Tubes a Good Idea??????

Getting tubes in my son's ears was the best thing we ever did. He always had an infection and we were worried that it would start to affect his hearing. He got the tubes (he ended up needing double tubes in each ear) when he was 18 months. He's now 18 years and has not had an ear infection since. Do it!

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We got tubes put in our son's ears when he was about 1 1/2... I understand the fears and concerns you are having. After 8 infections in 3 1/2 months, we were also told that tubes may be a good thing to consider.

We met with an ENT (Dr. Snyder in Londonderry - I highly recommend him). They did a hearing test and since his hearing had not been effected, Dr. Snyder was very informative, but did not pressure us in either direction. We did not want our son to be on antibiotics as much as he had, so we decided to do the procedure. And I am so glad we did!

I'll be honest. The hardest part was the morning of the surgery. It is heart-breaking to watch your child have anesthesia and they are definitely frazzled when they come out of anesthesia... That being said, it's definitely worth it though. Our son was back to his fun-loving self later that same day! He didn't get a single ear infection the entire time he had tubes, and even if he would've gotten one, they have you put the drops in their ears for 4 days (no antibiotics). My son's tubes fell out earlier than they were expected to (but that's okay). The ENT checked him when they came out, and we have not had tubes for a year now... and he's only gotten two infections since the tubes fell out.

I'm very glad we made the decision and I was very pleased with our experience. As far as the maintenance.. the first week was a bit challenging getting the ear plugs in for bath time, etc, but after 2 weeks or so, he was reminding us when we forgot. They also sell a neat swim band for kids that need to wear ear plugs... My son loved wearing that in the pool over the summer.

My son got tubes last fall and he hasn't had an ear infection since. They were a life saver for us as he seemed to have infection after infection the Winter before.
Although a little scary, the surgery is really simple and he was only gone from us for maybe 30 minutes. They let my husband take him back to the operating room (I was too wimpy)while he was being sedated and they called us back as soon as he came back around.
They told us when adults have the procedure done they actually do it in the office. They only do kids in hospital as they have to put them under to keep them still.
Our toughest problem now is reminding our 2 year old not to go under in the tub or pool without his ear plugs in.
I'm hoping our sons tubes are still in this winter as I'd love anther ear infection fee winter. They told us they'd fall out on their own between the ages of 2-4.
Hope this helps make your decision easier.
~L.

My daughter had her adnoids taken out and tubes put i n her ears. It was the best thing. She no longer had ear infections and her hearing actually got better. There weren't any complications for my daughter. They put her under and the surgery took about an hour maybe 45 mins. She was groggy and crying and just wanted to be hugged afterwardss but she was fine the next day. Her tubes stayed in for about two years and they just fall out by themselves. The tubes are very small and were no problem. I hope you do consider this for your son. It really does help!
Good luck!
-A.

Our 12 y.o. had tubes in both ears when he was about 14 months. It helped immensely! The hardest part was when he was coming out of the anaesthesia. He was groggy and crying which was harder on us than on him. But a lot of snuggling helped.

Until they fall out (which is normal), you will need to use ear plugs to ensure no water gets in his ears. But that's no big deal really. And one great thing is, if you fly anywhere, the ear tubes help so he won't have any ear pressure discomfort at lift-offs and landings...nice!

If it had ever been needed again, we would have done it. We didn't need to, thankfully, but it had been worth it. It was a simple procedure and helped a lot. He still gets ear infections occasionally, but now only once or twice a year.

Years ago, we bought a teddy bear hot water bottle that was our answer to antibiotics. Our pediatric office stopped prescribing antibiotics for ear infections, and I remembered how good a hot water bottle felt on my ear when I got sick as a kid. That bear was worth his weight in gold when you needed him!

Good luck deciding.

We had three consults with ENTs, that is how many times we had ear infections...for first year and half.
Finally the fourth time we went, my son was two and a half. The new ENT told me that our son had been hearing as if he was under water or we were under water talking to him. I could have cried right there. I wanted to do the best for him and what was needed and if someone (one of the other 3 ENTs) had said that to me a year before, we would have done it then.
It had affected his speaking and he has been in speech and Early Intervention since he was 2. Noone else connected the dots, so this past January we had the tubes put in.
Brockton Hospital has a great Child Life Specialist that gave our son a tour and showed us what to expect. Then walked me through all the things I should know. I was able to bring my son into the OR. You can opt not too, if seeing your child on the start of the anesthesia is an issue.
The doctor told me that by the time I was back in the waiting room and just about to disrobe the OR garb, that he would be done. HE WAS RIGHT! Done with in minutes. It was something I had wished at that moment that we did do sooner. But all is good and the gains in speech were AMAZING! We are SO happy we decided to do it.
I am not sure that chiropractic work or body work would have helped wider his eustatian tubes. So, it was all good.
You can talk to a chiropractor that works with kids and see if that is an option for you to try. Body work is also helpful to work with the muscles around the head and ears.

Good Luck.
You are the best advocate for your child. Go with your instinct.

After 6 ear infections in 7 months, my daughter finally got tubes at 14 months. My only regret - - - we didn't do it sooner!!! It was by far more nerve racking on me than on her. I took her into the OR and by the time I got back to the waiting room and settled in with a magazine, they were bringing her out, already awake (albeit crying because she didn't know the person holding her). Within two hours she was running around like nothing had ever happened. She is almost 4 now and has never had another EI.

Good Morning B.:

I have been through this with my daughter. It is scary. However without the benefit of tubes my daughter was loosing developmental gains. She stopped learning to talk because she could not hear us, she could not progress with walking because her balance was off. She ended up with three sets of tubes because she would out grow them. The first set she grew by leaps and bounds physically,in speech and coordination. Within 6 months they had dislodged and was back to ear infections and another set was put in. Again she was making progress in the above areas and out grew the tubes. WE were without tubes 6 months before she had another bout and needed a third set. With out them she would have been behind.

As the child grows the tube inside the ear goes from being almost flast to a slight angle to allow the ear to drain on its own.

If I knew then what I know now I would have tried chiropractics before having tubes put in.
1. It is none invasive.
2. It may cost a little bit and you have to give it a couple of times but nothing like all the meds and appointments that went with surgery.

I would strongly urge you to try this route first to see if a few adjustments make any difference.

The chiropracter I see has been wonderful with her and my son.

Jenn

My daughter, the same age as your son,was in the same situation and we did the tubes last month. The ENT said we could wait and see if the infections persisited, but to consider did we want her to endure the pain of more infections plus have to keep putting her on stronger antibiotics (which was the scariest part for me-amoxicilyn is one thing but the stronger ones when she's so young and didn't even have to be on an antibiotic until she was 18 months made me nervous). Anyway, the procedure went splendidly and so far things are great-no fluid at all and no infection. The procedure wsa SO quick-it was very hard to leave her in the OR. But seriously we got there at 6:00am and we were home by 8:30 and by lunch she was asking to play outside.
Hope this helps!

Hi B.,
PLEASE try chiropractic. My husband is a chiro and has saved many kids from tubes. After treatments, they rarely if ever get another infection! Adjustments correctly align their spines so the fluid can flow naturally. There's a blockage in there somewhere and surgery on a child is never a good option in these cases. I've known several moms that opted for surgery and the ear infections come back.
Get a good referral from someone you know and just try it, why not look at all of your options? My son has been getting adjusted since birth and has never had an inner ear infection and he's rarely even sick!
Hope this helps,
E. K.

My son got bilateral ear tubes when he was 13 months old after using progressively stronger antibiotics for the previous 4.5 months with no success. The ear infections were affecting his hearing so I am glad we decided to go ahead with the procedure. Also, although I'm not against antibiotics, I think they are too often used and society is becoming resistant to them. He did get two ear infections while having tubes (they were in for almost three years before they fell out) but we used ear drops instead and the infections cleared up quickly. The procedure itself is very short - I didn't even finish my cup of tea or one magazine article! We found it hard not feeding him in the morning before the surgery because he was used to having something shortly after waking up. Recovery was uneventful. Good Luck with your decision!

Hi there,

I know some one that have one of there kids done and they said it worked.. As far as Surgery goes well you know it's just like if you go under my baby Girl is 27 months and has had 4 Surgerys but not on her hears.. All I can said to you is get all the facts and go with what you feel maybe you need to see more then one docter... When I had one of the Surgery for my Baby Girl I was 2 doctor's just to make sure and I felt better..

But you need to feel good about it as well so don't let anyone tell you otherwise!

I hope this helps good luck please let me know how it goes..

D. Kuczynski I'm on face book as well if you like to see some pic's of my baby girl..

Hi there
I have 3 boys under five, and all three have tubes. The first was later in getting the tubes (after 2) and it affected his hearing- he required speech therapy for a couple of years. My second got them before two to avoid that and because he was on antibiotics and developed resistance to certain antibiotics. My third got them when he was just 4 months old because his eardrum kept bursting causing damage to the eardrum. With all, we haven't had any trouble since. Its ok if they get infections thru them, it just helps them drain better and require less antibiotics, if any at all. They really help a lot and are much much better than going on antibiotics so much. The most difficult part as a parent is when they wake up from anesthesia because they (the child) are always upset and require a lot of holding and soothing until it wears off. The kids dont remember that part though because they are still under the effects of the anesthesia. The doctor/hospital will prep you for all of that if you decide to go ahead. Good luck

Here's another side of the story: a colleague of mine used nutritional supplements and avoided all of this worry, surgery, anesthesia, ear plugs, and so on. Her dad is a physician and didn't think this would work. His wife took the adult products and had incredible results with serious issues, and then my colleague used them and put her child (who had had multiple ear infections and had been miserable) on the kids' version. Viola, never another problem. No matter how well your kids (and you) eat, our food is missing so many nutrients that we tend to break down and get a lot of illnesses, far more than the last generation. So, consider going with your gut and avoiding the surgery. I'd be happy to share more stories of hope.

I was in your exact position a few years ago...I went through with the surgery, my son was only 18 months. The surgery took only 10 minutes and he was fine after that. He started talking more and understanding more of what I was saying to him. He is 8 now and has not had an ear infection since.

We used Dr Edward Donovan in Nashua

Good Luck,
Sam
Mother of 3 Devin 8, Donovan 6, Mya 4

My 3 year old had tubes put in in May. It was the BEST decision my husband and I ever made when it came to our child's health. We were very nervous at first but she had an ear infection, sometimes both ears were infected, for 4 months and now she hasn't had one since. On the day of the surgery there was a little discomfort, she was a little out of sorts, and you have to put drops in the ears for a few days but once those are done you're all set. We couldn't believe the difference it made. She was hearing better too after the tubes because the fluid was muffling her hearing.

I will warn you of one thing, they don't usually wake up happy, he'll be in a strange place with strange people but they come get you right away once he wakes up and once he settles down he should be fine. Good Luck!

My daughter is now 21. She had an ear infection virtually every month of her life (at minimum) for the first seven years. SEVEN YEARS! It went on that long, partly because of the medical culture at the time in general ("anti-tubes") and the fact that we moved often (military) and therefore, had no continuity of care. During that first seven years, her eardrum burst many, many times and she had some hearing loss. FINALLY she got tubes and it was the best thing that ever happened to her! Immediately the infections stopped. Unfortunately, the left one fell out within the first few months. ( It was the problem ear.) But there was a residual effect from the tubes and she was free of infections for about a year. When she was nine, the tubes were replaced and they stayed in place until they were removed "surgically" when she was 13. She has had just one or two infections since then. Her hearing loss is permanent and significant, although it doesn't affect her on a daily basis. If I had known then, what I know now, I would have DEMANDED tubes for her. As it was, I pressed pretty hard for them. She could have been spared years of pain - aside from all she missed because she was sick so much.

The long term issues are all a result of the repeated ear infections and ruptured eardrums vice the surgery. The positives of the surgeries far outweighed any negatives for her. (ie dealing with earplugs)

Good luck to you and your little one, whatever decision you make!

Your son sounds like he's in the same boat mine was. If your doc is recommending tubes, get them ASAP! You will be glad you did - no more fevers or medicine...no more doctor trips... The procedure is very quick, my son showed no signs of discomfort, and I noticed an improvement right away - he was even playing in the hospital a few minutes after surgery!

The only thing we had an issue with was using cottonballs or earplugs in the tub and when he goes swimming. Trying to put them in was far more traumatic for him than the surgery was, so I was just super careful in the beginning, and whenever he saw the doctor had them check his ears for me (while he was in daycare, he saw the doctor on a very regular basis), and he's done great. We stopped worrying about getting his head wet after a while.

My son is behind in his speech because of a four month long ear infection. He's three and a half, and the tubes were put in about 14 months ago. He's now in developmental preschool to get his speech caught up, and he's doing great!

Hi B., I am a speech pathologist who has worked with young children for many years now. I have seen many children go through the surgery usually without any problems. The parents say recovery time is short and the results are good. For those with delayed speech or language skills they seem to hear better and start talking more immediately. (Is your son talking?) Not to mention the ear infections subside. My brother had them 15-16 years ago and was absolutely fine. They eventually fell out and that was the end of it! If I were you I would do my research and do what feels right for your son. Best of luck!

I am a 41 year old Mom of a little boy who is now three, yes he had tubes, they did work. he was very sick. after the surgery all his pain went away. the worst part of the whole thing is the surgery (for the Moms) Since that time one has fallen out on its own and there is no problem with the other...he never had an infection, or fluid, we went every six months for check ups, still do.
Keeping the water out at bath time was really not that hard, we used plugs for swimming (still do)
Good luck

My son had tubes at 2yrs and it has helped a little. He had chronic ear infections and would be on antibiotics for months on end. Since the tubes, he still gets a lot of infections, but they seem to be further apart most of the time. I do hear that it helps most kids, unfortunately mine is in the small percentage of those who still get chronic ear infections. I think they are going to want to do it again, but I'm going to say no.