Ohio12 Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 dd (age 5) had an ear infection and seemed to get better, but then could not hear very well. I would say she is hearing at about 60%. I took her to the MD and he said she had fluid built up behind the ear drum and all you can do is wait for it to go away, and if it doesn't, she will have to have tubes put in her ears. I got the diagnosis 3 days ago and I am already going crazy dealing with this. Anyone BTDT? How long would you wait? MD said maybe weeks! :bigear: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brigitte Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Our ped in CT suggested ibuprofen every 8 hours for three days (sticking very closely to the 8 hour schedule). That would hopefully reduce the inflamation in the ear enough to drain the fluid. In fact, this is what she had us do at the beginning of an ear infection before resorting to antibiotics. It is worth a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Dd has had this repeatedly now, and I've yet to come up with a better suggestion from anyone than Brigitte's. Poor thing, there have been 1-2 months each of the last 3 winters when she couldn't hear, and it was really very upsetting to both of us. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to have negatively impacted her speech, vocabulary or reading ability -- I'm truly amazed by that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 My son had fluid build up behind the ear drum but they didn't wait to see if it resolved. We had some bad doctors before this was found and my poor son had been living this way for about 2 years before they found the problem. The doctors always thought he had a speech problem (He was only 2 at the time it all started) Well turns out when we took our dd in for a well baby check up her wonderful new doctor said our son sounded funny and asked if he could check his ears. He told us he had fluid build up and had us get an appt to have his hearing tested. He was living with a 50% loss for 2 years at that point. They immediately set up and appt for tubes and the day after it was like a complete turn around. Our little son kept telling us we were being so loud, we weren't used to not having to almost shout for him to hear us. Things went well for the most part but his hearing has never returned to 100%. I don't want to scare you but I wouldn't wait to long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee22 Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 My ds had this problem and it was undetected until he was 18 months and not talking as he had never had an ear infection. It greatly effected his hearing. He has had three sets of tubes put in his ears. Having tubes put in is a pretty simple procedure and it instantly gave him his hearing back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmgconner Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Be diligent about getting the ears checked. I'm now recovered from a nasty ear infection, but it took about 4 weeks before the fluid completely drained and my hearing fully returned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Children's Mucinex. It may not eliminate the problem but it should help the body to drain things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herding Cats in NC Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 Yep, we've BTDT. Ds (now 10) was in K at the time, and in ps. In Jan. they did a tympanogram at school, and he failed it. Went to the ENT, he had 40% hearing loss. It was actually pretty scary, because if he wasn't facing you and you spoke to him in a normal voice, he couldn't hear you. His ears didn't drain, and in May they put tubes in. The ENT told me that the fluid was amber in color & thickened, and he reallly doubted that it could drain on its own at that point. At the same time, I had dd (now 8) checked. She was almost 4, and her speech wasn't very clear. Well, sure enough, she had fluid in her ears that wouldn't go away (I think hers is allergy related). Her hearing loss was only about 30%, but because of the speech delay, they did the tubes for her as well. The operations weren't a big deal, and what a huge difference! After the tubes, both kids would cover their ears when they flushed the toilet! And dd flew, I mean flew, through speech therapy that summer. It makes a big difference when you can actually hear the sounds you're supposed to make! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohio12 Posted April 12, 2008 Author Share Posted April 12, 2008 It was actually pretty scary, because if he wasn't facing you and you spoke to him in a normal voice, he couldn't hear you. quote] This sounds like my daughter, but I am the only one who seems to be upset about it (meaning dh and the ped are pretty laid back). I am going to try the ibprofen and Mucinex for a few days and then call the ped again. She actually seems even worse today and is kind of going into her own little world a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 The ENT's have this device they give the kids that is supposed to help them clear the fluid. Can she blow her nose? The device works similar to frequent nose blowing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Book Crazy Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 My ds recently went through this. I gave hime benadryl 3 times a day, for about a week, maybe a week and a half. That really helped clear it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohio12 Posted April 12, 2008 Author Share Posted April 12, 2008 A million thanks to all the responders! I am cautiously optimistic that dd is hearing more after just 18 hours on the ibuprofen and Mucinex. She is not 100%, but definitely better. She also had a soccer game this morning. I wondered if that got everything moving too. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 A million thanks to all the responders! I am cautiously optimistic that dd is hearing more after just 18 hours on the ibuprofen and Mucinex. She is not 100%, but definitely better. She also had a soccer game this morning. I wondered if that got everything moving too. Thanks again. When dd has had it, it has generally lasted 1-2 months before clearing up completely -- but it also has cleared up completely over time, no tubes. (I'm not saying tubes aren't sometimes a tremendous help -- they just weren't necessary in our case.) It's very upsetting to realize your child can't hear you, and I think it has impacted her personality somewhat (at least short-term), but there don't seem to be any lasting physical consequences. I hope your dd's ears clear up soon and both of you can relax. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DB in NJ Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 I have had fluid behind my ear drums for most of my life. Ear infections were a way of life for me as a kid. I had tubes so many times I've lost count. A decongestant should help dry it up. If not, go for the tubes. They make a world of difference, while they last. BTW, my condition was made worse by allergies. TERRIBLE allergies! I've had my hearing checked as an adult, and to my surprise, it's perfect. I have scars all over my ear drums from them bursting (one had completely blown apart; it grew back, but they were going to replace it with a plastic ear drum). I'm rambling now. Sorry! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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