# Anyone have kids/toddlers that had tubes put in their ears?



## Mmommy1 (Jun 1, 2012)

My son is 3 years old. Be has always had frequent ear infections. I noticed that he had me repeating myself quit often as he could not hear me. My pediatrician sent us to get a hearing test done...which was unable to be completed due to fluid in his ears. Back to the dr we go and they tell us that his ears are not infected..but rather just congested with fluid. At this point we get a referral to go to a pediatric ENT specialist. We just got home a bit ago and I'm not sure what to do. My son definitely has some hearing loss due to the fluid on his ears...but his nerve reaction to hearing sounds is normal. So that means that once the fluid is gone he will hear perfectly. 

Now its decision making time. The specialist said we can go either way with this. Wait it out.. which we have been, or get the tubes put in which will improve his hearing and keep his ears from getting infected.

As with any surgeries there are risks.

The procedure is out patient but does require anesthetia...

The thought of putting my baby boy to sleep nauseates me.

Has anyone had tubes put in their child's ears? Did they help? Were there any issues?
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## Homemaker_Numero_Uno (Jan 18, 2011)

The kids I was a nanny for when I was in university had them. The little girl really benefitted from them. She could only really hear when she was sitting on my lap and I was talking into her ear...I noticed this at story time before naps and bed. She was really crabby because she couldn't understand what was being said at the table, you do know that little children even when preverbal can understand what is being said? Well she couldn't and it really peeved her. After she had tubes in her ears she had an entirely different personality...and much less antibiotics.

My son had anesthesia both for an MRI and also for subsequent spinal surgery. My daughter had anesthesia as an infant to have a growth removed from her mouth, and for an MRI as well, to rule out the condition my son had. 

Communication is everything to a child. I would recommend getting a stiff upper lip and really trying to assess the true cost (including her frustration and slowed down development due to impaired communication) vs. benefit and ask for a risk assessment from the surgeon's office (or a pediatric nurse, even better!)

I asked the neurosurgeon about the risk involved with my son's surgery vs. benefits. He said 1% chance of making it worse, vs. 5% chance of making it better, that is 5 times good over bad...and doing nothing guarantees the status quo, which of course from the kids perspective and your own (because you have to deal with anything and everything that comes as a result of the condition) is miserable or you wouldn't be considering the surgery to begin with. Yes it's scary but you could also have a car accident on the way home from the hospital. Life itself is risky, if you knew the risks associated with childbirth and birth outcomes and conditions that can affect a child, you would have chose not to have children to begin with! Wait until lil tiger wants his or her driver's license :-o


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## Hope1964 (Sep 26, 2011)

My middle son had it done twice when he was 3 and 4 if I recall correctly.

I will never forget the look of wonder on his little face when we got home after the first set and he could HEAR. He spent five full minutes standing at the foot of the stairs listening to his own voice echo when he made different noises 

I was also nervous about putting him under, but they were really good at the hospital - I was with him right till he went to sleep.

He's had a total of 4 surgeries in his young life. Actually five - he had dental surgery last year I forgot to add! Tubes and adenoid removal age 3, tubes and hernia repair age 4, tongue tie removal age 14, tonsillectomy age 15, wisdom tooth removal age 19.


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## Almostrecovered (Jul 14, 2011)

Mine did, turned out just fine and he hasnt had an ear infection since. He's 13 now


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## TBT (Dec 20, 2011)

My son had it done and that was over 30 years ago.Things went well and we were so relieved he didn't have to suffer the pain caused by the ear infections and there was such a positive change in his whole demeanor.You just have to be careful about bath times and such because germs in water can cause infection.The most important thing is frequent follow-ups to be sure there is no complications,which tend to be rare.


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## sandc (Dec 15, 2011)

Mmommy1 said:


> My son is 3 years old. Be has always had frequent ear infections. I noticed that he had me repeating myself quit often as he could not hear me. My pediatrician sent us to get a hearing test done...which was unable to be completed due to fluid in his ears. Back to the dr we go and they tell us that his ears are not infected..but rather just congested with fluid. At this point we get a referral to go to a pediatric ENT specialist. We just got home a bit ago and I'm not sure what to do. My son definitely has some hearing loss due to the fluid on his ears...but his nerve reaction to hearing sounds is normal. So that means that once the fluid is gone he will hear perfectly.
> 
> Now its decision making time. The specialist said we can go either way with this. Wait it out.. which we have been, or get the tubes put in which will improve his hearing and keep his ears from getting infected.
> 
> ...


My son is autistic, has moderate to severe hearing loss, and also was ALWAYS getting fluid in his ears. Poor guy. We eventually elected to get the tubes put in his ears. With the tubes and hearing aids his hearing was near normal. If simple tubes will help his hearing I would advise getting it done.

We did not notice any ill effects and the only lifestyle change was with bath time and swimming. He had to wear wax plugs in his ears to keep water from entering his ears. Not a big deal compared to all the other problems to deal with.

You sound like a wonderful mom but I wouldn't worry about the tubes too much. He's a boy. Worry about all the other things he's going to get into.


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## Mmommy1 (Jun 1, 2012)

Thanks! I feel better hearing first hand stories rather then statistics on google. What about swimming/bathing after the procedure? What happens if water gets into the ear with the tubes in place? Id imagine the water would pour directly to his ear drum? I've read on several websites that small amounts of water such as bath time or above water swimming are okay...and others say you need ear plugs all the time.


_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## sandc (Dec 15, 2011)

Mmommy1 said:


> Thanks! I feel better hearing first hand stories rather then statistics on google. What about swimming/bathing after the procedure? What happens it water gets into the ear with the tubes in place? Id imagine the water would pour directly to his ear drum?
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


You can buy wax ear plugs at the drug store. Just plug his ears with these at bath time (if you expect water to get near his ears) otherwise no worries. For swimming definitely use the wax plugs. Yes, if water gets in his ears it goes down the tubes. Can cause ear infections. Not a given but we just don't want to take that chance. They even make special headbands designed to hold the ear plugs in place if they are prone to falling out. You're doctor should be able to fill in the blanks. You'll do fine!


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## FirstYearDown (Sep 15, 2011)

My brother and I both had tubes put on our ears as small children. The ear infections were awful and frequent. I still remember the relief of not having to go to the doctor to have ear wax removed with a curette. The severe pain went away as well. Ear tube insertion is considered minor day surgery up here.


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## Entropy3000 (May 11, 2011)

Yes. This worked for my youngest daughter.


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## Wanting1 (Apr 26, 2012)

My daughter had the exact same issue. Not infections. But fluid in the ears. It affected her hearing and speech development. At the age of 2, I was really worried because she only had a few words that she spoke. She could obviously hear me, but the speech wasn't coming along. When we got her hearing tested, the specialist explained that her hearing was like being in a long tunnel. She could hear the sounds but it was hard for her to pick up the nuances enough to mimic it in speech. 

We started with the tubes and within in a week, she was speaking in full sentences! The tubes fell out after a year, and I very quickly noticed the symptoms returning. At that point, the ENT specialist said that it would be a good idea to remove her adenoids as they were the cause of the fluid buildup. They were keeping the Eustachian tubes from draining properly. It was an outpatient procedure. No issues. The doctor came out and told us that her adenoids were the biggest he'd ever seen, even on a grown man! She did have some nausea from the anesthetic, but she was fine in a few hours. And we have never had a problem since. 

P.S. She was also a huge snorer. Even as a newborn. We were amazed that such a loud sound could come from an 8 lb baby. It was the adenoids! No more snoring either.


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## Bellavista (May 29, 2012)

Our eldest son had them done at 11 months, that was 23 years ago. Even back then it was just day surgery. He had had ongoing ear problems since 2 months old, resulting in a burst ear drum at 10 months. The grommitts were great for him, he had very delayed speech from hearing issues as a baby, but once he had the tubes in, his speech came ahead in leaps & bounds. His grommitts were in for 2 years, a long time, but he no further ear infections since then.
There are a lot more options now days regarding ear plugs for swimming & bathing.


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## that_girl (Jul 6, 2011)

I had them. They saved my pain! I got them at age 2. I had an ear infection a month and took Bactrim so much, I became allergic and had a horrible reaction to it.

My nephew and niece had them...they are older now and haven't had ear trouble since.

It's fine. I'd do it for my kid in a HEARTBEAT if she had ear issues. Thankfully, my kids didn't get my ears.

Before I got tubes, I had an ear infection SO BAD that it blew out my eardrum and it never healed. I am partially deaf in that ear and after numerous surgeries in 6th grade to close the hole, my ear is fine. Still have hearing loss though.

Get the tubes.


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