My son might have to get tubes in his ears.

[jekajekalynn]

My 3 year old ds had to go to his doctor today to check out his right ear because he had an ear infection last week. She found it was still red and told me that because of his frequent ear infections he gets , that I am going to have to take him a ENT specialist.

She said he might have to have to have tubes in his ears... I feel so bad for him... I need some advice for parents who has kids with these..

How long does the operation take?

Will they allow parents to sit in the room with their child while they operate?

Does it hurt?

 

[Sparx]

I had them put in a long time ago. I don't remember them hurting, and I could hear alot better afterwards.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

20 to 30 minutes, barely enough time to get a cup of coffee. Usually at that age the Doctor prefers a general anesthesia -- so the parents will not be in the room. Although the Doctor once had a problem getting a tube into my son's ear and they were gone for almost an hour. I admit I was starting to freak.

I think the only part of the operations that is remotely painful is having the needle stick when they get the IV. The tubes allow the fluid in the ear to drain, which relieves pressure in the ear, which actually can make pain go away.

 

[kc73]

My oldest son (will be 7 yrs next week) had tubes put in both ears & his adnoids removed when he was just shy of 3 yrs old. He had ear infections, one right after the other & high fevers that go along with it for 2 years straight. His doctors recommended doing the procedure. We got a second opinion, & was told the same thing.

We went in to an outpatient hospital in the morning & were gone by that afternoon. We checked in, and after a while the nurse gave him something to drink that made him very sleepy. We carried him to the operating doors & the nurse said she wanted a hug too, so he leaned over to hug her & they took him away. That was very hard for us, but knew it was for the best. He had an anesthesiologist to himself, they put him completely under. It lasted about an hour if I remember correctly.

In recovery, he had an i.v. & he was not a happy camper. I could hold him, but he was screaming & wanted to leave. I thought he was in pain. This was the worst for me, I thought "I'd never do this to another child." After he was able to drink some (he was too upset to eat), they discharged us & as soon as we took 1 step out of the building, he was completely fine. We went home and slept that afternoon. He has never had another ear ache.

Hope it all works out for you, whatever you & the doctors decide to do. It can be rough to go through, but it may be worth it in the long run.

 

[Kirby]

My son had tubes put in and adnoids taken out when he was 18 months old. I don't remember how long it took but they were real good to him. They took him to the operating room in a little red wagon. So cool!! When he came to, we were able to sit with him in recovery for a little while before we went home. He was a real trooper, even when we went in a couple of days earlier for the bloodwork. Up to that point, he had never slept all night long, mostly because of his ears and all of those ear infections. After it was done, he slept all night long.

Another thing, numerous ear infections could cause hearing loss. James was tested for hearing problems before and after the surgery just to make sure his hearing was okay. He did end up with a slight hearing loss in one ear (I can't even remember which one) but not enough to make a difference.

 

[florida-again]

I also had them as a child, no pain at all, just 20 mins surgery (they don't cut anything) and a day or two off school!

 

[ChrisnSteph]

My son had them put in when he was 3. About half an hour for surgery, and after the anesthetic wore off he was happy as pie! The tubes have done wonders for him.

 

[disykat]

I had them 37 years ago when I was almost 7. I remember commenting on the new bells at school and being told they always had those bells. It made a huge difference in my hearing.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

DS13 had them put in when he was a little over 2yo. The surgery didn't last very long but unless you are a medical professional. I doubt that they will allow you into the OR. It's a liablity thing. However, you should be allowed to be with him until he is relaxed and groggy.

If I recall, they did not use a general anesthesia on my DS, as he was quite alert and sitting up when they wheeled him into the room where we were waiting following the surgery.

He did not seem to be in any pain but did seem somewhat confused by the "new" sounds that he was hearing. It was shortly after that when he finally began to verbalize his wants. Prior to that, it was a series of "point & grunt" exercises.

My only regret is that we allowed out pediatrician to delay getting the tubes for so long. DS spent the first 24 months of life with recurrent ear infections that I believe to this day have affected both his hearing and speech.

 

[Deb in IA]

The actual procedure takes only about 10 minutes, but he will be back in the OR a bit longer, as they have to anesthetize him. Won't be intubated, he'll just be bagged through as it is such a short procedure.

I have never heard of parents being allowed in the OR for this.

And as many parents have already stated, the improvement in hearing, speech, and reduced ear infections is remarkable.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

Please don't worry. We went through this with DS, who is now 7. From 6 to 14 months of age he had 6 ear infections. The last one went into pneumonia somehow, which was miserable--he was almost hospitalized, but instead we had to wrestle him down for a mist treatment every few hours (thank goodness it was summer). After that, the ped. and the ENT agreed that he needed tubes right away.
At the hospital they gave him "happy juice" so he would be more agreeable to the mask--it's hysterical talking to a toddler who is on that stuff--then they put the mask on him and he fell asleep and we left. Not 15 minutes later the doctor came out and said he was all done and we could hear him shrieking not long after. That morning was the worst part (he threw up on the way home). But his tubes stayed in longer than normal, until he was almost 4, and not one ear infection in all that time! In fact, I don't think he's had one even since they fell out! Having it done probably saved his hearing and made his toddler years a lot less stressful.
Robin M.

 

[cgcw]

Best thing we ever did for our DS. He had repeated ear infections from the age of 6 weeks until the tubes went in at 14 months. Big, big difference. No more ear infections, he started to talk, no more torticollis (shortened neck muscle), no more physical therapy.

They lasted for almost 4 years. We just had them removed in January (an office procedure). Since summer, he's had several ear infections/fluid problems. I suspect another set are on the horizon.

Best of luck. It's really harder on the parents than the kids.

 

[WebmasterAlex]

My daughter had them twice, the first ones fell out after a couple of years.

They were absolutely the best thing that every happend to her. I still have a word document on my computer detailing her emergency room visits prior to getting the tubes. Here is what we went through in the year before she got tubes:
History of Ear infections



12/7/1998 Lyndonvile Medical Center, Vermont treated with Amoxicillin



1/3/1999 Health Stop Marshfield treated with Zithromax



2/21/99 Longwood Pediatrics treated with Ceclor –had Myositis in leg’s



4/25/1999 On the Disney Magic treated with Amoxicillin



5/9/1999 Health Stop Marshfield treated with Cefaclor



5/23/1999 Longwood Pediatrics treated with Augmentin



6/5/1999 Longwood Pediatrics treated with Zithromax



7/15/1999 Longwood Pediatrics treated with Amoxicillin – also Otitis Externa



7/28/1999 Longwood Pediatrics treated with Augmentin – Ear drum perforated



7/30/1999 Children’s Hospital possible strep throat continue augmentin



8/9/1999 Scituate Pediatrics large dose Amoxicillin



8/19/1999 Scituate Pediatrics started augmentin



8/31/1999 Scituate Pediatrics combination Amoxicillin and augmentin



Trust me you do want her to go through that.
Her pediatrician was against them for some reason. We switched pediatricians and he looked at the list and she got the tubes about 2 weeks later. The difference was remarkable. The surgeries went fine both times, fairly quick and she recovered fast.
Trust me you do want her to go through that.

 

[RobinMarie]

Please do not worry about tubes, the pain from fluid build up will be gone instantaneously! Unfortunately my dd had them three times total - the final time after adenoid and tonsils were removed.

I'll bet you will see your three year old's language develop quickly immediately after the tubes are put in. My dd had her first done at just three and it was amazing. Though there is no evidence, I also swear she had growth spurts a short time after each surgery. My very unscientific explanation was her body did not have to work on healing all of her ear infections and was able to grow after each surgery.

It doesn't take long and he'll feel and hear better instantly! Good luck!

 

[MoniqueU]

I had them in. My mom was afraid to let me get put under general anesthesia so I had it done awake. I was about 4. I remember it and it was no big deal. My ears had been hurting so badly before then that they were a welcome relief. Thank goodness none of my kids have had my same ear problems just because the ear infections are far worse then the tubes. I would not be afraid of getting tubes for my kids though.

 

[lsyorke]

My now 17 year old son had tubes when he was 14 months old. He should have had tubes when he was 6 months old. The delay ended up causing years of antibiotics, 6 ear surgeries,Cat scans, mastoid xrays, ending up with a mastoidectomy. GET THE TUBES!!! It's painless for the child.. alot harder on the parents!! He'll be fine!!

Mine didn't have general anesthesia. They used a rectal drug that made him sleep and wake up REALLY happy! He was asleep when he left my arms and was back in my arms before he woke up.

 

[staci]

Get the tubes. did it at 18 months for ds. it totally helped him; he had had an ear infection for 2 months, now he hasnt had a single one in 7 months.

they helped with his ears on the plane to dw too! (just a bonus)

 

[mchames]

but not all ear tube surgeries are successful and there is a possibility of complications. I am speaking from personal experience and while from what I've been told complications are rare, both myself and my DD5 have experienced them. Here are our stories:

When I was a young child I had many ear infections. At age 6 (mid 1970's) I had my adenoids removed and tubes put in my ears. The tubes eventually came out and we thought all was well. At age 8 it was discovered that I had lost 75% of the hearing in my left ear. The hole from the tube had never closed up and actually got bigger leaving a large hole in my eardrum. I had to have reconstructive surgery on my left eardrum. At that time the surgery to repair my eardrum was relatively new and from what I was told (too young to remember exactly) took about 5 hours to complete. I do remember spending a week in the hospital though. I did regain the majority of my hearing in my left ear after the reconstructive surgery but to this day I still have chronic ear pain though actual infections are rare.

Fastforward to my second DD's first birthday... and her first ear infection. After 3 months of consecutive ear infections, at 15 months it was decided that she should have tubes put in her ears. I was not thrilled with the idea and was basically told that I was an anomaly and that my fears were unfounded. After the tubes fell out, it was discovered there was a perforation in her left eardrum that had not healed. Yes, you guessed it folks, the same ear that I had problems with 25 years earlier!! Needless to say I was extremely upset and angry that my concerns were blown off by the ENT that did her surgery. He left the state shortly after her diagnosis and we switched doctors (we would have anyway) to a pediatric ENT with a national reputation who has been wonderful, but the story does not end here.

Our new ENT had decided not to repair the perforated eardrum at that time since it was quite small and as he put it was acting like a "natural tube" and he thought she might need a second set of tubes he didn't want to close it up yet... she was about 2.5 at the time. Fast forward to this past summer, DD is now 5.5 and gets her first bad ear infection in nearly three years. Our ped is concerned with the condition of the perforated eardrum and sends us to the ENT. By the time of our appointment the infection has cleared up, and he tells us the ear looks good, the perforation is still there, but still acting as a tube so he's going to leave it alone.... but there is a serious problem with the right ear !

The tube in the right ear has not healed properly. I'm going to try to explain this the best I can, her eardrum had become depressurized. Instead of being tight like a drum, it was sucked into the ear in a kind of v-shape. He was afraid a cholesteotoma (a type of tumor) was forming. On September 23 he removed her adenoids hoping this would help her underdeveloped eustachian tubes and put a tube in her right ear with the hopes of repressurizing her eardrum. He also removed fiberous growths from her ear. Her right eardrum is extremely fragile. As of her last apointment two weeks ago, things are looking good. Her hearing is in the low normal range which is consistent for children with tubes.

I fully expect that she will need further surgery to repair her eardums when she gets older but right now things look good. I did not write this to scare you, but I did want to relay my personal experience.

Mary

 

[Kimberly]

I had tubes in my ears when I was little due to constant ear infections. They ended up falling out after awhile, and I've never had an ear infection since. I wouldn't be too concerned about it, considering it's a very routine operation.

 

[julia & nicks mom]

DD had tubes at 13 months and I wish I could have talked Doctor into it sooner - she had 9 ear infections in 6 months - every Holiday and vacation it seemed I ended up in an Urgent care - she has not had a problem since and both tubes have since fallen out (she is 4) - the surgery was REALLY quick and they let me stay with her until she was udner anestesia (spelling?) I then went to my DH in the waiting room and the doctor was out in 10 minutes and update 3 families on their kids - he had done 3 surgeries in a 15 minute period!!! We went right to recovery and less than a half an hour after I left her in the OR - she was in her carseat headed home - she was groggy that day but it was NOTHING compared to the ear infections - her eardrum had ruptured from an ear infection - if you don't get tubes and this happens regularly - it could cause hearing damage

I follow up with my ENT regularly - DH has hearing loss so they and we are pretty careful with my kids hearing to make sure we catch anything -

my niece had them and got a perforation in her eardrum that did not heal - she had to have surgery to repair it and is doing great - I think that surgery has come a LONG way and is a complication in about 2% of tube cases