my 2 1/2 yr old is going to get tubes in her ears

[momophile]

does anyone have experience with this? please tell me I should freak out.

[LadyoftheRabbits]

1. Aw, no, I wouldn't freak out...

I had that procedure done when I was her age, actually. I don't really remember anything, so it wasn't bad. :) :hi:

Edited to add that I *do* recall the pain of chronic ear infections, and it was much worse than any surgery.

[momophile]

4. thanks

sounds like it was a good thing for you. glad it worked.

I'm sure it will be fine...

[StrongBad]

2. I had them when I was young

I remember having to have the surgery to put them in and all in all it wasn't a negative experience. What sucked was when they had to take them out because the doctor just went in with some instrument and got them during a standard office visit. That hurt a bit.

But they did alleviate the chronic ear infections I was having as a kid.

[momophile]

5. the chronic ear infections are bad for her

the worst part is that she gets diarrhea from the medicine and then her butt gets sore and she won't sit.

thanks for reassuring me.

[lizziegrace]

16. Antibiotics did the same thing to Lelapin

Only she ended up with an external yeast infection that was much like diaper rash. Ask your doctor about Lactinex granules (restores the balance in her intestinal balance) and a prescription cream for the rash. (one that's anti-fungal)

I know exactly how you feel and how badly you feel for your baby. Lelapin had permanent tubes put in, sinuses flushed and adenoids rempved. The whole process took about 25 minutes.

Her vocabulary increased dramatically. (She could hear now!) Went from 1-3 word responses to dissertations. ;)

All the best to you and your little one. :hug:

[momophile]

18. my girl has been speech delayed as well

and if she ends up half as smart as your Lelapin seems, she'll be something else.
:hug:

[lizziegrace]

22. You'll be amazed

she'll still have selective hearing 'cause she's a child, but it's unbelievable how much she'll hear and respond after all that gunk is gone from her ears. The doctor said infection in Lelapin's ears was the consistency of elmer's glue. :( And all along I just thought she was unbelievably stubborn...

[City of Mills]

31. Had them twice

Also had major inner ear reconstructive surgery...I'm 33 now...still get ear infections constantly. Most kids outgrow it. I must be one of the lucky ones!

[GreenPartyVoter]

25. Aww, poor sweetie. I can tell you that Original Desitin should be her best friend at those times.

[RubyDuby in GA]

3. My nephew had them put in at about that age (he's 8 1/2 now)

He had chronic ear infections. He was sick almost all the time. He got them put in and was right as rain. It made a world of difference in his case.

[momophile]

8. sounds like it's pretty normal now

still a bit scary though.

thanks!

[Spacemom]

6. My son had it done at 18 months

I think I was more upset than he was. I took him in, they gave him something to make him drowsy. They took him back and did the procedure. It was really quite quick. Brought him back to the room. We stayed about an hour for observation. We were back home before noon. He was a little drowsy the rest of the day, but that was it.

He had cronic ear infections, and the tubes really helped.

Try not to worry too much. (I know that's hard when it's your baby)

:hug:

[momophile]

9. thanks

I'm sure it will make things better, but of course I worry.

[Fleshdancer]

7. My daughter had tubes put in her ears around that age

I was freaked out too because she never had any type of surgery before. We went in early which was good because she couldn't eat before hand. I was a nervous wreck during the procedure but it went fast and smoothly. She cried a little when she woke up and she was groggy for about 30 minutes or so. Several hours later, she was up and playing like her normal self and she never complained about her ears hurting or feeling funny.

Since then, she's only had 2 ear infections (she's seven now) and the infections she did get were minor compared to the hell she endured before the tubes.

:hug:

[momophile]

12. lots of people checking in here

thanks for the hug.

it's just hard to let someone drill a hole in your baby's ear, isn't it. I know it will be better afterwards, but still...

[Fleshdancer]

20. it is...

and as a parent, you can't help but to think of all the imaginary things that could go wrong. I've been there with the tubes so I know what you're feeling. I also know that you're going to be a little freaked out no matter how much information you have because, well, you're a mom and that's what we do best.

What finally put it all in perspective for me was Abby's follow up visit to her doctor to check on the tubes. No one explained to me how itty bitty the tubes actually were and I was pleasantly surprised when he let me look into her ears to see them. Had they let me see the damn things before they went in, I think I would have been less freaked out about the procedure.

We're talking small:

[soleft]

10. My niece had tubes in her ears

She's 19 now. I believe she's fine as far as hearing, etc.

I had my ears drilled in the 60's - doctors tell me today I have scar tissues on my eardrums. My hearing seems fine.

[momophile]

13. I think it's the word 'drill' that scares me the most

I'm sure it's come a long way and it seems like it's really common.

thanks!

[Dr. Strange]

11. My son's on his third set.

Hopefully this will be the last.

Nothing to freak out about. Other than the world we're leaving behind...

:hug:

[momophile]

14. thanks.

if it fixes her ear infections than it will be worth it, for sure.

[Swede]

15. One of my godsons got them when he was 3. At 16 he hears fine.

They immediately stopped ear infections.

[momophile]

19. I'm looking forward to that

I'm sure it will be fine.

thanks!

[dembotoz]

17. best thing we ever did as a parent

stopped the earaches
no pain
no anitbiotics
surgery took less time than it took for me to get down to the snack bar and bring back 2 cookies.
total no brainer.
Had them in 2 of 3 kids

[momophile]

21. sounds like I better have the cookies all ready to go

thanks!

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

23. Shouldn't he be getting transistors instead?

[momophile]

26. do those work? would we be able to get channels from

Japan?

[GreenPartyVoter]

24. I had them. It was a pain to have to wear the ear plugs when taking a

bath and all, but in the long run I think it helped with the earaches so it was worth it. (Of course, I was older when I got them. Might be a bit trickier with a tot.)

[commander bunnypants]

27. my little girl

had five ear infections before 8 months. She had them at 9 months. She is fine. Will take no more than 1/2 hour.

Hang in there

CB

[lizziegrace]

28. Please post an update after the procedure

I'd like to know how she's doing. And how you're doing too..

:hug:

[Blue Diadem]

29. My son had them.

He's 28 now and had them a couple times from around a year to maybe 4.

I think the biggest thing is not getting water in their ears. They used to have wax type ear plugs..you'd hold them to soften them and then seal the opening area of the ear so water wouldn't get in during bath time/hair washing.

My son had dealt with burst ear drums and lanced ear drums before and in between tubes. Ear tubes were truly a blessing for us.

[youthere]

30. NOthing to freak about...

all three of my kidlets have had multiple sets of tubes and I have had them three times myself. It will be so much better for her, she'll be able to hear better, and no more earache pain. Post-op there's very little discomfort..nothing a dose of tylenol won't handle. Just be sure to follow the instructions they give you about using earplugs when they bathe or swim...that's REALLY important. Really...this is a good thing. If you've had a lot of problems with ear infections in your little one you'll wonder why they didn't do this sooner. No more antibiotics or loads of Tylenol,no more painful sleepless nights for both of you. I know because you are a mom you're going to worry anyway, so don't add any more to your worry burden. I've been through it personally and with the kids and I promise you the earaches/infections are 100 times worse than anything she'll feel from the procedure.


:hug: for you and your little one.

[Richard Steele]

32. Sorry, nothing freak-worthy about that.

That was a COMMON thing back when I was in school
30 years ago.

As I recall, the kids with tubes in their ears couldn't
go swimming. Other than that, no problem.