My Experience With Child Ear Infections and Tubes: What to Expect

Ear infections and little kids tend to go hand-in-hand. Your child may be in and out of the doctor frequently and on antibiotics. If this sounds like your child, you may be thinking he or she needs ear tubes, or your pediatrician has recommended them. My daughter, Nini, had to get tubes in her ears earlier this year. I'm going to share my experience with you so you can have an idea of what to expect.

Nini, has had many ear infections in her first two years. It got so bad, she basically had an ongoing ear infection for three months. She had been on four or five types of antibiotics over those months without success. Nini's pediatrician recommended we see an Ears, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Specialist.

The ENT determined Nini would need tubes. The procedure was explained to me as a surgery where a small part of the skin is cut open in the ear, then a tube is inserted. The tubes help drain the infection and decrease chances of future infection. The word "surgery" was scary, but I was reassured the actual procedure would take about five minutes. The longest part is putting the child under anesthesia and waking up.

Nini's surgery was very early in the morning. I was told that generally surgeries for children this young are done early for convenience. You are not allowed to give the child food or drink the night before, so doing the surgery early makes it easier on little ones. In fact, that was one of the hardest parts of the whole prep for surgery. Nini really wanted food and was upset about not getting any.

Nini being prepped for surgery 

 I brought Nini to the surgical center about two hours before the procedure. I filled out paperwork and talked to several people about the procedure. Everyone was really nice and calmed any nerves I had. They even let Nini take her favorite stuffed animal to the operating room. Once she was back in the operating room, the procedure seemed to go really fast.

When Nini was brought back to me, she was groggy and fussy, but doing well overall. I was instructed to give Nini pain meds, like Tylenol and Ibuprofen over the next few days, and put prescribed medical ear drops in her ears. I was also told some bleeding in the ears after surgery was normal.

Getting tubes is an outpatient procedure, so within a a half hour after Nini was out of surgery, we returned home. For the rest of the day, Nini was lethargic and a little fussy, but she seemed to be feeling more normal by the end of the day. What surprised me most was how fast she bounced back post-op.

Since the tubes were inserted, I have noticed a big difference in Nini's ears. Her ear infections have been far less frequent, and we have not had nearly as many trips to the doctor. When she does have ear infections, it is a lot easier to tell because green or yellow fluid with a fowl odor leaks from her ears. It usually clears up on its own.

Nini got tubes about six months ago, and she's only needed medical intervention one time. Instead of antibiotics, she had to have the ear drops again. The ear tubes are supposed to fall out on their own six months to three years after they are inserted. Ear tubes made me nervous, but they've made a world of difference for Nini. She gets sick less frequently and is generally happier.

If your child has many ear infections and you think he or she needs tubes, rest assured it is a relatively simple procedure. It may seem extreme, but many kids need it, and it helps a lot. My experience is not exactly the same as others, but hopefully it helps as a a general guideline.

Do you have experience with ear infections or tubes in your kids' ears? Let me know about it in the comments.

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