Ear Tubes

[Guest guest]

Hi Tonya,

My son Micah has chronic fluid but has not had ear infections. He does

have a loss of hearing however due to the fluid. We opted not to have tubes

put in, with the surgeons agreement, because his ear canals are so tiny that

she was not even sure they would be able to get them in until they did

surgery. He also had a higher risk of quick rejection and complications.

We chose instead to use hearing aids and wait until his canals have grown

significantly. this is working for us. Has Owen ever had an evoked

response test. Where they put electrodes on head and he is asleep when they

test. this shows if there is any hearing loss better than just a behavioral

test or regular hearing test. Hope this helps you. Our kids do have a

higher incidence of speech difficulties and the loss of hearing makes it

that much worse, Just a thought you might want to take into consideration.

Loree

ear tubes

> Hello everyone,

> I sent an email last week and I haven't received one response! Please

email

> me with advice.

>

> Owen 14 months old went for his 3rd hearing test last week. The doctor

said

> this was the first time he found fluid in his ears and wanted to put tubes

in

> his ears. My husband and I were shocked that he would automatically say

this.

> Owen has never had an ear infection (that we know of). The doctors said

> because of his condition (meaning ds) that it is common to have tubes put

in the

> ears. I found this to be offensive. I believe that every child is

different

> and there are children with ds that I know that have never had ear tubes.

> My husband and I are looking into getting a second opinion. Have any of

your

> children had tube put in their ears? Have any of your children just have

> fluid and not any ear infections? How reliable are hearing test? Please

email

> back with similar issues and/or advice.

> Thanks a bunch,

> Tonya, Mom to Owen 14 months

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

A child could have fluid in the ears without signs of an infection. Left

untreated, possible neurological problems could result (ADHD). By all means,

get a second opinion if that is what you want...Don't be surprised if his/her

opinion is the same.

ear tubes

Hello everyone,

I sent an email last week and I haven't received one response! Please email

me with advice.

Owen 14 months old went for his 3rd hearing test last week. The doctor said

this was the first time he found fluid in his ears and wanted to put tubes in

his ears. My husband and I were shocked that he would automatically say this.

Owen has never had an ear infection (that we know of). The doctors said

because of his condition (meaning ds) that it is common to have tubes put in

the

ears. I found this to be offensive. I believe that every child is different

and there are children with ds that I know that have never had ear tubes.

My husband and I are looking into getting a second opinion. Have any of your

children had tube put in their ears? Have any of your children just have

fluid and not any ear infections? How reliable are hearing test? Please

email

back with similar issues and/or advice.

Thanks a bunch,

Tonya, Mom to Owen 14 months

[Guest guest]

Just had to share this with you all.....

My son (now 15) had meningitis when he was a year old. After that, he

took forever to learn to speak - well, to learn to do a lot of things, but he

did finally take naps well :-) ....he seemed to continually have fluid in one

ear. Now, he does have a hearing loss due to the meningitis, but we took him in

to have a tube put in just the one ear... after months of trials with

antibiotics.

The ENT is really good - he came out of the surgery and sat with us and shared.

" It was the funniest thing! Anticipating liquid behind the eardrum, I made a

small incision - but nothing came out!! Looked like cottage cheese inside! "

was growing skin cells inside the eardrum (a cholesteatoma) and ended up

with surgery to remove all of these cells (non-cancerous) and two of the three

bones in the inner ear. A year later, after healing and making sure the skin

cells were not returning, the ENT installed plastic pieces instead of the bones

(all three by this time as the remaining one was too brittle) and used a piece

of cartilege from the outside of his ear to keep it all in place.

He actually hears SLIGHTLY better out of that ear than the other - it is his ear

of choice when we whisper to him. He does wear two hearing aids and a wireless

FM system in school....

Just sharing this to anyone contemplating surgery for tubes - it could be a

first step in discovering an underlying condition...... could have

continued to grow the skin cells - they would have followed the nerves up toward

the brain eventually. In countries with less active medical care, kids

eventually suffer greatly and die from this.

Kathy

mom to (18-DS), (15-HoH), Meryl (20-AVM), and Amber (27-NDA)

grandma to Jade (7-CUTE!)

http://www.waycool2.com/sarah

http://www.waycool2.com/jeremy

http://www.waycool2.com/meryl

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

2-4-6-8, prple00@... is Cool! prple00@... is Great!

On 6/23/03 , at 9:53 AM , prple00@... opined:

) Hello everyone,

) I sent an email last week and I haven't received one response! Please

) email

) me with advice.

)

) Owen 14 months old went for his 3rd hearing test last week. The

) doctor said

) this was the first time he found fluid in his ears and wanted to put

) tubes in

) his ears. My husband and I were shocked that he would automatically

) say this.

) Owen has never had an ear infection (that we know of). The doctors

) said

) because of his condition (meaning ds) that it is common to have tubes

) put in the

) ears. I found this to be offensive. I believe that every child is

) different

) and there are children with ds that I know that have never had ear

) tubes.

) My husband and I are looking into getting a second opinion. Have any

) of your

) children had tube put in their ears? Have any of your children just

) have

) fluid and not any ear infections? How reliable are hearing test?

) Please email

) back with similar issues and/or advice.

) Thanks a bunch,

) Tonya, Mom to Owen 14 months

*********** END OF REPLY SEPARATOR ***********

[Guest guest]

Our experience with is almost the same.... age 5, on her 3rd

set of tubes, very few ear infections but always seemed to have fluid in

her ears. Our ENT (I also think he's great) explained to us that if she

were a " typical " kid, he'd wait longer to see if the fluid ever dried

up, or to count how many ear infections she really got (since we found

at least one at a routine ENT visit with NO SYMPTOMS..... both ears

really infected, no fever, no complaints of pain, no major head cold).

But, since she has DS, he feels like for her speach to be as best as it

can be, she needs to hear as well as she can, and even a little fluid

there, all the time, makes things sound wrong. So, he too, felt that

treating her more aggressively would be a benefit to her.

She is getting better at doing the hearing tests, and each time I feel

it'sa more accurate picture of her hearing, but both the ENT and I agree

that it's still not as accurate as it could be. Last time, she got

bored with the whole thing, and would not respond to her name, even

though the woman was practically yelling it (LOL!). I know she can hear

me sneaking candy 3 rooms away, her sister calling her a nasty name in a

whisper, and the school bus backing up down the lane, so functionally,

she's right there :-) She can also " not hear " being called to dinner,

being told to stop running, etc.... just like any kid!

, mom to (7), (5 DS), and (3)

>Liam's had three sets of ear tubes & I'm anticipating a fourth in the near

>future. Regardless of how many infections kids have or don't have, the fluid

in

>his ears will hurt his ability to hear which will effect speech development

>and learning in general. Don't be offended by the comment about kids with DS,

>because very often they have smaller than normal ear canals and eustacian

>tubes. I love his ENT because he's had a lot of experience with kids with DS

and

>is more aggressive about making sure their hearing is all it can be. Liam had

>his first set of tubes at 16 months. They change in his hearing was amazing.

>He started babbling and signing more. He even participated in songs more.

>

>I don't think hearing tests at Owen's age would be very accurate. We have

>trouble getting an accurate one with Liam, but at this stage behavioral issues

>factor in.

>

>Kathy, Liam's mom (5)

>

>

[Guest guest]

> 's ped is talking about putting tubes in her ears for her

chronic ear infections. What happens with tubes when you are IgA

Deficient? I assume you get an infection anyway? Or does it go to

the sinuses? She always gets one or the other, so I'm wondering if

tubes would help or not. He's bringing it up because she's on her 4th

antibiotic for an ear infection that started around Thanksgiving.

>

Hi ,

My daughter is 12 and just had her first set of tubes placed in

November. She also had an adenoidectomy at the same time because of

recurrent sinus infections. My understanding is that adenoids serve

no purpose after about age 2 and can be a breeding ground for sinus

infections. Since my daughter's tubes were put in and adenoids taken

out - she has had no infections! Maybe your doc would consider an

adenoidectomy also since sinus infections are in the picture, too?

Sinus infections were almost impossible to get rid of for my daughter

I don't know if infections even after tube placement is more likely

when there is an IgA deficiency present though.

Sandy

(mom to Riley, age 12, selective antibody deficiency, asthma)

[Guest guest]

Sounds like a hospital procedure? She's just 3, and I probably sound like a

baby (especially after so many of the kids in this group have been through) but

I don't want her to have an operation (they scare me; I'm an emotional wreck

when they put my cat under to clean her teeth!).

.

Hi ,

My daughter is 12 and just had her first set of tubes placed in

November. She also had an adenoidectomy at the same time because of

recurrent sinus infections. My understanding is that adenoids serve

no purpose after about age 2 and can be a breeding ground for sinus

infections. Since my daughter's tubes were put in and adenoids taken

out - she has had no infections! Maybe your doc would consider an

adenoidectomy also since sinus infections are in the picture, too?

Sinus infections were almost impossible to get rid of for my daughter

I don't know if infections even after tube placement is more likely

when there is an IgA deficiency present though.

Sandy

(mom to Riley, age 12, selective antibody deficiency, asthma)

This forum is open to parents and caregivers of children diagnosed with a

Primary Immune Deficiency. Opinions or medical advice stated here are the sole

responsibility of the poster and should not be taken as professional advice.

To unsubscribe -unsubscribegroups (DOT)

To search group archives go to:

/messages

[Guest guest]

How do they actually put in the tubes? Is it an office or hospital procedure?

.

We find that the ear tubes do cut down on the infection-they tend to drain

the fluid as it starts to accumulate, so infection does not incur. We have had

3 sets I think-and are working with only one now-so we will see how it goes.

We are off to the pulmonologist today-after about 7 inches of snow and ice

last night-fun-but that is how bad she is right now. Maddie says her chest

hurts-and the breathing treatments are doing nothing.

Becky in IN-mom to Maddie-age 7.5-almost 8-igA def, gerd, asthma, and the

list goes on!

[Guest guest]

> Sounds like a hospital procedure? She's just 3, and I probably

sound like a baby (especially after so many of the kids in this group

have been through) but I don't want her to have an operation (they

scare me; I'm an emotional wreck when they put my cat under to clean

her teeth!).

>

>

>

Hi ,

I can completely relate. My daughter's tube placement and

adenoidectomy was a surgical procedure and I WAS a complete wreck! I

have been so worried over my daughter's health for so many years that

I always feel like I'm waiting for " the other shoe to drop " so to

speak. So I can well appreciate your reluctance for your child to

have a surgical procedure. IMO, anything with any potential negatives

is a very real worry - but I guess I'm a baby too )

I'm not sure if the procedure is done the same everywhere. We live in

Southeastern Pennsylvania and around here tubes are a same-day

procedure in a hospital. It is my understanding that the

adenoidectomy portion of the procedure that my daughter had is in fact

the painful part in recovery. Tube placement itself is not supposed

to be painful (or so I'm told). So other than the (sometimes

considerable) risk of anesthesia, there is not supposed to be post-op

pain from tube placement.

And although I was a stressed-out wreck and it did take my daughter

longer to completely recover that what I thought it would (it took

about 10 days for her to bounce back and she was in pain for the first

week), she herself feels her ears are much, much better, and she has

not had an infection since the procedure, which was in November.

I believe the tubes are just pushed into place, once the child is

under anesthesia. They are tiny, itty bitty things. They are

supposed to stay in place for about 12 to 18 months and supposedly

work their way out on their own, although I have heard of children

needing to have them removed - which sounds to me like it would HURT!

HTH,

Sandy

(Mom to Riley, age 12, selective antibody deficiency, IVIG, asthma)

[Guest guest]

:

I'm a big fan of ear tubes. I had them as a kid and they completely stopped

my cycle of recurrent infections, even after the tubes were gone. I had my

tonsils and adenoids out at the same time and was pretty healthy from then on.

Of

course, I don't have a PID as far as we know... there's some question in my

mind and 's immuno's mind, based on my history, but my primary care

provider won't sign off on the testing because I'm fairly healthy now, even

though I

wanted to know out of curiousity when was diagnosed.

got ear tubes at 9 months of age. IgA def was one of her problems at

that time. One tube fell out within a couple months and that ear got a few

infections. But the ear with the tube did not get any infections at all as long

as

the tube was in place, and it stayed in for over two years! It fell out on its

own, no big deal.

The surgery was reallllly quick. It was in the hospital but they give them

something to counteract the anesthesia so they wake up quickly. They are groggy

though, so little ones who don't understand what's going on can be

verrrrrrrrrry mad!!!!!

I would do the surgery again in a heartbeat, it was simple, fast and recovery

was fast, too. The tubes help the ears drain so fluid can't accumulate, and

it's my understanding that even if you DO get an infection with the tube, at

least the gook can drain out the tube and not stay in the body.

Good luck --

(mom to Kate, born 9/19/02, dairy intolerant; and , age 5, GERD,

dairy intolerant -- currently has polysaccharide antibody def, previously had

transient IgG, IgA, t-cell & other defs)

[Guest guest]

Thanks to everyone who gave me ear tube info. We went back for 's ear

recheck AGAIN and her infection is still hanging on since NOVEMBER. Grrrrr!

She's now on antibiotic number 6? I think??? So basically she's been on

antibiotics the entire winter. It wasn't this bad last year, but of course

she's only 3-1/2 so I don't have too many years to compare to! We're getting a

referral to an ENT. My husband and I are very leery about it, but we'll listen

to what they have to say.

After reading some of the previous messages, I have to admit that I'm

basically a lurker who asks questions but rarely answers them. I just don't

have the knowledge or experience to offer much, so I apologize if I'm one of

those who takes but rarely gives! But I always read the messages, even if I

don't understand some of the illnesses or treatments involved, and I've learned

a lot!

, Mom to , 3-1/2, IgA Deficiency, chronic ear/sinus infections,

asthma, and Connor, 5 (who read his FIRST book to me today!!!!!!!!)

Re: Ear Tubes

:

I'm a big fan of ear tubes. I had them as a kid and they completely stopped

my cycle of recurrent infections, even after the tubes were gone. I had my

tonsils and adenoids out at the same time and was pretty healthy from then

on. Of

course, I don't have a PID as far as we know... there's some question in my

mind and 's immuno's mind, based on my history, but my primary care

provider won't sign off on the testing because I'm fairly healthy now, even

though I

wanted to know out of curiousity when was diagnosed.

got ear tubes at 9 months of age. IgA def was one of her problems at

that time. One tube fell out within a couple months and that ear got a few

infections. But the ear with the tube did not get any infections at all as

long as

the tube was in place, and it stayed in for over two years! It fell out on

its

own, no big deal.

The surgery was reallllly quick. It was in the hospital but they give them

something to counteract the anesthesia so they wake up quickly. They are

groggy

though, so little ones who don't understand what's going on can be

verrrrrrrrrry mad!!!!!

I would do the surgery again in a heartbeat, it was simple, fast and

recovery

was fast, too. The tubes help the ears drain so fluid can't accumulate, and

it's my understanding that even if you DO get an infection with the tube, at

least the gook can drain out the tube and not stay in the body.

Good luck --

(mom to Kate, born 9/19/02, dairy intolerant; and , age 5, GERD,

dairy intolerant -- currently has polysaccharide antibody def, previously

had

transient IgG, IgA, t-cell & other defs)

[Guest guest]

- are the infections fluid buildup or drainage infections? If the ears

are already draining has the ped cultured it? I may be behind here. What

antibiotics have they tried? I wish I could say tubes were always the answer

but not so.

Ursula (now working nights so having fun answering emails and catching up)

[Guest guest]

I can't even remember all of the antibiotics they have tried, so I just called

the pharmacy and asked. Oct 23 she was put on Augmentin for an ear infection

(and they always say she also has fluid build-up). Nov. 25 they put on Omnicef.

Dec. 2 they gave her Viaxin. Dec 18 they gave her Omnicef again. December 30

they gave her Vantin, and Jan 19 they gave her Augmentin again. When we went in

the other day they took pity on us and gave us samples so we wouldn't have to

pay for another antibiotic. They gave us one called Cedax, which she absolutely

despises (smells better than all the others, but who knows?).

Each time it's one ear or both, and each time they always say the infected

ear(s) has fluid in it.

I started giving her Claritin last night hoping it would stop her contant

runny nose. She's also on Nasonex Nasal Spray 2x/day, and Flovent 2x/day. It's

never been this bad, although she's only 3-/12 so we don't have too much to

compare it to. Her first year she was in a cold, dry climate (Colorado), her

second in warm, humid (Florida), and now we're in Georgia which is fairly mild

with cold spells.

A friend on mine's husband is a chiropractor, and they claim they can stop her

ear infections and asthma. I very much believe in medicine, and don't see how

an adjustment on a 3 yr old could help. They also keep telling me to put olive

oil and garlic in her ears (and maybe some lettuce ... bada BOOM! haha).

Anyone ever try these alternative methods? I am a firm believer in MDs and

traditional medicine, but who knows?

Do you like working nights, Ursula? Is it overnight? Sounds tough!

, Mom to , 3-1/2, IgA Deficient, Asthma, chronic ear/sinus

infections, habitual antibiotic user (haha!) and Connor, 5, my lucky, healthy

child

- are the infections fluid buildup or drainage infections? If the

ears are already draining has the ped cultured it? I may be behind here. What

antibiotics have they tried? I wish I could say tubes were always the answer

but not so.

Ursula (now working nights so having fun answering emails and catching up)

[Guest guest]

- Macey had her adenoids removed with her second set of tubes. She was 18

months old and they were the size of peach pits. I'm not sure if it helped much

except in her sleeping habits. they might have been a bit obstructive to her

breathing. But infection wise nothing changed. Then lately I've been told by

some people that they can grow back. Go figure. None have shown up yet on her

CT's.

Ursula - macey's mom (8,CVID) - on night 3 of 4

[Guest guest]

Since fluid buildup is a problem then the tubes might provide a source of

drainage and be a good fix. Or it might just relieve the pressure and drain out

what is already infected. Some say that the fluid doesn't become infected until

it doesn't have a way to drain and builds up and the bacteria accumulates.

Others say that the fluid is already infected and that the blocked eustachian

(or not draining right eustachian) just keeps it all in and that makes it hurt

all the more. Remember " ask 4 docs, get 5 opinions "

Tomorrow night is my extra night. Good money for spring break in nashville.

Remind me where in Georgia you are?

Ursula - mom to Macey (8,CVID)

[Guest guest]

We'll see what the ENT says. I really don't want her to have an operation.

We live in Powder Springs, which is just south of Marietta.

Spring break in Nashville? Fan fair?

Tomorrow night is my extra night. Good money for spring break in nashville.

Remind me where in Georgia you are?

Ursula - mom to Macey (8,CVID)

This forum is open to parents and caregivers of children diagnosed with a

Primary Immune Deficiency. Opinions or medical advice stated here are the sole

responsibility of the poster and should not be taken as professional advice.

To unsubscribe -unsubscribegroups (DOT)

To search group archives go to:

/messages

[Guest guest]

I'm not sure when Fan Fair is, I think we'll miss it. We're going Mar 15-22.

Ursula

[Guest guest]

I'm not sure when Fan Fair is, I think we'll miss it. We're going Mar 15-22.

Ursula

[Guest guest]

, don't fear the ENT! You should probably have been referred to him

several antibiotics ago!!!

Brief story... I had had a nasty ear infection that wasn't responding to

antibiotics, my doc referred me to 's ENT and the first drug course that he

prescribed (which was more aggressive than the regular doc had done) was

successful! The time has more than come for a specialist, you do not want that

infection festering in there. Good luck!

(mom to Kate, born 9/19/02, dairy intolerant; and , age 5, GERD,

dairy intolerant -- currently has polysaccharide antibody def, previously had

transient IgG, IgA, t-cell & other defs)

[Guest guest]

, don't fear the ENT! You should probably have been referred to him

several antibiotics ago!!!

Brief story... I had had a nasty ear infection that wasn't responding to

antibiotics, my doc referred me to 's ENT and the first drug course that he

prescribed (which was more aggressive than the regular doc had done) was

successful! The time has more than come for a specialist, you do not want that

infection festering in there. Good luck!

(mom to Kate, born 9/19/02, dairy intolerant; and , age 5, GERD,

dairy intolerant -- currently has polysaccharide antibody def, previously had

transient IgG, IgA, t-cell & other defs)

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the support! had to go back yesterday, and they gave her

antibiotic #8 (or is it #9; I've lost count). Her ENT appt. isn't until Mar. 2,

so they gave me enough antibiotic to last until then. Sigh. I'm still scared

of the ENT, but I'm so glad to hear so many positive stories about tubes from

everyone!

, don't fear the ENT! You should probably have been referred to him

several antibiotics ago!!!

Brief story... I had had a nasty ear infection that wasn't responding to

antibiotics, my doc referred me to 's ENT and the first drug course that

he

prescribed (which was more aggressive than the regular doc had done) was

successful! The time has more than come for a specialist, you do not want that

infection festering in there. Good luck!

(mom to Kate, born 9/19/02, dairy intolerant; and , age 5, GERD,

dairy intolerant -- currently has polysaccharide antibody def, previously had

transient IgG, IgA, t-cell & other defs)

[Guest guest]

Hi Beth,

I think everyone would agree it is best not to perforate your ear

drum. I'm sure it can be painful. I'm just not sure how bad a

perforated ear drum would be for a CI user since you don't depend on

the middle ear for transmission of sound.

Jim

>

> Jim,

> There's a reason they knock kids out to put those ear tubes in,

too, and

> it's not to hold them still. My daughter had those tubes and she

was in

> some pain for a few days after the surgery. She's a tough little

bugger,

> it takes a lot to make her admit she's in pain. My sister had the

tubes put

> in, and she was sick as a dog for a good week afterwards. A good

friend of

> mine had a punctured ear drum and she says it's a pain worse than

child

> birth. I'd say that's fairly painful. LOL

>

> Beth

>

> The mere imparting of information is not education. Above all

things, the

> effort must result in making a man think and do for himself.--

G.

> Woodson

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Karyn, I have very mixed emotions about ear tubes. My olest who is now

31 had them when she was 4 and had fluid in the ear. I won't go into the

horror story that happened to her after, suffice it to say that she had nothing

but trouble and still to this day has trouble with ear infections which she

never had before the surgery. On the other hand Micah had to have tubes (DS)

because he had such a hearing loss that we had no choice. I will say though

that again he had no infections before the surgery only the fluid and now has

had two infections since (approximately a year ago) and we are vigilant

about his after care. I would ask myself how many infections she has had ( I

am

assuming with fluid because I don't think ear tubes do anything for just

infections) and whether it has affected her hearing. I am very slow to do

surgery with these tubes. I think they do to many of them wholesale. They are

a

godsend for kids like ours who have DS and such thick fluid that they can't

hear, but any surgery has drawbacks. Question your ENT about all of these

things. Just my opinion. Hope it helps

Loree

************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

[Guest guest]

got tubes at age 3 1/2 because she had frequent ear

infections, and we began to find out that she did not exibit symptoms

for some of them... we'd go in for a routine office visit and she'd have

both ears infected, with no fever or complaints. The fluid would then

hang around for a month or more after the infection cleared. We noticed

that over time, the frequency of infections decreased (at least with

tubes, you can tell when they have an ear infection). She lost one of

her last set of tubes about 2 years ago, and they surgically removed the

last one a few weeks ago (because it didn't fall out... almost funny

since in the beginning, they seemed to fall out within a year, if not

sooner!). I was glad we did it, though even with minor surgery, there

are risks. I think that if didn't have so many, asymptomatic

infections, I would have just kept checking her hearing to make sure the

infections weren't damaging it, but it's hard to get a good hearing test

on a 4-5 year old.... if they are cooperative, you can get good data...

if not????

I would make sure I went to a pediatric ENT at a good Children's

Hospital, just because kids with DS don't have typical ears either, and

sometimes their extremely narrow ear canals can be tricky.

, mom to (11), (9 DS), and Sammy (7)

Loree5@... wrote:

> Hi Karyn, I have very mixed emotions about ear tubes. My olest who is now

> 31 had them when she was 4 and had fluid in the ear. I won't go into the

> horror story that happened to her after, suffice it to say that she

> had nothing

> but trouble and still to this day has trouble with ear infections

> which she

> never had before the surgery. On the other hand Micah had to have

> tubes (DS)

> because he had such a hearing loss that we had no choice. I will say

> though

> that again he had no infections before the surgery only the fluid and

> now has

> had two infections since (approximately a year ago) and we are vigilant

> about his after care. I would ask myself how many infections she has

> had ( I am

> assuming with fluid because I don't think ear tubes do anything for just

> infections) and whether it has affected her hearing. I am very slow to do

> surgery with these tubes. I think they do to many of them wholesale.

> They are a

> godsend for kids like ours who have DS and such thick fluid that they

> can't

> hear, but any surgery has drawbacks. Question your ENT about all of these

> things. Just my opinion. Hope it helps

>

> Loree

>

> ************************************** See what's free at

> http://www.aol.com. <http://www.aol.com.>

>

>

[Guest guest]

My understanding tubes are for fluid behind the ear drum - not for

infections. Fluid build up will decrease hearing, which in turn decreases

speech development.

Trent has permanently perforated ear drums and still gets ear infections.

Though these days, not as often as we are very on top of his ear health and

will only let him go swimming when on holidays (with the ENT's consent and

drops just in case they help.) As to Trent's perforated ear drum the likely

cause is - a weakness caused from having tubes.

With tubes in, you have to be so so careful about water in the ears - think

washing hair, bathing, swimming. If your child is intolerant of things like

ear plugs, swim caps you can put swimming out of the question the whole time

the tubes are in. Also with wearing ear plugs and swim caps it decreases

their hearing, so they can't hear you give instructions at a swim class or

if you need them.

I like Loree, have mixed feelings about these, and would be asking loads of

questions and exploring other options first.

In your case it may be the best option at this point in time, all the best

Keep smiling

Jan, mother of Trent 22yo w/DS from the LandDownUnder

Re: Ear Tubes

Hi Karyn, I have very mixed emotions about ear tubes. My olest who is now

31 had them when she was 4 and had fluid in the ear. I won't go into the

horror story that happened to her after, suffice it to say that she had

nothing but trouble and still to this day has trouble with ear infections

which she never had before the surgery. On the other hand Micah had to

have tubes (DS) because he had such a hearing loss that we had no choice.

I will say though that again he had no infections before the surgery only

the fluid and now has had two infections since (approximately a year ago)

and we are vigilant about his after care. I would ask myself how many

infections she has had ( I am assuming with fluid because I don't think ear

tubes do anything for just

infections) and whether it has affected her hearing. I am very slow to do

surgery with these tubes. I think they do to many of them wholesale. They

are a godsend for kids like ours who have DS and such thick fluid that they

can't hear, but any surgery has drawbacks. Question your ENT about all of

these things. Just my opinion. Hope it helps

Loree

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[Guest guest]

Myah had her first set at 10 months and has has 4-5 sets. They have been great

for us. Now if she does get an infection, it just drains and we can start drops

at home. No doctor visits or high fevers, or oral antibiotics, although was was

initially given them because she was testing half way between normal and deaf.

She still has her last set from almost 3 years ago. She swims and jumps in the

pool with no plugs and has no problems. My 2 year old also has them and it has

helped her tremendously. She was constantly on oral antibiotics with highfevers.

Since the tubes I think she has had 1 infection (in about a year). I'd much

rather get a set of tubes than have her on antibiotics every 3 weeks-and that's

what it took to clear the infections up.Plus she's allergic to Penicillin so we

had to do Rocefen (sp) shots 2 times. My personal experience was positive so I

would suggest it.

Good luck,

, mom to Myah 6.5 DS, Shianne 2.5, and baby due in 39 days

Ear Tubes

Hi! Well, Adena just got another bad ear infection although she

exhibited no signs. She slept for 17 hours straight (she usually

sleeps no more than 10) and woke up throwing up mucous and then

bright yellow stuff every 15 minutes. I called the doctor's office

before she started throwing up the yellow stuff and they said oh,

don't worry about it, there's a stomach bug going around. She had

fallen out of bed that night so I was worried about a possible

concussion but I knew something was not right. After the yellow

stuff, my mom called and they then decided to get her right in. I

called the ENT to let know she had yet another ear infection and she

went ahead and scheduled her for tubes. So I just wanted to share to

always trust your gut that you know your child best despite what

these doctors offices may think they can " diagnose " over the phone.

And just wanted to get any advice about tubes. The ENT is the same

one that put my tubes in 31 years ago so I feel comfortable with her

although her personality is strange. My husband is concerned

because she just decided to put tubes in without seeing Adena. I

told him she saw her a couple of months ago and said she was a good

candidate for tubes then but wanted to wait and see if the ear

infections persisted (she has been having them off and on since

September) I am actually relieved someone is doing something about

it. Thanks for sharing your advice!

Karyn

Mom to Adena, 2