Parents of chilren with tubes in their ears.

Jenny_Taylia

Does anyone here have a child who had tubes put in their ears?

My son, Michael....is 7 yrs old...almost 8. Such an amazing little man. He has had bad ear infections every year, about 4 or 5 times a year and even when its not an ear infection he still complains his ear hurts when you touch it. Some nights he wakes up almost screaming in pain. He has a very large vocabulary but doesnt pronounce a lot of words/letters correctly. For instance...He doesnt say thats her toy...he says thats ho toy. Or Wemembo instead of remember.

He also gets throat infections as well, This boy has had strep throat many times, tonsilities and even scarlet fever. Im thinking his tonsils need to be removed but Ive been told they dont do that anymore unless its life threatening.


So Im wondering if you think they are going to say he needs tubes in his ears? Will their be a huge difference after they are in? I have an appt made with the ear throat and nose doctor but that isnt until the end of December so Im just trying to get some info about it because I worry about anything and everything! Thanks!

_Calvin_

My son had them put in when he was around 2 1/2 . He was having a lot of the same issue, constant ear infections mostly. Our pediatrician told us he would have to have 4-5 in a 9 month period to be considered. When he did she still tried to talk us into seeing if he would grow out it (i.e. ear canal get larger). His mother and I decided to have the procedure done. Thank god we did. After that he never had another one. No more holding him while ear drops were put in his ears.

The day of the procedure was a little scary. I had to carry him back to the operating room and stay with him while they put him under. I was not back in the waiting room five minutes before they came and got me to say it was done. When he first woke up he screamed bloody murder and I thought we may have made a mistake. In hind sight I think he was just scared because he woke up in the arms of a stranger and he did not understand what was going on. He cried a little more on the way home, maybe a 20 min drive, but after that he was great. As soon as we got home and went to his toys and never slowed down.

We did go ahead and pay for the customized ear plugs for bathing rather than just using cotton balls. If you can afford them I would suggest it.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions about it. I will happily answer if I can.

LauraMacNCheese

My son was around the same age as Calvin's when he got his tubes put it (he just turned 8 this past Saturday). It was one ear infection after the other...he'd get over one & a couple of months later he'd get another one. His doctor finally suggested the tubes. The infections stopped almost entirely once those were in.

His speech & hearing didn’t improve though. So, they opted to take out his tonsils & adenoids. During that surgery, they went to replace one of his ear tubes as well. When the doc came out to tell me everything went well, he had in his hand a small container. Inside the container was a popcorn kernel that my son had shoved in his ear, unbeknownst to anyone. Everyone in the waiting room got a good chuckle out of that. I still have it somewhere, LOL!

Both surgeries had me nervous…he was only 3 when had the tubes done & 4 for the tonsils/adenoids. But both times they gave him meds before they actually put him under to keep him calm. The hardest part was having to wait for him to come around from the anesthesia...they wouldn’t let me back in recovery until he woke up. That was the longest 20 minutes ever. Like Calvin’s son, mine was screaming bloody murder both times. But I agree with him that it was most likely because he was totally disoriented & surrounded by strangers. Once I was able to hold him, he calmed right down & dozed off and on for the rest of the time we had to hang out at the hospital.

Unfortunately, the infections caused permanent damage to my son’s hearing. He’s been using hearing aids for a couple of years now & does very well. His speech has improved dramatically, although it’s still hard to understand him sometimes. But he’s making great strides & we’re really proud of him.

FitnFabMichelle

My daughter had tubes in her ears when she was younger. And then 2 years ago, right before she started kindergarten she got her tonsils removed. Our lives have been so different since. When she had the tubes in (they eventually fall out) the ear infections lessened tremendously...but she was getting strep throat all the time and that's why the tonsils were removed. And chronic ear infections do affect speech, because they affect hearing. I'd go see an Pediatric ENT and get those tonsils removed if I were you. You and your son will be so much better off. That being said...that first week after the tonsils are removed are tough.

homerjspartan

3 kids. All three had tubes. Greatest surgery ever. Each one starting getting ear infections at about 1 1/2 and they kept on coming and coming. It was so bad in my middle daughter that the doctor said that all the antibiotics were doing was getting rid of the infection in her ear, but the liquid was staying, so then in a week it became infected again. By age 2 each kid had tubes.

Surgery is surgery, but this was the simplest procedure. Takes about 15 min once they are in and they were outside playing the next day (acutally think my little one was out the same day, but she is a little nutty). The worst part was them coming out of the anesthesia, a little freaked out and crying and so forth.... but the rest was great.

Total ear infections before tubes - 11 billion
Total ear infections after tubes - ZERO

newhabit

it was life changing. no more sleepless nights. no more ear infections. i'd say go for it. i dont' regret it one bit. she got them at 10 months and is almost 3 now and finally can sleep.

slimy72

My son improved leaps and bounds with the tubes. And as for not taking tonsils out, I had mine out last year and it was far from life threatening, my life is so much better now. Our pedi said if my son gets more than 3 throat/strep infections a year for two years in a row, out they come.

LeenaRuns

My son has tubes--got them in in April. He's 2 1/2 now, had frequent ear infections, but none since the tubes. He's still not talking much, and his vocab isn't great (buddy for water, booba for school bus), so he's in speech therapy.

brendaj39

My daughter who is now 15 had them in when she just turned a year. She had constant ear infections, always spiking a fever with them..they would put her on meds and as soon as she was done she got it right back. She wouldn't take or make any sounds because because she wasn't able to hear with all the fluid that was in her ear, plus when she walked she looked like she was going to tip over. After she got her tubes put in she started to walk faster and straighter. Plus she started to talk more.

When she was 4 she got her tounsils and adnoids taken out, and that is when they removed her tubes(she had the heavy duty ones in) and she is doing awesome now. The only sad part is in one of her ears she still has problems with it when she goes swimming so she has to wear ear plugs...but a very small price to pay for her to be able to hear and talk....plus it helped on the sleepless nights of her waking up when she was little from the pain...

Never regretted having her do the surgery...it helped 100%

rml_16

My daughter got tubes when she was 4. Yes, it made a huge difference.

Im_NotPerfect

I've had both my kids into an ENT and he told us they look for 4 infections in 6 months or 6-7 in 12 months. Both of my kids qualified but we decided to wait and see what happens. So far, so good. My son got 4 in 4 months this spring/summer, AND a bout with strep. But so far this fall, he's been fine.

I've heard tubes help TREMENDOUSLY. I was just concerned with getting my kids off the constant antibiotics!

As for his speech, I had the exact impediment as your son, but never had ear issues. I went to a speech therapist when I was about his age and now I'm fine.

If he's in THAT much pain, I'd see if you can get him in sooner. That's 2 months!! What does his normal DR say?

Beleg

My son got his first set when he was 3 and got his second set and adenoids taken out at 5 he ear drum has ruptured a couple times since then he is 12 now. But he has never had a ear infection again since tubes at 5. He was getting them about every 6 weeks.

Flab2fitfi

My son had them but it at 4 - before hand he was classed as deaf due to glue ear. Before he had them done he was diagnosed as having global development delay and his speech was very poor. The difference it made is amazing. He is now 8 and classed as gifted and his speech is perfect.

The operation was scary ( well for us) but went very well - he was asking for food within minutes of coming upto the ward and was allowed home within hours.

ccota0614

My son had tubes put in when he was 3. Surgery went very quickly and smoothly, and he was a bit disoriented when he woke up but quickly calmed down when he saw us. The best part was driving down the road right after, we heard him say "Mom, Dad, I can hear everything now!". Before that we didn't realize how much the infections had affected his hearing. His speech improved dramatically. My other son had his tonsils removed when he was 8. He's snored since he was 6 months old, and removing his tonsils and adenoids not only gave him a MUCH better night's sleep, it stopped all the infections and pain he'd been living with. I actually had to listen closely to make sure he was still breathing the first night after, he was so quiet. I would say seeing a pediatric ENT would make all the difference in both cases. They will usually not put children through years of torture when they will likely have them removed at a later date anyway, and their bedside manner helps the children make it through as stress-free as possible. Oh, and there is bright red "putty" for swimmers ears that works wonders for bath-time with the tubes in. They fit nicely for a waterproof seal, and last multiple times before replacing with more. That's what our ENT recommended, and you can get them for really cheap at Walmart.

lfcutie

My son had his tonsils, ads, and tubes at 5 years old....i took him because one day the teacher said he wasn't listening....not really like him....we testing his hearing and it was below normal...then went to an ENT that said he had fluid in the back of his ears and he looked like he had a low grade infection most of his life....his tonsils were severely enlarged...he had all three done at one time and now we are working on his speech which is improving...his hearing drastically improved....his breathing also improved...he is not sick as much ...overall after surgery was the hardest part but was worth all his benefits...

Klopford

Not the parent of one, but I had this problem myself. I would get bad ear infections as a kid and had my first set of tubes put in when I was two. I don't remember much from it except that I was really scared when they put the anesthesia mask on me. Eventually they realized my adenoids were ridiculously large, so during my second surgery (age four) they removed mine while putting in a new set of tubes. My last surgery was at age 6 because one of those tubes didn't come out on its own.

Mom never seemed very scared or worried about the surgeries. She'd always be positive and encouraging and tell me things would be easy or even fun. I questioned her on this years later and she told me that she really was scared... just didn't want to let me know because then I'd be scared too. I guess it helped

magj0y

They do take tonsils out, I had mine out last month and I'm pushing 40. Do it while he's younger.

Think ice picking stabbing at your ear, that is how it feels. This has plagued me for many many years and for the last ten years I've had upper respiratory infections and the last 5 years strep -at least once a year-

if you've never had strep, it's a burning ring of fire in your throat.

My daughter had her adnoids & tonsils out and eartubes in, after that she was fine.

Please do it. It's a LOT of suffering for a little kid. I wish my mom cared enough to get my tonsils out when I was a kid. I have scarring in my ears from so many ear infections.

swab his inner ear with a bit of rubbing alcohol to evaporate the water after he gets out of the bath to kill bacteria and get the water out.

Also, his speech could be due to the many ear infections making it hard for him to hear exact pronunciations. So you may want to get him some speech therapy, they should provide it free at the school

blackmamba886

I had them as a kid, I think I was around 8ish. I had a TON of ear infections... not sure what they told my mom but they did put tubes in. I don't recall much about having them in except for being made to wear earplugs while swimming (and a seriously style cramping headband to keep them in :laugh: ). I do know that I haven't had an ear infection since. :happy:

perfectingpatti

Thank God for tubes! My son had chronic ear infections from 6 weeks to 9 months old when we had them put in. Never had another ear infection again.

He had his tonsils and adenoids removed when he was 9.

Had a septoplasty/rhinoplasty a year ago, at age 19.

Hopefully he's done!

researchgirl82

Tough but best decision we every made. Daughter got tubes at 14 months. No more ear infections and her vocabulary and language are no longer suffering. Do it. And if you need to see another doc for second opinion, go for it.

Rogue_Minx

I don't have any children but I had those problems myself and had the tubes put in when I was around 3 or 4. Things got much better after that and I'm really happy my parents decided to do it. The tubes have long since fallen out (I'm almost 23 years old) but I don't get ear infections like I used to.

zyxst

I had tubes put in when I was 8. I think it was because I had an extremely bad ear infection and the fluid build-up would cause a rupture in the ear drum. I didn't have speech problems before, though I did have hearing problems (according to those tests in school). I remember being dosed twice with adult-size anesthesia and waking up with goo leaking from my ears. I had to roll over every 15 minutes and allow my ears to leak onto a thick cloth. I found out after that the doctor had removed my adenoids, so for the past 34 years I've had to deal with perpetually runny noses.

I still get ear infections. I had a double infection 2 years ago. I did have one tube fall out when I was either 12-13.

cindybowcut

My daughter had tubes in her ears when she was 5. When she was younger she always had to have the TV really loud to hear it. I didn't think anything of it at the time. When she started kindergarten they told me that she had failed her hearing test. We immediately took her to an ENT. They tested her and she had no movement in her ear drum in her left ear. She had so much pressure behind her ear drum from infection. After having the tubes put in it was like night and day difference. The doctor told me that after the surgery she would probably just lay around the rest of the day. No, not my child she wanted food as soon as we left the hospital and didn't stop once that day. They bounce back so quickly when they are young. She didn't have her tonsils out until she was 16. Our family doctor wouldn't take them out even with her having strep throat 3 times that year. So we went back to her ENT. He couldn't believe how bad they were and schedule the surgery right away. It took her longer to heal since she was older. But she has so much healther after having them out.

gauchogirl

Lot's of experience in this dept. I had chronic ear infections myself and had tubes. 2 of my three daughters also had them. My middle girl sounds like your son. She was a healthy, solid baby when she was getting mostly liquids and baby foods for her diet, but as she got older, she was always tiny, weighing 34 lbs exactly from age 2 to 5. She had a speech issue, unable to pronounce many words ("wemembo" would be a could descriptor for her also.) She snored like a trucker. She didn't like to eat much. Always got ear infections that would rupture her ear drum... When they decided to take her tonsils and adenoids out and put tubes in, it was like a night and day difference. She finally put on weight. The snoring stopped, her appetite increased. We put he in speech therapy. The doctor explained that kids with enlarged tonsils/adenoids don't like to eat because there isn't much room in their throats for swallowing food. It's uncomfortable. It causes the snoring also. She didn't have another ear infection for many years later, after the tubes were out (they come out on their own after a couple years usually) and in general only had a few growing up since (she's 20 now.)

My youngest had such frequent and severe ear infections (ruptured ear drums probably a 7-8 times before she was 6 months old) that they put her tubes in at only 6 months. Helped tremendously. I remember the pain myself of ear infections so bad the drum ruptures. I would have the surgery in a heartbeat again, or for my kids, if they were young still. Of course you are worried about the surgery, but it really is a common one and so very helpful for the child.

readyforchange

I had my daughters tonsils taken out when she was 5. She is now 13 and hasnt had one single ear infecctiom since. She also had tubes putb in her ears when she was 2, but after they kept coming out (3 times) I wasnt willing to put her through anymore surgeries. I would say if there is a problem with tonsils, get them out! Ans the sooner the better!!

magj0y

feel free to inbox me if you want more details on how the surgery and recovery feels

ReneeJ814

I'm not a parent, but I'm a graduate student in speech-language pathology and will soon graduate, so I think I can provide some insight here. You made the right move by making an appointment with the ENT. He/she will be the person who can identify whether or not your son will need tubes in his ears. I'm sure they will probably check his hearing there, but it probably wouldn't hurt to see an audiologist for a full evaluation if you're concerned about your son's hearing. As lauramac said earlier, chronic ear infections can do permanent damage to your son's hearing if they go untreated.

Here's my two cents about his speech. Based on your description of your son's speech, it sounds to me like he has trouble pronouncing his R's. This is not uncommon because R is the hardest sound to learn and also the hardest sound to teach. Some children can pick it up very easily and have the R sound when they are as young as 4 years old; however, in some chidren the R sound doesn't fully develop until age 7-8, which is your son's age range. Based on your description, this is the sound that gives him trouble, which shouldn't greatly affect the way others understand him. Do strangers have a hard time understanding him? By the way, his speech may not have anything to do with his hearing.

For now, I believe you are making the right first step. See the ENT and get the ear infections resolved first. If there are hearing problems, get those resolved as well. After this, if you are still concerned about his speech, you should see a speech-language pathologist to evaluate his speech. If he goes to public school, he can be evaluated and possibly treated there. If not, there are probably university speech and hearing clinics or private practices. Talk to your son's pediatrician or ENT about this and I'm sure he/she can refer you to somebody. I hope this helps!

SlimmingSarah2012

I have two boys and both of them got tubes before the age of two. Super easy procedure and neither of them had ear infections once they were in. My oldest had to have speech therapy because he was experiencing hearing loss from all of his infections and now he's at 100% hearing and his speech is just fine (he's 8 now but everything was fine by the time he hit 4/5). I think more than likely your son will benefit but just see what the ENT says.

Good luck!

Jenny_Taylia

They do take tonsils out, I had mine out last month and I'm pushing 40. Do it while he's younger.

Think ice picking stabbing at your ear, that is how it feels. This has plagued me for many many years and for the last ten years I've had upper respiratory infections and the last 5 years strep -at least once a year-

if you've never had strep, it's a burning ring of fire in your throat.

My daughter had her adnoids & tonsils out and eartubes in, after that she was fine.

Please do it. It's a LOT of suffering for a little kid. I wish my mom cared enough to get my tonsils out when I was a kid. I have scarring in my ears from so many ear infections.

swab his inner ear with a bit of rubbing alcohol to evaporate the water after he gets out of the bath to kill bacteria and get the water out.

Also, his speech could be due to the many ear infections making it hard for him to hear exact pronunciations. So you may want to get him some speech therapy, they should provide it free at the school

Oh I didnt ask IF I should do it because I without a doubt am. Im tired of seeing him in pain and Im positive he is tired of being in pain. Ive had strep throat...Last year when I was pregnant with baby # 4! Not fun!

Jenny_Taylia

I've had both my kids into an ENT and he told us they look for 4 infections in 6 months or 6-7 in 12 months. Both of my kids qualified but we decided to wait and see what happens. So far, so good. My son got 4 in 4 months this spring/summer, AND a bout with strep. But so far this fall, he's been fine.

I've heard tubes help TREMENDOUSLY. I was just concerned with getting my kids off the constant antibiotics!

As for his speech, I had the exact impediment as your son, but never had ear issues. I went to a speech therapist when I was about his age and now I'm fine.

If he's in THAT much pain, I'd see if you can get him in sooner. That's 2 months!! What does his normal DR say?

Actually...this appt Dec 17th is for our FAMILY doctor!!! To see him about referring Michael to the ENT. He is all booked up for a week and a half then on Holidays for 2 weeks!

Jenny_Taylia

I'm not a parent, but I'm a graduate student in speech-language pathology and will soon graduate, so I think I can provide some insight here. You made the right move by making an appointment with the ENT. He/she will be the person who can identify whether or not your son will need tubes in his ears. I'm sure they will probably check his hearing there, but it probably wouldn't hurt to see an audiologist for a full evaluation if you're concerned about your son's hearing. As lauramac said earlier, chronic ear infections can do permanent damage to your son's hearing if they go untreated.

Here's my two cents about his speech. Based on your description of your son's speech, it sounds to me like he has trouble pronouncing his R's. This is not uncommon because R is the hardest sound to learn and also the hardest sound to teach. Some children can pick it up very easily and have the R sound when they are as young as 4 years old; however, in some chidren the R sound doesn't fully develop until age 7-8, which is your son's age range. Based on your description, this is the sound that gives him trouble, which shouldn't greatly affect the way others understand him. Do strangers have a hard time understanding him? By the way, his speech may not have anything to do with his hearing.

For now, I believe you are making the right first step. See the ENT and get the ear infections resolved first. If there are hearing problems, get those resolved as well. After this, if you are still concerned about his speech, you should see a speech-language pathologist to evaluate his speech. If he goes to public school, he can be evaluated and possibly treated there. If not, there are probably university speech and hearing clinics or private practices. Talk to your son's pediatrician or ENT about this and I'm sure he/she can refer you to somebody. I hope this helps!

Only sometimes do other people not understand him but not very often. He has been referred to speech therapy since he started kindergarten and I havent heard anything back about it yet! He is now in the middle of grd 2.