Austin Area ENT Update and Homeopath requested?

387 Views 7 Replies 5 Participants Last post by teachermom, Sep 17, 2006

aprildawn

Discussion Starter · Aug 11, 2006

Hi. My dd2 who is 16 months old needs to see an ENT. she's had repeated ear infections for several months. Really, the infections aren't going away. We've tried abx as well as natural remedies. She's miserable, feverish, can't sleep, and, unfortunately, she needs to see a specialist.

Our FP recommended two drs. i want to know if you mamas know anything of them or can recommend someone else.

Jeffrey Kahn
Sawyer Noulin Connolly (not sure what order those names go in, hard to read the dr's writing)

We've tried everything already and I just want her to be better even if it means going to see a specialist which i'm not thrilled about.

thanks!

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tanyalynn

· #2 · Aug 14, 2006

I'm sorry I don't have any advice on an ENT, I have no experience there, but I have another thought. When you say you've tried natural remedies, have you tried a chiropractor or a doctor who does cranial-sacral work? If you have, I'm sorry I can't be helpful, but I wanted to mention it because a lot of folks have never heard that others have had good results this way.

My daughter hasn't had an ear infection in 2 years now, but she was only 6 mos old when we saw a doctor on Bee Caves who does cranial-sacral therapy, Dr. Jim Davis, and the ear infections stopped. So I don't really know if they would have continued, or been as bad as your daughter's sound, if I hadn't gone.

Good luck with getting recommendations on an ENT.

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WendyC

· #3 · Aug 14, 2006

Dr. Winegar did a surgey on my nose and I adore him! He did great work! Dr. Connelly (sp?) is with his practice and was highly reccomended by every LC I talked to consult about Ella's tied tounge. They both are fantastic - good luck!

See here: http://www.austinent.com/

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aprildawn

Discussion Starter · #4 · Aug 14, 2006

aha! Sawyer, Nowlin, and Connelly are three different doctors in the same practice!! thanks for mentioning dr connelly, wendyc.

as for seeing a chiropractor - it's in my plan. i think we're going to see the ENT to get their input. if they recommend surgery (esp other than just tubes -- like tonsils or adenoids out) we'll try the chiropractor first.

how many adjustments does a kid usually need to help their ears drain? our insurance won't cover chiropractic care. but with the money we've spent on co-pays for all these ear infections we could be paying for a chiropractor, so i think it's in our future. that, and if tubes will get her off constant abx and pain medication i'm in favor or it at this point. from what i understand the tubes themselves and the procedure aren't a big deal. tonsils out is another matter, though.

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tanyalynn

· #5 · Aug 14, 2006

We went to Dr. Davis about a half dozen times. And our insurance also didn't cover it (the fact that I think I saved them money by avoiding all those doctor visits and antibiotics is a rant for another day...). If I remember correctly, and this was ~2 years ago, I think the initial appointment was about $65 and each of the other visits was $45. When we went, the first visits were more frequent, and then they tapered off. I had to ask a bit to get more details about how it should taper off; he wasn't drawing it out (for more visits), I'm sure of that, but he didn't communicate a concrete plan to me in the way that I would have preferred at first--so then I asked, and we got on the same page.

I have another recommendation as well. We now have a chiropractor that we sometimes see, and in fact I'm going to take my 4mo son to him next week as an ear-infection preventative step (I had tons of ear infections as a child, so I was really worried when my daughter got her first at 5 mos, and now I want to see if I can avoid it altogether for my son), and he charges $63 for the initial visit for kids and $20 thereafter. His name is Dr. J. Brian VanWagenen, he's at 183 and McNeil. I like him a lot, and he's closer to me, I live in Cedar Park, so I want to see him first before making the trek down to Bee Caves. Dr. Davis also (actually mostly) practices Ayurvedic medicine, which wasn't really of interest to me, but he didn't push it or anything when I went to him and just asked about the cranial-sacral therapy he did with regards to my daughter's ear infections.

Do you know anything about the success rate of tubes? I ask because I know nothing. The only experience I have is anecdotal (one family, older 2 kids) who both had tubes put in, and I'm not sure if they stopped all the infections while they were in, but the tubes eventually fell out and both have had ear infections since then (the older is 6 and just got another ear infection a month or so ago). But I don't know if their experience is typical. Then again, I don't know if my experience of ~6 visits and no more ear infections for 2 years is typical either.

Good luck in your search for the treatment that works for your daughter.

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suzukiaustin

· #6 · Sep 10, 2006

are you dealing with any food allergies? you might want to look into doing an elimination diet to see if that helps.

good luck,

twyla

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aprildawn

Discussion Starter · #7 · Sep 13, 2006

Thanks to y'all for all the responses. We're getting tubes on Sept 26. I'm a little nervous, but after reading some threads here at MDC of mamas who eventually ended up with tubes in their kiddos I feel like we're doing the right thing.

However, by the time the surgery is completed she will have been on ABX for about 7 weeks straight. Can any of you recommend a good local homeopath? I'd like to consider seeing someone to help get her gut back to healthy(depends on cost and if insurance will cover it)

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teachermom

· #8 · Sep 17, 2006

there is a homeopath named nanette working thru birthwise birth center (on st. johns's) she took over for tria milo who was a wonderful practiner here before she moved.

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