19 Month Old Getting Ear Tubes

Dear S.,

I was about 3 when I had my tubes put in my ears. I was 5 when they did it agian. The second time they took out my adnoids. I don't remeber much except eating a lot of jello and ice cream after it happend. Good luck and I would ask to take the adnoids out.
B.

Hi S.,
My 15 Month old daughter had tubes put in on Monday and I was nervous too, but everything went fine. It only took 10 minutes, and we were back with her within 15 minutes. They did say she would cry for about 15-20 minutes after the procedure and she did. They said it's just normal b/c of the anesthesia effects. I gave her tylenol for 24 hrs and she acted as if nothing happened. The hardest part is trying to keep her ears dry when she takes a bath! Good Luck and try not to worry about it. I don't have any advice as far as the adenoids go, Sorry.

S.:

What a coincidence! About three weeks ago I had the same posting and I know exactly how you feel. My son Jack was 15 months old two weeks ago when he had tube and adenoids removed. He did very very well. The worst part was when the nurses came to take him "away" or more acurately into the surgical room.

We were schedule for 7:30 and we returned to the room to wait at 7:40 and by 8:15 the Dr. was back telling us all went well. We would go home after he was drinking and given an antibiotic for potential problems, ear drops a few times a day and Tylenol3 just in case (never needed it). Jack was back about 8:30 and very very upset. They say it's from waking up with strangers around. After about 10 minutes of uncontrollable crying and arching of his back while we were holding him; I told my husband to turn on NickJr. and amazingily enough the Backyardigans did what mom and dad couldn't...calm him down.

Once we were home there was no signs of pain or anything on his part. He did have some horrible breath for about four days that they say is from the healing of the adenoids.

The adenoids is supposed to help with draining of fluids. Jack had been sick for about four months. Sadly though, this week he is getting sick yet again and I had to bust out the trusty Nebulizer. Hopefully, he will be better soon!

Good Luck and try not to worry...though I know that is easier said than done!

J.

Hi S.. My 12 month old just got tubes put in yesterday. I thought she would be completely tired the whole day. Boy was I wrong. For some reason she had more energy. I think because she was thinking "I can HEAR!" She was a little cranky but not bad at all once daddy came home. She didn't even mind the ear drops put in her ears either. The only time I was concerned was right afterwards because when I got to the recovery room she was screaming crying. Mostly because she didn't know where the heck she was and VERY hungry. She couldn't have anything after midnight so be prepared to bring along some milk or formula or something. But she's been fine since. Good luck!

My daughter received tubes when she was 2 years old. As nervous as I was about the surgery, it went very quick and smoothly. She woke up screaming from the anthesia. Be prepared for this. They say 50% come out that way and they are not sure why. She was awake but so out of it that she didnt recognize me and I was unable to comfort her. It lasted about 30 minutes and after she calmed down, they let her leave. My husband was with me and we took turns trying to hold her for those 30 minutes. She slept during the car ride home (approx. 30min.). Let your child sleep it off. After her short nap, she was completely back to her old self. I think the procedure is alot harder on the parents than the child. She is now 3 years old and both tubes are out. They say they usually fall out themselves but, unfortunately, my daughter had to undergo surgery to remove one of them. When the tube had fallen out, it wedged its way between the eardrum and canal. They would have been able to remove it in the office with long tweezers but my daughter would not lay still. I am pleased to say that her hearing is so much better now. I guess they can outgrow the problems because the ear canals grow and move. She has probably had 2 or 3 ear infections since her tubes were first put in. (she was averaging an ear infection every 2 weeks before they were put in). Her speech has also improved. My advice to you is not to wait. I'm not sure why my doctor had me wait. Had I done it sooner, she would not have suffered so much speech loss. Her hearing had gotten so bad that after a hearing test, it was discovered she had very little hearing. I am fortunate that I wasnt too late. She talks better each day. As for the adnoids, it was never necessary. Each case is different. Hope this helps. Good luck to you and your son!

Hi S.. My son had repeated ear infections so he had tubes put in at 15 months. He just got them out last October (he was 40 months). They were absolutely wonderful!! He didn't have any ear infections after he had them in and he started walking and talking up a storm after the insertion. The procedure was quick and easy...bring one of his favorite stuffed animals or a blanket for him to have during the procedure. It took about 15 minutes. The only thing is when he woke up, since he was so little, he was really freaked out. We were in the waiting room and we heard this screaming and thought, is that our son?! When we were brought into see him he wouldn't settle down. He cried and cried until we brought him out of the hospital, then he was fine. We gave him Motrin for a few days for pain but he was really great. Kids bounce back faster than us! The only thing I'd keep in mind is that depending on how much fluid he has in his ears he might be overly sensitive to noise after. My son couldn't hear well before and I would see him cover his ears when something was loud. Again--it passed and he did great. I wouldn't get adenoids removed until you see what the tubes do, they may do wonders. You'll be amazed!! Good luck.

My daughter had them put in when she was 2 amd has had a few setssince then.. I like you was soooo worried that I could not sleep the night b4 the surgery. It was really no big deal. The whole thing from the time we brought her to when she went into the recovery "chair" was about 1.5 hours.. It was well worth it.. She has not gotten an ear ache since then. It really is a good thing..Any questions feel free to email me.

____@____.com
Good Luck and dont worry,

Amie Petersen
Amie

I have no experience with tubes in the ears. I do however have experience with adenoid removal. All three of my sons had multiple ear infections, strep throat, sleep apnea and heavy snoring. Each of them (9,5 and 3) has had their tonsils and adenoids removed. My 9 year old had his adenoids removed when he was 3 due to sleep apnea and multiple strep infections. Its an outpatient minor surgery - but I wouldn't do it unless recommended by a specialist. The adenoids can regrow also. My 9 year old had them removed again when he was 8 - along with his tonsils. I also would make sure you get a second opinion - any doctors recommendation is only based on their experience and knowledge - if the doctor is not up to date with current practices or research the information although insightful and correct - could not be the BEST alternative. Just my two -- or I guess a bit more than 2 cents.

S.,
My son got ear tubes when he was 8 months old. He is now 14 months old and has only had one ear infection since the tubes were put in. You will see such a big difference in your son. I am so happy we did it when we did. I was also nervous so I understand but it really is a 15 minute procedure. He was gone and back before I knew it. They gave him as little sedation as they could to put him to sleep and when he came back it literally only took him 5 minutes to wake up. Later that afternoon he was playing like nothing happened. It phased me more then him. It's always nerve racking when your baby is having anything done but it will be fine. As for adenoids, we haven't done that yet so I can't help you much on that but I have heard if they are having alot of problems it is very good to do. Good Luck

I'm not going to tell you not to worry...that's part of being a mom...but, my daughter had tubes put in twice. It went smoothly both times. The whole procedure takes about 15 minutes. We barely had time to sit in the waiting room before they told us it was over.

We stayed with our daughter until it was time to wheel her into the surgery room. The nurses were very nice to her. She was in the recovery room about 5 minutes. A nurse stayed with her the whole time. She didn't cry until she saw us...then it was more of a mad cry than a pain cry.

The tubes made a difference immediately. The ear infections stopped and my daughter could hear better.

I hope this helps and good luck to you and your little one.

That seems so young but the doctors should know the best and recurrent ear infections make it a "no brainer". I finally had tubes after years of recurrent ear infections and had my adnoids removed when my tonsils were taken out at 15. It was the best cure for the ear infections. My friend's little ones have both had their adnoids removed to help them sleep more soundly. Neither have had tubes but both snored extremly loud and possible sleep apnea (not confirmed). My understanding is that the adnoids are one of the unnecesary organs in out body, like the apendix, etc. It seems to me if a child is already being put under, why not just have them taken out at the same time.
Best of luck!

Hi there
My 4 yo daughter had tubes put in last year. I was very nervous also about the procedure. Several people told me it was nothing to worry about, quick and easy. And they were right. The nurses came to get her (we had to be there pretty early in the a.m) after we hung out in a hospital room for about an hour. We walked with her as far as we were allowed then headed for the waiting room. Seriously, we were in the waiting room for maybe 10 minutes when the surgery was over. We got to go see her in recovery and she was awake and talking like nothing happened. She will be getting them out in about 6 months (they are actually supposed to fall out on their own). We have not had any problems with them at all. Not one ear infection since. She does have to see the ear doc occasionally to test her hearing(she suffered some initial hearing loss due to so many infections)and to check the tubes. She had ear plugs made that she has to wear in the tub or swimming. Some of my friends have had a tube fall out too soon. If that happens they have to put it back in. But really, it is NOT as scary as you make yourself believe it is.
Good luck and try to stay relaxed!
A.

Hi!

Both my daughters had ear tube surgery - my oldest when she was 5 and my youngest before she turned 1. I too was very anxious and scared about the surgery but it turned out to be a lot more detrimental for me than for my girls. The procedure seemed to have lasted less than 5 minutes from the time I left them in the surgery room to the time the doctor came back to let us know that it was complete. The only part that really freaked me out the most was when they were put under the anesthesia - didn't like the way my little one was screaming one minute and then knocked out the next. My oldest has had great success in eliminating her recurrent ear infections but my youngest has already had about 3 ear infections after her tubes fell out. She might need to have them inserted again, the tubes did get rid of her recurrent infections while they were in place and her hearing test did improve greatly after the surgery. At the same time, my oldest daughter has huge tonsils and adenoids and I also had heard that sometimes those are removed at the same time as ear tube surgery, however despite the size of her tonsils the Dr. didn't tell us she should have them removed because they didn't pose any health risk at that time. The only way they would have been a concern is if she was having difficulty breathing or significant snoring which she didn't. So it depends on if your little one is having problems of that sort with his tonsils/adenoids. I hope this helps if you have any other questions you can email me back! Good Luck!!

S.

S.,
My son had ear tubes placed in his ears at 15 mths. He never had an ear infection that we knew of, but he was a challenging baby whom cried all the time. It wasn't until he was 12 mths old when his tantrums lasted up to 2 hrs. long and he started banging his head on the floor that I demanded answers. After further investigation and sheer persistancy we discovered about 40% water in both ears and a temporary loss of hearing. I believe he may have been born with water in his ears. Anyway, the decision to get ear tubes was an easy one for us. We were nervous about the surgery and his age, but we were VERY comfortable with the Dr. Petchanik(Northwest Suburban Ear, Nose and Throat at Northwest Community Hospital)The surgery went well and my son responded well to the anesthesia. Keep in mind all children respond differently from anesthesia and ask questions about who will be administering it and make sure they are present at all times. After the surgery, my son was awake and repeating words he never spoke before. The rest of the day he was quiet but wanted to go for a walk. Again all kids respond differently. Thereafter, his vocabulary grew leaps and bounds and he was happy. In the months/year following he did get ear infections but he was now verbally telling us his ears hurt and we tended to them promptly. This was the right decision for him. My advise to you is make sure you are comfortable with the Dr. and that you really understand why your son is getting ear tubes. Needing ear tubes sometimes has nothing to do with adenoids and sometimes it is better to take it one step at a time making sure you are not removing anything un-necessarily. Best wishes to your son. S.

S.,
I have two children, 5 1/2 years old and 3 1/2 years old. My daughter had bi-lateral ear tubes put in when she was 14 months old. She had been getting plenty of ear infections from about 5 months on. After my son was born, the ENT specialist (ear, nose, throat doctor) said not to be surprised if he would also need tubes as ear infections run in families and are usually worse with boys. Subsequently, he had tubes put in just after his 1st birthday due to frequent ear infections.

In both surgeries, the kids were given anesthetic to put them to sleep. The surgery takes only about 5-6 minutes and they are under for about 10 minutes. It was very nerve racking for us when our daughter received tubes and not so bad the second time around.;-)

The worst part of the procedure is when it is over and the child is waking up from the anesthetics. They are a little disoriented and don't feel well, so they cry a lot! Just be prepared for this and have their favorite stuffed animal or whatever and know that you'll might be holding a crying baby for a while until he settles down.

As for adenoid removal, I would only do as much as the doctor says and not "push" for more. Usually ear infections are caused from having too short ear canals (until they grow) so any sinus drainage goes into the ears and causes infections.

Hope this helps!

R..