RE: Question about tubes and water

August 17, 2005

In a message dated 8/17/2005 10:54:26 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

stacyjosh@... writes:

<<I am curious at that age how should we avoid the water. >>

We lived near a lake and that water is really bad for ears with tubes. He

always wore ear plugs, even after the tubes were gone.

Now you can find ones that are brightly colored stuff made of stuff like wax

or a polymer. You can mold it to fit snugly onto the ear. We used them when

we accidentally camped near a train yard in Canada. The trains were moved

around at 4 am every night. The only person who could sleep was Ian. He teased

us

that he had found a wonderful benefit to being D/HOH. (grin)

You can find them in CVS or Rite Aid or Walmart. Look around or ask. My kids

liked them because they are bright orange, pink and green all in the same

package.

Best -- Jill

August 17, 2005

I am curious at that age how should we avoid the

> water. I pour water on her head in the bath to rinse her hair, and

we have

> gone in the pool but of course at this point, I am just holding her

and

> bopping along. Are we not being careful enough?

>

> Thanks - Mara

>

> Mom of Ally, 14 mos, mod SNHL, HA

Check with your ENT - ours said we didn't need to worry about

bath/swimming becuase she was young and wasn't submerging her head

under water causing the water pressure to push into her ear.

I do know of others that had to put ear plugs in their kids ears -

So, when I get conficting reports of what to do, I ask the

professionals.

Good luck!

- -

Mom of Miri - 6 1/2 - hearing

Abigail - 4 - hearing

- 1 1/2 - mild/moderate SNHL

August 17, 2005

My 3yo daughter Grace has ear tubes and I was told she can go swimming

in chlorinated water (pool) with no ear plugs or ear drops needed. In

the bathtub or shower, we rinse her head but she's not allowed to dunk

her head (she likes to do what her brother does!) If she swims in a

lake, river, ocean, etc. then ear plugs would be needed and then watch

for infections so we could use the Rx drops. So with that, she WON'T

be swimming in a river, lake, or ocean anytime soon!

But I was told she was not allowed to play in the backyard sprinkler

either without ear plugs. And when she is helping my husband wash the

cars, he makes sure she is not getting her head wet.

We don't wash her ears anymore with soap and water but just wipe out

the outer ear with a damp Q-tip. Nothing into the ear cavity though.

Hope this helps!

Cherie

August 17, 2005

Hi Mara,

Just curious... did your daughter's hearing improve after the tubes? My son has

a moderate to severe HL and he will get tubes next week. He also has buildup

fluid and no ear infection (I also knock on wood!) till now.

Thanks,

Magdalena

marabd wrote:

I have a 14 mo old daughter (with a moderate loss and HA) who got tubes in

her ears back in March b/c she had a buildup of fluid (never - knock on wood

- had an ear infection). I am curious at that age how should we avoid the

water. I pour water on her head in the bath to rinse her hair, and we have

gone in the pool but of course at this point, I am just holding her and

bopping along. Are we not being careful enough?

Thanks - Mara

Mom of Ally, 14 mos, mod SNHL, HA

August 17, 2005

I was told that we needed to exercie caution when he is near water. So when he

takes a bath, he's not allowed to dunk his head under. We pour water over his

head to rinse and I cup my hand over the top of his ears. We tried putting

cotton in with some vasaline on it, but he hated it and would just remove it

anyways. We also take care when we are in a pool (which isn't too often). The

one thing I was warned about from our ENT was to be VERY careful when he is in a

lake. The water in a lake carries far more bacteria that that from your faucet.

Debbie, mom to , 6, moderate SNHL and , 3, hearing....and being

very " 3 "

Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others dream things that never were

and ask why not. G.B Shaw

__________________________________________________

August 17, 2005

Thanks for all the replies. Good info and I will double check with our ENT

when we have our follow-up appt which is coming up.

Magdalena - I believe that her hearing must have improved b/c the fluid in

her ears couldn't let her aids (which were digitally programmed) work

optimally. But, overall, she has a sensorineural loss so I doubt it did a

lot. Yet, oddly enough, her original ABRs when she was a newborn showed a

moderate loss in the left and a moderate-severe loss in the right ear.

After a recent sedated ABR and some behavioral testing, her right ear is

considered moderate and her left is moderate sloping up to normal in the

high frequencies (I think it's called a reverse slope?). So who knows??

mara

Re: Question about tubes and water