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Ear Infections & Ear Tubes

When I was pregnant with my first child, I only worried about getting through birth. I didn't worry about all the things that would come after. Long nights, colic, ear infections and more.

All three of my children had terrible ear infections just a few months after they were born, which was hard to watch. Today I'm partnering with Dell Children's Medical Center to share our experience with our children getting ear tubes there. For those who are considering tubes, this post could be very helpful!


It was around two months old when all three of my kids started having ear infections. Month after month they would get a runny nose, cold, and end up with an ear infection. It was hard to watch, and I hated having to put them on antibiotics so every month. It's a bit foggy, but I believe around the fifth or sixth ear infection we were referred to an ENT.

Our trusted ENT recommended tubes for all three of my children so we decided to proceed with surgery at Dell Children's Medical Center.

WHY TUBES?
Tubes are a temporary solution that works to ventilate the middle ear which diminishes the frequency and severity of ear infections and allows any fluid to drain on its own. After age 8, kids' own Esustachian tubes, have fully developed and can do their job properly. About 8% of kids need a second round of ear tube surgery. Turner and Whitney have had tubes once, and Walt had tubes twice and his adenoids were removed.


WHAT TO EXPECT DURING SURGERY:
It only takes about 10-15 minutes for the actual surgery, and your child will not be admitted overnight. As a parent it's always scary putting your child under general anesthesia but the doctors at Dell Children's were extremely thorough and walked me through each step. During surgery the surgeon makes a tiny incision with a small scalpel or laser, suctions out the fluids from the middle ear, and inserts the tube in the hold in the eardrum.

AFTER THE PROCEDURE:
After surgery, they were brought back to me in the outpatient area where I gave them a bottle. The nurses and doctor came back to check vitals, walk me through how the surgery went and discuss next steps. My kids were groggy from the anesthesia and were off their normal sleep schedule the rest of the day. However they were ready to play just a few hours later. My kids didn't experience any pain after, but if they do, over-the-counter medications work just fine. It's fine for them to take baths, but it's recommended to wear ear plugs if they are swimming in lakes or oceans.
Most tubes stay in place about a year; as the eardrum grows, it lifts the tube out into the ear canal and falls out. Hmmm...I wonder where all those tiny ear tubes are in this world, haha (they are the size of a grain of rice)!

Photos by Angela Doran 

Most tubes stay in place about a year; as the eardrum grows, it lifts the tube out into the ear canal and falls out. Hmmm...I wonder where all those tiny ear tubes are in this world, haha (they are the size of a grain of rice)!

I'm so thankful for the knowledgeable and caring staff at Dell Children's Medical Center and their high quality facilities. My children had the best care, and I'm grateful we got the surgeries when we did because it prevented many trips to the doctor!

This post was sponsored by Dell Children's Medical Center, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

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