At what point do you worry about repeated ear infections?

[nessz79]

Hello everyone. My son is 6 years old...he never used to have problems with ear infections. In fact, his first ear infection was at the age of 2 and he had very few up until the age of about 5.

We're having problems right now with an ear infection that seems to be recurring. He had one in early Feb and was fine as soon as he took antibiotics. Then he had another one in early March. He was better almost immediately. Less than 2 weeks later he has another cold with a fever and fullness in his ears. He can barely hear. He hasn't complained about an ear ache yet, but it's possible that he'll get another ear infection.

At what point should I be concerned? The doctor doesn't seem to be concerned, but I confess I already am . Any advice?

 

[anabelle]

My son had repeated ear infections as a baby. He got to the point were antibiotics were getting stronger and stronger. His doctor told me that he would put tubes in but first wanted to make sure it wasn't a milk allergy. We put him on soy milk and the ear infections went away. He said it works in about 25% of his repeated ear infection cases. You might try that.

But your little one just sounds run down. Try building up his immune system. Add foods rich in vitamin c and some yogurt. Make him drink lots of water and rest. I know it is hard to keep a little one down. Don't be afraid to remove milk for a while. I know the dairy industry would have us believe that milk is great for us, that is not quite true. Yogurt is a much better form of dairy because it contains the calcium and good bacteria needed for digestion. But is doesn't build up mucous which clogs up sinuses.

 

[nessz79]

Those are good ideas. I wonder if it's milk? He usually only drinks soy milk, as he is cow's milk intolerant (constipates him)....however, he sometimes gets milk at school and in ice cream, etc.

We give him Dan Active Immunity yogurt drink every day and he loves yogurt. He eats pretty well for a kid his age and enjoys fruits and vegetables. I agree that he is run down, but I don't really know how to fix it. He gets about 10-11 hours of sleep per night.

This has been the worst year for sicknesses for him. He's been sick at least every month since November and often more than once a month. He's missed 16 days of school. Luckily, he is doing well academically.

My other major concern is that he isn't hearing well. He always seems to have fluid build-up. He came home upset that he wasn't able to play a game in school because he couldn't hear the teacher. I think she thought that he wasn't listening (which is possible), but I think he just couldn't hear. I'm going to talk to her about it, but it's still a big concern that he can't hear.

 

[tam626]

We are going throught htis right now with our 3 yr. old. At first the Dr said as long as the antibiotic clears it up, it's fine. Now we are on our 4th antibiotic in a row so we went to an ENT & he is getting tubes.

 

[nessz79]

We are going throught htis right now with our 3 yr. old. At first the Dr said as long as the antibiotic clears it up, it's fine. Now we are on our 4th antibiotic in a row so we went to an ENT & he is getting tubes.

Good to know- thank you.

We saw an ENT last year for our other son's sleep apnea and he had his tonsils and adenoids removed. We had to request for a referral as our regular doctor never seemed to see a problem. Starting to get frustrated!

 

[tam626]

Our son had his adenoids out too. If in doubt, go ahead & see the ENT for the ears. They did a hearing test on our son & checked to see if there was fluid behind both ears.

 

[anabelle]

Those are good ideas. I wonder if it's milk? He usually only drinks soy milk, as he is cow's milk intolerant (constipates him)....however, he sometimes gets milk at school and in ice cream, etc.

We give him Dan Active Immunity yogurt drink every day and he loves yogurt. He eats pretty well for a kid his age and enjoys fruits and vegetables. I agree that he is run down, but I don't really know how to fix it. He gets about 10-11 hours of sleep per night.

This has been the worst year for sicknesses for him. He's been sick at least every month since November and often more than once a month. He's missed 16 days of school. Luckily, he is doing well academically.

My other major concern is that he isn't hearing well. He always seems to have fluid build-up. He came home upset that he wasn't able to play a game in school because he couldn't hear the teacher. I think she thought that he wasn't listening (which is possible), but I think he just couldn't hear. I'm going to talk to her about it, but it's still a big concern that he can't hear.

You should probably cut all dairy for a week. See if it improves. You could do it during a school break if you have one coming up. You can give him a Acidophilus supplement for the probiotic and use fortified orange juice for the calcium.

 

[LUVDZNY2008]

I would take him to an ENT, let them test his hearing..if he is showing signs of a hearing loss plus knowing that the infections are recurring, tubes might be recommended. I would be concerned about your son in school if he is having trouble hearing. Once the tubes are in you could always go to an allergist to see if he has any allergies. First you want his hearing to be within the normal range, and you want him to be comfortable. It is very annoying to have ears clogged with fluid.

 

[Mrsdennison]

Depending if you insurance needs the referral from the regular dr. I would call and ask.

Sometimes you can just make the appointment out right with the ENT.

My dr. seemed to just want to keeping treating it. I just asked for a referral and they said okay.

Tubes were for us, plus one fell out two years later and we needed a replacement and anoiods taken out.

Mrsdennison

 

[tami82]

My daughter had them a few times as a toddler. When she was around 4 or 5 she got them religiously every single month. Luckily my job was understanding about this and i was able to leave for doctor appts. After close to a year of this happening i had to come to decision of getting tubes put in ears. They worked like a dream. You may want to consider them if this is happening very often as in our case or your doctor recommends.

 

[mommyofboys]

My ds (4) had tubes put in when he was 9 months old. One fell out and the other was surgically removed when he was 3 1/2 yrs old. Like your ds he was having trouble hearing and we had to have his hearing tested every 6 months until he passed (he just passed) and he needed speech therapy because of his hearing issues. My dss (now 14) was getting in trouble in school (and at home) when he was in elementary school for not listening and come to find out he just had fluid sitting in his ears which was making it difficult for him to hear.

Has your dr had you return after you finished the antibiotics to see if there is still fluid in the ear? This could be the cause - the fluid never goes away, gets infected and the infection clears up with meds and then repeat. When the fluid just sits there it can mess up your hearing - they say it sounds muffled and like you are under water.

I would go to an ENT - better safe than sorry - Good Luck!!

 

[EnchantedPrincess]

My dd had repeated ear infections about a year ago - she was 4 then. I think we had about 4 within a 6-8 weeks period, and he decided to treat it one more time, and if it recurred again, I would have to take her to see the ENT. She took antibiotics for 21 days, and thankfully, the ear infection didn't come back! During the course of the 21 day treatment, we had multiple follow-up with the pediatrician so he could look at her ears to see what is going on. Thankfully..all is good after that.

 

[tasha99]

I second going to an ENT and an audiologist. You want to make sure his hearing is consistent--not all muffled due to fluid one week, then better, then muffled again.

 

[smurfie]

My son had them every few week/months starting when he was 2. He ended upw ith tubes in his ears and haven't had any problems since. He has an ENT check up every 3 months and it seems that every time we go back he has fluid in the ear that no longer has a tube (fell out). It always clears up after being on antibiotics though.

We think it's seasonal allergy related since I have them and so does his little sister.


If you haven't already done so, go to ENT to get tests done.

 

[nessz79]

Thanks everyone. We have a regular check up on Tuesday and I am going to talk to our Dr. about getting his hearing checked at minimum and going from there.

 

[debilovesmickey]

You have gotten some good advice.
My son, now 16 had repeated ear infections and was on preventative medicine for some time during winters when he was young.
When he was in Kindergarten, our family day care person told us that he was not hearing her.

We had his hearing checked and it showed hearing loss-- as in fluid in the ears. He had his adenoids removed and tubes put in his ears-- after a consult with an ENT who did this surgery.
We never had any problems after that!

I hope all goes well with your son. You are right to be concerned as generally this is something an ENT specialist can help you with!

Good luck!
Debi

 

[Kallista]

My peditrician's rule of thumb is 3 ear infections in 12 months is the point at which she makes a referral for tubes. It's useful to check for allergies, especially milk allergies, but if that doesn't clear it up, she recommends the tubes.

Both of my boys had them and they were very helpful. The surgery was pretty minimal. They put them under a general and slide a device that sorts of like a hypodermic in the ear. It pops the tube in place and that's it. They were under for less than 20 minutes. The general anasthesia was the scariest part of the procedure. Both of the boys had the tubes fall out within around 36 months. We haven't had any ear infections since the tubes were placed or since they fell out. Sometimes the kids just need time for their ear canal to grow a bit.

We had the tubes placed as soon as we possible could. My brother had repeated problems with ear infections back in the 70's and has a serious hearing loss today. He also has severe dyslexia which can be related to repeated ear infections. The infection can travel up the auditory nerve to the brain and cause damage which causes dyslexia. (At least according to my brain pathology professor at Washington University in St. Louis.)

 

[Binnie]

DD3 has had ear infections since she was 14 months. After 4 solid months, she had tubes put in at 18 months. She still had ear infections, although they became a rare(ish) phenomenon. Once one fell out, it got bad again, and now she's getting a second set of tubes and her tonsils and adenoids removed on Thursday. I'm hoping this will be the end of the drama.

My recommendation to you, if you're on your 4th antibiotic is to DEFINATELY see the ENT. In my experience, the pediatrician tends to throw their hands up after a point, whether or not they refer you to ENT.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

 

[bertegirl]

My daughter had her 1st one at 4 weeks and had tubes put in by the time she was 6 months old. She had so much hardening of the ear drum that she will have hearing test twice a year until she is 5. We are almost there...at 3 she had her tonsils, adenoids and tubes removed. They had never fallen out. She is going to be 5 in July and knock on wood she hasn't had an ear infection since. I still make her wear her ear bandit and use plugs for the pool, though!

 

[Tricia's mom]

Before you consider any surgery:
* take away milk
* test for another food allergy that may be causing it...Seasonal allergies perhaps

My daughter has had cronic ear infections too. My DH being a Chiropractor has her see a kiniselogist( type of chiropractic) It has worked well for her..pin pointing allergies and building up immunities. I must swear by this!! before you consider tubes try this first. Hopefully you will be able to find a AK (applied kiniselogist) Dr. in your area.