I have a 6 year old daughter who had tubes put in her ears when she was 4. Over the course of the last couple years, she has lost one of the tubes, but not the other and as of February 2010, it will have been three years. We have taken her to see the ENT and he says most likely she will need surgery to remove the tube within the next several months. He also said that in doing so, it will create a hole in her ear which they will patch up with something (I can't remember what exactly) and she will have to wear a patch over her ear for a couple months. This all sounds unnecessary to me. Anyone who has been through this or something similar I would appreciate your input. Thanks!
One of the best ENTs in town is Dr. Wes Krueger, recommended by other doctors and my husband who calls on these types of Drs. I have been to him twice and even took my infant to him. He is excellent! I would go see him and get a second opinion for peace of mind.
My daughter has tubes in right now, and from what her ENT has told me, if they don't fall out on their own, there is a risk of infection, which could severely damage the eardrum. Also, even if there is no infection, she would have to always wear earplugs when bathing or swimming and always cover her ears when it's cold and windy (that hurts when you have tubes in). If she did get bath water, or water from a lake or swimming pool in her ear, it would cause an ear infection. That's not something I'd want to deal with forever! I think the surgery is absolutely necessary, considering the risks and inconveniences if the tube was left in place.
I must have had an uncaring ENT. When my son had his second set of tubes for a few years, one came out the other didn't. The doctor put some drops in his ear and then pulled the tube out right there in the office. Didn't seem to hurt but there was some discomfort. The hole healed up on its own but we still used ear plugs. I used the wax plugs that mold to the ears. I see no reason for your child to have to go under again to get the tube out. My son is now 17 and has not had any ear issues in years. How are your child's adnoids? That was the source of infection for both my kids. I make beautiful babies with crappy ears! good luck!!!!
If the tube is not removed, scar tissue will continue to build up around the tube and could cause severe hearing loss in that ear. Better to fix it now because young people heal much faster.
A friend of mine is going through the problem of the intected tube (as mentioned by Alicia) ith her son right now. He has not had his tubes in that long but the infection will not go away so next week he is having surgery to get his tube in that ear removed. The ENT told her that there will be a hole in the ear but it should heal on its own by spring. They will recheck him in the spring time and if the hole has not repaired then they will figure out what the best course to take is. She did not mention anything about him wearing a patch or anything else after this surgery. It seems like no big deal really. I would maybe get a second opinion on this one before decided the road you wish to take with your daughter. Hope this helps:)
The same thing happened to my son. Before doing surgery to remove the one tube that did not fall out, the ENT had us put a few drops of baby oil in his ear every day and it fell out on its own. Sorry, but I can't remember if we did it once or twice a day. I don't think we had to do it for very long.
My now 15 year old daughter had tubes put in when she was 6 months---they took them out 2 years later in the office. We have not had any problems since then.
My son has ear tubes but he was a year old when he got his and our ENT said if they do not fall out within 2 years we have to come in and have them removed, otherwise the hole will not heal on its own. He has had them in one year. So yeah I think you would have to have them do something to patch up the hole. I hope this helps
Good Luck!
