom it will seem like forever. If you decide to do it, take a book or something to keep you busy. With the Winter coming up you will probably be very glad that you did it and Kealy will feel better too. Love, A.

Well my daughter wasn't that young, she was 2 and a 1/2. She had 7 ear infections in a 4 month period. It was nothing scary at all. I am also glad they did it because the fluid behind her ears hardened intoa gel and her adenoids in the back of her throat grew over them. She was in a lot of pain, got to the point where med icine did not work. The best thing would be to get the procedure done as soon as possible so nothing else comes along. Plus my daughter was up and playing hours later :)
T.

My 5 year old is on her 3rd set of tubes. They really are not a big thing these days. She is allowed to go swimming (not in lakes), take baths etc. without having to wear earplugs.

With the first 2 sets of tubes, by the time we got back to the waiting room after they took my daughter back, not 5 minutes later the doctor was out of the operating room letting us know that everything went well. The last set took longer because they were more permanant.

Now my daughter has more permanant tubes and she's fine. She just can't go swimming in a lake without earplugs. The doctor told us the ocean was okay though.

One thing we have since discovered is that if your child has acid reflux, this can cause more ear infections. Another discovery was blowing noses. If we can get our daughter to blow her nose, she's okay. If she doesn't, she will usually end up with an ear infection.

I just read some of your responses. Most kids do grow out of the infections, however, there are some who do not. My daughter, unfortunately, is one of those who will not grow out of the infections.

Not sure how much you know about ear infections, however, not treating them can cause hearing loss so it is always better to err on the side of caution. I can't count how many times we thought my daughter had an ear infection because of the signs to not have one or was on the brink of getting one so we nipped it before it became a problem.

If your child has chronic ear infections, you will learn your childs signs and know that you will need to take them for a checkup.

I hope your baby feels better and that you get the tubes put in quickly. I know what it is like to live with that.

Hey B.! My son Had tubes in this summer..he was 6 1/2 months old. He has done great with them! I should have gone ahead and done them first out! We suffered through ear infections all summer June-Aug and got the tubes in Aug 07. My son has been such a happy kid since! The actual surgery took less than 10 minutes, and the side affeects were ZERO. I mean he was sleepy most of that day but next day perfectly normal. He had a little drainage for a few days (snotty looking) but he has been fine ever since. GL with your sweetie!