Ear Infections - Chesapeake,VA

They will probably suggest that you have tubes put in. They will work wonders! Until then the only thing you can do is Motrin. That is what worked best for all of mine. Good Luck, I know it is so tough!

I highly recommend seeing a chiropractor experienced with infants. I would have never believed this if we did not experience it. My son had 10 antibiotics in the first year of his life, and after going to the chiropractor, as a last resource before having to put him under for tubes, he did not have one! Dr. Foster in Clemmons is who we saw and he was very nice and great, he has two children of his own. (Tubes did work for my husband when he was a kid, however he still has some problems with his ears in water etc. I was really nervous about the procedure and had several people recommend a chiropractor to me, which made me nervous too. I had never been to a chiropractor and did not know what to expect. He did not 'pop' him. He just used a light thumping tool to adjust his second axis (I think that was it). It really worked and by the second visit, especially the 3rd he enjoyed it. He did have to go at first once a week, but then it was spaced out quickly to 2-3 weeks, a month, and now he hardly ever goes. If he starts to act a little runny or ear achey I call and take him, but it has been over 6 months now. We only had to pay a co-pay with Blue Cross Blue Shield. I hope this is helpful. I hope for the best, whatever you decide to do.) God Bless, A.

my 2 year old had ear infections for 6 mo's before the Dr decided he needed tubes. we used Dr Lim with Va ENT and I absolutely loved him! not sure what else you can do to ease her discomfort but once the tubes are in....it was the difference between night and day for us! much happier kid, slept through the night vs waking up at 3-4 am every night tugging on his ears, etc. the Dr showed us the anatomy of the ear, explained what was happening and how they would fix it. the day of surgery we were in and out (including filling out paperwork, talking with the anesthesiologist, surgery, recovery, etc) in under an hour. it was great! if you have any specific questions, please ask.

Ang

My husband and step son get ear infections a lot. Must run in the family. Anyway, since I work with an international wellness company, they suggest using Melaleuca oil diluted w/olive oil to help treat ear infections. I have the specific recipe in one of my resource books somewhere. I know it works, b/c my husband used it the last time he got an ear infection and the pain went away and so did the infection. I'm always happy to share the info about the wellness company with anyone interested in learning about natural alternatives to household chemicals and medicines.
J.
http://Jamieis.stayinhomeandlovinit.com

Please check with your DR. about some pain ear drops, and if it would be beneficial for such a young child. I have used drops in the past on mine,but they were older.Are you allowed to use Ibuprofen drops?or maybe even tylenol might sooth a young child. My children used to lay on theirs,I think it felt better. Maybe even a warm pack. These would be questions for your DR. I'm sorry your going through this,good luck. I hate ear infections with a passion, I even bought an otoscope, so I can see before we go to the Dr. I hope your visit goes well with the ear DR. -----------------------------------:)

Well, I don't really know about pain medicine, I just did Tylenol, and Advil, with the normal antibiotic. But I will say this to you, your pedi. will recommend putting tubes in her ears, we had to do it with my son, and trust me when I say....do it! He has yet to have an ear infection since, and they were put in in November of 06! Everytime he catches a cold, it's just that a cold, no more ear infections! Good Luck!

I have a three and half year old son. He had an ear infection one time. He was screaming and holding his ears and I couldn't wait to take him to a dr. It was horrible. Down the street was a natural food store and we bought Mullein/garlic ear drops. The moment I put them in his ears he was a new child. The pain went away and his fever was gone. He was up and playing. I know a lot of people poo poo any natural remedies but I have raised him on them and he has only had one antibiotic his whole life. If reoccuring infections is a problem I highly recommend investigating cows milk and ear infection connection. For many reasons I kept him off cows milk (and soy) for his first two years. It was only after he started getting a little milk at daycare he got this infection. I do not know that the milk is the cause but I recommend reading up on it and coming to your own conclusions. May I also suggest, if your baby has been on that many antibiotics giving her some probiotics to balance back out the bacteria in her gut. They say "all illness starts in the gut". Good luck with whatever you decide to do and I pray for some relief for your daughter.

Hi,
I have been there four different times! My oldest son didn't get all of his shots up to date until he was almost three because of all the ear infections. They put tubes in his ears twice and then later took out his adnoids and tonsils. My middle son was the same way. In fact he is just had tubes, tonsils and adnoids done in March. Expect that they will more than likely put tubes in. It's scary, but the procedure takes aprox. 15 minutes, and they do have to put her under to do it. She'll be cranky for the day, but later you will have a different child!! Until then alternate between tylenol and motrin every three hours to keep her comfotable. I know this is the worst part! Good luck!!

My son had the same problem. The ENT will probably want to put tubes in, this is scary for you, but not really for them. My son, the afternoon following the procedure was playing around and no one knew he had anything done. My son kept getting them after the 1st set of tubes and within 7 months the tubes were blocked, we went back in for a 2nd set but this time they removed his adnoids, he didn't have a single infection again until the tubes fell out about a month ago. Most kids will outgrow this by 2, my son didn't, but hopefully yours will. The tubes are meant to fall out so that as they out grow the problem, they don't have an open ear canal. Until the surgery, it's okay to use tylenol or mortrin for pain, but I tried to stay away from this. My ENT suggested taking his favorite blanket or stuffed animal, something, wetting it a little and putting it in the dryer to warm it up, make sure it's not too hot, if you have a really hot dryer. Then right before bed or nap, or whenever she'll lay still, have her lay her head on the warm blanket, it will help the pressure and the pain. Good luck and if you have any further questions or just want to talk, feel free to email me at ____@____.com luck!!

My heart goes to you because I know for a fact that ear infections is one of the must painfull infections, specially in chinldren. The only thing I can tell you is to try no to move her sudenlly and if you can elevate her head (with a llitle pillow) when she is resting that will help. I also know that there is a new dropp over the counter for kids that will help her easy the pain. My nephew just used it and it help easy the pain until he was able to go to the doctor's appointment. In his case it was a mix with sinus. I don't know if your daugther is still using bottles but somethimes ( it happened to me 9 yrs ago with my first child) he used to layed down to drink his milk.... that is a no no, fluid can go in to the ear and cause a recurent ear infection.... it could also come during the bath time (you will be surprise the amount of babies that suffered from an ear infection due to this cause. I wish you the best and I' ll be praying for you.
D..

My friends son was having the same problem. She took him to an ENT and they ended up putting tubes in his ears. He hasn't had an ear infection since. She said the procedure took no more than 10 minutes and it was harder on her and her husband when they took him, than on him.
K.

We had the same issue with our son and unfortunately not a lot helped. They do have over the counter drops that are supposed to be pain relieving but our son fought so hard that it finally wasn't worth the little comfort that he did get. By the time we met with the ENT we were frustrated enough that we were ready for tubes (18 ear infections from October-February!) We've been really happy and only just last week had our first ear infection since then and it was very minor and cleared up quickly with ear drops. My best advice is to be your child's advocate. You know her best and if you're to the point to being uncomfortable with the course of treatment, let your ENT know that. I went in with a list of all the antibiotics that we were on and wasn't afraid to let my emotion show. It's your kiddo and it can be scary to deal with so many infections and in our case hearing loss....he regained that once the tubes were placed. Stay positive and good luck!

Hi S.,
Don't be alarmed. I do a lot of homeopathy and you might want to find a homeopath or a naturopathic doctor so they can suggest some remedies. My daughter tends to get urinary infections or yeast infections an awful lot and I called my friend who is a naturopathic doctor and she said usually in everyone's body there is an outlet for toxins and an outlet for the body to try to purge some infectious stuff and that for my daughter it happens to be the urinary system with yours it may be her ears or that whole aspect of her body. It is just a thought for you to check it out. I have had many little health issus with my 3 children and about 90 percent of the time I can get it fixed through homeopathy. We are talking from fevers to ear stuff to warts. You name it we have had it. Oh, one more thing, when my little ones have ear issues there are these great natural ear drops that are actually for fungus in the ear. Everytime my kids start complaining of their ears hurting I warm up the liquid and put about two drops in and they are fine the next day. So there you have it, a new slant on medicine. I know how hard it is to see them in pain. Hang in there, she will be ok. Sincerely, K.

My daughter started having ear infections around 7 months old too. We were in the doctors office every two weeks for almost three months and then had to do injectable antibiotics for two weeks before her appointment with the ENT (and that was the worst!) It is aweful to have to watch your little one in so much pain! They put tubes in when she was 11 months old (only 3 days after the initial consultation with the specialist. She has only had a few recurrences since her surgery and now at 2 has not had any infections in the past 6 months.

As for the pain she is in...the only thing that I found that would make my daughter feel better was Tylenol. She slept alot while taking it but it did ease the pain. I have heard that holding a warm washcloth over the ear works but have not tried it (that was after her tubes were put in). I have also been told that using warm sweet oil (olive oil) will help as well, when warmed and put into the ear. I guess the theory is that the heat helps releive the pain. I have used the Olive oil in my oldest and it seemed to help her.

Good luck!

Hi,
I know you posted this a while ago, but I wanted to add to the TUBES bandwagon! Tubes in my son's ears changed our lives! He had to have them put in twice, and then had to have one surgically removed. He has some slight hearing loss due to his infections, so I wish I'd done it a little bit sooner!

My son was playing the same day as his surgery. He woke up and was groggy for a little while, and napped a lot that day, but he sure did play as usual between naps!

How are things going now?
:)

Hello S.,

I am a physician assistant and my daughter Jillian presented pretty much the same way. When we went to the ENT doctor after her 4th consecutive ear infection (I was pretty insistent because of my medical background, so we saw ENT a little earlier than most). They told me that she would be a candidate for tubes (myringotomy). it was a quick and easy procedure and since then she has had absolutely no problems with ear infections. She was a changed little girl after her tubes and I would do it all over again so that she could have some peace.

Shs is now three and doing well with her tubes. She still has them in which is a bit abnormal, but they are working themselves out on their own. Sometimes they will go in and surgically remove them if they don't fall out on their own. We are being patient. The only drawback is using earplugs when she swims. Otherwise...it was the best thing for her.

IF you have any specific questions, please don't hesitate to email. I am not in pediatrics and I am speaking to you from a mother's point of view, but it was truly worth it.

Take care and good luck to your little one.

C.

My daughter is now eleven, however when we first moved to the Charlotte area when she was two years old I had difficulties finding a doctor then an ENT who I felt could properly diagnose her problem. I met and discussed my daughters issues and found many mothers have similar issues like you are discribing. Back then it seemed like the popular reply from most doctors if the antibotics did not work was to take a child in for surgery. I myself as a child had my tonsils removed and did not have a fond memory. Although times and the surgery itself have changed surgery is still surgery and I could not conceive why this would resolve my child's issues. I actually took my child to one ENT in Charlotte who told me he could tell by her crying she needed surgery. He never saw her throat or her ears. Your child is still too young to truly express exactly what his problem is. The one doctor's name I was given a few times and I used for my daughter, was Dr. Sandra Palsti, ###-###-####. Dr. Palsti but in tubes only. My daughter is fine now.
The doctor who recommended my daughter needed surgery without seeing her throat and ears was also with her same group but at another location. Just one more note...ask as many questions, like you are doing before going forward, you have a right to ask the doctors the questions, a good doctor will understand your concerns, your son's hearing and well being is priority over your choice of doctor.