Recurring Ear Infections-What To Do
I am officially over ear infections! Sayle got his first ear infections in January 2010 and has managed to get double ear infections every month this year; that’s 10 ear infections total! While I can appreciate consistency in most forms, I am tired of them ailing my poor Sayle!
January’s Ear Infections-Started with a cold and a low grade fever. The next day his right eye was very runny, he was fussy, and his cold got worse giving him a crusty runny nose. The pediatrician informed me he had a “bulging” ear infection in his right ear (runny eye side) and a really bad ear infection in the left ear. We were given Amoxicillin and Pediahist DM.
February’s Ear Infections-This month we didn’t have a runny eye, but we did have a screaming fussy baby with a runny nose and a very high fever. He was also pulling at his ear. I initially thought he was teething, but when the fever spiked I took him to the doctor ASAP. Sayle’s right ear was still very infected, but not “bulging” and his left ear was still minorly infected. This month I was introduced to Omnicef instead of Amoxicillin since the doctor felt that his earlier infections never truly cleared up. I was also introduced to crazy red poop, which is a side effect of Omnicef.
March’s Ear Infections-This month Sayle caught a bad cold from daycare and then got the ear infections. The minute his eye started running and he started pulling his right ear I took him to the pediatrician. This month the pediatrician said and I quote “Oh yes, his ears are tore up” and wrote me another prescription for Omnicef. I asked her if tubes were in our future since Sayle had ear infections every month thus far, but she informed me she didn’t really feel that tubes were the way to go quite yet.
April’s Ear Infections- The pollen was bad during the beginning of April, which did not help to keep the ear infections away. Sayle still had a runny nose (which could have been allergies) and was pulling his right ear. This time our pediatrician prescribed Azithromycin, which is basically a baby Z-pack. She informed us that tubes may be in our future if this antibiotic did not clear the infections up.
May’s Ear Infections-I took Sayle in for a regular check up and informed our pediatrician that he had been fussy for two days. She looked in his ears and sure enough-double ear infection, but this time the infection is not bad. He didn’t show any signs of a possible ear infection this month besides being fussy. We have Azithormycin this time since it appears to work the best. Getting tubes may still be a possibility for Sayle, but the pediatrician would like to see if the warm weather keeps the colds and sinus problems that she thinks has been causing the ear infections away.
After looking at ear infections with various symptoms for the past five months, I’m really inclined to just ask for tubes. I trust my pediatrician’s judgement and I would like to avoid surgery if possible, but this is obviously an on going pattern and I’m worried about possible hearing loss.
What has been your experience with ear infections and did they result in tubes?
[...] The last time I blogged about ear infections was in May and Sayle had double ear infections every month at that point, bringing his total to TEN ear infections. I also broke down all his symptoms and the antibiotics he was on so if you’re looking for a nice outline of what to look for or expect with ear infections, go here. [...]