Ear Tube Pain and Drainage
Your child’s ear may be slightly sore for the first several hours. If your child has pain, you may give the recommended dosage of acetaminophen (Children’s Tylenol). Your child may have a small amount of blood-tinged drainage from the ear for 1-2 days after the operation. If the drainage persists, there could be an infection. Your primary care physician can successfully treat these infections. Usually antibiotic ear drops are sufficient for treatment. Severe infections may require oral antibiotics. If drainage persists despite medical therapy, please call our office to make an appointment.
Diet and Activity
Immediately after surgery, your child will do best with a liquid diet. When your child is up and acting normally, a regular diet may resume. On the day after surgery, your child may return to normal activity, including school or daycare.
Ear Drops For Ear Tubes
Ear drops are often prescribed after surgery. Begin using these drops on the evening of surgery, as directed by your doctor. Prior to using drops, warm the bottle by either carrying it in your pocket or holding in your hand for a few minutes. After instilling the drops, massage the front of the ear next to the opening of the ear canal several times. This helps to propel the drops into the ear canal and through the tube. Your doctor may recommend additional use of drops if there is drainage for more than 72 hours after surgery since persistent drainage is a sign of ongoing infection. If the drainage continues for more than seven days, or if other symptoms arise, please call our office.
Bath After Ear Tubes
Do your best to prevent bath water from filling your child’s ear canals. The ears should not be completely submerged in water. However, water splashing on the outer ear should not cause a problem. If your child likes to place his or her head completely under water in the bath, keep the water at a very low level. During hair washing, some children will wear an inflatable visor designed to keep water off of their face. Other parents simply hold the child’s ear down and cup their hand over the ear as they rinse the hair.
Kid’s Ear Protection
Types of ear protection include:
- A cotton ball lightly coated with Vaseline
- Silicone putty-type ear plugs
- Other types of waterproof ear plugs (eg. Doc Proplugs)
- Ear Band-It or custom-made ear plugs. If water does get in your child’s ears, simply tip their head to each side. There is a good chance that the water has not gone through the tiny opening in the tube. However, if you do observe drainage over the next few days, an infection has most likely developed.
Other Precautions
Children with ear tubes or perforation of the ear drum should not have the following put in their ear canals:
- Topical pain medications (such as Auralgan)
- Wax removal preparations (such as Debrox, Ceruminex)
- “Swimmer’s ear” preparations
- Home remedies such as oil, peroxide, vinegar and alcohol
Follow-up After Ear Tubes Surgery
Your child should be seen for a follow-up appointment in our office 2-3 weeks after surgery. If this has not already been arranged, please call the office to schedule this appointment. If your child needs a hearing test, please request that it be scheduled during the same visit. After this appointment, your child can be followed by their primary care physician. You should return for follow-up evaluation by your ENT specialist every six months.