Would you push off this surgery?

amother

Mon, Oct 27 2014, 9:36 pm

Ds (18 mo) needs ear tubes. He has constant fluid in his ears, numerous ear infections and his hearing is measuring with mild hearing loss. He is also unsurprisingly mildly speech delayed. My insurance has max out of pocket per year of 1k per person and 2k per family. 90/10 coinsurance. From experience these surgeries almost always cost me the max. We have not hit the max this year and I will probably need to pay close to 1k. My older child has a chronic condition and has several surgeries per yr so he almost always reaches the 1k. I am b"h due next year and will also probably need to pay the 1k for that. So we will probably meet our maximum. We have about 10 k in the bank. That's maybe two months living e
xpenses. I feel guilty thinking of this but how bad would it be for me to push this off?

debsey

Mon, Oct 27 2014, 9:39 pm

You are two months away from January. You may not even get a surgery date before then if you call right now. Unless Dr. says it's an emergency, or your DS is in unbearable pain, I don't see why it would be so bad to wait.

amother

Mon, Oct 27 2014, 10:06 pm

debsey wrote:

If the child constantly has ear infections then he's very often in a lot of pain. Why don't you speak to your Dr and see what they say about waiting a few weeks? Discuss your concerns and hear what they say.

amother

Mon, Oct 27 2014, 10:10 pm

Surgery would be Nov 20. I think I heard that chronic ear infections/fluid are less painful than regular ear infections. I am very concerned because of his speech. I am afraid he will be even more delayed if I wait.

amother

Mon, Oct 27 2014, 10:16 pm

I work for an ENT (and I am married to him)

Ask the doctor honestly about pushing off the surgery and what is his opinion. But I have seen marked improvement after tubes and kids who were delayed make huge strides in their speech and language development.

To wait two months? Maybe. I wouldn't wait if it was longer than that.

And don't go to a chiropractor. Don't want to start a huge debate but I'm extremely skeptical.

Good luck!

bnm

Mon, Oct 27 2014, 10:27 pm

I wouldn't wait. My kid had tubes put in last year October, he was non verbal, passed hearing tests but the dr said the amount of gook that came out behind his ear drums was amazing. As soon as he got the tubes he was a different kid. His speech didn't happen overnight but he started being aware of sounds and didn't tune out of the world anymore. It is a year later and people don't believe me that exactly one year ago we where relying on sign language

amother

Mon, Oct 27 2014, 10:30 pm

SLP with specialist credential in listening and spoken language here: I would not put it off. Remember that we only speak as well as we hear, so muddled sounds in = muddled sounds out. It's not just about speech and hearing, though. More importantly, it's about brain development. Your little one is at a crucial age when auditory pathways are being developed. Every input that little brain gets affects how it wires and re-wires itself, so we want high quality sound input getting in there. Additionally, children who have speech/articulation issues at a young age are at risk for difficulties with phonological awareness (crucial skills for reading) later.

This is not to scare you, just to emphasize how important it is to hear clearly for listening, speech, language, reading, and brain development.

Hugs to you about the cost, though. That is never fun Sad

However, I think it's a very worthwhile investment in the long run.

amother

Mon, Oct 27 2014, 10:49 pm

Mom of a hearing impaired child here: My son had chronic fluid and ear infections. We did tubes at a very young age, but they fell out twice, so we had to put them in three times, and eventually removed his adenoids. You would think I would condemn tubes, but I urge everyone who needs it to do it asap. Whenever my son's tubes were working properly we saw immeasurable improvement. At this young age every day that you wait is hindering an enormous amount of growth and development.

In fact, my son received hearing aids at a few months old, and just those few months of reduced hearing caused speech delays that took a long time to get him up to par.

To the poster who recommended a chiropractor: no. Absolutely not. When I was at my wits' end I tried a chiropractor for my son. We ended up with no improvement in the fluid and a traumatized child who refused to move his arm for the next few days.

with a smile :)

Tue, Oct 28 2014, 10:07 am

About a chiropractor - I was supposed to have tubes put in my ears as a child. While my mother was scheduling the appointment in the doctor's waiting room, another mother overheard her and suggested she try taking me to a chiropractor. She did and b"H the problem was resolved and the pediatrician confirmed there was no longer a need for surgery.

I have taken my own children to a chiropractor when they had chronic ear infections, and that b"H helped them as well.

I would caution however, to thoroughly check out the chiropractor. As with any medical professional, there are good ones and not so good ones. And make sure the one you go to deals regularly with children, not just that they are willing to see them. When my kids were adjusted, the gentle and softspoken chiropractor had them lie on my stomach, and while they were nervous (as they are with any physical exam), they were certainly not traumatized.

Before going into surgery, with all the risks that entails, I would definitely recommend going to a good (well-researched) chiropractor and seeing if he or she can help.

suzyq

Tue, Oct 28 2014, 10:23 am

My son had tubes put in about 3 months ago and it has made such a huge difference - in his speech, his behavior and his learning. I wouldn't put it off. When I spoke to a pediatrician who I trust greatly before making the decision about the tubes, she said that several months of infections and fluid is actually a really long time for a kid that age. I would do it if it's feasible.

shanie5

Tue, Oct 28 2014, 10:06 pm

I have never had a child who needed tubes, so I can't add to that discussion, but whenever my youngest dd has an ear infection, we go to the chiropractor and don't need any medication. My chiropractor specializes in babies and young children. It doesn't hurt to look into it for your child. Just carefully check into any you may decide to try.