Chronic Ear Infection

There is an ingredient called xylitol that is in the Isagenix Kids vitamins that is very helpful for this. It also aids brain function and helps to fight cavities. I just learned of it last night from a certified nutritionalist.

My son started having ear infections at the end of Sept, he was 7 1/2 mo old at the time. The day after Christmas he was put on his 7th antibiotic for ear infections. Before the next ear follow-up, I took the advice from a friend who goes to the same Ped. to ask to have the follow-up done by the ear specialist. She had asked after 3 infections and they sent her. They sent us and I had tubes in his ears the day after we went to see the specialist. No problems with his ears since. The tubes took 15 mins from the time they took him back to the time he was in recovery. Hopefully this will help. I know I was beside myself after the ear infections got worse when they were not responding as well to the antibiotics. I was also advised to get him a Pro-biotic which seemed to help him with the belly aches he seemed to be having from all of the antibiotics he was on.

Typically after that long they try a shot (a series of two) and it just zaps it gone. After so many ear infections they just put in ear tubes. We had ear infections every 2 weeks for 9 mos and once we had the tubes put in it was all over...no more in 4 years and the tubes are GREAT!

My children have never had antibiotics for an ear infection. I watched my sister go through what you are experiencing and her daughter struggled so much with infection after infection. I decided to take a different route. I made ear drops from mullein flowers and garlic in olive oil and anytime my kids would complain of an earache, I would warm some up and put the drops in. In almost every case I only had to do it once and their ears would be better the next day! They've never been to the doctor for an earache or infection. If you can't make the drops yourself, you can probably find them from an herbalist online. I hope this helps... good luck!

My son had the same thing happen to him. We determined he was getting ear infections from getting water in his ears. He now wears ear plugs to bathe and swim. As far as the infection goes
I am not sure how you would clear that up. Just wanted to let you know.

Take him off of any dairy other than breast milk. The protein chain in cow's milk is larger and more difficult to digest and causes a build up of mucos which can clog the eustachian tubes--this is then the breeding ground for ear infections. Then order a bottle of ProSeed Ear Drops-formulated with grapefruit seed extract and extracts of plantain and mullein in pure vegetable glycerine base. You can go to Rainbow Blossom or order it online. These drops will help fight the infection and keep his ears from hurting.

His condition may also be exacerbated by allergies. Let me know if this helps. It will take 5-7 days. Thanks.

I have twin boys that had double ear infections almost every month for 7 months...I finally took them to an ENT specialist and they had tubes put in last July. Since then, we've only had one ear infection between the two of them....I highly suggest an appointment with the ENT. Good Luck!

Most ear infections are viral and therefore do not respond to antibiotics, though antibiotic use will aggravate the situation, as they weaken the immune system. THis is the most common misprescription given to children. 5 rounds of antibiotics is a huge tax on a child under one or anyone for that matter. I suggest that you stop the antibiotics immediately. Supplement the baby with a liquid form of acidophillus to undo some of the damage from the antibiotics and take him off of all sweets, breads and dairy for at least 3 weeks. Dairy and/or sugar is most likely the cause of the ear infections and may need to be eliminated from his diet indefinitely, but at the least it will be necessary to eliminate to clear it up. Lastly administer a garlic, mullein flower ear oil. Do not do this if the ear drum is ruptured, but usually it is not, and the doctor that gave you the antibiotics would have that info. Gaia Herbs has a great children's line that includes this product. If you follow this protocol I can pretty much guarantee it will work. I would highly advise trying this before even considering something as invasive and irreversible as surgery.

Blessings, C.

When I was growing up and then when I had my children, I used warm mineral oil or olive oil in their ear to reduce the pain. If antibiotics haven't worked, have a friend that smokes to blow smoke in the ear. That worked back in the olden times before people went to doctors so often.
I would be very careful tho and check with your pediatrician. You don't want a perforated ear drum that can cause hearing loss.
I will be interested in hearing new ideas also.

He may be a little too young to do this, but I use ear candles. You buy them at GNC and they are great. I have a 7 year old and when he has an ear ache or his allergies start acting up, I "candle" his ears. Please research it before trying it since he is so young, you may not be able to do this to him until he gets older.

My boy (actually my nephew and I have custody) had ear infections a lot when he lived at home. It was due to cigarette smoke. I notice it still bothers him when he visits his mom/dad.

Also, a visit to an ENT (ear/nose/throat) specialist may help, he may need tubes.

A.

I had a friend whose son suffered from chronic ear infections. She was told about chiropractic adjustments for children that can help. She finally took him to a chiropracter for an adjustment and he hasn't had another ear problem since. They adjustments are gentle. You might want to check it out.

This one's a tuffy. Some kids just are genetically predisposed to lots of them, and dosing tons antibiotics doesn't help, except make them immune to them. :( My daughter was like that, and it slowly passes as they grow older.

Some folks will have "tubes" put in the kid's ears for "better drainage". You could ask around how those worked for moms experiences with these. Mine has been they don't work so great. My experience has been that any trauma to a sensitive child like yours, increases the likelihood of various reactions, from a HOLISTIC point of view.

Also check allergic reactions to something in the environment (smoking being a BIGGY)...

And, if you are inclined and have one in your area, a visit to a homeopathic doctor would be good! They are good with this type of thing (but, alas, they don't usually take health insurance).

Good luck!
C., RN

Piper,

My sister has a son that suffered chronic ear infections until he was 3. When he turned three they found that he has severe allergies, and this is what was causing the infections. He lived on antibiotics until he was 3, nothing worked until he was put on zyrteck. Hope this helps. My sister has a dog and a cat in the house.

My daughter has struggled with ear infections, more specifically, ear infections that wouldn't go away. We had a doctor recommend Singulair (he suspected the source of fluid retention was caused by allergies) to keep the fluid at bay. We had an allergy test done just to be sure that she did have allergies before giving her daily medication and sure enough that doctor recommended the same. We've been taking the singulair dailly for almost a year now and have been ear infection free since and didn't have to do the tubes. Hope it helps.

My daughter was the exact same way. She began to have ear infections at 5 months old and they did not stop until was went to an ENT and got tubes at 9 months old. She went for several years with out any problems. Around 3 1/2 or so she began to get repeat ear infections. We then took her to the same ENT and he took out...tonsils, adenoids and replaced the tubes. She has had maybe one ear infection since and she is now 5 almost 6.

My son had many ear infections, 5 before he was six months old and so on and so on. Once he went through several antibioditcs to try to clear the infection (I can't remember his age for he has had so many.) The liquid was so thick that he really could not hear well and his speech was delayed. Don't worry though, it all work out with the speech. I would advise and ENT to explore the possibility of tubes. However, be aware , it may take more than one set. My son had a set at 6 months, 12 months and 16 months. The last set seemed to do teh trick and he is doing much better and chattering away everyday! Also, a tip- Find an ENT that will schedule surgery right away. Don't let them wait 4 weeks or so. You both will suffer!I hope this helps!

Piper,
Hi. I went thru this with all 4 of my children, The ABX hardly ever worked, and if it did, week after finishing them,, there was another one starting back. This was until I discovered Similasan: http://www.similasanusa.com/products-earache-relief.cfm

There is a variety of products each of which I swear by. I have tried several of them and each time it takes only 1-2 doses to work. They can be found at CVS, Walgreens and probably most other drug stores. If you can't find them locally, the site http://www.similasanusa.com/index.cfm will show you where to go to, it also gives you a coupon. I have also received a coupon in each product box also.
I hope this helps

S. AKA Shazzizme
______FIGHT LYME DISEASE
www.ShazzArtisticVisions.com

Allergies! My son was sick all the time.He was allergic to ALOT of things!Doc.gave me Meds.to give him shoots.I stopped the shoots later.He still has Allergiers.At least now we know why & what from.His Grown NOW. MAY God Bless your Family!

My daughter went thru the same thing with her ears. I totally recommend getting tubes. We went thru 2 sets in the last 2 years & she hasn't had an ear infection since she got her last set almost a year ago. Talk to your pediatrician about seeing an ENT if the meds aren't working.

.

Make sure that when he's drinking his bottle or sippy cup that he's not laying down. The ear canal in infants and children is straighter than in adults. When they drink laying down the liquid can go into the eustachian tube in the ear and cause chronic ear infections. Make sure that he drinks sitting up or supported with his head upright. Good luck!

I know it is old-fashiioned,but mineral oil (sweet oil)will help with the pain.I put a drop in each of my daughter's ears once a week to help keep the wax from building up.

Hi Piper,

When my son was little (he is now 12) he used to have ear infections all the time. It started right after I weaned him at 12 months. He had so many ear infections in a row that they said if he got one more they were going to do an operation to give him tubes in his ears. Then someone mentioned to me that milk can cause ear infections. I did my research and lo and behold my friend was right. Please understand, my son was a milk junky! He even went to bed with a sippy cup of milk (I know bad mommy, first kid, I didn't know any better!). As soon as I took him off the milk he never had another ear infection - ever! It wasn't an easy transition though, like I said he was addicted. He would cry and throw a fit but I would only give him water in his cup (the best thing for them). Does your son drink milk. Do they lay him down at day care with a bottle? Laying down with a bottle is a big no-no as far as the ears are concerned. If your son drinks milk I would NOT switch to juice or any other type of milk especially soy. Soy has too many estrogen like properties and can actually cause breast buds to appear in boys and girls alike. No other mammal drinks the milk of another mammal after the weaning years. We don't need it for calcium like you hear on TV. There are plenty of healthy sources of calcium - including tasty chewables. In fact, did you know that countries that DON'T drink milk at all do NOT have osteoporosis like we do? Soda and too many animal proteins actually leach calcium from the bones. Please consider that the ear infection is a symptom of the body - the body's way of telling you that something isn't right -help me! Tubes will not stop the "cause" of the ear infection, it will simply stop the symptom, therefore whatever was causing the symptom will be continued. I hope you will consider finding the root of the problem rather than simply eliminating the symptom.Okay, I'm rambling now. If you go to www.notmilk.com and go to the Ear Infection and Osteoperosis sections, you can read what doctors and scientific research have found on this subject.I hope this helps! Be well, be happy : ) T.

Years ago when my son was 2 he started out with one ear infection, it turned into both ears. I have never seen such oozing. No antibiotic could hardly touch it. Tubes fell out almost immediately. Finally I happened into an herb store in our area and when looking for something for something else, the clerk asked if I needed help with anything else. I said sure if you think you can get rid of this ear infection problem. I was really kind of kidding not knowing much about natural remedies. Her suggestion was to take him off of milk, try soy milk and products and try a child's dose of Echinacea. Two days later . . . no more oozing and never another ear infection after 2 weeks of treatment.

Best wishes!
B.

I went through this exact same thing when my son was 18 months old. Odds are his ear is not really infected. There is simply fluid behind the ear drum that makes it appear to be infected but it is not. Not all fluid behind the ear drum is bad or infected. Stop with the antibiotics. We had six doses and even a round of shots and nothing worked. Take him to Carolina Ear Nose and Throat! They are the best. They will tell you exactly what is going on. The tube that connects the throat and the middle ear is very easily blocked in kids this age and it doesn't allow the fluid to drain. Your concern should be his hearing loss due to the fluid which can cause development delays. Go see an ENT. They normally wait until the fluid has been present for 12 weeks and then they will advise that temporary tubes be put in to drain the fluid, which is what my son had to have done. Very, very mild twenty minute procedure and he could hear instantly. The tubes stay in for 6-12 months. They fall out on their own and he has never had an ear infection since!

I hope this helps!

Cranial osteopathy worked for my 18 month old daughter, after ear tubes failed to help and they were ready to put in a second set and remove her adenoids.

Cranial osteopathy is similar to craniosacral therapy. The main difference is that cranial osteopathy is performed by a doctor and therefore insurance often covers it - it did for us. Some D.O.s are trained in cranial osteopathy and you can find a list of practitioners here - http://www.cranialacademy.org/.

This can happen when children are in daycare settings. Kids carry germs unfortunately! My daughter was healthy, never got sick or had ear infections until she attended daycare. Now that I am temporarily a stay at home mom she never gets sick. If daycare is going to be a permanant option for your son talk to your doctor about tube's for his ears. It maybe an option you're willing to consider if the antibiotic's don't work and he is always in pain.

I feel that ear infection are cause by what you breath or what goes into the ear. Maybe you might need to clean the air. Is there smoking around him. I am just trying to think what would prolong the infection. It just an suggestion. I am a mother of two, now grown but they had ear infection too. It could be he cutting teeth. I try to to help ya with some idea to think about.

Unfortunately, with your child being in daycare - there are many things you can't control... With ear infections - he shouldn't be laying down to take a bottle - ever. You also can't control all the "stuff" he comes into contact with on a daily basis. Allergies may also play a part in this situation. It's a tough call but the expense of daycare, doctor visits, and meds may outway the going back to work. I once kept 4 babies during their first year. "Moose" - the biggest baby kept ear infections all the time but as long as he was held straight up - no tears. Bottle time had to change as well as 3 straight doses of antibiotics and sinus type medicine. He finally got well and we all got happy. :-)

My son had alot of ear infections when he was a baby. Besure that day care isn't laying him down with a bottle. This can cause the ear infections even if you clear one up if they are laying him down with a bottle it will come back. we finally put my son on a low grade antibiotic each day three times a day for a year then we had to do tubes in the ears at age two. Even if you ask the day care about the feeding of a bottle drop by when they don't know you are coming in this way you can see for your self if they are doing what you ask. Also this will keep the day care on their toes because you never know what is happening. I have checked on day cares many times.

Take him off dairy. My son had chronic ear infections from birth to age one. They wanted to put tubes in, but I did a ton of research and found that lots of kids are just allergic to dairy. I put him on soy everything and he has had only one ear infection since (he's now 9). Try it. It really works.

Get child off all cow's milk products. 25% of kids with cow's milk intolorence develop soy intolerance, so try to find something other than soy to give to your child. I had one friend whose child was so intoloerant of everything that she put him on goat's milk and he was fine. (Goat's milk in available in the can in the grocery store. She still tells the story about remembering me telling her about goat's milk and the miracle it was with her child.)
Cow's milk aids greatly in the production of mucus and mucus is what is causing the fluid in the ear canal.
And no the Doctor's won't/don't tell you this information. Remember they are medical doctors who prescribe medicine. This is what they are trained to do and what they do. I am not downplaying doctors, as with everyone they have their place, however, they are not informed about nutrition and alternate therapy.
This e-mail seems lengthy to me! I could tell you more about my past situation with my 1st child. If you want more let me know.
S.

My son had very similar problems. He was refered to an ENT and got tubes when he was 10 months old. It was life changing for all of us! No more screaming in the middle of the night and he began to respond so much more when we talked to him. He is now 2 1/2 and has already had tube surgery twice, but it is worth every penny!!!

Hi there. My daughter had an ear infection at 4 1/2 months old that lasted for 6 weeks and through 5 different antibiotics: Amoxicillin, Omnicef, Augmentin, 2 shots of Rocephin, and Cefzil. None of the antibiotics worked, so we took her to her pediatric ENT, and he put tubes in her ear 2 days later (she was not quite 6 months old). The surgery was very quick and went perfectly (she was pretty upset coming out of the anesthesia, but other than that it was good). The ENT checked for the palate issue on her as well, because she has a bifid uvula. He expects her to have more than 1 set of tubes, but they have been great so far, and she is 10 months old now! Good luck and God bless!

HI Piper,
Chronic ear infections are not an unusual problem, especially after a child is in day care. Consider doing some things to boost his immume system, ie extra Vit C, using 1 tsp of flax or walnut oil all over his skin every day(absorbs EFA's).

CranioSacral Therapy is also known to help with ear infections, look for someone in the yellow pages under Massage therapy and look for someone who treats children.
L.

I kn ow it's kind of a personal question but does anyone around the baby smoke ? My daughter got an ear infection when she was 5 months old and even though we didn't smoke in the car with her or the same room the doctor said it didn't matter I have raised 7 kids and I can tell you from that point forwrd we never smoked in the house or car with them and none of them have EVER had an ear infection. Just something to check out I'd make sure they don't smoke in the daycare either. Also allergies can cause ear infections Has he been tested for allergies?

ok. now i know this sounds totally disgusting, but my friends grandmother swears by it. it's an old back wood, mountain remedy. take a few drops of pee(yes pee) and heat it with a lighter in a spoon and drop it in the babies ear and then put some cotton in her ear. urine has antibiotic properties becasue of the acid in it. it should clear it up.

Try using an ear candle to clear out the packed in wax. You can purchase them at a health food store. Once the blockage from the wax has been removed, drop a few drops of garlic oil into the ear canal and stop up with a cotton ball. Ear infection should be gone in 24 hours. Garlic oil can be made by peeling and slicing a clove of garlic and dropping it into a small amount of olive oil. Let steep several hours. I do this every time one of my children gets an ear infection and I never need to go to the doctor for an antibiotic. To counteract the negative effects of the antibiotics that your child has been on for over a month, be sure to give the child yogurt or acidophilus or some other probiotic pills.

A little about me:
I am the mother of 12 children (11 living): two sets of twins, 5 boys and 7 girls, the oldest being 26, the youngest being 8.

Hi Piper,
Has your child ever been evaluated for reflux. A friend of mine had a son with chronic ear infections and eventually the ENT mentioned gastroesophageal reflux. Apparently this child was refluxing so hard it not only went into his mouth/throat but all the way to the sinuses and found the way to his ears. The child had never been symptomatic for reflux but had probably been doing it since birth. My daughter had reflux and never complained with it after I discontinued her Axid, but I could still hear the refluxing until she was almost 12 months old. Just a thought. Good luck. There is also a drug resisitant strep going around that gets in the ears. I read about it online as possibly the next "superbug". May want to explore that and see what the actual antibiotic is that kills that particular strain of strep.

yup we did that whole thing ended up having tubes.... no ear infection since!

Ask his pediatrician about ear tubes. It's a surgical procedure, but it relieves ear infections. It's well worth it b/c of no more infections and no more pain!!! The worse thing that can happen is his ear drums bursting from the pressure, and you definitely don't want to wake up in the middle of the night to him screaming from the pain! Although the ear drum does grow back, his hearing could be affected. My son's also had antibiotic resistant ear infections that required 2 different scrips before they cleared up, so i kinda know what you're going through. Good luck!!

My neice had the same problem. They eventually ended up putting tubes in her ears and that fixed the problem. This may be an option you may want to explore with your pediatrician.

My son had a ear infection non stop from the age of 1mo to 6 months. At that time we decided to do the ear tubes and he has been with out an ear infection since and he is now 2 1/2. I know this is hard to have a little one who can't talk to you and tell you what he needs. Stay calm and it will be over soon. E. W

Hello Piper,
Try taking dairy out of your son's diet. We used to have back to back ear infections until we got off the dairy. Then things cleared up. Soy milk, yogurt and cheese plus tofutti cream cheese changed our lives!
Good luck.
L.

sometimes changing docotors help. also putting s tube in your baby's ear will help. my daughter had one and she never got another ear infection. but a 10 month old should not have so many. go to a specialist. don't wait for doctors to tell you what to do. also daycare will make your child sicker...

Have you looked at putting tubes in his ears? Chronic ear infections can lead to hearing loss and developmental delays related to hearing loss.

Frankly, I can't imagine my ped trying five different antibiotics in such a short time period. You say 'over a month' so I am thinking less than 2 months and that is basically being on medicine constantly.

With our boys we always requested an injected antibiotic so that we did not have to deal with remembering the times and administering it--and if you have day care tossed in that mix, then that adds another layer of someone who may be late on dosing or mis-dosing or skipping doses completely.

You may want to look at in-home care. We had live-in help when our younger son was born (I stayed home with our older son as a baby) and neither of them have ever had an ear infection. But all my nieces and nephews in day care had them. One had to have tubes put in and it made a world of difference.

Hi. My 3yo grandson recently had an ear problem and it was dealt with easily with some natural methods. Google about natural remedies for ear infection/earache or Google "tea tree oil"-remedies for...

I have read some of the other responses and I also HIGHLY recommend the chiropractor. My grandson has been going regularly since he was born and at the time of the ear problem. He has limited health problems because of this "wellness care"
Most of the other home remedies I read I have heard of before and are effective. Do the chiropractor and home remedies before resorting to antibiotics and Tubes.

Good Luck!

my sister had a ton of ear infections, and her dr finally said to put tubes in her ears. a little drastic, but worth it because she is in so much pain. they did it when she was two. ask you dr about it. good luck!

Start talking to your son's doctor NOW about ear tubes. I waited longer than necessary with my first child, but not with my second. When the ears are constantly infected, not only is the child in constant pain, but the child can not hear normally. After we finally put the tubes in my son's ears, we walked out side from our appointment and he heard is first airplane go by. I couldn't believe that my son's hearing was so bad. Then he asked to go to McDonalds. Now he is 11 years old and just fine.
I am not a doctor, but having the tubes put in really changed our lives. The proceedure is simple, easy and fast. When they take your child into the operating room, don't go far because they come out very quickly.

I have two suggestions.

1. Take him to a family practice chiropractor. A simple adjustment will help open the tubes between his ear and throat. With proper drainage the infection can clear up.

2. Go to a natural food store and get a bottle of Wally's ear oil. It will soothe his sore ears and help fight the infection naturally.

When my daughter was between 1 and 2 years old, she had chronic ear infections. Our pediatrician gave us the option of having tubes put in my daughter's ears or suggested we might see a cranio-sacral doc. We opted to try the cranio-sacral route. He was a D.O. specializing in cranio-sacral work, and had about 4 -5 sessions with our daughter. I couldn't do justice in explaining what cranio-sacral work is as I am not a medical person, but it involves slight manipulation of the head. We were delighted that she has never had another ear infection (she's 10 now) and no tubes. I would look into it as an option, I'm glad we did.
Good luck, it's so hard to have a little one suffering and going through the antiobiotic search.
E.

Go to an ENT. Even if your pediatrician has not suggested it, take him. My first daughter had 9 ear infections the first year of her life....now we are in speech therapy for "r" sounds. A friend of mine, not our doctors, asked what was going on with her, and suggested we go to his ENT. It was the best thing we could do. Good Luck!

My 2-year-old nephew had chronic infections of every sort for about 6 months. Antibiotics would seem to clear it up, but as soon as he finished a round, the infection came back. My brother and sister-in-law finally got his doctor to send him to an ENT specialist. He did some X-rays and found out his lungs were full and his sinuses so backed up that it was causing the chronic infections. He removed his adenoids (doesn't like to take out tonsils at that age because kids that young usually refuse to eat or drink when their throats hurt and wind up in the hospital on IVs) and put tubes in his ears to help drain out his sinuses. This was about six weeks ago and my nephew is finally feeling better than he has in quite a while. So if antibiotics aren't working, ask for a referral to an ENT (ear, nose, throat) specialist.

Hey Piper

My oldest son had pe tubes put in. His were caused by fluid build up as a baby. They waited too long to put the tubes in, and the antibiotics he was given stained his teeth for life when his permanent teeth came in. This was an outpatient surgery, no pain. You will have to use precaution when bathing and swimming, etc. I regret not doing it sooner due to his stained teeth now. He is 28. No adverse effects from this procedure. Good Luck

Yes.. my son has had ongoing ear infections for about 6 mos now. He cannot take amoxicillin so we have had to try other antibiotics. In the past, we have gotten the generic for his antibiotics. This last time, the ped prescribed Suprax (non-generic) which finally took care of the ear infection. I have mom-friends claim that they have had issues with generic antibiotics not working as well as their name brand counterparts. Don't know if there is any truth in that. I know they have to meet the same FDA requirements... It could be just coincidence with us, I guess, or this antibiotic finally was the magic cure. :) Good luck.. I know how frustrating it is...

Both of my children had chronic ear infections. Jimmy was on antibiotics for 8 months before the finally put in tubes at age 1 and Emily was on them for 6 1/2 months before I made them send us to the ENT at 10 months old. Having the tubes was an absolute life saver!!! I know choosing surgery is scary, but it's less than 10 minutes total and they've had no problems since then not another ear infection since then for either kid. Jimmy is now 8 1/2 and Emily will be 6 in a couple weeks. I really would talk to your doctor about referring you to an ENT. Kentucky ENT and Dr. Tad Hughes are wonderful!!! Good luck, I hope they get it figured out for you pretty soon.

I'm 43 years old with an adult daughter (24). When my duaghter was a child my doctor didn't prescribe antibotics to children under 2 and then at very moderate levels. He would suggest swimmer's ear medicine you by over the counter. And if her ear infection was accompanied by a sinus infection he would tell us to go to the herb store and get Pure Eucalyptus oil as well as Tea Tree Oil. The Tea Tree oil was dropped in the ear and the euc oil was put in a small pot and brought to a boil. I would put a towel over our heads and we'd breathe that oil and I swear your sinus's would open up and start flowing.

we went three months straight with 4 different meds, including the Rocefin shot (which was horrible but WORKED), and ended up with tubes. the tubes have worked awesome! i am surprised they have gone 5 meds and not suggested the ENT.

I think we are living the same life. My son turned 10 months yesterday. My son has had an ear infection for 2 months now. It started as a double infection, then just kept going from one ear to the other. It is to the point where you can actually smell the infection if his ear passes close to your face.

We did Amoxicillin (twice), Omicef, Zithromax (all oral antibiotics), then we did the shots of Rocephin. Have you been through the shots yet?

We also tried giving him yogurt so the good bacteria could overtake the bad. And we also tried chiropractic care. The chiropractor also gave us messages and exercises to do to try and get the fluid in the ears to drain out. I'm sorry to say, but none of this has worked.

My husband and I are done the sleepless nights and seeing him in constant pain. We have decided to go ahead and do something about this.

We go for his consultation for ear tubes tomorrow. Apparently, after numerous infections, the fluid in the ear turns to what they call "ear glue". It turns very thick and paste like. Unless the ears are allowed to drain this out, it will just keep getting re-infected. The thickness can also keep the baby from hearing properly and slow down speech development. It can also slow down walking because the fluid will cause issues with balance.

I'm not sure if you are where I am yet, but you may want to check out chiropratic care or speak with your pediatrician about ear tubes.

Does your son have tubes in his ears?

Hi

I went through the same thing with my dauther, when she was that age. She is now 16. She had tube put in her ears at 10 months, and boy I was scared to death. But if you can get pass your fears it was the best thing for her, to this day she very seldom, unless she has a bad case of the flu has any problems.
For us it was the best move we made.
God Bless
W.

Hi Piper.
My youngest daugh had chronic ear infections and they were talking tubes. I went to a local health food store and she told me about a chiropractor that speacialized in chronic childhood illnesses (i.e. asthmas, ear infections, etc.) I never told her which ear had the infections, she told me after feeling her neck and feeling which bones were "out of sorts". She asked how traumatic her birth was. It was very traumatic. Let's think, they are squished and jumbled every which if they are born naturally. It all made sense. Anyway, very restricted dairy. We switched to soy. The phlem that dairy products cause sit in the throat and then travel to the ears. Think about how the nose, ears and throat are all connected. I also started her on C plus cold tablets. This was for the drainage that also would cause the ear infections. She might have a ear infection every other year now. I hope this helps. Please don't hesitate to ask if you need more info.
W. from Indiana

my little one had to get ear tubes.... she went to the chiropractor a couple of times but it was too late... go them last may and one came out in jan and had 2 more ear infections since january.. a major difference with the tubes
she is also on singulair, zyrtec and sitrex daily

I went through this for a straight year when my son was little. Find out if the chronic infection is due to fluid in the ear. That is what Connor's was. We tried decongestants but he did finally have to get tubes in his ears. Believe it or not it was a godsend. He has only had 2 ear infections after that. The procedure was harder on me than it was him!!

I tend to lean towards holistic medicine when it makes sense. I do remember reading that chiropractic treatment can make a difference with chronic ear infections. I asked my chiropractor about treating children and he said many do treat children. He said he adjusted both of his children right after they were born and continues to adjust them as they grow. If you go this route, make sure the chiropractor has experience adjusting infants and children.

Tubes are great for stopping ear infections and if you can go on and get the tonsils and adnoids removed. My 8 year old stayed sick until we got them removed and after they were removed he got his tubes out and and has not had earinfections or throat infections since!

Good Morning Piper! We had a similar problem with our daughter, now 8yrs old. It turns out her ear infections were related to teething. Once she quit teething the ear infections stopped. It might be a good idea to see a ENT dotor, who is seperate from a peditrician. The biggest concern at this point is how is the infection is effecting his hearing? Problems with hearing can effect his speach, because he needs to hear the annunciation of the word to speak it. Just a few things for you to ask your pediatrician. Tubes can be put in a childs ear, but if he has only had an ear infection once it is probably to radical of a move at this point. Have a great day!

Hi Piper, I feel your pain, my 16 month old son experienced the same thing. The doctor finally gave him a round of the Rocefin (Not sure about the spelling) shots, works like a charm. Eventually we did have tubes put in and his adenoids taken out the end of December, the best thing we have ever done!! There was very little recovery time, we had the procedure done early that morning and by 6:00 PM that night you could not tell that he had anything done, and he hasn't stopped since!! Good luck!

I went back to work and put my daughter in daycare when she was 18 mos old. She got an ear infection almost immediately and kept it for 6 months - pretty much the duration of cold and flu season. We called it 'daycareitis,' as all the kids constantly pass the crud back and forth. We also tried every antibiotic on the market before we finally sought the help of an ENT specialist.

First he put her on long-term small doses of antibiotics and when that didn't clear up her ear infection after 4 weeks, we opted for tubes. That was a year ago - she is now three and still has the tubes. She hasn't had a single ear infection since.

I have heard they are putting tubes in kids as young as a year old these days. The procedure took literally 5 minutes and it was absolutely the best investment we could have ever made. She has not had any problems with her hearing or any painful side effects at all. Tubes won't stop upper resperatory infections, she's had plenty of those since, but it has really done wonders for those terrible, painful ear infections!

Tubes are a drastic measure. My suggestion to you is to bypass the pediatrician and get yourself a pediatric ENT (otolaryngolist) and have them take a look. Constant ear infections can be harmful, not to mention really painful for your little guy! :o(

In the meantime, make sure your daycare is equipped with mass quantities of Purell and that you and everyone around your son is washing their hands - I mean REALLY washing them. (My knuckles bleed this time of year - I have a 3 year-old and a 4-month old!) Good luck!

Daycare alone might be a big part of the problem--all those kids with all those germs, and not one of 'em knows how to wipe their nose and keep germs to themselves. It's like a big germ party! And everybody gets something--woo-hoo!

My friend tried chiropractic with her son who had multiple ear infections his first year (and she was a SAHM and breastfed him). She had planned on getting tubes in his ears, but decided to give chiro a try. Within a month he was all better and didn't have any more. (The ENT doc told her in no uncertain terms that tubes was the only thing that would help, and that chiro was a load of bull. When his ears cleared up w/o antibiotics, the doc was surprised but refused to believe it was the chiro, and said that he'd just get another infection within a couple of weeks. He was wrong, of course!)

Is it possible that he's had some food changes to his diet, that might be contributing to an infection? Switching from breastfeeding to formula, or formula to regular milk? Adding other foods to his diet? That could be a trigger.

please check on this. My son had the same problems. The main cause for his ear infection was smoke. I did everything I could I thought until I realized every weekend it got worse. We were going to a resturant to eat every Friday that aloud smoking. Even tought we did not sit near it he still got them. I learned in his case even my brother in law whom smoked when he would be around him not smoking but on his clothes cause my son problems. Even if you and your family do not smoke ask the daycare it any of his teachers do. It sounds weird but I promise you even after tubes were in his ear and after they were out smoke effects my sons ears and he is now four years old. Good luck

B. F. Mother of 4yr old and 4 month old.

HI!
My oldest (who is now 11 and still the sickest of my 3 kids) was put into daycare at age 7 months. Before that, he was with a private sitter who kept one other baby and had a couple of her own kids. AS SOON AS he started daycare - and it was a very NICE (pricey) daycare, and they sterilized everything all the time - he started with the constant ear infections. At 13 months, he had a febrile (fever) seizure from the sudden onset of symptoms, scared me to death! But the infection was no worse, and no damage was done, thank GOD!

Anyway, right after that, we worked out a way for me to quit working and take care of my child on my own. No more ear infections. Ever. He gets everything else going around, but not ear infections. He was also a milk junkie, but we never quit the cow's milk. The doc was one more infection away from insisting on tubes, and while my hubby and I are not holistic nature freaks like several of my friends, we also believe surgery and overdoing antibiotics is the last option.

I have been staying home now (at least part-time) for over 10 years and none of my kids ever got much in the way of illness until they started pre-school. Kids just spread germs. Period. It doesn't matter how much adults sterilize the environment, kids are not diligent about hand-washing, not putting their mouths on things, or any preventative measure. I am also a teacher (pre-K and K), so I see very few kids that are bothered by germs.

So if there is any way possible to find him a baby sitter, if you or someone in the family can't keep him at home, just try to end the daycare! We ended up spending more money on doctors and medicines than I brought home in a paycheck! Ridiculous!
Surgery is extreme and usually over-performed and med's obviously aren't working for him. Take alot of the other suggestions (natural remedies - the tree oil drops worked good for the pain for us) BEFORE resorting to surgical procedures! Tonsils and adenoids are there for a reason, whether humans know it or not. The body has its own defense system that does not usually need messing with!!!

Just remember that you care for your child more than anyone else does, daycare, doctors, or anyone. Do what you feel is best!

Take care, good luck, and God bless!
A. V

Sounds like he may be a candidte for tubes in his ears. I think it helps to drain fluid. Ask your doctor. Prayer always helps too. I just said one for your baby.

Hi, Piper.

When my son was about 6 months old until he was 9 months old, he had a chronic ear infection. Over the course of those 3 months he had taken 5 different antibiotics and then the doctor placed him on a newly developed antibiotic which was quite strong but it had no affect upon the ear infection. They ran some test and sent me to an ear, nose, and throat specialist. Come to find out my son had an antibiotic resistant ear infection. They did immediate surgery on him at 9 months, drained the fluid and infection from his ear canals and placed tubes in them. He was placed back on antibiotics for 10 days after the surgery and he healed up fine. The doctor who did the surgery said he had never seen so much fluid and infection inside a child of 9 months of age, ears before. He was shocked. After my son healed we had his hearing tested and he has no harm to his hearing, thanks be to God. I thank God that my son never had another ear infection until about 2 months ago and he is now turning 9 years old, in 4 days.

I encourage you to ask your doctor about checking to see if your child does have an antibiotic resistant ear infection as it is quite possible. Also ask about having tubes put in his ears to help with this. I hope this helps some. I will be praying for your little one.

Blessings,
N.

Have you been to see an Ear, Nose & Throat doctor (Otolaryngologist) yet? My daughter had 7 months worth of ear infections, and we went to the ENT, and he said we needed to look at tubes. The surgery went fine, and the tubes were a life saver! She didn't have any infections while the tubes were both in; towards the time when they were coming out, she started with some infections, but the best part is that treating infections is MUCH easier with the tubes in (ear drops that go directly to the infection). Both tubes are gone now, and the holes have closed up, and she started with another infection (she was about 2 1/2 when they went in, and she's now 4 1/2).

My best suggestion would be to look for an ENT!

Good luck!
D.

My son is three and had an ear wax plug in his left ear that wouldn't come out, so we saw an Ears, Nose, Throat doctor. He said he could take the wax out and if need to put drainers in. I was scared until he showed me how simple it would be and painless. He said the plugs would fall out on their own in a year. Luckly he didn't need them, but I was willing to have it done for the good of my son so don't worry, it may be the best thing for your son. It never hurts to find out all possible options. Good luck. :)

You may try ear candling but not sure on that age. It's worked for my 22 month old. Also a drop of alcohol helps dry things up and garlic oil bought from the natural type store.
Also massage in forward circles from behind the ear down the neck using lotion or oil or vicks.