At what point do you worry about repeated ear infections?

[jewjubean]

Make sure you go to a ENT because as a child I was prone to them. It has affected my hearing and in my right ear I have a 50% hearing loss. I had my adnoids and tonsils taken out and that helped alot but my hearing loss was caused by the ear infections I had as a kid. I've lived on antibiotics my whole life lol.

 

[PatsMom]

My DD had constant ear infections from the time she was two until she was four. By the time she turned 4 she had been tested for hearing loss a few times. Her problem was that the fluid just wouldn't drain from her ear and she would re-infect. I wanted to avoid surgery if at all possible so we decided to try a daily low dose of an antibiotic. Since she is violently allergic to amoxicillin she was on one of the sulfa drugs and it worked great. She still got one or two infections a year but not every other week like before the drugs! By the time she was 7 or 8 she had "grown into" her adenoids and the ears drained much better and we were able to go off the drugs.

If the drug hadn't worked, we were going to do the tubes in the ear. Her ENT just preferred to try antibiotics first.

 

[Tinkmom75]

I know it sounds crazy, but my DS had several recurring ear infections last year and then one August 08. I was ready for tubes, but my DH convinced me to have him go see a chiropractor. I was very skeptical since I had tubes my older DS had two sets of tubes. The Chiro yanked the ears and we went back for a few follow ups as well as whenever he started to get a cold. DS had one ear infection this year in Nov. I am so happy we did this. Chiro did my and my DH's ears also. I felt fluid draining out of my ears, it was gross. I wouldn't have believed it if he didn't do it to me too. I hear it doesn't work for everyone, but it worked for us and DS didn't have to get knocked out for tubes and we didn't have to go through the worrying about getting water in his ears period. If I had to do it over again, this is the route I would go.

PS: DS also had hearing loss and then after Chiro went back for re-test and hearing was fine.

 

[Eeyore's-tail-tack]

She had 2 sets of tubes, but after the second set fell out, her problems went to her saliva gland getting recurring infections, then we had a summer when she was 10 where the first day of summer break she had tonsilitis, a summer of antibiotics, then tonsils and adenoids removed at beginning of the school year, she still has the saliva gland problem, but at least her ears are better, oh by the way she is now 23 years old