Confusion Over Ear Tubes

My son has had the same set of ear tubes since he was about 15 months old. He’s now 3 1/2, so it’s shocking that they’re both still in and doing their job. Before the tubes he had chronic ear infections, water in his ears and balance problems. It was also affecting his speech. Our doctor said it was basically like he was living under water.

I’m not one to over medicate my kids, and I definitely did not want to put my toddler under anesthesia, but I have an amazing pediatrician and she strongly suggested getting the procedure done. After doing my own research and getting a second opinion, we decided that it was a good option for him.

Since getting tubes in and adenoids out, he has had a total of TWO ear infections. Also, it was amazing how much better his balance got within a week after the surgery.

One of those ear infections happened last week. We’ve been swimming constantly, so I assumed it was Swimmer’s Ear, but no, it was an inner ear infection. Still the tubes were doing their job by flushing out the infection. Ew. We’ve been having to wash pillows daily at our house. Better out than in, though, right?

Anyways,  while doing my nightly NPR App browsing on my iPhone, I came across this article and thought it was very helpful for those who either have a kid with tubes, or are considering it.

The main thing I took from it was that children with tubes DO NOT need to wear plugs when swimming. I’ve gotten conflucting reports on that.

It’s also important to note that chronic ear infections aren’t the only reason to get tubes, so don’t rush into it. As always, inform yourself and it’s ok to question your pediatrician. If they’re a good one, they’ll have the answer and won’t mind talking to you about it.