Wits End with Ear Infections!

I completely understand about the antibiotics!! My now 13 month old is the same way and is VERY prone to ear infections. I had them as well as a child. With my daughter I just have to be extremely careful in the bath that she doesn't get ANY water in her ears, and even if its warm outside but windy she always wears a hat. I try as best I can to keep her ears cleaned out. That's really the only advise I have on that end of it all. As for the tubes, when I was 3 or 4 the dr's asked my parents if they considered tubes in my ears. He did say however that there was a 50/50 chance I would lose my hearing anyway. My hearing isn't bad enough to detect when I take hearing tests, but I can definitely tell there is a difference between my self and other people my age hearing wise. You might want to speak with the doctors to see if there are any other alternatives to tubing.

My daughter had the exact same problems. Tubes didn't work either... just green ooze coming out all the time until we found Dr. Mary Ann Block and The Block Center in Hurst,TX. Check out www.blockcenter.com and one of her books, NO MORE ANTIBIOTICS. Dr. Block saved our daughter! In our case it was food allergies to the normal healthy foods we were feeding her like, OJ, corn, bread, eggs, etc.

Hello S.,

My daughter had similar issues... although, hers was the opposite. she got constipated and also had ear infections.

Could he be allergic to latex? my daughter ended up w/ an ear infection at 2 months old because after her check ups she would end up w/ a cold... wich later developed into ear infection and later into asthma. Maybe it will save you a few months of despair. insist on latex free gloves for now and when going to the doctor, go early morning ... less powder/latex particles in the air. remember that means no playing w/ balloons either. by the way, the blood test might come back negative even if he's allergic to latex.

Could he also have eczema?

allergy testing! check for milk, soy, nuts, grass, dust, etc. get him checked.

no air fresheners, candles, etc. if he has allergies, that might be irritating him-those things have too many chemicals. probiotics every day for him and for you if you breastfeed. (to balance the good bacteria in his system.

no cow milk -- soy formula?
if you breastfeed... skip the milk for now and get your calcium/vitamin D from other sources.

aromatherapy may be helpful. putting peppermint oil on a paper towell it infuses the air and help clear stuffy noses. make sure he doesn't get to it.

have you ever considered going to a chiropractor?

My Godson had similar problems too. he got tubes put in and also was tested for allergies. it turned out that he was allergic to milk, soy, wheat, ragweeds (which include sunflower, safflower, daisies, dandelions, echinacea, chamomile, lettuce, artichoke)

read labels every time. also, lotions, shower gels, shampoo, conditioner, read those too.

just a few thoughts. follow your gut and keep looking for the answer. just allergy meds is not the answer if he keeps eating/using what makes him sick.

I'll be proactive and give you this info, just in case you end up needing it when birthday time comes around:

--- http://www.reallygreatfoods.com/
the highest quality baking mixes for people with special dietary needs, including gluten free, wheat free, soy free, dairy free and casein free baking mixes. Really Great Food for gluten free food products.

Good luck! ~C.~

Hi S.,
Well here's my story about my 17 month old son. It seems that he was getting a snotty nose about every 6-8 weeks. Not just snotty but the yellow/green stuff. I'd take him to the doctor and they would give him another round of AB's saying that his ears where red and infected too. He would be great for a while and then he would get sick again in a month or so. I ended up taking him to my ENT and he highly suggested that I get tubes in his ears and have his adenoids removed. This was from concern of his hearing and a possibly suffering a speech delay problem. Well I wanted to jump in and have that surgery done but decided to first do some research on the subject. What I found is that alot of young children are diagnosed with a ear infection when there is only some redness and fluid build up in the middle ear. When a young child gets an infection in the ear it can take 3-6 months for the fluid to drain out making the ear "appear" infected" by being only filled with fluid. Or sometimes just having allergies can cause the sinuses to bring on some irritation and fluid in the ears as well. I decided to try some different things before heading for the surgery room. I put him on a daily antihistamine (Liquid Zrytec) and irrigated not saline spray) his sinuses out twice a day (upon waking, morning and naptime) and also put him on some probotics to help bring the number of "good" bacteria since he had been on so much AB's. Within days he was alot better and within a few weeks I took him back to the ENT and the ears where clear and no fluid was seen! Most of the things that I read about using antihistamine for ear fluid was not suggested but I gave it a shot anyway and it seems to have worked plus it helped clear his nose. And as for the irrigation, I used NeilMed that I got at Walgreens. They have a pediatric one but I used my solution with an ear syringe in each nostril. He hated it at first but now doesn't mind a bit. It really moves that stuff out of there and keeps it from sitting in there causing an infection. I don't have to do it anymore. I just give the Zrytec. I also started giving him some local honey. I've heard that you can build up a resistance by doing it. Of course they need to be at least a year before using honey. Hey it's worth a try :)
I sure hope you find your son's answer. It's so hard to have a child that seems to be chronically sick. I found that becoming more pro active in his care helped alot to bypass the more traditional answers to his medical needs.
Best Regards,
C.

When my youngest was 18 months old she'd had 18 ear infections! Counting the double ones as two.She also was terribly allergic to amoxillin and others. Instead of tubes my doctor suggested allergy testing. We found out she was allergic to many things, the biggest being house dust. We bought a personal room air cleaner and would even take it on trips to grandparents.We also kept the machine on and the door closed. She slept with it on for both naps and night time. No more ear infections! Wow! What a blessing it was. When she was 7 she started taking allergy shots because she wanted a kitten and was done with those at age 12. She is 25 now and doing well with her own baby and husband and cat. I would try this first before surgically inserting tubes, anesthesia etc. I was very pleased.

S.,
My son went through the SAME thing. He started having ear infections at about 3 months and had them one after the other.. He never broke out after any of the antibiotics, but it seemed like i could never get him well. he was constantly having a runny nose, a cough, and an ear infection. He also has Eczema which i think has a lot to do with his getting a cold all the time. My pediatrician reccommended me to an ENT for tubes when he was 8 months old. He got the tubes and has had about 3 more ear infections since, and hes only 11 months old now. The tubes definately DO help because it allows the fluid to drain from the ear, instead of building up and possibly causing hearing/speech problems for him later on.. BUT im still concerned as to WHY hes getting them even after the tubes!! i would suggest tubes... but if he is still getting the ear infections after the tubes, i think it could be something else causing it! i think im going to take mine to an allergist soon, and i think maybe your son could have the same problem. Does your son have Eczema? People have also suggested to me to go to a Chripractor, so i think im definately going to consider both! you should too!

Hi S., if Dr. Block (who I have heard of and known parents to use) is too far, you may try Dr. Bain in Frisco. She helped us with our two girls who started getting ear infections all of a sudden this fall. She says 95% of ear infections are due to food sensitivities/allergies. We did the testing (she only uses Immuno Laboratories in Florida) and since Mid January when we started our elimination diets of the foods they reacted to, we have been ear infection free!!! It is amazing and I am so glad we did it. If you have other questions, feel free to email.

____@____.com

Probiotics will help with the yeast in the body. I took my son to a pedi-chiropractor for a mild adjustment twice. He has not had a ear infection since. Being properly aligned helps the ears drain properly.

My son has a cleft lip and palate and needed the ear tubes to prevent ear infections. Any way, I was worried about it but he got his first set at 4 months old when he had his lip surgery and he had his second set at 2 and then another set at 3. he has done wonderful with his tubes and we have not had any problems. His new set that he had at 3 is the kind with prongs because his tubes fell out to fast (because of his specific anatomy) and they are supposed to last a min of 2 years... I am real happy with our decision to use the tubes and his ENT is great. Dr Bauer at Medical City (ENT for Children). We dont have to use ear plugs when he swims or takes a bath and he has never had any problems.
The procedure only takes about 5-7 minutes from start to finnish and before you can even get comfortable they are done... then he was back to a normal kid by that afternoon.

Hope that info helps
A.

I think you should consult an ENT. My ped. told us after four ear infections that a child should at least consult an ENT. My son was 6 months when he got his first ear infection. He was also allergic to the antibotic and broke out into a rash. So it took several different kinds before it cleared up. Then he started getting ear infections every month for three more months. On his 5 one our ped. told us go and see the ENT. I was worried because he was only 10 months old, but they did put the tubes in and it has made a world of difference. We have only had one ear infection since the tubes (witch is very rare to get them, but we have bad luck when it comes to ears). Have you tried the Rocphin (sp?) shots? He had to take them for his last ear infection before the tubes because no other antibotics would work. It is a last resort treatment, but you might want to discuss it with your doctor. Maybe once you get this one cleared up you can see the ENT and get the tubes put in before another infection starts.

I have to agree with the mother that suggested zyrtec, it is approved form babes as young as six months. Conuslt you pediatrician first of course.