Dear Parent of Child with Tubes in Ears

[Big Daddy Incredible]

Hi. My family will be flying to WDW in four weeks. It is our first trip. My DD4 had tubes put in her ears about 6 months ago. Do I need to be any more concerned about her ears during the flight compared to my DD5 and DS2? We already purchased Ear Planes for everyone. I once had excruciating pain during descent of a plane for about 30 minutes. I could cope but I do not want that pain for my kids. Please advise. Thanks.

 

[disneynutt1225]

Not a parent of a child with tubes, but I have traveled with children who have tubes. Sudafed helped these particular children with the ear pain, you might want to ask your doctor about giving it to them. My mother gave it to us as children as well, and even as adults, I still dose myself with Sudafed before every flight - haven't had ear pain in years.

But, I would definitely check with your doctor and see what else you can do to minimize pain during flight. HTH!

 

[Bride In The Attic]

I am also a parent of a child with tubes - actually DD's just fell out a few weeks ago after being in for a year and a half. I asked her ENT Dr about this when she had the surgery - we fly quite a bit as I work for an airline and I didn't know what the tubes would do. My Dr told us that children with tubes have LESS problems in flight than children without tubes. The tubes equalize the pressure in the ears so they should have no discomfort at all when taking off and landing. I will say that DD did not complain of any ear problems during the flights we took with the tubes still in where as before she had the tubes she would scream.

Hope that helps to ease your mind - have a great trip!!

 

[madge]

I am also a parent of a child with tubes - actually DD's just fell out a few weeks ago after being in for a year and a half. I asked her ENT Dr about this when she had the surgery - we fly quite a bit as I work for an airline and I didn't know what the tubes would do. My Dr told us that children with tubes have LESS problems in flight than children without tubes. The tubes equalize the pressure in the ears so they should have no discomfort at all when taking off and landing. I will say that DD did not complain of any ear problems during the flights we took with the tubes still in where as before she had the tubes she would scream.

Hope that helps to ease your mind - have a great trip!!

we were told the same thing by DD pediatric ENT. We've flown 3 times since she's had tubes and had no trouble at all.

 

[JerJan]

My DDnow 13 had tubes from the age of 18 months to almost 3 years old. We flew alot even cross-aountry FL to CA and she never had any problems. Our ENT said not to worry about it at all!

 

[glass slipper girl]

the tubes used are actually pressure equalization tubes so children with tubes will not even notice the ear popping feeling, the tubes keep them feeling normal the whole time.

 

[janette]

I've also heard that the tubes prevent the ear pain. Although on one flight that my youngest DD screamed almost the entire flight I overheard a couple sympathizing that her ears must really hurt. I didn't let them know that I was pretty sure that ear pain wasn't the issue

 

[alecam]

I have 2 DS's both with tubes and have not had any problems. I do agree that a dose of Sudafed or another decongestant would be a good idea!! Have fun!!!

 

[cindybelle]

I'm a mother of DD who has flown with tubes (many times while in). Her doctor said they'd actually help her (like others have said). She had no problems. We did have a kids sports bottle (with straw)...for her to sip on water just in case she needed it during take off and landing.

You should be just fine!

 

[SHAMIL10]

We flew exactly one week after DS , then 5 had tubes put in. The other 2 complained and cried and they were 8 & 9, He had no problems whatsoever. The ENT actually had to squeeze him in, b/c he did not want him to fly without the tubes, or he would have been miserable

 

[vossjemi]

Although neither of my kids have tubes, I was worried about their ears popping and them not being able to equalize themselves. So...I read somewhere that its a good idea to get some snacks like skittles, starburst, or something chewy like gum. The chewing action helps their ears pop and adjust so they don't have any problems. Plus my kids thought it fun to get candy as we were ascending/descending.

On another note, I do have a question about ear tubes for you parents who have children with them. My DD5 was breastfed and literally had maybe 1 or 2 ear infections total until she turned 5 in May. At that time, we took her for her kindergarten screening, and the test they ran showed possible hearing problems in the left ear. They wondered if she had an ear infection that may just be blocking the sound. They suggested I get her retested later to be sure. Well, a week or so later she did complain of ear pain, so I took her in and she did have an ear infection. Got that fixed, but over the summer she got like 2-3 ear infections and also got swimmer's ear several times, so there just wasn't a time when she was fine to retest. Then, in sept we took her to our pediatrician to retest, but my DD5 was acting silly and not responding to the doctor. The doctor was very busy that day and really kind of just sluffed us off and said, go to a specialist as she's not being cooperative with me today.

So, we had an appt in oct to an ENT specialist. First, they did the hearing exam, which came back within normal limits. Woohoo! So, I was like ok, she's fine. Then, the doctor put some tool in her ear and said she had negative pressure in her left ear and she could put tubes in. AS MY JAW DROPPED TO THE FLOOR! I'm like, you just said she's fine, and you want to put tubes in. I'm not here asking for any kind of surgery, I was worried about her hearing, which you tell me is fine. I asked if there were any other alternatives and she gave us some nasonex to spray in her nose to hopefully clear up that negative pressure, and we have a fup appt today.

In the past month, we also had another appt w/pediatrician for something else. I asked pediatrician about the whole ear tube thing, and she talked like it was no big deal...easier than stitches, but that the hardest part about it was keeping ears from getting wet so as not to get infection from bacteria in the water. Ughhh! I then asked, well, what happens if we opt not to do these tubes, will they heal eventually on their own? She said yes, but at her age, pronunciation is crucial and the pressure could negatively affect her hearing,...but I told her the hearing test came back normal and neither I nor her kindergarten teacher have ever experienced any problems with pronunciation or hearing problems.

So, I just don't know what to do. If the ENT specialist today says she needs tubes, I leaning towards not doing it. She hasn't had an ear infection since august at least, and I am one of those parents that don't overmedicate and truly believe in natural healing process if at all possible. If this negative pressure will eventually heal on its own, why should we get the tubes and create a huge inconvenience for her during baths and when swimming? Not to mention the risk of greater infections if bacteria gets in there. My husband is dead set against tubes. I guess when I saw this thread, I just thought I'd ask those of you who have had kids on tubes whether or not you'd do it in my situation. I'm leaning towards no, but maybe I just don't have all of the facts. Both of the drs were terse and quick with us and not really explaining everything well. Thanks for any input you may have.

 

[vossjemi]

Ok, saw the specialist. Negative pressure in left ear is gone, but she says there is fluid in there anyway. And, my DD5 hasn't complained of ear pain at all. Also, she said the right ear is now starting to get thick and highly recommends we get the tubes. She said failure to do so could cause the fluid to build up into a serious enough infection to cause hearing loss. Darnit!
I'm soooo torn here. I really don't want to do this. I think I'm going to get a 2nd opinion first, but I'm just curious what you all think of this situation.

 

[shafke]

Ok, saw the specialist. Negative pressure in left ear is gone, but she says there is fluid in there anyway. And, my DD5 hasn't complained of ear pain at all. Also, she said the right ear is now starting to get thick and highly recommends we get the tubes. She said failure to do so could cause the fluid to build up into a serious enough infection to cause hearing loss. Darnit!
I'm soooo torn here. I really don't want to do this. I think I'm going to get a 2nd opinion first, but I'm just curious what you all think of this situation.

I definitely would get a 2nd opinion. It sound like they are being too quick to do the tubes. Especially since there are no chronic infections and hearing appears fine. The right ear is starting to get "thick". What does that mean. Wax build up? There are drops you can use for that. DD has had tubes now for about a year and a half and that was only after dealing with chronic ear infections for about 8 months. I feel that surgery should not be the first choice.

 

[vossjemi]

Out of curiousity, have any of your children seen a chiropractor for the ear infections? A friend of mine w/twins who are now 5 was also told her kids needed tubes. She went to this alternative medicine chiropractor, and through natural/organic foods (ridding body of stressors that cause ear infections) and osteopathic manipulation in the neck, she says ear problems are all gone. Has anyone done this?

 

[Ali and boyz]

sound like what we call in the UK grommets. Like above our ENT Consultant advised us that it wasn't a problem flying and would more likely have less problems than us.

only problem was swimming and were told to make sure his ears were well plugged.

 

[Princess Tink]

My son now 7 is on his second set of Tubes (first set when he was 18 months old, and second set this past spring). My ENT says one qualification (so to speak) for tubes is a min of 6 ear infections in 12 months (I believe was the numbers). This time around, they too did several test; hearing test- he had issues with low sounds in one ear the other was fine, pressure test- whatever this was/is showed signs of being an issue. The day of our ENT appt, he had just finished an antibiotic and seemed to be fine.....but, the doctor said there was still signs of an infection. When the dr asked him if his ear hurt he said no! The dr explained that this is not that uncommon, as kids get used to the pain and sometimes they just don't hurt.....they ussually hurt when the ear is bulging and full of stuff once that releases it will releave the pain but is still an infection. We gave him a stronger antibiotic and then had a f/u appt before surgery. Of course at the f/u, the dr still rec tubes and adnoid removal. Two things, it appeared that these can somehow be related.......and according to the ENT, the adnoids really don't have purpose. When they removed his adnoids, it appears his happened to of been VERY LARGER, much larger than most which was probaly the reason he would snore so loudly (which I must say I'm glad he no longer does). And he has not had one ear infection since then. I was a little concerned this time around as he is a swimmer and took swim lessons twice a week. The dr said he would be fine, but not to dive 20 ft deep anytime soon and it could be too much pressure. Also, he said the bacteria infections are not as likely if we're talking bath water/treated swimming pools/ect......that these are more likely in lakes and untreated exposed waters, as long as you use ear plugs or an ear drop (that dries the water up) you should be good.

Hope this helps!
Micaela

 

[vossjemi]

It does Micaela. Thanks. I've been doing searches on the internet for these types of issues and surprisingly have found some studies that are proponents of the chiro treatment first before surgery. I also read about adenoid and tonsil removal. My daughter's tonsils are gargantuous to say the least, and she does seem to snore a lot, so this may be the problem too. I have found a message board on parents.com to discuss this issue so I'm sorry about hijacking this thread. It was just this thread came up as my issue happened. Thanks.

 

[J. Galt]

Just a little info on the other side of the coin...

If you do decide to go with the tubes, you should know that your doctor is correct in stating that the surgery is extremely minor. Its outpatient, it took all of two minutes to pop the things in. My daughter was young when she got them so she needed to "go under" for the procedure. That was the only bummer part... she was pretty crabby when she was coming off the anesthetic. I could be wrong here, but I think for older kids who can sit still for it they can do it under a local.

As for not geting water in the ears... this also is not as big a deal as it seems. You can get custom molded ear plugs through your ENT that will do the trick for a minimal charge (I think they were around $15 or something). She wore them during baths and swimming. Our only problem with this was that as her head started to grow, the earplugs became looser. We did manage to make it to the end without having to buy new plugs, though. Again, your child is older and as most rapid head growth is completed by the age of 6, this shouldn't be a real problem for you.

I will also say that getting tubes put in, although we completelly hemmed and hawed about the whole thing, especially because she was young, was absolutely one of the best decisions we made and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

[massielovesdisney]

I dose my family with decongestants for 3 days prior to any flights. We have allergies and always have pain with flying. Anyone with a cold should definately do this. We also use ear plugs. I have custom made ones from my doctor but the ear planes seem to work just as good for my children. Since they are still growing I dident want to spend $30.00 for custom made. Now I'm kicking myself for spending it. You have to feel bad for the small children on the plane who's parents are unprepared and their child is in pain the whole flight.

 

[SB in KY]

That's what the PE tubes stands for = pressure equalizing tubes....the kids with tubes will be fine on the plane....the others may benefit from the "airplanes"

To Vossgemi...I would not be hasty about tubing a child without chronic issues...just read a NIH study that found that children "needed" and recieved PE tubes at 3.5 times (350% more often) the rate in areas where there was an excessive number of ENT physicians as compared to children in areas where there were fewer ENT's...although the rates of ear infections and hearing deficits were the same in both regions!! (In other words the main factor that determines how often kids need PE tubes has nothing to do with disease processes, but rather how many ENT Dr's need to be supported!!)

I think there are certainly times when children benefit from PE tubes....but there should be a lot of other, more conservative measures tried first...none of which appear to be in use with your daughter. I would look for a pediatrician or some type of health care practitioner that would be willing to work with you to resolve her problems conservatively, while monitoring her hearing on an annual basis until the problem clears up.