Ear Tubes - Hockessin, DE

Hi my toddler just got ear tubes 2 months ago...it was a hard decision and it took us 4months (and a dozen infections over 2 years) to go through with it.
Good Luck and please message me any specific Qs you may have.

I am a mom of two beautiful boys, 6 & 8. Both boys have had ear tubes at a young age (11mos. & 18 mos.) both a night and day recovery (with respect to ear infections). We saw ENT specialists at Chop (Chalfont) office and highly recommend them. It's an outpatient procedure and is run so smoothly and professionaly. I believe they will advise you that the tubes last only about 2-3yrs. (they fall out/harmless) and your child may or may not need a 2nd set. My youngest did need them replaced at age 5 but he had a series of other problems (asthma/chronic cough/allergies). My oldest hasn't had any further issues. I do believe doing this may also help with any future hearing/speech issues as both my kids hearing (when tested pre-tubes) was in the 40/60 hearing loss range (not good) which can affect speech. I think a consultation is a great thing and then go from there.

My only recommendation, which is hard, is to do your best to have surgery (tubes) when/if your child is healthy (I know, some-times a scheduling nightmare) but my son did have to have his stomach pumped (a little scary) as it turns out he had a sinus infection and when under anesthesia they are unable to clear passages etc. on their own. Just discuss with ENT and reschedule if needed.
Good luck.

I highly recommend getting tubes. As other mothers have said the fluid causes problems with hearing and speech. My ENT also believes that it causes balance problems. DuPont is doing a study right now with 3-7 yr. olds, before and after ear tubes being placed, to evaluate how ear infections and fluid in the ears affects balance. I believe that my son would have been walking sooner if he didn't have all the ear infections. The procedure and recovery is very quick and we were able to send him to daycare the next day. Since the actual procedure literally takes only minutes they don't put them under heavy anesthesia, but just in a 'twilight'. Its been a couple of months since my son had his tubes put in, and so far no ear infections. He did get sick once and the doctor said it would have been a lot worse without the ear tubes.
Good luck.

As a pediatric speech therapist I say YES YES! It is very important for speech development to have this done. Recurrent ear infections can leave a mild hearing loss that can affect learning speech. When I was in school I was fortunate enough to observe this surgery on two little boys. I watched through the eyepiece exactly what the ENT was doing. It is literally a 2-3 min. procedure. A tiny slice in the eardrum, all the fluid leaks out, gets suctioned, a teeny tiny tube gets placed in the incision and VOILA, it's done. Very quick.

While my son did not have tubes he had a small cyst removed on his eyelid at 22 months of age and woke up from the anesthesia quickly and without complications. He was ready to play as soon as we got home. No effects. Kids respond so well to this.
Good Luck

My youngest daughter (who turned 1 at the end of April) just had tubes put in on 6/4. It hasn't been long, but already she is babbling more. The ENT told us that it was likely that everything sounded like it was under water to her when her ears had fluid in them...she had 6 EIs in the span of 13 months.
We saw a doctor in Scranton and had the procedure done at Mercy Hospital. They were AMAZING. Everyone was so kind and understanding. We were nervous about her having to be put under, but they were as gentle with us parents as they were with our baby. I sat in the waiting room for about 10-15 minutes before they called for me to go back to see her.
Honestly, the worst part of it was having to get to the hospital 2 hours before a procedure that only takes 10 minutes, and not being able to feed her anything (they schedule the little kids early in the day because they aren't allowed to eat after midnight). We had to be at the hospital by 6:30, the surgery was schedule for 8:30. They were a little behind schedule, but Renee was in my arms by 9:10. She was so out of it, screaming, but they let me feed her and then she slept for a bit. We were allowed to leave as soon as she wet her diaper. We were there until about 10:30.
The other bad part is the drops you have to put in their ears afterwards...we had to do 3 drops in each ear, 3 times a day. That was rough. And you have to put cotton in their ears (coated with Vaseline) for baths, so no water gets in.
We go for our follow-up on Monday. But already I am pleased. My thought is to do it-because if a child isn't hearing correctly due to fluid or damage from recurrent infections, they can't learn to speak correctly-that, and I had recurrent EIs as a kid-complete with ruptured eardrums...that HURTS and when they are this little they can't tell us...I remember the pain and I wouldn't wish it on my last enemy. My heart would break every time Renee got an EI because of the screams...I remember how awful it was to get them as a kid-and I was not able to get tubes due to a different medical condition I had-so I had to just deal with it.
FYI-our ENT is in Scranton...we had a 2 month wait for the consultation appt., and then a 3 week wait from that point until the surgery...and then the post-op appt. is usually 2 weeks later. I say schedule it and then keep researching if you're on the fence, because it is a long wait if you do decide to do it.
When you look around for an ENT, make sure they will do a hearing test on site. There is a test where they put a small amount of fluid in the ear and then look to see if the eardrum vibrates...if it doesn't, then things are not working as they should. They should also do this test again at the post-op appt.
Good luck! We are just past this decision (2 weeks tomorrow since she had them put in) and we are already glad. Last week she developed a runny nose-and usually the EI follows...and all it was this time was a runny nose!!!

Hi A.,
I feel your pain. I struggled with the decesion to get tubes for my son. He was a little over a year old when we did it. The surgery was so fast, I didn't have a chance to get fully worked up. He woke up and said hungery. We noticed within 2 weeks, he was talking better. He was also hearing clearly for probably the first time. He became advanced in daycare. They have both fallen out. It took about a year and a half. Knock on wood, he has not had an ear infection since. It was the best thing we ever did.
Good luck,
L.

get the tubes asap will mean couple of hours in hospital, but the actual procedure is quite quick.

By 18 months our son had had a lot of ear infections and he was always miserable and on so many antibiotics. He got tubes and only had one infection the next year so it was a really good thing for him. The surgery was quick and reovery painless. they're great with kids. However, at 6 he still had one tube in his one ear (they are supposed to fall out on their own). so we had to have it surgically removed and the hole covered. that was also a very minor surgery. 9/10 times the ear hole heals from the second surgery and your good to go. fortunately, that was the case for our son.

after the first surgery when the tubes were in his ears we had to use ear plugs when he was swimming. I would say we were much more cautious around water with him and so it took him a bit longer to be willing to put his head under the water when he was older because he had had tubes, but they make special ear plugs for kids if you have the money to pay for them. we just used OTC kinds.

I would say go for it. It will help your child so much and having them constantly on antibiotics is not what you want either!

good luck!

My son is 14mos, and he needs tubes also. I took the to first ENT my pedi referred, but I didn't like him. So now I waiting for appts at CHOP (can't see him til Aug 20th) and another ENT in Gibbsboro (can't see him til July 21). I really don't want to wait that long so I am calling both places every day to see if they have any cancellations.
Aiden has had 5 infections, and the last antibiotic was Omnicef and it gave him bad belly problems. So I really don't want another infection while we're waiting, but I really want him to go to a PEDIATRIC Ent, not just someone who works on children and adults.
From what I understand, the procedure itself only takes about 10min, and they have put the baby to sleep. That part scares me, they use gas only (no IV). The doc said most kids wake right up and have no problems. I would get a couple appts ASAP in case you get stuck waiting like I am!!

My 4 year old had ear tubes put in when she was 2 years old due to many ear infections and high fevers. I highly recommend Dupont in Delaware - they get you in fast and they don't make you feel like you are 1 out of many. For a solid 2 years my daughter has not had one ear infection - it seemed like a miracle!! The surgery only took literally 5 minutes and really no recovery time - she was up playing after a nice long nap. She just recently had her very first ear infection after 2 yrs - one of the tubes just fell out a couple of months ago which should occur. I have an appointment on July 6th for a follow up to see if she needs the ear tubes put back in. My 1 year old also has an appointment with the ENT because she is also experiencing many ear infections. It's scary as a parent to not have control and for your child to always have ear infections…….always antibiotics…….however the ear tubes was the best thing for my child!! Good Luck!

My son had tubes and they were AWESOME. No more ear infections!!!! It was such a relief to get it done. I chose a magazine in the waiting room and just as a found an article to read, they were coming to get me to tell me he was finished. And awake! It was amazingly fast. Your pediatrician will know a good pediatric ENT. We went to UPMC in the South Hills and had an excellent experience. If your child had recurrent infections, this will be extremely helpful! Good luck and try not to worry. The docs really know what they are doing.

Dear A.,
I have to say this was the best thing we could have done for our daughter when she was young(she's now 31). It helped so much, once the fluid was gone so were the ear infections. Our doctor put them in and they lasted for 9 mths. I used silly putty or max wax to cover the inside of the ear so no water would get in when we washed her hair or when she went swimming. I hope this helps you. Good luck with your daughter.
God Bless,
J.

Hi A.,

When I was around 7 years old (many many years ago), I had tubes put in both of my ears because of recurring ear infections. I highly recommend them. I was put to sleep for it and even as a 7 year old, it did not seem to take that long. My hearing definitely improved, which improved my speech in time. I have not had an earache since even after all these years.

I do recommend getting them as young as you can so it doesn't interfere with their speech. I wish I would have been able to get them when I was younger than 7, then I might not have had to be in speech class for many years to make up the lost time.

L.

i am battling the same situation right now with my 9 month old, he has had an ongoing ear infection since march. i see an ent at the end of the month at childrens south, dr. alper. i am still on the fence if i want to go through with the procedure. right now he is going to a chiropractor to see if that will correct the situation , if at all possible i dont want to have it done. i have heard good and bad of the situation, but in my case more bad. i have a friend who's little boy had tubes put in november and has had an ear infection since then, in addition to drops he has also been on augmentin, becuase its not being corrected with just drops. another friends little girl had tubes and her skin grew around the tubes and had to have them surgecially removed. a friend of my mom who is 45 and has had tubes since she was little is deaf in one ear due to the tubes. i know the outcome is more positive than negative, but i always think of the negative and is it worth it. you may want to call around and see if chiropractors in your area do little kids. i live in washington, pa and i go to johnson family chiropractor

We highly recommend tubes. We battled ear infections for the first year of Jac's life. When we moved to PA (when he was 11 months old) the pediatrician here wouldn't refer us for a CHoP appt until he had 3 in fections...well that didn't take long (just 3 months). We had tubes inserted when he was about 14 months and have NEVER had any issues since. The tubes are still in place (he's almost 3) although one has shifted and will fall out soon. If they do not fall out on their own, they will have to do surgery to remove them, but we have a follow-up in 6 months. We went to CHoP in KOP to see the doctor and had the procedure done in Chalfont. Very easy procedure and very professional staff.

A.,
I do not have direct experience with my child and tubes, but my friend had them put into her son's ears recently (he's about O.). She said the procedure was very, very fast and he had no after effects at all. If I were you, I would find a specialist I trust, even if you have to see a few to find O. that you're comfortable with. Good luck!

My son got tubes because of on going ear infections. His speech was delayed because of all the infections. The doc said that he had fluid in his ears for 6 months of his very influential speech period. So, we got tubes in his ears in Dec. 2007. By the end of January we noticed a signifigant improvement in his speech. Grandparents who only speak to him on the phone because of distance were able to understand him and all.
After the surgery, he had no pain or discomfort of any kind. The doc had said that after surgery he would be himself that day and we would see no difference in his behavior. That is the truth. The hardest part of that day was taking him away from us for the surgery. After the surgery he was groggy as expected but after that wore off he was back to running around and playing as normal.
He never had an infection while the tubes were in place. But you have to be sure to use to ear plugs whenever they are in water. His tubes came out of the ear drum in March this year and the doc just reached in with a tweezer looking device and removed them. I am still using the ear plugs but I was told I didn't have to anymore. I am just nervous because I remember too clearly what he was like before the tubes.

Good LUCK!!

Several years ago my son by the age of 10 months, had had 3 antibiotics for an ear infection--even after those his ear was still red. I certainly didn't want to fill my child with antibiotics, so I looked for a homeopathic option. I found what has worked for us and have used it for all my children when they suffer from earache, and the best thing about it is that it has no harmful side effects! In a dropper bottle--an infant Tylenol bottle works perfectly--mix the following:
13 drops of olive oil
contents of 1 softgel vitamin E
contents of 1 softgel garlic (a natural antibiotic)
You can find them all at Wal-Mart. I've used them many times. Drop them in the ear until the canal fills up, then massage around the bottom of the ear until you are sure that the mixture has reached all the corners of the inside of his ear. Usually the first time does it for us and I keep a mixture on hand at all times. Hopefully this might be a help to someone else who doesn't want to fill your child with antibiotics. If it helps your child, I would appreciate your letting me know at ____@____.com

My son (who is now 15)had to have tubes for the first time when he was about a year and a half. He started getting ear infections at about 5-6 months and they would clear up with antibiotics and then a month or so later he would get another one. We had to keep going to stronger antibiotics because his body became immune to them so finally we went to a specialist and he said he needed tubes. The procedure is only 15 min. long. He has had to have tubes off and on through the years. The last time he was 13 and I hope now his ear canal has grown so he won't need them anymore. I think the tubes last about year and a half and then fall out on their own. His hearing is good but not perfect due to all his ear infections but the tubes really helped.

Hope this helps a little bit.

My daughter got her ear tubes when she was eight months old, due to having a cleft palate. She didn't get ear infections, but her euschation (sp?) tubes were crushed, so they inserted them to open them up. She is now 17 months old & they have been fine. She did have a little leakage last month when she had a cold, but we had to insert drops in her ears & it cleared right up. The procedure was simple & she didn't even bother with her ears afterwards, so I know it didn't hurt. I don't know if that helped at all But our experience so far has been good :)

Hi A.: I have a son who will be 3 in September and he had tubes put in last May (of 2008). He battled ear infection, after ear infection and finally had to have them done. The surgery was easy (we had it done at CHOP in Exton) and he has only had one ear infection in the last 13 months. The tubes did what they were supposed to and drained all of the fluid (it was gross but they worked beautifully!)

We were just back at CHOP this week for a follow up because he still has fluid residing in his ears but it wasn't infected. His one tube came out a few months ago and the second was now non-functioning (it had worked it's way out and was just sitting in his ear canal). The ENT pulled it out and we will be going back in 2 months to check the fluid again.

As scary as it was to send him for surgery, it was the best thing we ever did. He was such a mess with all of these ear infections and the tubes have been a miracle!

Good luck and let us know how she does!

Tubes are the BEST thing ever. My son got them at 13 months. When he got the tubes, he could barely hear in either ear and only said 3 words. At his 2-week post-op, he could hear perfectly and knew 10 or 15 words. The effects on his health, mood, and language acquisition were immediate and HUGE.

The immediate post-op was a little stressful, but it turned out that was just because he was hungry and tired. After a nap and a meal, he was totally fine. (we were outside playing after he ate and one of the neighbors saw him and said 'isn't he getting tubes today?' and was shocked when I said we were done and back, because he was acting totally normal)

My daughter had tubes put in her ears when she was 15 months old. Her whole first year of life sshe was on medication dues to constant ear infections. It did delay her speech slightly but nothing major. I was terrified when they did it. The procedure was all of maybe 10 minutes, 30 minutes in recovery right after surgery until the anesthia wore off and then a few hours in the outpatient to watch her afterwards. No problems. She is now almost 3.5 years old and her tubes are still in, no problems. They do say in a rare instances that it can cause holes in the ear drums but our ENT said its like a 1% chance. I was so scared at first to have it done but they have changed so much since I was a child on how they affect people and now I wouldn't change it for anything. Has only had a teeny little ear infection that wasn't even worth putting her on meds for but her peditrician did because of her history - since shes had them put it. They are supposed to fall out in a 1-1.5 years. You only have to use ear plugs in their ears when they get a bath (is what our ENT said) until the ears close up. We just got the clearance to stop using the plugs, however, I used them whenever she was in the shower, swimming, bath, etc. Hope this helps, feel free to message me if I can't help you any more. Hope this helps

My daughter, who is 7, has TERRIBLE sleep apnea. But we took her to an ENT at Nemours, a friend of the family's did his rotation there, and instead of a sleep study, she is getting her tonsils and adenoids out and the doc is also (Dr. Shah is so cool) going to drain the fluid behind the ear drum and then make the determination if she needs tubes or not.

I liked Nemours so much better than CHOP. More kid friendly, easier to get an appt., seemed truly concerned for my daughter.

Jenn M.