Angry: my kid has to have 2nd surgery.

[OtisBlkR1]

Do i have a leg to stand on to be mad at my local ENT specialist ? (Ear, Nose,Throat).

My little boy (3 in January) is super prone to ear infections and gets them almost back to back in weather under 50 degree's.

Our NEW pediatrician sent us to a ENT, our old doc refused and just kept prescribing meds.

So the ENT recomended surgery and put in Tubes when my son turned 2.

Now 9 months later my boy is in near constant pain again with the weather dropping in temps, we took him to the doc and she says the (one) tube has moved and we need to return to the ENT.

Today, my boy goes to the ENT and the specialist says "We didnt think they would move but there are better one that we know for sure wont move, we will need to perform a second surgery to put the better tubes in...

I learn all this a few hours ago in a call from my wife.. im beyond angry ! why didnt they put "better" tubes in in the first place ? Now my son has to go through another surgery and we have to deal with the costs of another surgery.. Im mad.. im smoldering.. do i have a leg to stand on here.. is this normal ? is there sombody in the medical field (managment) i should complain to about this ? this whole situation stinks.. and the fact that my son is dealing with near constant pain from this moved ear tube just breaks my heart.

 

[Drew99GT]

http://www.nicholswebb.com/faq/medical-malpractice-faqs/

There is a good FAQ; if they knew of a better way to treat your son and admitted it, I'd want that in writing. Bottom line is it has to meet the definition of negligence to have any hope of a legal remedy.

Good luck. I'd be mad as heck.

 

[gfh77665]

First, very sorry about your son. I know how you feel, I raised 3 kids and my middle daughter had the same problem. With that said, just take a deep breath.

You don't know all the facts yet. PERHAPS the "better" tubes were not available at the first time? Or maybe your insurance didn't approve of a "better" tube and the Doc was constrained by this lack of approval? Or maybe there is some drawback to the "better" tube, but it is still called for only if necessary? I really doubt the Doc was out to slight you in some way.

Bottom line is that while serious, ear tubes are common and your son will emerge just fine. Thank God if thats the worst of health problems you experience with him.

 

[Dave Hess]

All surgeries has possible complications. Really nothing you can do if one of tubes moved slightly. The doctor did his best and your son's condition did improve initially.

 

[Sunnyinhollister]

What about getting a second opinion from a well known research/university hospital that specializes in pediatrics? I know out here we have Stanford's Children Hospital. What about Indiana University Health? I thought they were nationally ranked.

It's frustrating not being able to help a sick child. My oldest son went though the same thing for a period of time. Back then they used a daily antibiotic as a prophylactic. Now they don't do that - but it did work for him. Good luck.

 

[cdeason]

Tubes can move but rarely. Did you take your son to a pediatric otolaryngologist ? I would not use the surgeon that you have seen before. Go to a dedicated pediatric otolaryngologist, those extra years of training have benefits to your child.

 

[stockrex]

tubes are a quick procedure, tubes can fall off and heal naturally, so I would not get so mad, I would NOT go back to the same doctor.

my oldest had this and other UNNECESSARY tonsils/adenoids removed by not so ethical ENT doc.
when ever they are procedure happy, you should RUN and not walk. All they want is revenue and pay for the med school loan if young or mortgage on multimil manson.

with tubes you are not addressing the cause of the ear infections. have a throat culture done with a susceptiblity test done on the bacteria. more than 1 person might be infected.

 

[rjundi]

I would be frustrated too.

Is the Dr a peds. specialist? I am unsure about Indiana however surgery kids go to Boston Children's(50miles south) around here by default.

 

[SEMI_287]

I used to be like that until I was 9, tonsils were removed and I rarely get sick anymore. I would see another doctor, though.

 

[UNC151]

My middle son had chronic ear infections to the point of having tubes inserted when he was only 5 months old. When the first set was inserted, the ENT came out so quickly I thought something was wrong--but it was just the procedure only took a few minutes. He told me the material that he removed from inside the ear was the consistency of linguine. His adenoids were removed at the same time because they were so large, they interfered with his breathing while he was lying down and contributed to the ear infections.

Long story short, by the time he was about a year and a half old, the tubes had fallen out due to the ear drum growing and another set had to be inserted. Each child's growth pattern is going to be different and I am not sure that you should be "too angry" at this point. Tubes **will** move because the ear drum continuously grows in small children and the tubes will hit the edge of the ear canal and be pushed out.

Obviously, this may not be the case in every instance, but it seems to happen to with some frequency. I hope your son feels better soon.

 

[JimPghPA]

I know you can't envision it now, but some day in the distant future there will come a day when the tubes are removed from your child's ears, and will no longer be required. The real big picture with a child going through all of this is the ability of the child to hear properly when it is all over with.

I remember how a friend of mine was soo over joyed when I called his house and the ring of the phone woke his child. He said the ringing of the phone woke his child. To which I said "I'm sorry, I did not know he was sleeping." And he said "no, you do not understand, he has been having problems with tubes in his ears for a long time, and we just had the tubes removed, and now that the tubes have been removed, his hearing the phone is the first time I know that he can hear something.

BTW, I still remember how painful an ear-ake can be for a child. It is one of the worst pains a child can have.

 

[OtisBlkR1]

Im being told (mor indepth phone call) that the doc put in harder tubes and although rare, one has moved. The doctor wants to put in softer tubes now that he states will stay in for 2-3 years then fall out on there own..

Im skeptical of all of this.. But i honestly dont want my boy to have to endure more pain for longer.. and seeking out a second opinion or a second doctor to perform this second procedure.. Our small town of 60-70,000 only has so many ENT options, next closest is 80 miles away and im sure sure just getting a appointment for a initial consultation could take weeks.. thats not fair to my son to make him wait in pain.. Our local ENT told my wife he can get our boy back in before the 19th..

 

[bepperb]

I had tubes as a child. One of our kids had a few earaches over a couple months and I asked our pediatrician. He told me very few people do that anymore and it used to be more common.

Honestly, I think a humidifier helped more than anything. I believe that so much I bought a whole house humidifier. I will admit that the infections stop on their own at some point so any folk remedy would appear to work, though that would be true of tubes as well.

I would see another ENT. I don't think you have anything you can do about the level of service you received from the old one, but why not get another opinion on the table?

 

[tomcat27]

my boys both had tubes. the first ones had to be replaced after a year or two. I believe the first set were stainless steel, if that's possible. Tubes are not permanent. I'm not sure that I would be upset.

 

[GMBoy]

I am in my 40's and I still have tubes. The only thing that keeps my ears open and free from infections. Given that, I have had several sets of tubes. The regular style can last anywhere from a few months to a year. The more robust, and probably what the Dr will put in this time, is called a T tube. The look like a T and they anchor in better like a wall ancher. The set I have now are T tubes and they have been in there over 3 years.

The problem is..T tubes can leave more damage and scarring then regular round tubes. Also - the last 2 sets I had were done right in the office by the Dr using ear drops to numb me. Worked out great, 15 mins and less money. I have a VERY good ENT so maybe if your Dr cannot do an in office procedure you need a more skilled Dr?? But then again, young children are harder to keep still.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: gfh77665

You don't know all the facts yet. PERHAPS the "better" tubes were not available at the first time? Or maybe your insurance didn't approve of a "better" tube and the Doc was constrained by this lack of approval? Or maybe there is some drawback to the "better" tube, but it is still called for only if necessary? I really doubt the Doc was out to slight you in some way.



This is my guess. But ask questions... Get to the bottom of it.

Kids also grow, and sometimes not straight. Who knows the reason for the movement. May be a normal variant. The non-moving ones may be more severe or more intrusive.

 

[supton]

Must have been 30 years ago that I got my first set. Must have lasted a year, then I had a second set. Sucked both times. OTOH it fixed my hearing, according to my mother.

And, I held nothing against my parents for making do this procedure. I had a wicked fear of the ENT guy for quite some time (he popped my ears during one visit, and it hurt!), but never thought the worse of my parents. I mean, I was less than 5 (I think, long time ago). I had a shorter memory span than I do today.

Hold your kids hand, cry with him if necessary. Then run around the yard with him tomorrow. 10-20 years from now you'll be boring him with stories about tubes, when all he'll want is the keys to the car.

 

[Cutehumor]

My daughter is 11 months old tomorrow. she got ear tubes back on 7/5 when she was 7 months old. she had four ear infections four months in a row when the pediatrican go to a ENT for ear tubes. so far, no more ear infections. We were told these ear tubes will fall out on their own when she gets older. so we are hoping this is the end of her ear infection problem.

 

[OtisBlkR1]

ear infections are just the worst.. there painfull for the young kids and mom and dad get so little sleep its a major drag down on life.. I was up every two hours with my boy last night, and im doing a 16 hour shift tonight.. i still have 9.5 hours to go.. luckily im at a desk with a computer.. helps kill down time..

i hope my wife makes it through tonight ok with my boy.. she was up more than i was last night with him.

 

[Ramblin Fever]

Tubes WILL move with age and growth; perfectly normal and there is nothing that can be done to stop that.

My nephew was 18mnths old or so when they put the 1st set of tubes in; 2nd set went in around 2.5-3yrs or so and came out at around 5yrs of age, and never had to have another set after that.

Unfortunately in this house, we know ear pain all too well; but the movement of tubes are perfectly normal and nothing can be done to stop it.