Ear tubes - yay or nay

amother

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 4:19 pm

My 2 yo old has fluid in his ears for quite a while already. No ear infections, bh. His hearing is not 100% and he isn't speaking well. ENT said he's a good candidate for tubes, but I could wait a bit and see what happens. Anyone done it and can give any advice? Pros and cons?

abs

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 4:21 pm

I say not to wait. It’s an easy procedure and makes a world of difference. No more infections and the kid can hear!

amother

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 4:23 pm

abs wrote:

I say not to wait. It’s an easy procedure and makes a world of difference. No more infections and the kid can hear!

I just edited to say that he bh has not had any ear infections (quite surprisingly), but his hearing is being impacted by it. It's not getting any worse, actually improved very slightly, but still not good.

Has your child had it done?

amother

Birch

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 4:24 pm

My daughter also never had infections but often at visits the doctor said she has fluid. We did tubes and I would for sure recommend it. Her speech cleared up immediately and there were no negative effects.

amother

Brown

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 4:26 pm

If it's affecting his hearing and speech you should do it- easier than speech therapy for the next bunch of years.

yiddishmom

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 4:29 pm

My son got ear tubes - but he had frequent infections and busted ear drums.

The actual procedure took maybe 3 minutes. The worst part is the anesthesia.

It made a world of a difference.

I heard the same from other parents regarding fluids which caused hearing/ speech issues.

If he is 2 years old already, I don't see why waiting any longer will help.

Hatzlacha!

amother

Steelblue

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 4:30 pm

As an OT dealing with children, you definitely should treat asap. If a child can’t hear well it can affect various aspects of your child’s development. You definitely should take care of it. It’s a pretty simple procedure.

amother

Dustypink

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 4:30 pm

I would not wait. Fluid in the ears isn't comfortable & can also effect the balance.

amother

Steelblue

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 4:30 pm

cupcake123

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 4:40 pm

Definitely do it if he can't hear! This age is the opportune time for language development.
My son got tubes it took very quick and was no biggy

abs

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 4:43 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Has your child had it done?

I did it for 2 children. One is an adult now and one a teenager. The older one was done at 11 months but they fell out when child was 6. The younger one needed the procedure a few times, but hearing was definitely compromised and needed it badly. (also took out tonsils and adenoids)

amother

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 4:46 pm

Thank you all.

I'm concerned about the few risks the Dr explained to me (which I understand, all are pretty rare). First is the general anesthesia, but he's young and I think he'll be fine. The next thing is if the tubes don't come out on their own. And last, of him g-d forbid being left w a hole in his ear drum.

amother

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 4:47 pm

abs wrote:

This is what my fear is. Your Dr was ok leaving them in that long? My Dr said they usually come out within 12 mos, but if they don't, they wait approx 3 yrs to remove them.

amother

Chambray

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 4:48 pm

Yes asap. Dd also just had fluid effected her spch big time...upset we didn't do it sooner. Still struggling with her speech. Its such a minor procedure that really helps.

abs

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 4:50 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

This is what my fear is. Your Dr was ok leaving them in that long? My Dr said they usually come out within 12 mos, but if they don't, they wait approx 3 yrs to remove them.

They kept an eye on it, but they did their job- better than sibling who needed multiple procedures. It was almost 20 years ago but I do remember the 2nd tube being handed to me one morning when it finally came out.

esuss

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 4:54 pm

My son had similar story to yours and we should have done it way earlier than we did. Dr recommended waiting since it was end of winter when found. But at the end didn’t clear up and had to do it over the summer. First set fell out too early and had to do it a second time. They’re fell out and he had some scarring on his ear drums that caused minor hearing loss which improved as he got older. He is now older with perfect hearing.

The procedure takes about 10 minutes tops. So risks from anesthesia is minimal.
He had his adenoids removed with the second set.

amother

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 4:56 pm

So I hear everyone telling me to do it asap. My plan was to wait and follow up in 6 weeks, as per drs instructions. I'm also having him evaluated for speech. Is that a dumb plan? He's already 24 mos, I can't see that another month would make that much of a difference.

Something tells me I'm gonna end up doing it, I just need to know that I checked out every other option first.

amother

Canary

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 5:01 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Whats your alternative plan? Have you tried Claritin? Chiropractor? Eliminating gluten and dairy? What are you doing to try to clear the fluid?

amother

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 5:06 pm

amother [ Canary ] wrote:

Whats your alternative plan? Have you tried Claritin? Chiropractor? Eliminating gluten and dairy? What are you doing to try to clear the fluid?

Yes. For about 2 weeks, didn't help. It's not a majorly significant about of fluid, which is why my Dr said it sounds ok to wait and monitor it. I'm hoping maybe it will clear up on its own.

amother

NeonPink

Tue, Dec 21 2021, 6:23 pm

It was a game changer for my kids that did it and for some of my nephews. Their speech skill improved drastically. It also changed their personalities, they became much more confident and outgoing.