I know lots of mommas on here have mentioned that their kiddos got tubes...has anyone had recurrent ear infections AFTER getting tubes? My son got his tubes in november, and my daughter in december. DS has had one ear infection since then, and DD is on her second. I am losing my mind. This can't be normal, right?
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@Mrs. Lion: oh no, poor mama & kids! I've never heard of an ear infection that closely to having tubes placed. Maybe they weren't placed correctly? Are they still in? My daughter got tubes at 13mo & has never had an ear infection since(she's 4 this week).
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My daughter got one a week after getting her tubes. Then she was fine for almost a year. But this winter has had two already.
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@Mrs. Lion: DS has had his tubes for almost a year and has unfortunately had about 6 ear infections since then. However, we were able to treat all but one of those with ear drops rather than oral antibiotics. Also, DS was not in any pain because the tubes relieved the pressure and we could just call the doc when we saw drainage and they'd get us started on the drops again rather than needing an office visit.
Our ENT did say the DS got a surprising, and unusual number of ear infections, likely due to the anatomy of his ears. -
@MommySLP: I have had them checked almost weekly since then because we have had so much sickness. According to the doctors, "they are perfect" and "they look beautiful". Really? Sigh.
@Smurfette: oh no
Do you notice them causing her pain? My girl has been up all night every night for like 6 weeks for something or other. Last night every 1-2 hours screaming all night long, and the drainage started today. But they keep telling me that she shouldn't be in any pain from an ear infection. Shes getting her molars, but come on. I feel like something else must be going on -
@Mrs. Lion: She had been waking up, one night 4 times, which totally isn't like her. But she didn't say her ears hurt till the 3rd night. So we gave her the drops, keep them on hand, and she has been back to sleeping normal.
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@CakeLady: That's good to hear it isn't causing pain. Sounds like we might be in the same boat.
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@Smurfette: Ugh...I wish I could ask her. She isn't pulling on them, but she never really did that before. But between her teeth and the cold/cough she has, I am sure she just isn't feeling great in general.
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@Mrs. Lion: It is really hard when they can't answer you back. Mine never pulled on her ear either. She wouldn't even wake up most of the time. Her ear drum would burst cause we had no idea she had an infection.
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K had some "leakage" that required antibiotic drops for about a week after the surgery.
We were instructed if we ever had "discharge" from her ears to call and get another Rx (we used up our post surgery one). I cant recall when it was but we did have one case were she had some questionable drainage from one ear so we called in the Rx (it was $45
). We used it and it cleared up right away (just one ear) - we kept the left overs but did not need them.We are one year out from surgery and both tubes have fallen out - no other infections.
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@Mrs D: haha there is no generic for those drops and we have high deductible insurance this year (of course...both kids had surgery last year, we figured we wouldn't need our insurance as much! ha!) and the drops cost us $175 per bottle. I almost cried the first time they told me that. We are about to have to purchase our third bottle this month.
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DS had quite a few ear infections after his tubes - lots of gross drainage but it never seemed to bother him at all. We were able to just treat with drops. He's had them in now for 2+ years and hasn't had an infection in probably a year and a half, maybe more.
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@Mrs. Lion: We had a high deductible last year too. Did your pedi give you a coupon for the drops? Ours did and we saved $75, so they were $100. But ouch.
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@Mrs. Lion: Our pediatrician gave us this link to get an instant discount on Ciprodex:http://www.ciprodex.com/instant-savings.aspx
I think we still paid like $90 but it was way cheaper than it would have been. We're also on our third bottle.
My daughter got one ear infection that drained after getting tubes, and then after they'd been in about a year she got an ear infection that didn't drain and that's how we found out the tubes had fallen out. We're on set #2 (put in in September) and no infections yet.
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Oh man good to know! Thanks ladies!
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You guys, this is still happening. Since this post both DD and DS have had at least one more ear infection (I can't even keep track anymore). Everyone keeps telling me their tubes are fine. Is there anything else I can do here? We are at the doctor at least once a week STILL and these drops are so stinking expensive.
Not to mention all the screaming. DS was up for over an hour last night hysterical because of the "water in his ears". Every doctor we have seen keeps telling me that "once they have tubes, their ears don't hurt anymore". But these people aren't snuggling a really upset and scared 3 year old in the middle of the night I am starting to feel like a lunatic...like the doctors just don't believe me anymore or something.
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Your ENT thinks it's ok? We had a couple ear infections in the year after tubes but they didn't cause much issue and went away with drops. That sounds extreme! Can you get a second opinion?
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@Mrs. Lion: have they ever been allergy tested? This is what happened to DS, even with the tubes he had ridiculous fluid and was still getting infections. We had him allergy tested for other reasons and turns out he is allergic to dust mites. We now do Flonase once a day and he has ZERO fluid since he's been on it! Good luck, I know how frustrating it is!
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@Mrs. Lion: Ditto what @HappyBaker: said...we had DD allergy tested to help determine the cause. She cannot tolerate dairy, the increase in mucous combined with the fact her body cannot process the particular protein causes issues. She got tubes in December and we've gone through 3 bottles of drops since then. I largely blame the colds at daycare.
We did just have an ear infection that the drops didn't touch though. Had to get Rocephin antibiotic injections. Dr. said the discharge was so thick and there was so much of it that the drops weren't going anywhere.
I'm eager to meet with the ENT in June for our 6 month follow-up.
ETA: *Hugs* Ear infections are no joke, it is so hard!
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@SweetCaroline: Ugh we also have what we think is a dairy intolerance. We have dealt with constipation issues since she was tiny, and we tried an elimination diet around 3 months ago. We have been able to reintroduce some processed/cooked dairy but are still avoiding milk and cheese. I wonder if there could be something to this.
@HappyBaker: Ugh I never even thought of environmental allergens. I did panic a bit about the possibility of mold, but my dr. said that would be highly unlikely if we have never seen any.
For both of you...did your pediatrician recommend the allergy testing? What was involved? Our doctors act like it is no big deal at all, and that "some kids just still get them, and the tubes are doing their job".
@travellingbee: I followed up with the ENT about a month ago and he said it was typical, but we have had 2 more since then so I am thinking about scheduling a follow up for each of them. I am going in to see him about getting my tonsils out too. Good lord our family just can't catch a break.
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@Mrs. Lion: Honestly, our pediatricians were weird about allergy testing and just sort of poo-poo'd it. DD was young when she started having recurrent ear infections (less than 6 mo.), so I wasn't on the ear tube surgery train right away. I was too nervous about signing such a small baby up for anesthesia without exploring other options first. I took DD to the allergist without asking their opinion as I have seen an allergist for a long time. However, after the fact the pediatrician's office has respected the results we received and supports us in giving DD almond milk v. cows milk or soy milk.
My brother and I also had recurrent ear infections caused by a cow's milk allergy. The tubes did not work for me.
ETA: I do know that allergy testing at such a young age (DD was 9 or 10 months) is discouraged because the babies can grow out of the allergies so fast. For us it was worth it...even if the allergies identified lasted only a few months. We needed a break and a healthy kid!
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@Mrs. Lion: funny because DS is also allergic to milk! Maybe there's some connection between that allergy and the fluid too. We got him tested because his older sister is allergic to peanuts and eggs and they told us to test him before giving those foods. You go in, they take their shirt off, and the nurse prices them with one or two boards of allergens on their backs. DS was 1 at the time and only cried for like a minute! Then you just wait 20 minutes or so and they come back and analyze the reactions. It's definitely easier with two parents there because they can't touch their back while you wait do you need to entertain them, but I went alone with DS and we did fine!
I definitely think it'd be worth it for you, we've seen a complete change since we started the Flonase. Do she often have runny noses / a cough? DS had constant boogers and that's pretty much stopped too.
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@HappyBaker: We didn't have any runny noses at all with the pre-tubes infections. She had no symptoms at all (neither did my son) except waking up all night screaming. We could always tell right away based on that alone. She just started daycare in February and has had a couple colds since then, but it didn't seem like allergies before. Maybe though? I am so confused at this point. I just want them to feel better
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@Mrs. Lion: ugh so sorry! Hang in there and I hope you guys get answers or relief soon!
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We haven't been allergy tested but our air quality is rotten. We put lo on Zyrtec or Claritin at 15 months and it has made such a difference with congestion.
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@Mrs. Lion: if she just started daycare in February, it's quite possible she is getting back to back colds which is causing sleepless nights. When my LOs started daycare we had an endless stream of back to back colds and other illnesses for months.
LO1 had tubes at 18 months and has had some drainage since then, but drops have cleared things up quickly. LO2 hasn't had tubes yet, but I've taken her to the doctor at least 6-8 times in 18 months because she was fussy/uncharistically up at night, etc and her ears were fine most of the time. It's was usually teething, a cold, etc.
Not sure any of this helps. It's so hard when your kids are sick and it doesn't seem like anything is working. Hopefully things will improve as cold and flu season winds down.
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@Bluebonnet: ugh I'm sorry you guys are going through that
it is definitely possible that some of the bad night sleep is just general discomfort from the colds too. All these poor sick babies. At least they will have immune systems of steel by kindergarten! That's what I'm hoping anyway...
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@Mrs. Lion: Has the ENT actually verified that the tubes are still in place correctly. My niece had them placed and then about a month later started getting really bad ear infections again but just on the one side. The ENT took a look and noted that is had become dislodged and initially told my sister in law that it must mean she didn't need the tubes after all!!
She pushed the issue and eventually he agreed to replace them and she hasn't had any issues since.
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@mrswin: all of the doctors we have seen (probably 4-5 different ones at this point because we rotate at our ped office for sick visits) have said they are in place and look perfect
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@Mrs. Lion: Are her ears draining fluid from the tubes when she gets an infection? When my daughter started getting ear infections even with tubes, her tubes were still in place but they weren't draining anything. The ENT could see they were blocked with wax.
She had a second set put in and her adenoids taken out at the same time, and that seemed to help.
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I don't have direct experience with this but my niece had recurrent ear infections with tubes and I think she is finally starting to outgrow it this year (age 5). The main difference is that with the tubes, it would just drain out, which was better for her. She got tubes 3 or maybe 4 times because it was so chronic. I don't know if they ever found a cause. So sorry you and your kiddoes are dealing with this!
Do you notice them causing her pain? My girl has been up all night every night for like 6 weeks for something or other. Last night every 1-2 hours screaming all night long, and the drainage started today. But they keep telling me that she shouldn't be in any pain from an ear infection. Shes getting her molars, but come on. I feel like something else must be going on 
). We used it and it cleared up right away (just one ear) - we kept the left overs but did not need them.Reply
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