My daughter had so many ear infections by the time she was 15 months, that I stopped counting at twelve.  I spent so many nights sleeping sitting up in a recliner with my daughter sleeping in my arms, because she could not lay down with the ear infection pressure and pain. She had her first ear infection at two months and continued having them until they were not healing in between antibiotics treatments, and she was quickly becoming immune to all antibiotics. I am someone who only takes antibiotics when it is absolutely necessary, and my daughter was on them so much she was becoming immune. I had to do something!

We got an appointment to see our pediatricians favorite ENT Doctor and had her hearing tested and a consultation.  The ENT recommended we get her tubes because she thought she was a perfect for the procedure and that her life could be improved.   We asked tons of questions, did the research, and weighed the pro’s and cons of the the surgery for tubes.  We were worried about my daughter having complications and having to be put under during the process of the surgery.

I did not only consider tubes and antibiotics, I also was looking into alternative therapies.  I researched elevated sleeping, chiropractic care, eliminating dairy, natural ear drops and massage but there were questions, difficulties and risks for each of them.  I was weighing my ear treatment options and was working at the high school career center at the time.  I  spoke to a 17 yr old who’s was sharing the story of why he wore two hearing aids.  He said his mother wanted to be natural and avoid surgery for tubes when he had chronic ear infections as a toddler.  He ended up needing hearing aides in both ears for the rest of his life, because of the significant scar tissue that formed, he only had 10 % hearing remaining in each of his ears.  His experience and lifetime disability helped me make up my mind quickly.

She was 16 months old when we arrived at Children’s Hospital day surgery center.  We had to arrive two hours in advance for her 10 AM appointment and she could not eat or drink anything before midnight the night before.   I chose to not eat or drink anything either, so I would know she felt and not be eating or drinking in front of her.  All she wanted was some milk and she was hungry and thirsty while we sat in the waiting room.  When we arrived we checked in, they put her in a little yellow gown and booties, and took a Polaroid picture of her with us.  I look at my face in that picture today, and I as so nervous.  We did everything we could to distract her from her hunger as she in the waiting room with the other little kids wearing the cute little yellow gowns, until it was her surgery time.  Jon and I carried her into a private room connected to the bright lights of the surgery area.  I held her on my lap and held her arms down while they blew bubbles and hooked her up to monitors, and put her to sleep with a sedation gas mask.  The creepiest part was feeling her body go completely limp.  I laid her on the wheeled hospital bed and they wheeled her away to surgery.  We went back out into the waiting room and watched the monitor nervously to see when her surgery status was changed to recovery.

The procedure took less than 15 minutes, and we were called back to the recovery area, told that when she woke up she might be really confused and scared.  She woke up and was a little wobbly, but she was fine, all she wanted was apple juice and graham crackers.  They observed her for a while and we were released before noon. We drove her home gave her Tylenol and were told to give her antibiotic drops in her ear for a week.  The rest of the day of the surgery she was normal, playing and she did not seem to have any ill effects from the tubes or the anesthesia.

Since that day she had only one ear infection, and with the antibiotic drops that we already had, it was healed within 24 hours.  No more pain, no agony, and she was able to sleep in her own bed that night. I had an ear infection about a year after her surgery as an adult and it hurt unbelievably bad, and I felt guilty for letting my child go 16 months with ear infections when tubes were such a fast fix to her pain.

Tubes changed our lives for the better, she could sleep at night, and she was not in pain anymore.  I don’t know if getting the tubes put in helped her to hear and speak because she was right there developmentally but she did start speaking clearly very soon after the surgery. I believe tubes are a wonderful way to improve a child’s quality of life.  If my son had ear infections like she did I would not hesitate at all to get tubes put in. If your child has chronic ear infections I would highly recommend speaking to an ENT and getting tubes to ease your child’s pain and avoid possible hearing damage.