LO went to a walk in clinic today after her ear drum perforation. Sure enough, both ears were infected. This is the fourth time in seven months she has had double ear infections which we find when an ear drum perforates, never before. Is this normal? Since it was a walk on clinic they couldn't say anything about the frequency, but I plan to brong it up with her PCP at her 2.5 year wellness visit next month.
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That seems like a lot. Maybe you should try to get in to see an ENT?
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I think they told me we start talking about tubes with an ENT after 4 infections in 6 months or 5 in a year or something along those lines. Not that it was a sure thing you would get tubes then but that was when they had me schedule an ENT appt, which took about a month and a half to get in. But my LO's ear drum only ever perforated once and it was her first ear infection. I would think maybe they'd do it even sooner since it seems so extreme every time.
I'm sorry- it really sucks. I'm so glad my older daughter has mostly outgrown them. It was so awful for a while.
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It does seem like a lot but pretty consistent with my experience. My daughter has had 3 or 4 ear infections in the last 9 months. We've only caught them because of regular check-ups or when we take her in for another issue. I've never suspected ear infections and she doesn't show the usual symptoms (fever, fussy, pulling on ears).
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I'm so sorry, I know how hard repeat ear infections is all too well.
Our Ped told us 7 infections is what triggers tubes, in his opinion. However, DD had "3" infections in like a 2 month window (bringing her to 6 total)...it was the same fluid...just getting un-infected then getting re-infected...over and over. So he sent us for tubes at 6 infections. If the fluid cannot drain, you are doomed for the same result over and over.
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@Foodnerd81: What was the ENT appointment like if you don't mind me asking? Did you LO have an active ear infection at the time?
@skinnycow: Glad I am not the only one who has a LO that doesn't get ear infection symptoms. She was super cranky yesterday and this morning, but I had just chalked it up to the terrible twos.
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@Ms. RV: we went to an ent at children’s hospital. She did not have an ear infection at the time. They started by doing a pretty in depth hearing test (which I knew would be fine and which my insurance didn’t cover
). Then we saw the doctor, he looked in her ears, had reviewed the pediatricians notes about past infections and talked to me about it. It was pretty painless for my daughter who had just turned 3 at the time. They decided to wait and see if she got another one soon or a few in a row, but hoping she was just outgrowing it because she had gotten a cold that didn’t turn into an ear infection for the first time in like six months. It turned out we didn’t need them and she’s only had like two or three in the last year and a half. But I would have done them because she was AWFUL with ear infections. So cranky, extreme tantrums over every little thing. There was no missing them, ever. Hope that helps.
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B had four last year so I looked it up and read that after six in a year they’ll talk about tubes, but it’s probably dependent on your doctor. I would definitely raise it, though, that is a LOT.
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Not having symptoms with ear infections can be normal. Sometimes mine had symptoms and other times none at all. My oldest two have tubes. I think our ped refers you after 5 infections? I don’t quite remember. But I do know that sometimes it’s not just the frequency. For one of my boys the fluid just would not drain and that’s why the tubes were needed.
I would push for a referral after 7 infections.
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Initially my Ped told me four ear infections meant a referral to the ENT, but it wasn’t until after six they said for sure to make an appointment. We didn’t get into see one until number 8 though.
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With double infections that are perforating the ear drum, I would want to see an ENT. I would be worried about ear drum scarring, has anyone mentioned if that would be an issue with perforations?
I forget how many infections A had last year, she was pretty much on antibiotics straight for 4 months. Our ped was willing to wait it out, but I was done and asked for a referral to an ENT. I went into the appt asking for tubes and the ENT agreed it would be reasonable. She looked in A's ears, which weren't infected at the time but were full of fluid. We also did a hearing test. Her hearing was surprisingly not impacted. We were able to schedule surgery for tubes within two weeks. Super simple procedure and we've only had one infection since that was treated with drops rather than systemic antibiotics. The tubes are still firmly in place for this cold and flu season and I'm hoping to be able to avoid a season full of Dr. visits for her ears.
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That does seem like a lot. Our doctor referred us to an ENT after DS had four in less than six months.
The ENT appointment consisted of a hearing test, plus a quick ear exam and history with the doctor. It was not necessarily the number that bothered the ENT (although he hated how much regular doctors pump children with antibiotics all the time), but that coupled with very limited speech and comprehension from my 15-month-old. We scheduled the surgery that day (six weeks later). We've been ear infection-free since he got tubes (three months ago).
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I think we had 5 in 7 months and then got the referral. My son also had febrile seizures and that was part of the reason we got the referral. The referral to the ENT was really because we all thought tubes were needed at that point to help reduce the infections and fevers that come with them. I don't think my son had an ear infection when we got to the ENT but we went forward with the surgery because he was sick all the time for 3 months and the seizures were concerning.
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@Ms. RV: I can't comment on the frequency because DD had a TON but they started at 4 months so I tried EVERYTHING to avoid tubes surgery in my low weight infant. However, the perforations are a concern to me. I am not a medical professional, but I do have substantial scarring on my ear drums from perforations and I've seen two ENTs and other PCPs that seem surprised my hearing is as good as it is.
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I don't recall the limit either, but we were also pretty much on abx for 3 months straight and she was a year old. It took a good 4+ weeks to get into the ENT. At the time she did have an active infection and was on abx. They gave her a shot at the appt and scheduled us for surgery. We did push hard for a quick surgery as we had met deductible on our insurance and it was nearly the end of December. She got tubes for Christmas that year (literally on 12/23!). We did not do a hearing test, I'm not sure if it was due to her age or not. The appt was pretty quick and we were fairly well versed in the surgery before we got there. I was so nervous but yet confident in our decision. And two years later I still think it was the right decision.
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@kiddosc: @SweetCaroline: I did not know ear drum scarring was a thing!!!
@MamaG: I hear you on the deductible!!
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That's for sure too many. We went through the same thing with our LO and went to the ENT and as soon as he pulled her chart and took a look in her ears he said let's schedule. The next week her surgery took place and 2 yrs later we haven't had any issues and her vocabulary exploded after as well. We didn't realize how much the fluid was affecting her.
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DS had one every month, or month and a half, as soon as he started day care. The doctor just kept prescribing antibiotics and telling us this is normal. It took us several months of insisting this can't be normal to get a referral to an ENT.
The ENT put a tube up his nose to get a good look (I don't think regular pediatric offices have the tools to do that?) Turns out his adenoids were enlarged and he had a chronic infection that never fully cleared. The doc thought an extra-long course of antibiotics would help and if that didn't work, he'd probably need adenoids removed. Luckily the antibiotics were enough... we went down to one ear infection a year instead of one a month.
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Our pediatrician says 6 in a year. We had tubes 3 years ago for LO1 (Also had a speech delay) and they fell out by last summer. I just made another appointment at the ENT for another evaluation as I think we may need a second set (4 infections since September, including one perforation).
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Whenever I asked we were always right outside the minimum. Like he’d have 4 in 7 months but the standard was 4 I’m 6. We didn’t get tubes and adenoids our until he was 4, but FX haven’t had an ear infection yet this winter. He basically got one with every cold before this.
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We were referred after four infections in three months plus evidence of antibiotic resistance and penicillin allergy with the treatments we tried. DS had signs of compromised hearing already and we got tubes at 10.5 months. His hearing returned to normal and only 2 ear infections in the year since.
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We were referred after 4 infections in 6 months, with the last 3 infections occurring in 3 months, and the last infection would.not.clear (similar to @mamabolt;, we were dealing with antibiotic resistance and a sulfa allergy). My LO got tubes at 8 months. We didn't know it at the time, because he was pretty *verbal* and always responded to sound/his name, but his hearing improved a ton and he was much more mobile afterward. If we had dealt with a perforation, I would have made an appt with a Ped ENT stat.
@Ms. RV: Imo, that's too many/too often (esp with perforations). I wouldn't wait for your next appointment. I would call your Ped and ask for recommendations for a Ped ENT and make the appointment now. A referral is nice, but at the end of the day, I don't hesitate to take the initiative when needed.
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We were referred to the ENT after DS had 4 ear infections (1 perforated ear drum) and we had gone through all the oral antibiotics and did a round of Rocephin shots.
He got tubes just before his first birthday and still has them a year and a half later, we actually have our next check up with ENT next week. We've only had a handful of infections since getting the tubes and being able to treat them directly with drops has made them totally worth it!
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I really, really appreciate everyone's responses. I messaged the nurse practioner we saw yesterday about this. Unfortunately, her old PCP left the practice and we have not yet met the new one yet so hopefully the nurse practioner will recommend ENT or forward it to her new PCP.
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@pwnstar: Unfortunately, the pediatric ENT requires a referral or else I would just make an appointment. And there really isn't another pediatric ENT practice that I would trust. It is part of an amazing Children's Hospital.
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Just a follow up in case any one comes across it in the future. The nurse prac put in a referral to ENT, and said it probably should have been done two ear infections ago.
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@Ms. RV: Tubes have been amazing! So many hugs to you and your LO.
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4 infections in 6 months is the rule for an ENT consult with my pediatrician. DS1 had speech delays because of the hearing impairments he had with his ear infections (he got tubes at 20 months after starting daycare at 16 months, so right when his language explosion should have occured), so with DS2, we had his tubes done at 10 months old (he had not started daycare yet, but caught all his brother's germs and had 5-6 infections before he got his surgery). DS2 has zero speech delays and we're so happy we got it done.
DS1 (40 months) is actually going back in a few weeks to have his SECOND tube surgery because he's had like 4-5 ear infections and a ruptured ear drum in the last 2 months since his first tubes fell out.
). Then we saw the doctor, he looked in her ears, had reviewed the pediatricians notes about past infections and talked to me about it. It was pretty painless for my daughter who had just turned 3 at the time. They decided to wait and see if she got another one soon or a few in a row, but hoping she was just outgrowing it because she had gotten a cold that didn’t turn into an ear infection for the first time in like six months. It turned out we didn’t need them and she’s only had like two or three in the last year and a half. But I would have done them because she was AWFUL with ear infections. So cranky, extreme tantrums over every little thing. There was no missing them, ever. 
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