If your child does get an ear infection with grommets in place, pus can flow out through the grommet. See your family doctor or ear nurse if your child has any fluid leaking from their ears. Your family doctor may take a swab. This will show any bacteria which may be causing the discharge.
Can you get an ear infection with grommets?
Hearing is generally restored quickly afterwards. One of the complications of grommets is ear infection, so it is best to keep the ears dry. Your child should avoid swimming for a week after the surgery and while the grommets are in place use earplugs when bathing, showering and swimming.
Will grommets stop ear infections?
When are grommets used? Your doctor may suggest inserting grommets if your child has had glue ear for at least 3 months and has associated problems with their hearing. For children with recurrent ear infections, grommets may help prevent recurring infections.
How do I know if my child has an ear infection with tubes?
When your child can’t say “my ear hurts,” the following signs suggest an ear infection could be the culprit:
- Tugging or pulling the ear.
- Crying and irritability.
- Difficulty sleeping.
- Fever, especially in younger children.
- Fluid draining from the ear.
- Loss of balance.
- Difficulty hearing or responding to auditory cues.
What are the side effects of grommets?
Temporary side effects:
- The tubes are temporary.
- Infections can occur, with ear discharge, and this is treated with ear drops.
- Tinnitus (noise in the ears) can be better, worse or the same after insertion of tubes.
- Occasionally adults feel worse with tubes than they did before the operation.
How do you treat an ear infection with grommets?
Some children will have discharge from their ears after grommets have been inserted. This is not usually painful and is usually treated with ear drops. See your family doctor if this happens. If your child’s ear discharge continues, your family doctor may send your child to an ear nurse specialist or ENT specialist.
What color is ear infection drainage?
Most commonly, discharge from the ear is ear wax. But it also may include blood or a clear or milky white liquid. The fluid may also be a mix of these. Ear wax is yellow to orange-brown in color and is generally not a medical problem.
Can you get your ears wet with grommets?
In the first 2 weeks after the placement of the grommet, the eardrum is still healing. During this time, it is best to avoid swimming. Pool water is less likely to enter the middle ear via a grommet due to the surface tension of this water, even with submersion and shallow diving.
When can you get ears wet after grommets?
Your child can start swimming about a month after the operation, as long as they don’t dive under the water. You do not necessarily need to use earplugs – the hole in the grommet is too small to let water through.
How long does a child need off school after grommets?
Your child will benefit from extra rest for a day or two after the operation. It is best to keep them off school for 1 day.
Why does my child keep getting ear infections after tubes?
Kids (especially in the first 2 to 4 years of life) get ear infections more than adults do for several reasons: Their shorter, more horizontal eustachian tubes let bacteria and viruses find their way into the middle ear more easily. The tubes are also narrower, so more likely to get blocked.
What does ear infection look like after tubes?
When there is an opening in the ear drum from either an ear tube or a hole, called a perforation, you child may have drainage when there is an infection, called otorrhea. This drainage can be thin, watery, thick or look like mucous or pus. It may vary in color from clear to green or may even appear bloody.
What ear infection looks like?
The otoscope will allow the provider to look at the surface of the eardrum. A healthy eardrum looks pinkish-gray. An infection of the middle ear, or an ear with otitis media, looks red, bulging, and there may be clear, yellow, or even greenish hued drainage.
Can your body reject grommets?
Very occasionally a Grommet will be rejected by the ear and come out earlier than planned. Depending on the problems it may need to be re-inserted. 4.
How do you treat a smelly ear infection?
Soften the wax with an eyedropper of baby oil, hydrogen peroxide, glycerin, or mineral oil. A couple days after the wax has softened, use a rubber syringe to spray warm water into your ear. Tip your affected ear up when spraying the water.
Is glue ear an infection?
Glue ear is not an infection, but usually follows one or more middle ear infections. Signs and symptoms of glue ear can include: problems hearing – children may want to have things repeated, talk loudly or have the television up loud.
Can glue ear cause balance problems?
Some children may experience mild clumsiness or balance problems. Glue ear is diagnosed by assessments of hearing, tympanogram (a test to assess how easily the ear drum moves) and looking at the ear drum.
Can your body reject ear tubes?
Tympanostomy tubes can become blocked by wax, blood, discharge from otorrhea, or even a foreign body. Some blockages can be opened with topical medications or by physically cleaning out the wax, blood, or discharge.
Can you shower with grommets?
Yes – your child can swim one week after the grommets are placed. Swimming at an ocean beach needs no special care. Showering in clean water will be fine without precautions.
What is the best antibiotic for an ear infection?
Here are some of the antibiotics doctors prescribe to treat an ear infection:
- Amoxil (amoxicillin)
- Augmentin (amoxicillin/potassium clavulanate)
- Cortisporin (neomycin/polymxcin b/hydrocortisone) solution or suspension.
- Cortisporin TC (colistin/neomycin/thonzonium/hydrocortisone) suspension.
Can you still have an ear infection after antibiotics?
Sometimes fluid stays in the middle ear even after you take antibiotics and the infection goes away. In this case, your health care provider may suggest that a small tube (also called a tympanostomy tube) be placed in your ear.
Contents