Parents whos children have tubes in their ears.......?

Question

My son may possibly have to have tubes placed in his ears and I wanted to get some outsider information on how the procedure went for your child, anything you wish you would have known or done first and basically what to expect for a parental point of view, I already know the doctors expectations. Thank you

Answer 1

hi mom..i know this is so scary for you to think about your little one going into surgery...my son had ear tubes at 7 months old...i was scared to death...but the surgery was only five minutes...the doctor came back out like 15 minutes later said he was in recovery and i went in to see him he had his own private nurse in his own curtianed room...and she was rocking him...it made me feel so much better that she was one on one with my son and rocking him...she was a very caring nurse...he was really out of it and kept rolling his eyes...but they made me feed him a bottle of apple juice and he sucked it down and went right back to sleep...my sons ear bleed for about 4-5 days and i jus kept him on tyleonl...he did great...he only got one more ear infection after the tubes and never had another one for about 9 months now.,,they were the best thing i ever got him...he started eating again and sleeping and he was like a totally diff. baby...i thanked god he wasnt in ne more pain....so it a good thing if ur son has had non stop ear infections and really in the end it isnt that bad at all...all my prayers go out to you and your son...and i know he will be ok and so will u....good luck mom....

Answer 2

My son is 3 years old. He received his first set of tubes when he was 2 years old. The procedure only lasted about 10-15 mins. Then I had to stay in the hospital for another hour just to make sure everything was okay. When he came out of surgery he was very out of it and crying alot. He even threw up a few times. He had the tubes in his ears for a little over a year. Even with the tubes he had numerous ear infections. He received his second set of tubes in the beginning of January of this year. They pulled the old tubes out and placed the new ones in. He reacted alot better this time then the first time. He didn't cry as much, he was more aware, and he didn't throw up.

Just make sure you use ear plugs when your son baths or goes swimming. If it starts smelling like wet dog (that's what my son's ENT describes it) then take him to the doctor. It could be a possible ear infection.

Answer 3

My youngest daughter had them put in when she was 14 months old. The procedure was quite simple and total time from the time they took her till the time doctor came to get us was around 15 minutes. Of course she was a little drowsy and fussy because of the anesthesea but came out very quickly and was playing normally with her sisters within just a couple of hours.

Although the tubes have helped drastically with ear infections she still has gotten quite a few(she had them done 18 months ago and has had 7 infections since then)So don't be too alarmed if your son still ends up with an infection or two after the tubes are in. Doesn't happen often but it can still happen.

Answer 4

Two of my four children have had tubes. Both times, the procedure went well with no complications. My only complaint is that one of the tubes fell out of one child's ear only a month after the surgery. This happens sometimes & there's nothing a doctor can do to prevent it. The tube can either be left out or has to be put in again if infections are still recurring.

In both children, the tubes cleared up the infections. Neither child has a problem with ear infections anymore, whereas before, they each had them monthly!

Answer 5

Are the tubes for drainage following an infection? If they are, check the procedure carefully before allowing the surgery to proceed.

I know mine is an extreme case, but I had to have them inserted in both ears as a child. Now, 30 years later, I am left with only 45% (over both ears) of my hearing, due to scarred eardrums. The cause has been positively identified as having the drainage tubes inserted.

Obviously, though, surgical procedures have improved greatly over the last 30 years and your son may experience no ill-effects in later life.

If the procedure is performed, expect him to have a little pain in the ears and possibly a sore throat and stuffy nose for a few days (I did), otherwise, he will be as normal.

Answer 6

It's a really quick and easy procedure that won't take long at all. Waiting is what seemed to take the longest. My son was pretty fussy and not ready to "leave" mommy, so they gave him a medication to calm him down - after the medication, he was pretty drowsy. Once they took him back, the procedure only took about 15-20 minutes. Just be prepared, when my son woke up he was very disoriented and very very fussy - he cried A LOT. The staff told us it was because he fell asleep in one place and woke up in another. He also complained for a couple hours that his throat hurt, they dont put a tube down his throat, but it does go deep in their mouth....By that afternoon, he was pretty much back to normal - - you just have to be cautious to not get water in his ears. We haven't had one ear infection since the procedure was done 1 1/2 years ago. Good Luck!!

Answer 7

My son had tubes placed in both his ears when he was about a year and a half old. The whole procedure took about 30 minutes, the majority of it was prep stuff. The actual preocedure took about 10 minutes. We went in with him that morning, they had me change his clothes and put a gown on him. Then they asked me questions about his allergies and things like that. Then we went back out into the waiting room. They called us back to the door, the nurse took him back, then we waited. About 20 minutes later we were called back to the recovery room. He was still pretty drowsy and a little fussy. We sat there in the recovery for about 45 minutes, they had us givng him sips of apple juice from a juice box. Then we were allowed to take him home. He threw up once on the ride home, but anesthesia will cause that. After we got home, he was ok. He went about his day like normal. That was just our experience, I have heard of kids having a harder time when it comes to the recovery. They gave him a script for an antibiotic to take orally for a few days and some antibiotic ear drops for a few days. I thank God for my son having them put in. They have done a great job. Before the tubes were put in, we would spend at least 3-4 nights a week up with him crying with his ears hurting. They will give you a list of things to expect and things to look out for after the surgery. I wish him the very best & I hope that things go well for you and him!

Answer 8

Hello,
Although i am not a parent, i have 5 operations where they put tubes in my ears. It is not painful and it really helps. All i remember is that they put me to sleep and i saw my parents. When i woke up i was in a different room alone. I was fine. I had major problems with my ears, so that is why i had 5 operations. If the doctors say your son need surgery, do it. Tell your son you will be there everystep of the way. It will go fine. Good luck! Hope this helps some!

Answer 9

my son had tubes put in his ears a little over two years ago (he was five). We went in one mornig, the anistisioligst gave him a shot (which made him very silly, and gave him big pupils - that I remember vividly cause he really looked doped up), about fifteen minutes later they came in and took him into the operating room and a little while later - I think it was less then an hour, they came in and got us cause he had woken up and was in the recovery room. The nurses were really nice, he got to bring his lovey into the room with him and it was there with him when he woke up, they put an i.d. bracelet and everything on it (a bunny), I highly reccomend that if your son has one you bring it with too. Afterwards you need to put plugs in their ears when their head is going to get wet, bathing, showers, swimming, etc. you can have them specialy made to fit your childs ears (I didn't know this until after), talk to your doctor if this is the route you wish to take. Or you can get them at K-mart, walgreens, etc. OTC. He hasn't had an ear infection since he got them put in, if I rember right the first one fell out about a year after the surgary and the second one about a month later. I kept my son home from school the day that he had them put in, but I remember thinking that I really didn't need to, by the time we left the hospital, and had breakfast he was completly back to normal and could have very well went back to school. Every child reacts differently to being put under and the surgary though so take that into consideration as well. Best of luck to you, hopefuly everything goes well.

Answer 10

I only wish I had done it earlier. My daughter never had another ear infection.... Until last year she was doing a lot of swimming, and water got through her ear plugs and into the tube, causing an infection. We decided it's time to have them removed now (since she is 7) and will be swimming a lot this summer. They have done their job but just haven't fallen out yet. My doctor said if they haven't fallen out in 4 years to have them removed. Also, don't forget to take your child for regular visits to the EMT once he has them in. If the tube does get infected (as they do sometimes if water gets in them) they will catch it right away before things get too bad.

Answer 11

2 of my 5 had to have tubes and they didnt have any problems, they told me they might hurt for alittle bit but my kids never seemed to think so and the docs said they may throw up afterwards but mine never did. the tubes were the best thing that could have been done in my opinion, my first had an ear infection every month for the first year until the tubes and hes 8 now and never had another one, and my 2 year old had them before she was a year at my request cause she had 4 in like 5 months and i told them i wanted tubes in hers and she has never had another... hope this helps and good luck its really not that bad