HELP with info on ear tubes, large tonsils and adenoids.

[Yulia_R]

Just got home, the kids had an appointment with an ear specialist. We’ve noticed that our daughter sometimes asks us to repeat what we said. So we made an appointment for her. Her hearing test showed hearing problems due to fluid behind both ears. After the test we saw the doctor. He said that our son also has some fluid behind his right ear but not too bad and maybe it’s just due to the cold he’s going through at the moment. So the doctor suggested waiting it out and seeing him again in few months.
Our daughter, however (she is almost 3.5yo), has been having her fluid for at least three months behind both ears (apparently when the fluid stays there for a long time it becomes thick and rarely resolves on its own). She also has been always a noisy breather and the doctor thought that the reason for that was her having large tonsils and adenoids. AND the doctor thought that her large tonsils/adenoids are the reason for the fluid in her ears. Of course the doctor jumped straight to the surgery option (ear tubes, plus while she is under removal of her tonsils and adenoids). My husband like always got all panicky and wanted to make a decision right there and then. I refused to make any decisions until we both do a very thorough research on the subject and also until we talk to her very holistically minded pediatrician. Even without any research I know that ear tube surgery has its risks (including 5% of ruptured ear drum and tonsils and adenoids are part of the immune system and removal of them without a very good reason would be a mistake). So please mamas, I need your help. What do you think of ear tubes? About her large adenoids and her large tonsils removal while she is under? Do you know of any homeopathic remedies that can be helpful to make the fluid thin again (so it’d come out on its own)? Any good links/studies would be greatly appreciated.
yulia

[kjbrown92]

Have you already taken dairy out of her diet?

[Yulia_R]

Originally Posted by kjbrown92

Have you already taken dairy out of her diet?

we do raw organic dairy/butter.

[kjbrown92]

Personally, I'd remove all dairy first (number 1 intolerance, and big on ear infections and fluid in ears). My DS had enlarged adenoids and was a big snorer. Our ped said he wasn't going to do anything about them until I had his food intolerances under control. After the trigger foods were removed (milk was a huge one, but he had others as well) he stopped snoring and his adenoids went back down to normal. I'm glad that our ped thought of that....

[StephandOwen]

I've seen a few threads about this topic on here over the years, and most people suggest removing allergens/elimination diets/etc.

My ds had dozens of ear infections between a couple months old and 4 years old. Too many to even count. He had constant fluid in his ears. We got tubes put in his ears 2 years ago and he did GREAT! He's only had one ear infection since then (when one of his tubes was starting to fall out). One tube has since fallen out, and he's had some fluid in that ear since the tube fell out, but no ear infections.

DS is getting his tonsils and adenoids removed this Friday. His tonsils and adenoids have always been huge (almost touching when not ill, touching and blocking his airway when he does get ill) but in addition to that he has had strep constantly (6 times in the last 12 months, which is about average for him for the last few years). He also has obstructive sleep apnea, which is really interfering with his sleep and his awake time. While he is under for this surgery the doctor may put an ear tube back in, if that ear has fluid in it.

[justKate]

DD is younger than yours, but she had constant fluid from about 5-9 mos. We saw an ENT who recommended tubes, but decided to "watch and wait." In the meantime, I eliminated dairy from both of our diets (later replaced with goat milk for her), started using the nose frida (snot sucker) every evening when she had signs of a cold (after a warm bath), and used peroxide in her ears from time to time if they seemed irritated (not "natrual" I guess, but hey...)

No ear infections since and reduced fluid. Would you consider waiting a little longer? Do you feel like her speech is behind? I'm concerned about DD's speech development, but the research I did leads me to believe that the impact is not really significant. I had a good link to an article at one point, I'll try to find it for you. Good luck with your decision!

ETA: here's one article. The full text is available in PDF for free in the upper righthand corner.

[Yulia_R]

Update:

thank you mamas!

We talked with my daughter's ped on the phone today and came up with a plan of action:

for one month we will do:
-dairy free diet
-homeopathic decongestant (to make the fluid thin)
-chiropractor (to help the fluid to drain)
-allergy testing
We will see the pediatrician in one month, will keep my fingers crossed

[BethSLP]

Sounds like a good plan, but I would give it at least 6 weeks dairy free. Also eliminate soy (as 50% of people with dairy allergy also have problems with soy).

We did this with DD and it was a miracle cure for her. She had huge tonsils, rampant ear infections, and a sleep study showed a mild apnea from snoring. She stopped snoring the day after we took away dairy. It was remarkable.

XOXO
B

P.S. I'd caution anyone to avoid surgery at all costs. General anaesthetic in children under 3 is now being linked to lifelong memory problems. eek.

[Yulia_R]

thanks you!

[annasmom]

adenoids

Last winter after introducing solid foods and milk products in food items like pancakes, my daughter became congested. It took me about 4 months to put it together, but as soon as I eliminated dairy the problem went away.
Flash forward one year...she got a cold and has been mouth breathing ever since...about 4 months. Still no diary...but I do eat dairy and she is still breastfed.
I'm suspecting adenoids and was wondering if anyone has used homeopathy? Also, could allergy testing be helpful? We have to pay out of pocket so I am trying to decide if it will be worth it.
I also removed eggs from her diet as of yesterday since they were a problem when she was a baby.
How long to see a difference? When I removed dairy from her diet (but not mine) it was a pretty quick change.

Thanks

[tanyalynn]

DD's tonsils got smaller after we removed gluten and dairy, for her I think dairy was the bigger problem, but it took a month to see that change. I saw other things improve first, this was the last change for us.