Helen is five months old and she's on her fourth ear infection. She had one at two weeks and had to get antibiotic injections!

The doc wants to treat this with a normal course of antibiotics and and then follow it up with one slightly smaller dose a day until cold season is over. This means she will be on a small dose of antibiotic until April.
Any experience with this? positive or negative opinions?

I'm not real comfortable wth her being on antibiotic this long. I'm afraid she'll just develop a resistance to it. At the very least, she's sure to develop a yeas infection no matter how much acidophillis and lactobacillis i give her.

Ame

By Hlgmom on Friday, February 25, 2005 - 11:14 pm:

Are you nursing? Just wondering? I had a lot of ear probs as a kid- tubes and the whole nine yards. My niece had frequent ear infections and my sis had the same worries as you in terms of antibiotics...so she chose to not treat some of them. Not saying its what you should do- just letting you know what she did. She is 6 now and no ear probs. The ped was saying if she got anymore then they would want to talk about tubes and so she just started letting them run their course. All kids are different and I am not even sure I agree with no treatment. Did he offer any other options? Did you voice your concerns about being on antibiotics that long?? Some peds are more "drug happy" than others. My first one was not into drugs at all and now that we have moved my new one is much more so! It is a hard decision because we want them to feel better! I feel for you! Hope she is feeling better soon! Sorry so long!!!

By Kaye on Friday, February 25, 2005 - 11:34 pm:

I do have some experience in this. Only I let my dd go for 9 months before I got tired of the non ending drugs. Switched docs and things got better soon. First, why is your dd getting ear infections? This is not normal. It is normal if htey get sick that it settles into their ears, but what is causing the sickness? Is she in day care? Do you have another child that is bring home lots of stuff? If that answer is NO, then honestly you are probably looking at an allergy? My new ped ran a blood test called an IG series, it was an arm prick, it tested her immune system. It was very low, but one of the tests came back slightly high, this was an allergy indicator. We took her to a specialist, they did some pricks and found she was allergic to soy and corn (can you say all bread and all formulas) we completly overhauled her diet for 3 months and she was a new kid. Actually she had just finished an antibiotic at 9 months, got her next ear infection at age 2 and then only other one was at age 10. Now she is not a sickly child and has no allergy issues. But when they are that small and building their immunity if they have any sensitivities (boy that looks spelled wrong), then it can send their whole system off. Anyway, I highly encourage you to look into that route instead of surgery. The tubes very rarely treat the cause, but changed the effect the fluid has. If you are breast feeding you can alter your diet. Also if you are leary on allergy testing, start asking family what they are allergic to, they tend to be hereditary. My grandmother actually has the exact same ones as my dd.

By Vicki on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 07:34 am:

The way ear infections were explained to me is the tube in babies ears lays almost flat. Fluids in the ear can't drain because it is flat. That is why either tubes are put in or as babies grow and that tube grows, it eventually slants and the fluid is able to drain. Dd had tons of ear infections as a baby. She wasn't sickly or allergic to anything, just had tons of ear infections. She got tubes at 11 months old and has never had another ear infection and she is 10. Because of insurance regulations, peds have to try several medications, several times before tubes can be recommended. Dd did do the course of low dose antibiotics and it did work while she was on them, but as soon as she went off, there was another one. I would never not treat and ear infections. It can damage the ears as well as cause hearing loss and speech issues. Oh, dd has never had any type of drug resistance issues from being on them so much as an infant. Actually since she has gotten past ear infections, I could probably count on one and a half hands the number of times she has been on one...and that was from strep!!

By Reds9298 on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 08:10 am:

Just out of curiosity are there smokers in your house? I had tons of ear infections as a child, no tubes or anything, but my own current dr. told me that cigarette smoke is a major cause of ear infections in children. My parents both still smoke and to this day when I go to their house and stay for the day or so, my ears ache like crazy. Just something I've been told. (i know there are lots of kids in smoke-free homes who have ear infections, too!)

By Debbie on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 09:35 am:

My ds started getting ear infections when he was about 12 months. He was getting one every month. My ped. did the low does of antibiotics. It has been awhile, but if I remember correctly, the main reason for constant ear infections is because of the shape of the canal in the ear. In some children it is not developed completely, so the fluid from an ear infection or allergies, etc, sits in the canal and takes a long time to drain. My ped said that it was taking weeks for the fluid in my ds ears to drain. This causes constant ear infections because the fluid is a breading ground for bacteria. The long dose of antibiotics is to allow the fluid to drain and then hopefully stop the infections. Ds did not have an ear infection while he was on the antibiotics and for a few months after. Then they started again and just wouldn't go away. We were referred to an ENT and ds got tubes at age 2. He only had one ear infection after that. The tubes allow the fluid to drain and they fall out when the child grows and the canal developes. If I had to do it again, I probably would not have done the low dose of antibiotics, it just prolonged ds from getting the tubes. I would have pushed harder to have him referred to an ENT. However, my ds was a lot older then your dd is now. So, I am not sure what I would do in your situation. I think your dd might be too young for tubes.

By Cat on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 09:44 am:

Robin got his first ear infection at two weeks. He didn't have much ov a problem again until he was about 3 1/2, then he'd get them constantly. He'd do two weeks of antibiotics, then two more weeks of fluid remaining, then back on antibiotics because the infection was back. We did preventive antibiotics for about four months and then he still ended up with tubes because the fluid just wouldn't go away and it was affecting his hearing (doc said his hearing was like he was underwater all the time). He had a set of tubes when he was 4 that stayed in for about a year and then a second set when he was 6 1/2 that stayed in for almost two years.

Randy got constant infections (bad ones!) from about 1 year until about 22 months. I always found it odd that they mysteriously dissapeared when he finally weaned from nursing. On that note, I might try holding Helen a little more upright when you're feeding her. It couldn't hurt, and may help. Good luck and hug that little baby for me! Ear infections are no fun. Hugs to you, too, Mom!

By Kaye on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 11:02 am:

You are right on the shape of the eustatian tubes causing fluid to sit there and then get infected. What my doc was saying is we address that often, but we never seem to ask, "why is there fluid?" There is something causing that fluid, it isn't normal. This is why allergies came into play for us. My dd actually is my healthy kid now, her allergies were very very minor, i did not notice a runny nose. I did notice that she always had an ear infection, and she did tend to "Catch" things she was exposed to. But if you have a friend over that has strep, it doesn't ever dawn on you that she wouldn't get it. Anyway, my point is there was no indicator to me that she was having an allergic response, because I did not realize that fluid in the ear was that response. Tubes would have worked for us too, the fluid would have been drained, but by elimating some foods from her diet we were able to skip surgery and still solve the problem. Tubes are sometimes the only answer, but it is surgery and there can be complications, I certainly wouldn't push it unless I had exhausted all options.

By Jann on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 12:15 pm:

It's so very important to the developement of their hearing and speech that the fluid is cleared out of their ears, so staying on the antibiotics while scary is beneficial. The fluid causes them to ear similar to if you were to cover and uncover your ears with your hands. They will miss various sounds in words.

By Vicki on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 12:31 pm:

Just some info I found that might help you:


FLUID IN EARS OTITIS

Report #7264
Research shows that recurrent ear infections in young children may be successfully treated with erythromycin antibiotics.

Your inner ear is full of air and is connected to the outside through the eustachian tube that opens into the back of your mouth. Young children have narrow eustachian tubes that can close and fill with fluid that causes ear pressure and pain. If your doctor sees fluid causing the ear drum to bulge outward, he knows that the eustachian tube is closed and often prescribes antibiotics and a cortisone-type nasal spray. Antihistamines do not open eustachian tubes. Doctors sometimes remove tonsils and adenoids or give allergy injections, but these treatments have an extraordinarily high failure rate. Making a hole in the ear drum and inserting a tube can help relieve the pressure, but then the child isn't allowed to go swimming.

Since the eustachian tube enlarges as a child grows, the tube usually opens by itself in time and it is rarely necessary to perform surgery. However, if the doctor feels that fluid in the drum can interfere with a child's hearing or school work or that permanent damage in possible, it is reasonable to relieve this pressure by punching a hole in the ear drum and inserting a tube to keep it open.

The research shows that the buildup of fluid in the inner ear is probably caused by inactive cilia, the small hairs that line the eustachian tube and sweep fluid toward the mouth. Erythromycin antibiotics stimulate the cilia, remove fluid from the inner ear and help to relieve the discomfort. If further studies confirm the present ones, doctors will use erythromycin antibiotics for several weeks and months to treat fluid buildup in a child's ears.

By Debbie on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 03:22 pm:

I forgot to mention, one of the main reasons they put tubes in ds's ears was because of his hearing. They tested him and he was hearing at 1/2 the level that he should have been. He was having problems with his speech because he wasn't hearing properly. Within the first month of having the tubes, he went from just saying a few words(and they were hard to understand) to talking non-stop.

By Amecmom on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 06:51 pm:

Thanks to all of you! I gave her a big hug from you, Cat.

Okay, to answer some of the questions, I am not nursing, no one smokes, she eats upright and is held upright after she eats for at least 15 minutes because she suffers from GERD. I think the ear infections are actually a result of the GERD (The reflux pooling in the back of her throat and going into her eustachen tubes).

She gets them with a runny nose. I wonder if I'm not helping them along by using the saline drops. I hope I'm not causing the fluid buildup by putting the saline into her.

My son, who is three, is in pre-school. He brought home a cold. Depite antibacterial wipes and staying away from Helen, she developed cold symptoms two or three days later (this has been the pattern since she I brought her home from the hospital). Two days after that, she seemed uncomfortable sucking, so I took her to the doc, who diagnosed a double ear infection. He said he would not recomend keeping her on antibiotic until the end of cold season if this were September, but since April is so close, he believes this to be the best course of action.

My son had a nasty ear infection when he was about 8 months. On and off, he had a recurrence until he was almost a year. The doc was going to put him on an oral steroid to dry up the fluid, but that was not necessary. The last, very strong antibiotic, in combination with me keeping him away from play groups for a few months did the trick. He does have a speech delay, but I think that's related to an oral motor issue, rather than a hearing issue. He's had hearing tests which were perfect.

I'm glad to hear there were no resistance issues with the low dose antibiotic. I think I will mention allergy testing, though I'm pretty sure this is cold related or GERD related.

Kay, I absolutely knnow what you 're saying. The root cause is the fluid build up. Prevent the build up and you prevent the infection. Unfortunately, you don't always know why the fluid is building up. I'm going to contact the pediatric gastro to see if they can put her on something that will empty her stomach faster so that perhaps she won't have so much stuff coming up and sitting in the back of her throat.

Vicki, that's a great article. I didn't realize the antibiotic micht actually help get rid of the fluid build up.

Antihistamines don't open the eustachen tubes, but they do have an overall drying effect, so there's less of a chance of fluid build up.
So, next month, we try Benadryl.

All in all, she's been pretty good. Not very fussy and a good sleeper. I'm using a great homeopathic med called childrens earache relief which helps a lot.

Thanks again for all the input and advice!

Ame

By Jann on Saturday, February 26, 2005 - 07:41 pm:

When my kids were little (and even now) my pediatrician was adamant that I NOT give them anything that would dry up their runny noses/colds. He felt it was better to let them run. He felt that drying them up lead to ear infections. I honestly don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but my kids never had an ear infection and they are 11 and 16 now.