Ear Infections - Tubes and Adenoids for My 4 Year Old Daughter

My 3 boys all had tubes by the age of 3, and one of them had his tonsils and adnoids out when he was 3. He had back, to back, to back ear infections and he snored very loudly at night and mumbled when he spoke. He got the tubes first. This improved the ear infections, but not the snoring. Once his tonsils were out, his snoring disappeared and his speech improved.

I was terrified to have the tubes put in and his tonsils out. But looking back, I'm am glad we did both. He's feeling tons better, sleeping better and speaking better. If it would help you decide what to do, you can always get a second opinion. But looking back, I'm glad we had it done. Best wishes

Try cutting out dairy products as well. I restrict these, and in my kids it has made all the difference - absolutely no ear infections to date.

We are considering adenoids for my 3.5 year old! Tough decision. She has tubes - got them at 2 yrs after 11 infections!!! A god send!! The procedure is very simple and quick. I am somewhat less educated about adenoids...

We have an appt this wed w/ the ENT. BUT we did some other Dx first. We've had her allergy tested - this can cause ear infections and coughing (post nasal drip). You can even just try some zyrtec (1/2 tsp per the box) at night to see if it helps the cough (it is allergy season).

I do know that adenoids can interfere w/ the airways and cause snoring, but I haven't heard of coughing...

I guess what I am trying to say is... try the other non-evasive stuff first and rule them out. Also, be sure they x-ray the adenoids to see if they are enlarged (only way to see them) before scheduling sugery.

Follow your instinct and get more opinions if it makes you more comfortable.

Good luck!

Hi S.,

My chiropractor has had wonderful experience with stopping ear infections. My daughter actually had febrile seizures from the spiking fever and it scared me to death. My GP wanted the tubes but I had heard that chiropractic could help so I tried it. That was 15 years ago. Chiropractic care from a principled upper cervical chiropractor will not only get all the body parts working well but gets the immune system functioning at it's optimum level so the body can fight off infections. The antibiotics just break down the immune system.

As far as removing her adenoids, I would say don't. I know Moms say that there have been no repercussions but you really don't know. Just because something didn't appear immediately, doesn't mean it was the best decision. I believe every body part is in the body for a reason. Tonsils catch infections before they can get to the heart. The appendix also catches toxins and protects the liver. Adenoids have a purpose too!

Since the first visit to the chiropractor I have detoxed the house and also gotten my girls on absorbable multivitamins. They don't get sick anymore.

God bless!

M.

I don't know about the adenoids but we put tubes in our son's ears about a year and a half ago. BEST THING WE DID! The surgery was super simple. He was cranky that day but good as new the next day. Only one ear infection since and that stopped all the antibiotics he was having to take. We plan on doing the whole tonsil thing the end of this year.

My son has had ear tubes put in twice. I would reccommend it if the ENT did. I know it is scary. I cried as they took him from me. (He is my first and only child). I can't even tell you how fast the procedure was. We had pretty much just sat down in the waiting room and they came and got us and said it was done. It is an easy procedure---just gas anesthesia. The second time was harder since he was having his adenoids removed at the same time--then it was harder for me--it took longer since he had to go under general anesthesia. My son was 28 months for the ear tube/adenoid removal. He is doing so much better. This was done in December and he hasn't had a problem since. No ear infections and he used to constantly pick/rub his nose and that has come to an end.

the tube surgery is no big deal I have 2 kids both had tubes. If you don't do the tubes it could delay her development walking, talking and other issues. Niether of mine have had thier adnoids out. I think I would say wait on that. Her cough wont go away until the fluid issue or (ear infection) issue is resolved it will go back and forth between her ears and sinuses. They can't do the tubes till they clear up the ear infection so the antibiotics are a must do with or without tubes. If you do tubes she will get fewer ear infections so that means less antibiotics. I have known one child who had ear infections after tubes but she is profoundly deaf i don't know if that makes a diffrence or not. Niether of mine had ear infections after thier tubes.

The surgery depends on the anastheia used if its done right won't feel a thing. my oldest never felt a thing. my youngest was given the wrong anasthesia or the wrong dose which ever he felt it it only bothered him about 20 minutes after wards and he was fine after that. please for your daughters development sake say ok to the tubes but I think I would wait on the adnoids until i find out if the tubes are working or not. My youngest his tubes were working but slower than my oldest tubes did. he got his tubes about 10 months ago. His ears have been draining like they should but at a slower rate than his brothers ears did. so I would suggest wait a year at least before you decide on the adnoid surgery. it may not be necessary.

You will get alot of people on here who follow their doctor orders without question. but niether of mine needed their adnoids out but had to have the tubes. its not fair to her not to do the tubes. It is like she is hearing underwater and will delay development in more than one way. including physically since it messes up thier equalibrium.

Is it a sinus issue where she has chronic sinusitis that is draining into her ears? How do her sinus cavities look? If her sinuses are full my son had the same problem sinusitis from having a few colds back to back which caused secondary ear infections and a terrible night cough from drainage from his sinuses. The dr's recommended a heap of antibiotics for weeks @ a time the only thing that helped is the Neilmed pediatric sinus rinse. @ four she could do it. I also found on the internet that by adding hydrogen peroxide it helped even more. So i added 1ml hydrogen peroxide to 4oz bottle. He did this 3 times a day very slowly to make sure it didn't push into his ears and wow it worked. Now every time he starts to get a cold and he has discharge I do this and he has never had the chronic sinusitis and other issues again.

Hope this helps.

Yes, our daughter had this procedure. It changed our lives. For the better.. BTW the coughing.. was asthma. She had an inhaler and has grown out of it..
My husband was so worried, he would not go along with tubes and adnoids removal, till we discovered she had lost most of her hearing in one ear.
Everything went great. Our daughter cried a little as they carried her into the room, but was great.

My husband had to be given a Valium, but he survived..

I agree with Robswife. Our son has been our trooper. He had cranialfacial surgery at 7 months. That was most definitely the scariest days of my life. He also snored and had constant ear infections. So around 2 he had tubes, his adnoids taken out and his tongue clipped (he was tongue tied). His snoring stopped as did the ear infections (I think he has 1 or 2 in the 8 years since the surgery) and his speech got much better (between the tubes and the tongue clip). He ended up with speech therapy for the first few years in elementary.

Take care.

Yep, CHIROPRACTOR has helped with any ear infections that our kids have had! (When our daughter was about 9 months old the doc said she had a really bad double ear infection and gave us antibiotics. I took her straight to the chiropractor! When we went back for a recheck the doc said keep giving her the meds they are really working! Her ears look all better. SHE NEVER GOT ANY MEDICATION! I THREW IT OUT!)

I would try that before doing more medication or surgery...... If the chiropractor doesn't work, then you can consider a more drastic measure.

I can only speak regarding tubes. My dd had them 2 years ago and has only been to the doctor for well checks and 2 tummy aches since. Very fast procedure and her ears haven't been a problem since.

I would take her to a chiropractor. They are amazingly effective in this area. If the top vertibrate is out, it can cause issues with drainage in the ears, causing the fluid to pool, which in turn causes an infection. If you get this simple thing fixed, the ear infections go away. Truly amazing how our bodies work!

Hi S., my daughter had 4 ear infections before she was 1 year old!!! Of course, the ped told us to think about putting tubes... I decided to try the chiropractor before taking a major step like that! As soon as we started adjusting her, the ear infections stopped. She is 3 and we still take her every 3 weeks. You should try!

Get the tubes put in and the adenoids taken out. Yes, the surgery is kind of scary but it will solve the problem and get her off the antibiotics. We went through the same thing with my son and I wanted him OFF the antibiotics! The worst part was him waking up from the anestesia but after that it was a breeze and he's NEVER had another ear infection. Don't put it off, go ahead and get it done. She'll feel WAY better.

I would try the chiropractor! My daughter had tubes at 9 months, while they stopped the ear infections she ended up having another surgery at 4 because she began losing her hearing after the holes in eardrums never closed after the tubes fell out. At the time i did not know about chiropractic. I now work for a chiropractor and have seen how chiropractic can benefit kids with ear infections. If I had to do it all over again I would have tried the chiropractor first!

To me four infections in four months is not a lot. Don't think I would rush
into it. My son had tubes and his adenoids out, but starting at 3 weeks
he had an infection every two-three weeks. He had a hearing loss. I think
if she continues to get them every couple of weeks I would do it. Summer
is coming and that should help.

Since your daughter is four, it's my opinion that you should go ahead with the surgery. Usuallly, by age 3, the eustacian tube in the ear should be fully developed, and any inflammation of adenoids/tonsils, if developmental, should have corrected itself. If you are still experiencing chronic ear infections at that age, it's unlikely that she will grow out of it.

My 6-year-old had tubes put in, tonsils removed, and her adenoids out at age 3. The results were wonderful and immediate. I didn't regret it for a second. The recovery was easy, she hardly felt any discomfort after the initial discomfort of waking up in a strange place in some pain, and we were only there for two hours and went home.

Since then, she has actually had additional ear/adenoid problems. Her adenoids grew back and we had to have them removed again, and one of her tubes fell out which was immediately followed by additional infections so we had to have another one put in.

Some parents are hesitant to utilize medical intervention, and when frivelous, I understand why. However, I definitely think that ENT issues are important to deal with quickly, especially when it will exponentially increase a child's quality of life. The surgery is simple, quick, and your child will THANK you for it, I promise.

Your daughter will talk better, clearer, will hear better, rest more soundly, and you will notice a big difference.

Hope this helps!

My daughter had tubes put in when she was 1 due to chronic ear infections. Since then we've had no more ear infections - She is 12 now. Could be your little one is having trouble breathing while she is going to sleep due to the enlarged adenoids - that could be why she is coughing. Both of these procedures are simple and relatively painless. My son had his tonsils and adenoids out when he was 3. Prior to that he was constantly sick and on steroids and breathing treatments. None since. He is 11. So, I can't say what will work for your child, I can testify to the fact that the simple procedures worked for my children and I have never regreted having them done. Hope this helps.
A.

Have you changed anything in her diet lately? Do you think she has any allergies? My dd had 4 ear infections in 3 months after she turned 1 and the only thing I could think of we had changed was she switched to cows milk. Turns out she was allergic to the protein in the cows milk which made her tubes swell so the fluid in her ears could not drain and it became infected. So if your dd has any food allergies or pollen or outdoor allergies, it could be that the drainage cannot drain out of her ears cause the tubes are swollen from an allergy. Just another path to consider before tubes. I checked every avenue before I thought she was going to be out under. She grew out of the allergy and has not had one since, but lots of kids have allergies and yes tubes help but not always.

My daughter had similar problem when she was younger, for each tooth she had ear and throat problems with spiking temperatures , this caused us awful worry. The ENT specialist recommended gromits, tiny tubes inserted into her ear canal , once we decided to go ahead with this procedure we were amazed at the difference in her. the grommits fall out of their own accord eventually they are so tiny. She has had the procedure done twice and no more ear infections or tonsil problems or antibiotics!
S.

Have the surgery and don't look back. We waited with our oldest until she was 14 to have her tonsils and adenoids removed. It's far more painful at that point and interferes with their life (and yours) a lot more. In my daughter's case, she was very healthy when younger, but started getting sick a lot when she was in 2nd grade. Now she is self-infecting with strep even without her tonsils. If I had it to do over again, I would have had her tonsils removed when she was 8. My son had tubes when he was 8 months old because the antibiotics were much harder on his stomach than the surgery. He has not suffered from the same illnesses as his sister. The tubes seem to have worked for him with further intervention.
God bless.

I had to have my adnoids removed when I was around that age - apparently I couldn't breathe through my nose from the time I was born until after the surgery. I don't remember much - I remember getting a brand new nightgown and robe which was pretty exciting, I wore it to the hospital. They put me on a bed, I played for a minute got sleepy and when I woke up I got to have popsicles in bed. It is not a traumatic memory at all, I felt kind of like a princess. I offer this only to let you know that I don't think she'll be traumatized by surgery, most likely it'll be more difficult for mom and dad. If you decide on surgery, make it an "event" so she won't feel nervous and she will also have no bad memories. Good luck with your decision, I now it is difficult to have a sick child.

sounds like her allergies are real bad this year. and her ears are not draining.
my son had tubes,and it was not a big deal. the ear infections stopped.

if your gut says not to do it, then wait. and see how she does when allergy season is over.

Take your daughter to an allergist and find out why she has the fluid in the first place. After we went through all that, my daughter STILL had ear infections, so I took her to an allergist and found out what she was allergic to that caused it. I wish I had gone there FIRST! It would have spared her the trauma of surgery, etc.

I would not do the surgery . I would try some alternative treatments first , Go to the health food store and get Elderberry concertrate (sp) the bottle costs 25.00 dollars and is very safe for children . 1 teaspoon in some juice everyday . the juice works , I used it when I had the flu , I was better in 2 days . No soda , cut out soda forever ! Its very bad for the human body , Try to clean up her diet as much as possible , use the least processed foods that you can . go organic . you need to make her immune system strong again . You can do this, my kids never had ear infections . plus they where rarely sick . I can tell you for a fact it is her diet making her sick . Does anyone in the household smoke ? If they do tell them to do it outside , and clean your house from top to bottom , to get rid of the toxic effect of the cigs ! Hopes this helps you . L.

don't rush into tubes. my daughter had adenoids and tonsils out, and that helped decrease the number of colds (which were always followed by ear infections). tubes, on the other hand, almost ruined our life. no to tubes ever again

My dd had tubes put in, adnoids and tonsils taken out when she was 5. She used to have a lot of ear infections and started to don't hear well. We are so happy she had it done since she hasn't have more infections nor even colds in winter. She just doesn't get sick, but once a year. It was the best thing we could have done for her. Each child is different, do what you think is best for your child. Good luck.

I had the surgery as a 6 year old 25 years or so ago. Back then, I had to wait until I was 6, it was torture getting to that point. Mom says she had me at the dr twice a week up until that point. A little exagerated I am sure, but it felt like I was always there. The surgery changed my life. I stopped getting ear infections and I was able to sleep better through the night. When my little one, now 5, started having ear infections as an infant, I demanded to go to the ENT and we sceduled her for surgery at 9 months old. She too has been much healthier since then. I say go for the surgery!

Some notes from my expierence as a mom. I was shocked at how fast the "surgery" was. We just had tubes, but I handed my baby to the nurse, walked into the waiting room, went to the restroom and before I could get back to the waiting room, they were calling us to come and hold our baby again. Less than 5 minutes and it was done. Also, remember that the anastesia changes them while they are under. Both of our girls have had surgery, my oldest one was a monster when she was waking up. Hateful, and downright mean. But an hour later she was back to her normal self. Our little one was a thrasher when she was waking up, it was difficult to hold her, but again an hour later she was fine.

You never want to see them hurting, and it takes thought and prayer to decide pn surgery. Always remember you are mom and you know best for your children. Ask plenty of questions and make the choice to best serve your child.