Ear Infection after tubes put in???

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-20-2004
Ear Infection after tubes put in???
2
Tue, 05-25-2004 - 8:46am
Has anyone had this happen to their kids? My ds is 16 1/2 months. He started getting ear infections around 7 months of age. After haveing what my ped thinks is one long inf. from sept to dec he decided to put tubes in my ds ears. This was done in January. NOW...UGH!! My ds has his 2nd ear inf. since his tubes were placed. My pediatrician says that they will unclog his tubes or replace them with new ones. I really don't understand what the point is if they are going to get cloged again.

Does anyone know of a way to prevent them from getting clogged? I am making an appointment with the Ear, Nose, Troat Dr. today and going to ask them. Has anyone elses kid went through this? The tubes didn't fall out they got clogged. Thanks for any help.

Tanya

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-12-2003
Tue, 05-25-2004 - 11:01am
hey sweetie, hugs and sympathy. both of my kids have had tubes, dd had them put in twice, and both of them have had ear infections after tubes (ds actually just got over one last week). sometimes ents neglect to explain that myregotomy tubes do not actually prevent ear infections, and they don't even decrease the # that your child will have. nothing but age can reduce the amt of ear infections, it's just something they have to grow out of. what tubes can and do do is prevent hearing loss and reduce the pain associated with ear infections; allow for antibiotic drops (like floxin otic) to be inserted directly into the inner ear; and help the fluid to drain allowing the infection to heal faster. if the fluid in the ear is very viscous (read snotty and thick) it can clog the tubes preventing drainage and defeating the purpose. the ent can put this suction thingy, kinda like "mr thirsty" that they use at the dentist, in the ear to suck that fluid out, and often it only has to be done once and it will stay unclogged. some kids, like my dd, have to get a larger gauge tube put in so more fluid can drain. you can help prevent the clogging by putting an antibiotic drop like floxin or somtimes a steroid drop in the ears twice a day. this will keep the fluid liquid enough to drain.

hth, if you have any other questions ask away, as this is one of my specialties :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-20-2004
Tue, 05-25-2004 - 1:20pm
Thanks Clarity!

My ped gave me drops to put in his ears if I noticed drainage, but he never got drainage to prevent it from getting too thick. Went from being well to them being clogged. He see's the ENT tomorrow. I hope they can unclog his. My ds doesn't really get too fussy when he is sick. Sometimes I don't even know unless he gets a temp. Thanks for the support.

Tanya