Ear tubes question

[browneyes]

How many of you have kids with tubes in their ears (to prevent ear infections)? Or do you have tubes in your ears? How long did they stay in? My ds had tubes put in 6 1/2 years ago, right after he turned a year old. Those things have been wonderful! They told us his tubes would fall out 6 months to a year, but he's had them in for 6 1/2 years now. He saw a new Ped the other day and she thinks he needs to see about getting them taken out, she thinks they've been in too long. My SIL, who is a nurse practioner, said not to listen to the dr. The tubes are helping, leave them alone. My SO thinks maybe the dr is concerned because maybe the tubes will do damage in the long run (his concern is that the tubes will get stuck in there and cause some kind of irritation years down the line). I'm not sure what to think right now.

 

[tiggereyore]

My Ds had them put in in Dec. The ent said they'd be there for 1-2 years. then he'd be all set. He also said that many of the kids you have them in under age 3 they'll fall out within 6mos to 1 yr. MyDH's cousin had 4 sets because of the age thing. I guess if it was me i'd call the dr who put them in and get anothe opinion. Good luck

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

I would take him to an Ears, Nose and Throat specialist. When my son had sugery in Dec., the doctor said they would stay in about a year. He also said if they stayed in too long, he would take them out.


Lori

 

[robsmom]

My son had sets that lasted from the shortes of about 9 months to the longest of 1 1/2 years. Get a second opinion. I thought the issue was that they were sized to the kid and then the kid grows so they are too small and fall out. Don't think they should be there for 6 1/2 years.

 

[browneyes]

Thank you for the replies. He's got an appointment with his ENT next month, but my SIL keeps telling me I'm wasting my ds's time doing that.

 

[padams]

DS' pediatric ENT told us that ear tubes should not stay in for more than 1.5 years. When DS went in for his 1 year follow-up appointment with the ENT after getting his tubes (he got his ear tubes around age 1 as well), one of the ear tubes was laying in his ear canal. The ENT was able to take it out in his office. He told us to come back in 6 months to check the other ear tube. He told us that if the ear tube was still in place, it would have to be removed surgically. Six months later, when we showed up for the pre-op appointment, the ear tube was gone. It had finally fallen out.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

I'm sure your SIL is good at what she does but I would want the opinion of a MD. I think you are doing the right thing. Your son's hearing is very important.

Lori

 

[wdwmom2]

I am a Pediatric CMA and in our practice we send quite a few children to the ENT which more times than not results in tube placement. Most of the time the tubes remain patent and functional for about 6 months to 1 year. Some a little less, some a little more. Some children may have to go back and get multiple sets of tubes in because the infections return after the tubes fall out. I myself have never seen tubes last for 6 1/2 years although I am sure that it is possible. Now I'm not sure, but I would think that if the tubes are in place an extremely long period of time, the ENT would probably remove them. Children tend to outgrow ear infections because as they get older, the eustachian canal angles from the ear down to the throat allowing fluid to drain. As a younger child this canal is level, the fluid lays in there and can become infected. The tube's opening allows the fluid to drain out and help prevent infections. If it were my child, I would visit an EMT and see what he or she recommends. I was lucky, 2 children and minimal ear infections so I never personally had to deal with tubes.

 

[lmj]

I agree with WDWmom2. I am an audiologist and have worked with ENT' s for the last 7 years so I have seen lots of kids with tubes. Your son has probably outgrown his need for the tubes at this point and it is not a great idea to leave them in there indefinitely because you are leaving an opening for infection to get into the middle ear space very easily. Having the tubes in too long can also make it more difficult for the eardrums to heal from the perforation that is left when the tubes are removed. It may be that the tubes aren't actually in his eardrums any more. It can look like they are in place but they may have actually extruded and just be sitting down in the canal near the eardrum looking like they are in place. In adults who have chronic ear problems permanent tubes are kind of a last resort when repeated sets of tubes have needed to be placed. Even these don't usually stay in place for 6 years so I would be a little concerned and definitely have him evaluated by an ENT.

 

[whirlsy]

my son has had them for 16months and they are coming out next month~ Our ENT said no longer than 18 months.

 

[DawnCt]

PE tubes that stay in too long can cause scarring or thinning of the drum. My DS had PE tubes that stayed in close to 3 years which was too long. We switched ENT's and found that the PE tubes used should not have been (the kind that stay in longer). Ultimately his hearing is fine but twice he has had two ruptured ear drums. One time he was hit in the ear with a wet nerf football by the pool. Another time a friend wacked him in the ear. One ear healed spontaneously. The other required a tympanoplasty. The ENT felt that the tubes that stayed in too long contributed to thinning of the drum and made him much more suseptable to injury.

 

[browneyes]

Thank you for the replies everyone. My ds's ENT did his tonsillectomy 2 years ago. He did a general glance at the tubes then, but didn't really comment on them, other than to tell me that one is sideways a little bit and the other is where it's supposed to be.