Help My 3 Year Old

Hi K.. My daughter (now 16) had this problem for a long time until I changed pediatricians. My first pediatrician just kept giving me Amoxicillin and sending me on my way. I found a new pediatrician that suggested putting her on a low-level antibiotic called Gantrisin. I don't know if its around anymore, but it worked. She took it daily for a while - I can't remember if it was for 30 days or more, but it did the trick and we didn't have to do the tubes, which I REALLY didn't want to do. Good luck!

Hi K.!! I would suggest the tubes in her ears. Tubs would be wayyyy to big. LOL Anyway, I've had ear problems all my life, and when I was really young the pain was unbearable. I had the tubes put in, and then taken out, and they made a WORLD of difference :) I'm not in as much pain anymore, and I rarely get ear infections. :) Good luck!!

My daughter was having ear infections. However, her pain tolerance was amazing because we never had a clue until the last time she had one at just under 2 years of age. Because she was having some scaring and the doctor was afraid that she may have hearing loss if it continued, she got tubes put in. She has had no ear infections since. I found this doctor (Dr. Ochi) who my ped referred us to was excellent. He is a truely caring individual. His website is http://www.ent4mykids.com/ Maybe you could see him and see what he says?

Hi K.,

Ear infections are not 'normal'. All these childhood illnesses and diseases are not 'normal'. Check out the website
www.909shot.com
By the mere fact that you mentioned the continued use of antibiotics is a big red flag. Antibiotics wipe out ALL germs - good and bad. So your child has been left with no defenses. If you are wiping out all the fighting germs as well as the infectious ones...the infectious ones can continue to wreak havoc and continue to make her sick.
If you follow medical 'surgeries' and their popularity ....you'll find that the tubes in the ears were more popular over a decade ago. Oh they'll still do them now....but there are inherent problems with them. As was for a friend of mine who's son went deaf because of the surgery over 15 yrs ago. The ear has a natural progression in development. As children the reason they can develop an ear infection is due to the drainage process. As adults the canal 'tilts' and we don't have the same issues anymore as children can have. But a balanced immune system is a bigger issue.
Ear infections, fevers, sicknesses shouldn't be the standard norm just cuz they are children. If they have healthy strong immune systems their extremely tolerant bodies can endure and fight without problems.
My kids have never had ear issues. The only time they ever had a fever never lasting longer then 12 - 18 hrs are when their teeth were coming in. A sniffle lasts a few hours.
My kids get Chiropractic care and see an herbalist and eat as organically as possible. They don't drink milk - causes too many problems. 20 minutes in the sun gives you more then anything you can get from miik.
Point is yes, it's about diet, it's about supporting the immune system instead of shutting it down.

Do yourself a favor and find at least for now a nutrionalist/herbalist in your area. Start from scratch and think about 'building' your daughters immune system instead of waiting for illness and then having crisis care physicians try and solve the problem when it's too late. Being sick does not have to be the 'norm' for children in childhood.
And for the record - the friends of mine who's kids went to my Chiropractor to have the ears taken care of back then, are all fine today. The one's who 'went under the knife' weren't. It leaves you open for bigger problems.

Think about what they did 30, 40, 50 ,60 years ago when antibiotics weren't AS prevalent and surgery wasn't an option then either....so what did they do???
It was back when the food supply was actually safe and enriched. Fast food didn't exist or wasn't as prevalent until much later. And our kids weren't exposed to so many drugs that their little immune systems can't handle it. Did your doctor tell you to at least balance out the usage of the antibiotics by taking a PRO biotic like Acidophilous? ....which helps to balance out the flora again in her intestinal tract? Probably not.

There are other options here. And drugs aren't always the answer. If you start with the mindset of first nourish the body with all that it needs to be strong....make sure the 'frame' of the body is in alignment so that the body can supply all the nutrients needed to all the body parts to sustain at a healthy level.....then you've already lowered your odds for all the ills that alot of kids go thru that is not 'normal'.
In the last 5 years as my son started school wit Tiny Tots prior to that.... ALL the Moms I came to know were SO sick and tired of constantly running to the pediatricians office in crisis mode - it seemed like all the time. Their kids had one thing or another.
When we came to know each other they asked why my son didn't have ANYTHING ....ever. I first lectured them on the diets of their kids (hey, they asked, {;o) ) ...my son when given something to drink would get 1/8th juice and the rest water. Their kids got pure juices and sodas, etc. They ate what they wanted when they wanted and it usually included alot of junk food. My sons first piece of cake at a party that I allowed him to have...he spit it out and asked for a banana. It's all in what you get them use to. And subsequently the habits they will most likely carry throughout their life.
Their kids use to bounce off walls and talk back, etc etc. My son was always calm, used his magic words (thank you, please, your welcome, etc) and basically has never been a problem or needed much discipline. Because I'm not dealing with a kid who's head, mind and body are all over the place because of the reaction to what he's NOT getting that the body needs.

Bottom line, now going on 5 yrs later...all of their kids are healthy, they shop at places like Trader Joes and Henry's and buy much better products for their kids. They've gotten rid of behavior 'problems', asthma, skin rashes and the like, stuff I can't even begin to remember anymore. They see their pediatricians as often as I do - one a year for a wellness checkup. They got rid of constant fevers, sniffles, ear aches, colds, flus, etc. If 'symptoms' seem to appear we attack it with herbs and vitamins and within 12 -24 hrs all is well again.

This can be as complicated or as simple as you want to understand it. But western medicine attack the symptom(s) and try to 'fix' parts. Alternative care modalities treat the body as a whole. And work on sustaining strength and health and deal with any onset of something without harm to the body.

I hope you look into the other possibilities. Especially as you welcome your soon to be baby #2.

And if you think my son might be a fluke? You should go to a Chiropractic convention and watch all the kids. It's amazing. My herbalist who has 6 kids - all the same - healthy. No 'fluke' in sight.
I now have a daughter who is 18 months. If I ever thought that I just got 'lucky' with my son and wasn't sure that the care we provide had anything to do with it? I now know it's no mistake. My daughter is as well behaved and easy as he is. Imagine never having to 'chase after' your 18 month old? I've NEVER had to chase after her (or my son) since the day she's been up and going. Being a girl she's more spirited...but not out of control. I don't have sleepless nights, I don't have problems getting them to eat or do what they are supposed to. They are very alert and responsive. And THAT's what's supposed to be normal. They aren't clouded by all the junk in their bodies.

I hope you find a solution whatever that may be. Just know that other possibilities exist to reach a level of sanity for yourself.

God Bless

I take my kids to the chiropractor every time they get ear infections...works every time. I don't take them to the chiro's that are all about cracking the back though. I go to natural chiropractors. My first two children are my least healthy children by far and that is because their bodies have been abused by antibiotics prescribed by their pediatricians for repeated ear infections. Luckily I was lead in the right direction of natural docs and chiros. My second two children are sooooo much healthier than my first two. They don't know what antibiotics are.

My daughter had had 15 ear infections by the time she was 1 1/2. Antibiotics werent working and her fevers were getting higher, 105.6! I finally had enough and demanded tubes. It was the best thing I ever did. No more infections her health is better, speech, everything improved. Its been almost a year and she is great we just have to becareful with water. It was a very noninvasive procedure. She was running around the house just hours after surgery. I would pursue tubes.

I got sick this week and was perscribed antiobiotics for the 3rd time in two months. I didn't want to take them again, so tryied holistic options. I did acupuncture, essesntial oils and a heat lamp and also did hopi-candles which I had never heard of before. All treatments were extremely effective. I read up on the matter on the internet and they are said to be very effective with kids and ear-infections.
Good luck!

Wow K.! that sounds awful. Have you tried different doctors. I can't imagine that is what is suppose to happen. I don't know anything about dairy diets, but I would definitly search out other opinions. To my understanding your child would need tubes in it's ears. Hopefully you will find help soon.

I understand what you are going through. I have 3 kids (aged 6, 4, and 2) all of them have had numerous ear infections. My 2 year old is on her 3 or 4 ear infection this year. I would demand that your child get tubes. Also, I had all of my children get hearing tests so I would have a baseline hearing test because I was afraid of too many infections interferring with their hearing (this happened to me as well). All my kids have/or had ear tubes. No it does guarantee that they will not get any more infections but for all of my children it lessened the number of them. I have not tried the no dairy diet because it has not been suggested to me, so curious to find out too!

K.,

Get a second opinion. Go to the mom's you know and find out the names of another doctor and go in and have your daughter checked out again. You need to listen to the small MOM voice inside you and follow that if you think your baby isn't getting the right care. The doctors do not know everything, even though sometimes they act like they do. The more you use your MOM intuition the more comfortable you will get with it.

Evelyn

Hi K.
Our twin girls had their 1st set of tubes at 8 mos and a 2nd set at almost 24 mos. Your ENT is wrong. Why wouldn't you get tubes? It is not OK for ruptured ear drums! They are EXTREMELY painful. The surgerty to inset tubes is such a no-brainer and we don't regret doing it for a split second. It took longer for the prep and check-in than the actual surgery.

Ear infections are hereditary in a lot of cases, which means you having hearing loss from ear infections could also happen to your daughter. My husband and his brother both were hospitalized with ear infections until they were into their teens. This history led our ENT to decide tubes were appropriate. Even though the girls are now over 5 they still get ear infections, only now we know right away because they can verbalize the pain. We have also gone thru every single antibiotic and the only one that barely works (because we have to take it for 15 days instead of 10) is Augmentin ES.

I guess I have a pretty strong opinion, but I don't agree with the "wait and see" approach. I think it does more damage than good.

Good luck! I hope your daughter gets well soon!

E.
mommy to 2 beautiful girls who are 5 going on 25!

My 7 month old had the same problem! He had tubes put in 1 month ago and it changed our life! I am not sure what doctor you are going to but my ENT said that it is 4 ear infections in the ears in 1 year of 4 antibiotics in a year! It sounds like your child has far exceeded that! I think you know what do.....demand tubes or go to someone else! My son has some hearing loss and he is only 7 months, imagine 3~
Good Luck!

Call Dr. Haas he is my Chiropractic he will talk to you over the phone about how chiropractic can help solve ear infections. Give him a shot it does not hurt and there are no drugs involved. ###-###-####.
Call him.
C.

Get the tubes. I had the same stuation when my son was 1 1/2 yrs old and I was pregnant w/ my second. We got tubes three weeks before my daughter was boen and he didn't have another ear infection for almost 9 months. Especially, if you had problems. I would listen to your husband, Be pro active and meake them listen to you. We gt special ear plugs made so he can go int the water. Good luck, N.

K.: I can't believe,that so many,would go to such drastic measures,to prevent ear infections.No dairy? soy milk? I'm a little suprised,that not one person has mentioned,one of the main causes of ear infections in babies.I certainly would'nt have expected the nurse,to suggest(An ajustment from a chiropractor?) I don't think you need to put her through the ordeal of having tubes inserted in her ears either.If you bottle feed your baby,and tend to give her a bottle laying down,with the bottle propped up,she will be proned to ear infections.What happens,is A tube called the Eustachian connects the middle ear,with the resperatory system,and because bacteria can work their way up the tube into the middle ear,it is a route for (infection)Bottle propping, while convenient,does not allow for warm and loving interaction between you and your baby, it elevates her chances of choking, and has proven to create ear infections.If anyone smokes in the home,or is subjected to second hand smoke,that can create problems,so can to much use of a pacifier.When she is six months old, you may want to consider the flu vaccine(Prevnae) I hear that can help babies that are prone to ear infections. The very best to you,and your sweet daughter K..

I would get a second opinion! Something is telling you that what the dr. is telling you is not right, so follow through. Be persistent! Try to see a specialist if you can. You are your child's advocate, and you have that gut "mommy" feeling that something is not right. I hope you find an answer soon, and congrats on your pregnancy!

My children both had tubes and it made all the difference! No more infections, no more temperatures, no more pain. I used ear plugs when I gave them baths and I believe that helped as well.

My 26 year old has a 50% hearing loss in his right ear from two times of having ruptured eardrums. He was a stoic baby and didn't fuss or pull his ears, so it got so I had him into the doctor the minute he got a fever. He and his sister both had chronic ear infections because the tubes are very narrow going from the throat to the ear. If the child gets a bug it swells the tubes closed, and bingo, ear infection. They both had the tubes done as a way to prevent hearing loss. It was the commonest pediatric surgery back then. The ear nose and throat specialist we went to said we couldn't keep them on antibiotics, and when we went off of them there we were with the ear infections again. I'd see about another opinion from a different doctor. My daughter has no hearing loss, but she had chronic infections until she got the tubes. Good Luck P.S. My daughter got tubes at 2 1/2, and my son before 2.

Ok, I am the oldest of 11 children and there were plenty of ear infections in my house, fortunately my baby hasn't had them yet though. One sister in particular had same intensly painful, eardrum rupturing infections that you discribe. What my mother finally found that provided relief is garlic oil (and it must be that, not the oderless garlic). It is almost immediately soothing and helps the ear to quickly heal; the oil coats the eardrum and the garlic fights the infection. Just make a small hole in one end of the capsel and squeeze the oil in (put some cotton in the ear to hold the oil in). I have used this on myself and it does work, sometimes the relief it provides is so complete and instant that the child will fall asleep as soon as it is in!

Good luck!

This happened to us. The first two years of my daughters life was spent on every antibiotic ever made. She had ear infections every 3 weeks. My husband and I were so frustrated, that we demanded our pediatrican refer us to an ENT. Once there, he recommended tubes immediately. She had the surgery for both ears (took less than 15 minutes) and the ear infections stopped. She has gone 1 year with out an infection. We are finally able to sleep at night and the fevers went away.
The down fall, is that I wish I did this sooner. I feel now that her speech has been impaired since she was not able to hear herself talk the first few years. She starts preschool in the fall, and we will wait and see what her teacher suggests.
Hang in there.
C.

If anyone smokes don't allow them to smoke around your daughter. Cigarette smoke tends to make kids more prone to ear infections. And as far as antibiotics... Ask your peditrician about "Xythromax" not sure if that's the correct spelling (sounds like Zythromax). They say it's like taking a rifle to a fly. When my daughter was 6 months old she had an inner ear infection and there wasn't a thing I could do to calm her down. We had to fly back home to CA the following day and I was dreading to the baby on a plane. The same day I took my baby to see a specialist and we that when I was introduced to "Xythromax". And, literally within 20 minutes my daughter had stopped crying and was smiling again. If I remember correctly they take it once a day for the first 3 days and it continues to work for another 5 days. Hope this helps. Best of Luck.

Okay. I too had bad ear infections as a child (tubes etc.). So did my first daughter. My mom urged me to get my second child protected with the new (ish) vaccine (she even paid for it!). The newest form is called "Prevnar". The pneumococcus is a bacteria that causes serious infections in adults and children, including pneumonia, blood infections, and meningitis. This bacteria is also the number one cause of sinusitis and ear infections. The vaccine is not approved for ear infections technically, and is most likely not covered by insurance, but it really works as a great side effect for ear infections! I think it was a series of three that were given along with her regular immunizations. I can't stress it enough. My youngest daughter (almost 8 years old) and has NEVER HAD AN EAR INFECTION. That is just how it worked for us. You should look into it with your doctor (maybe for your second child?). Not sure if it's too late for the first but ask for sure!
Good luck.

So,

Had had to get tubes in my sons ears when he was young. You should have it done.

My son suffered last year from chronic ear infections. He would be on antibiotics for two weeks then it would clear up and then a week later he would get another. The doctor threatened tubes in the ears, but never followed through. He had a total of seven ear infections back to back, from October to March. Finally, the "season" was over and warm weather set in and they stopped.
This year, he was put on Singulair (which is an allergy medicine) and he has only had one ear infection so far this season, compared to seven last year. You may want to try Singulair. We also took him off dairy completely, because it seemed to cause them or make them worse.

I had the exact same problem with son and we did the same thing that Melanie did. My son was on low dose antibiotics for six months because he had chronic ear AND sinus infections. It worked. He had ruptured ear drums too. Because of all the ear infections his hearing was estimated to be 80 percent impaired during the first three years of his life. After the antibiotics had been in place for about three months I noticed that he said two words baba for bottle and byebye for all moving vehicles. Since he was three years old with a two word vocabulary he qualified for Special Day Classes with the local school district, received speech therapy, therapy for gross motor skills delays, etc. If your child also is speech delayed, get to the school district immediately! Early intervention was key in my child's development. It turned out he was also high functioning autistic, which the hearing problem just amplified his speech delay! If your current doctor isn't agreeable to doing this approach or tubes (which worked for my brother!), then find another doctor. TRy and find and ENT specialist for children. Also you may need to consult and allergy specialist. Almost every child that I know that has had these ear problems has also had allergies. I don't know why, but they seem to go hand in hand. Good luck. Either approach, long term antibiotics or tubes should solve the problem. But don't delay. By the way, a ruptured ear drum can be okay for the pus to drain, but if it doesn't heal properly then the ear drum will have to be surgically restored. Most ruptures heal just fine, but there is always that one. Diet doesn't help unless there is a food allergy. That can be done with an elimination diet instruction provided by an allergist. That's why I suggest that you consult a PEDIATRIC allergist as well as ENT. I had three children with chronic ear infections, two that had ruptures, two with multiple allergies, one with a drug allergy, and a brother that had chronic ear infections and allergies. So I KNOW what you are going through. If you are not happy with the current ENT then go elsewhere. You have to be aggressive with some doctors. If you have an HMO and have trouble getting referrals, call the president of the company or go to your local newspaper or TV station. That should work wonders. I new someone that picketed her doctor and had a friend call the TV station. Worked wonders. Good luck. Take action right now and congradulations on the new one.

I would definitly take your child to a naturopathic Doctor and I am sure that a change in diet will help. I only give rice milk and yogurt to my 3 yr old and I cook all her food, organic, wheat and dairy free as much as poss. Tons of veges, garlic, and fruit, no sugar and this has helped alot.Chiropractic work on your child would also her tremendously, good Luck! (P>S> Antibiotics are not very successful at treating ear infections I have learned.
T

Hi K.,
I am having the same problem with my 3 1/2 son!! He just finished his third round of anti-biotics and I am making another appt today. He is always telling me that he can't hear and that his right ear hurts. I am scared to death that something might be wrong. Maybe we can keep eachother informed about what we find out. I am requesting that he have tubes in his ears and I am also taking him off of dairy. I am not sure how this is going to work because he loves his milk and cheese.........should be interesting. Good luck to you and know that you aren't alone.

I don't know about the tubes - I don't have experience with that but I just started TODAY with no dairy for this very reason. My 3 1/2 year old never had ear infections but he does have mild asthma. My 9 month old just had 2 ear infections along with all the congestion & he has eczema. I'm nursing so I'm curious to see if this will make a difference. I had soy milk in my coffee (one thing at a time!) & it was pretty good! I'm sure limiting it would be helpful but I think to see if it really makes a difference you've got to go all the way.

This might sound weird but check out Marilu Henner's book "Healthy Kids: Help Them Eat Smart and Stay Active--for Life!" I did not know she was so educated about health & nutrition. I just went to the Health Expo in Long Beach last weekend & saw her speak. He boys even got up & talked a little. They enthusiastically reiterated NO DAIRY. I just started gathering more info (just yesterday!) because of this lecture & the argument for no dairy is pretty compelling. This will be a radical change for me because I love dairy! But I'm willing to give it a try & there are lots of soy alternatives.

Congrats on the 2nd on the way & I hope your 3 yr old gets better quick!

Get the ear tubes! Our first daughter has terrible ear infection with screaming and throwing up and it was awful. Child number four got tubes a year ago and she has had four ear infections with no screaming etc. Her ear will start to drain brown fluid and the Dr. calls in a Rx for ear drops and we're done. Easy. The operation is simple and they go home in a few hours. I would recommend tubes. Good luck!

hello, I am a mother of a two year old boy, my son had so many ear infections by the time he was one that I was getting very concerned. I talked to the doctor's on base and it took an act of God to convice the doctor that I needed a refferal to see the ENT. The dr. put the refferel in and we saw the ENT and right away he said that my son really needed tubes put in his ears. My son had more than 8 ear infection's by the time his tubes went in and now he has only had one since he has had his tubes. The ENT told me it's not normal for children to have lots of Ear infection's and I think everyone knows that. I would go see a different ENT if you can. That doctor sounds like he doesn't really care and he doesn't know what he is doing. I will be praying for your daughter, God Bless you and your family, D.

Hi K.:

Please, please please investigate and consider taking your child to an naet certified doctor. NAET stands for Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Techniques. You can visit naet.com or narfnet.com for further research .

Here's a story for you. My grand daughter Gwenevere started being sick non-stop when she was about 4 months old. You know the story from there better than I do I'm sure, and it resulted in her having tubes put in when she was about 9 months old. While the severity of her discomfort eased for a bit, she continued getting "sick" and instead of the doctors thinking it was always a cold or flu, they began to say it might be allergies. The doctors then decided she had asthma. The poor baby was receiving wave after wave of antibiotics, and antihistimines and tylenol, and motrin. She was still getting up several times a night. The poor thing thought this was "normal."

During this time I became aware of NAET and began treating regarding some of my personal matters (please visit NAET.COM) and read the book "Say Good-Bye to Illnes." I also bought for my son and dil the book "Say Good-bye to Children's Allergies." Last month Gwen was treated for her allergies to dust an animals. Guess what? No more mucous! (for more than 4 months now) And she is eating much more and sleeping longer at night. She is still allergic to a lot of other things, which are being treated one by one in an orderly fashion. Soon she will be allergy free! In the meantime, she feels SO much better.

As the reason children get tubes in the first place is usually allergy related, I thought this information might result in your daughter's allergies being identified and cured. Then (if the reason for the tubes was allergy related, there would no longer be a need for the tubes, or worrying about getting water in her ears, etc., etc., etc.

Here's the information from the back of "Say Good-Bye to Children's Allergies"

"In Say Good-bye to Children’s Allergies, Dr. Devi S. Nambudripad, the developer of NAET®, will help you understand your child’s illness and will assist you in finding the right help to achieve better health for your child. This book will show you how certain commonly used products in your foods and environment can cause health problems in your child; how you can test your child in your privacy of your own home using the Nambudripad’s Testing Techniques described in the book. This book will educate you how your child’s health problems can relate to allergy, a traditionally under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed condition; and, how allergies can manifest into myriad symptoms that might seem unrelated. The author also provides remedies for mild conditions of common childhood ailments arising from allergies and how to find help in assisting your child find the right help for serious problems such as, asthma, hay-fever, common colds, sinus problems, milk allergy, peanut allergy, sugar allergy, hives, gastritis, vomiting, colic for newborns, ear infections, irritable bowel syndrome, colitis, bronchitis, drug reactions, and many other conditions. Dr. Nambudripad explains how allergies are often the underlying causes to pediatric problems and how NAET® testing procedures and NAET® treatments can offer relief from these allergies. The book is supported by NAET® practitioners’ testimonials and patients’ success stories."
Best wishes,

Have you tried Chiropractic? It works very well for repeat ear infections!

Have you tried taking her to a chiropractor? The adjustments that they can do can help naturally drain their ears. Just a thought?

Hi K.,
My father is an ENT, I highly recommend you go see another ENT! I agree with your husband, demand tubs. There is no reason for your daughter should be in such pain, especially when tubs are an easy procedure. Most ENT's will put tubes in when a child has had 3 or more ear infections, plus you don't want your child to be on antibiotics so often. Good luck to you, and your family!!

Hi K.-We haven't had the problem you describe, but 2 friends of mine did with their girls. Both friends had their girls on multiple antibiotics and suffered watching their loved ones in so much pain. They both had to demand that tubes be put in and it made a HUGE difference, they are so much happier now, much better & haven't had infections since. Unfortunately, nowadays you have to be aggressive in order to get your kids cared for properly. My advice is to be very direct and tell your pediatrician that neither your daughter nor you & your husband will continue to suffer like this and that you want something done NOW. If they try to brush you off go elsewhere and let them know that you are going to write a letter to all of the IPAs they contract with and that you'll never recommend them. Don't give up until someone listens to you and does something other than writing another perscription and tell you to "just wait it out".
Good luck!

It makes me so mad that most Doctors do not tell you to definitely take away the dairy products! My brother is a doctor and told me 40 some years ago when my children had ear problems to take away the milk, etc. Give them juice... dairy products create excess plegm (sp) mucus and this build up in the mucus membrane system creates infection with horrible ear pain. My children never needed the tubs... sometimes if an infection had set in, took away the dairy products and used antibotics. Cleared up quickly! My children did the same with my 14 grandchildren... no horrible ear pain. They also used the non smelly garlic in the ears to break up any mucus buildup. Remember, after any antibiotics, you have to stay away from starches and sugars until the good bacteria in your system or your child's system has reflourished itself!

K.,

I have never had to deal with any ear issue with either of my daughters, so my only advice would be to seek a second opinion, specifically with an ENT CHILD Specialist. With your history of ear loss the Dr. ought to be taking speacial consideration with your daughter. I can only imagine the pain...so I wish you much luck.

When my son was 1 1/2 years old he had an ear infection that turned into mastoiditis. This is very scary because the next step the infection makes is to the brain. The kicker was he didn't even complain of ear pain or pull at his ears. After treatment for this awful infection he developed another ear infection. The pediatrician suggested tubes. We wanted to see a pediatric ENT before we made the decision, he would need to insert them anyway. We saw Dr. Pransky at San Diego Children's and he was wonderful. He said that what had happened was what probably always happens with kids ear infections, we saw the Dr. too soon and the first infection hadn't completely cleared up so it looked like a new infection. He said that what we had was just a raging infection that took time to heal. He said he likes to see his patients a month after antibiotics to really see if they are better. The point here is that your daughter may have an infection that has been ongoing and not really a reoccurring problem. In that case tubes may not be needed. With your history I can only imagine your concern and I would really suggest a specialist. Dr. Seth Pransky is awesome and I see that you live in CA so it may be possible for you to see him. He has lectured and written books on kids and tubes so he knows his stuff. Good luck to you! My son is the same age as your daughter and to date has had only one other ear infection (just this month). I'm glad we didn't put him through limitations that getting tubes creates but each case is individual.

there is a natural enzyme called "Serrapeptase" that would help your daughter..you should google it and read up on it..you can get it at vitacost.com if you go through ebates you can get it cheaper but it's only like $13. BUT if your child can't have a blood thinner then it wouldn't be good..it does thin the blood. I myself have taken it ..it cured my TMJ...and i read a lot about it and have given it to my almost 2 year old when he had a really bad cold...but i only have him 1/2 a dose at a time.

Hi K.,
I am a family wellness chiropractor who specializes in pregnancy and pediatric care. I highly recommend you consider taking your daughter to a chiropractor trained in pediatrics.
Go to www.icpa4kids.org and find a doctor in your area.
I have had a lot of success in helping kids resolve this type of issue naturally. (between dietary changes, nutritional supplementation, and of course chiropractic adjustments)
One of the problems I see from your email is the repeated antibiotics, those usually always cause repeat "infections"
Please contact me if you need further help!
Dr. C. Tanaka
Family Wellness Chiropractor

I would get a second opinion. My nephew has has major problems with ear infections (fortunatly he has not been in a lot of pain)he dealt with these infections for almost 3 months now and has been on 3 different antibiotics.(the last one for a month straight) It is now 90% gone and the doctor has put him on another antibiotic for another whole month just to make sure it doesn't come back. This was the last step before they decide to put tubes in.
Since you have had a past with the same issue, I would find another doctor to talk to. Bring her medical records with you.
My 10 month old has also had ear infections, but they went away with antibiotics (2 seperate times)
Dairy?? I have never heard of that one before.
Good luck!

Hi K.,

IMHO, you can try eliminating dairy. With that level of infection you must eliminate to see if that'll help. It's like if your doctor says no alcohol for your ulcers. He means no alcohol.

Anyway, I had the same prob with my boy at that age. Ear tubes did wonders. When the eustacean tube isn't fully developed (which it's often not at that age), the tubes really help.

Best,
J.

The same thing happened to my son when he was younger(infant til about 1 1/2). He had nose drainage, flush cheeks for weeks even in the summer. The process continued, w/ usually much coughing, b/c the drainage went to his lungs, then the chronic ear infections. He too had them rupture 2x. Its quite scary, b/c it does cause some damage. He had 3-4 in one season & it wasn't enough 2b considered for tubes. Our doc suggested 5 in a season. After reading tons,being frustrated and putting bits a pieces together, we finally took him off dairy completely. The runny nose and ear infections were no longer an issue. So, no dairy of any kind, even things that contain casein, and whey. (dairy proteins) He is now 8 almost 9 & we occasionally give some ice cream/cake (its those friends b-day parties). He still gets the runny nose, so we have figured out his limits so he doesn't get the ear infections. Google allergies-dairy, (webmd.com gives great list of symptoms of dairy allergy), uestation tube-straightens(vertically) at 5yrs of age(which aides in drainage), allergy test.
DID i mention the dairy allergy runs in my family. For me it happened in my 30's, my other son(2 1/2) is dairy intolerant also. To substitute, we drink almond dream, or rice milk, eat lots of spinach(calcium) and take cal supplements, sorbets are wonderful in homemade smoothies. My poor husband has no one to share his string cheese w/. :)
Good luck. It is worth the change and sacrifice.

Have you had your baby checked for anemia - low iron in blood. A simple blood test. My daughter could not get over an ear infection when she was a year and it was because the antibiotics didn't work, because she was anemic. Some supplements from the doctor and more antibiotics and she was all better. I've never heard that rupturing is good - in fact I agree with you - I think it could lead to hearing loss.

I agree with your husband, but I don't know how safe it is to do at 3. My brother had the same problems as a child and had tubes put in in Kindergarden, and they were a big help. Otherwise, I would get a second opinion and start looking into non-medical interventions.

I have never heard about the no dairy diet so I can't give any input on that, but my son averaged 4 or 5 ear infections in 6 months while we lived on the East coast of Canada. Since we have moved to California he hasn't had any problems. I really feel that moisture was getting trapped in his ear canal causing an infection. The doctors told me that his ear canal is really small and at a steep angle, therefore moisture can get trapped easily. I hated always giving him antibiotics so I would always try a home remedy. Put salt in a frying pan and cook it a little bit, not to much or it burns and really stinks, then dump it into a sock and tie it in a knot and hold it up to the ear. The salt will absorb the moisture. Good Luck!

I have raised a little girl who had the same problems. She was allergic to dairy and eggs. She is part Native American. That is important because there are some races that don't tolerate dairy as well as others. It is not difficult to cut out dairy. Eliminate all cheese, butter, yoghurt and ice-cream as well as milk. You may substitute soy milk, or rice milk but try not to use one with a lot of sugar. She too suffered many ruptured eardrums, and lost much of her hearing as a result. (Fortunately, when she was 15 she was able to have her hearing restored through surgery, but it doesn't work for everyone.) We did have tubes put in her ears but they came out on their own!

I would definitely recommend cutting out dairy. Hope this helps.

K.,

I have a daughter that endend up with a complete ear drum replacement on her left side leaving her with 60% hearing and tube on her right side until she was 15 years old, 75% hearing. She had gone thru 6 surgerys, other then the tubes. If at all possible please have you child check out by more then just one ENT. I was unaware of the damage ear infection could do, we had no internet. We started with the tubes when she was six, We also had ear plug made that were molded to her ears each year, use during baths & swimming. I also would use warm wash towel on her ears right before she went to bed and in the morring when she got up, helped them drain. As for the Dairy thing I never found it to make that much of a difference in my child. I wish the best for you both.

T.

Hi K.,
One option you may want to try is taking her to a chiropractor. My neice is an assistant at a chiropractic office and says it works wonders on kids with ear infections. I've also read about this in a few medical journals. It might be worth a try to avoid the surgery. Good luck!

NO dairy and go to a a chiropractor who specializes in children. I cannot say enough about how much our chiro helped with ear infections---I could write pages, but I will spare you! I will share one dramatic example. My son, who suffered with ear infections when he was a toddler, seemed to be growing out of them and was able to tolerate some dairy products by age 6. At about age 10 (he is almost 14 now) he had a few days of dairy "overload" on top of a cold. He woke in the a.m. with horrible pain (familiar pain, but pain he had not had in a very long time)and we realized it was an ear infection. took him to the ped first because of the severity and saw with my own 2 eyes the goopy yuck inside his ear and the redness and swelling. doc said antibiotics. before i even filled the RX I called our chiro who saw us, and adjusted my son. He felt almost immediate relief from some of the pain and had immediate relief of some pressure. Within 20 40 minutes he felt his ear "pop" then drain and exclaimed he had NO PAIN anymore. He went to school the NEXT DAY! we LOVE our chiro!!! I personally have dozens of similar stories from friends who took away the dairy and use chiropractic to treat ear infectins--some of whom were on the verge of gettign tubes, but did not have too!
GOD bless! I hope you find your answers!

I've been off dairy (including whey and casien) for almost 3 months. My breast feeding daughter seems to have a bad reaction to dairy in my breast milk. I had to quit dairy cold turkey! I have found it pretty do-able once you get the hang of it! My daughter has been doing great. I have actually lost weight... I was a dairyoholic. There are a few products I love that are dairy free - soy dream ice cream, sour supreame sour cream substitute, soy dream vanilla coffee creamer and rice milk. I can't find a good cheese sustitute. I do miss the cheese! But I know I'm helping my daughter. By the way many fast foods have allergin menus posted online. Mcdonalds select crispy chicken sandwhiches (buns included) are dairy free as are their apple pies! I know mcd's isn't the best for you but it sure is nice to know you can still eat fast food if you desire! Good luck!

my son (now 15yrs old)suffered from cronic ear infections until he was almost 3. we had tried a myriad of antibiotics as well. His father's family has a history of ear infections and all had tubes in their ears or tonsils removed or both when very young. I didn't want to have to go to such measures if unnecessary but was ready to when we switched pediatricians and she put him on a course of antibiotics (keflex if i remember correctly) for 21/2 solid weeks. Normally he was on antibiotics for 7-10 days and she explained that although the symptoms may have subsided the infection had never been totally killed. After that, i am happy to say he has never had another ear infection!!! No tubes or surgery!! Seeing as you have a history of ear problems, you should definitly do your homework on options but if there are still signs of infection, maybe a longer course of treatment would help. Also have you looked into ear candling? a very old homeopathic treatment for may ear conditions from basic cleaning to congestion, etc.
best of luck!

K.,
Have you tried chiropractic for your child? Often times the cervical (upper) vertebrae are out of alignment and pinch of the nerves going to the ear. It works in a lot of cases. Go to a chiropractor who specializes in children. If you tell me where you live I can recommend someone. I used to work at a chiropractic college and know many working and licensed DC's.
D.

Good morning. I am so sorry to hear what your little one is going through. My son was 18 months old and had had 6 ear infections in three months. The doctors solution was to try yet another antibiotic. When his teeth started turning yellow I demanded to see an ENT. It sounds like you have done this, but I would demand a second opinion. My son ended up having tubes put in twice. He still has minimal fluid in his right ear and has slight earing loss which I attribute to Kaiser's lack of immediate attention. Other than that, he's a happy 9 year old. Best of luck!

K. W.

Hi K.!

I am so sorry to hear about your 3 yr old. I would find another ENT asap! My son is two and has had many ear infections as well. We had tubes put in his ears when he was four months old because of it. His ENT was very serious about the fact of not allowing the ear drum to burst/rupture because it could cause hearing loss as well it is so unbearably painful. That is just absurd that your ENT has not done this!! I would demand him/her to do it immediately or find another doctor as soon as possible!! You are your child's advocate! You need to fight for what your child needs and make sure it happens! That is your number one priority!

Kimk, I would seek a second opinion from another ENT, any time a doctor says its normal or good for a child to have that much pain from an ear infection sounds like a quack..
not to forget the antibotics, that is ruining your childs immune system. Poor baby, as you said in your letter you had bad ear infections as a kid it effected your hearing, Don't let another doctor make the same mistake with your sweet baby, seek another opinion.

Hi K.,
My son had reoccuring ear infections as a baby. Pediatrician wanted to put him on a maintenance dose of antibiotics as well as put tubes in. A friend suggested putting him on soy formula...worked like a charm. (Pediatrician got the boot because she never, even after, recognized it was the dairy) He's 13 now and drinks soy milk and is able to eat some dairy (occaisional bowl of ice cream, pizza) but too much will give him the runs. I would try taking her off ALL dairy for a couple of months and see if there is a difference. It can't hurt to try. Good luck.
M.

My son had lots of ear/eczema issues and we finally figured it was food allergies. We took him off all the major allergens (Dairy, Wheat & Soy) for a year and after that he is great. He's back on wheat & soy, but he still can't handle dairy. It seems really difficult at first but once you start, you find lots of great and healthy food alternatives.

I would start with Dairy, take her completely off it (even a little can cause issues) for 2-4 weeks, see if it helps. There's some good alternatives to milk if she's a big milk kid - Brown rice milk or rice/soy milk mix. Good luck!

I know a few poeple that have had great success and avoided surgery on their little ones by taking their kids to the Chiropractor and having their ears adjusted. It's a quick and painless adjustment and if you keep it up, it can work great. The adjustment actually helps the ear fluid drain (at least as I understand it). My brother is a Chiropractor in South OC and I'd be happy to share his info with you if you're interested. He just adjusted my 15 month old daughter's ears when she had an ear ache a few months ago.

hi i my name is D. and i have three little girls i read your story about your babys ear infections and remembered my oldest daughter when she was the same age she suffered alot from ear infections i would say to be very careful when taking her outside always cover her ears with a beanie the cause of my daughters ear infections was most of the time the cold or the air.

Hi - I'm very sorry for both you and your little one and the pain she has been enduring. What has worked for me and for all of the 8 children in my family (nieces and nephews) is a Chiropractor. I know it sounds funny, but the ear infections happen when the sinus and ear tubes aren't able to drain - these run down the back and side of the neck - with just a few small presses on the right spot, our chiropractor was able to adjust the kids while I held them - they didn't even flinch and almost immediately their sinuses started draining and they haven't had an ear infection since. As soon as they start getting conjested or get goopy eyes, I immediately make them an appointment and they have always been out of whack and ear infections avoided after a short treatment.

If your daughter is constantly conjested, I would definately try taking the dairy out of her diet and she may just clear up - it's a whole new world when the kids are dairy free - even those who don't seem to have any issues with it. Good Luck!

S. - mother of a very healthy three and one year old!

Hello K.,
I had a parent that went through the same situation you're going through. The child would have constant runny nose,congestion and occasionally have drainage from his eye. They went to a ears nose and throat specialist and was recommended that he get tubes in his ears....he was fine after the surgery...as far as dairy products go, you may try that but they didn't have to take it away. However, if you want to try the no dairy approach just to see if everything clears up...try it and if it doesn't then I think your 3 yr old will have to get tubes.
I hope this was helpful to you....good luck, and God bless you and your family.

My son had history of ear infections, what stopped them was working with a cranial osteopath - Dr. Virgina Johnson in Santa Monica ###-###-####. He was 30 months old and saw her once a week (at nap time) for an hour for two months - his inner ear canal was out of alignment - she manipulated it back into place. Go on line and read about osteopathy - it is the natural approach - no antiboditics, no surgery. It works!

M.
mother of healthy eight year old boy

Hi,

I wouldn't put anyone through any more pain! Definately get a second opinion from another ENT!!! You've experienced problems with your ears first hand. I wouldn't let this problem get any further. Get ANOTHER opinion!! It certainly can't hurt.

I had the same experience as you when I was a kid. Frequent ear infections led to tubes and permanent hearing damage. My husband had constant ear infections as a kid as well. (Like everyone in those days, we drank milk with every meal.)

We'd heard milk causes ear infections and respiratory problems, so we decided to raise our own children without it. It worked! Despite the genetic predisposition, they've never suffered from ear infections, except once after an airplane flight. They're big, strong teenagers now, and they've never drank a glass of milk in their lives. We use Rice Dream (Original) on our breakfast cereal, and we've had no problems with cheese and yogurt in small amounts.

Hope this helps.

Put a few drops of honey in each ear. That was the advice my mother-law-law received after 8 years of infections with my husband. It worked great.

Hi, my son had similar problems as your daughter. I would recommend a good ENT and good allergist. Dr. Robert Eitches (allergy/immunology) is a miracle worker ###-###-#### (Cedars-Sinai) and saved my son from getting tubes for the FOURTH time! Also, once he had his adenoids out his ear infections pretty much disappeared. Hope this helps and give her Motrin for the pain. Good luck!

I have 3 children and my first 2 both had tubes put in their ears. First, I would recommend a second opinion. If by any chance you're near Covina, CA, try Dr. James Williams. The surgery is rather quick and easy. The after care is more difficult. Water cannot get into the ear until the tubes fall out naturally. I had custom made ear plugs made for my kids at a cost of $80-$100, but well worth it! I've been there with the all night screaming in agony and my heart goes out to you. Both of my kids are doing well now. The first had her tubes fall out naturally. The second had to have one tube removed surgically and the hole patched. This was done after she was getting an ear infection every 4 weeks, after 3 weeks of treatment. The concern was for her hearing and if the patch did not take, she would have a hole in her ear for years to come. Again, everything turned out fine. My daughter does have some hearing loss because of all the scarring (which I am concerned about the scarring on your childs eardrum); however, childrens hospital has tested her and the loss is so minor it is almost undetectable. In the end, again I say...Get a second opinion. D.

My two year old twins had the same problems the entire first year and while we were initially reluctant to have tubes inserted, we have never regretted the decision to do so. Neither child has had an ear infection since they've been placed (a year ago) and it is a relief to not have them on antibiotics every other month. Hearing loss is often related to a build up of scar tissue from recurring infections. If you pediatrician has not mentioned the tubes, ask. It's certainly worth exploring. Good luck.