I’m not a Dr so any concerns please ask yours.
My 3 and a half year old son suffers with Glue Ear and it can be pretty tough going on my little man and us, seeing him so poorly and so frequently.
A history of ear problems on my side of the family and potentially due to Oliver being born 3 weeks early, could have contributed to his susceptibility but no one really knows, not even the doctors.
Suffering with ear infections since he was 15 months old, at 22 months he had an operation to have his adenoids removed and grommets put in. Despite being uncommon for children under 3 to undergo this op, the consultant advised it was needed due to the relentless infections.
Grommets of course are not a miracle cure nor have they stopped the infections completely but they have helped a lot since, leaving more space between each infection, the longest time being 4 months, a huge difference from back to back infections resulting in fevers and a very poorly child.
I wrote a post Children’s Ear Infections-What Helped Us and wanted to follow this up with how we are progressing now Oliver is 3 and a half years old.
After a six month break from nursery (as colds inevitably picked up led to infections) he returned at 2 and a half, stronger and more resiliant to infection. We always ensure he wears a hat in rainy, windy weather and that includes a lighter hat even if it is warm but windy to help protect his ears.
He takes a multi vitamin as all children after the age of 1 are advised to, along with Manuka honey in his daily milk to help keep his immune system strong. His diet has always and continues to be, healthy, packed with fruit and vegetables along with quality protein, dairy and carbohydrates.
Oliver washes his hair once every 2 or 3 weeks, not once a week as water getting in his ears can lead to infection. When we do wash his hair, he always wears ear plugs and that also includes swimming or any water based activities, even splashing in the paddling pool.
We are always prepared for infections too and even took antibiotics and eye drops recommended as ear drops by the Specialist, with us on holiday recently. As soon as he presented signs of an infection in week 2, we started the antibiotics and nipped it in the bud so he was only ill for a day.
If you have any concerns, please seek advice from your GP.
Also if you already have a prescription and can’t get to the doctors for any reason, you can use Medicines 2 u.com where you can get an online prescription in three easy steps. They also have an online doctor page to help you.
Does your child suffer with glue ear?
I would love to read your tips in the comments section.
Photograph ©Peter Broadbent.