By: Abby Keane
Our family recently went through another surgery for Eamon, my younger son. Eamon got his first ear infection right around Halloween last year, and has had them quite often since then. We went back and forth with the pediatrician for a while, debating whether it was time to see the ENT specialist and possibly start talking about tubes. It was recommended that we give it a little more time and see how he did once the winter was over. Since he had already been through one surgery and had been sedated for medical testing, I wasn’t all that eager for him to undergo anesthesia again. But, June started, and with it came another cold and another ear infection. So, off we went to the ENT specialist.
The appointment was very easy. I reviewed his history of ear infections with the doctor and discussed my concerns, which included the high fevers that accompanied each ear infection, as well as some speech delays. The doctor checked Eamon’s ears and ordered a hearing test. The test results showed some hearing loss for low tones, and the doctor, my husband, and I were in full agreement that the time had come for surgery.
As any parent whose child has had surgery knows, the anticipation of surgery is terrible and nerve-wracking. Even knowing how short of a surgery it was, and that they wouldn’t be cutting him open or doing anything drastic, I worried. But the day arrived, and the surgery went as smoothly as possible. I was barely out of the Operating Room (I was allowed in to hold Eamon as he went to sleep) when the doctor was out telling me that Eamon had done great.
Eamon was a very grumpy little boy coming out of the anesthesia, but that was probably the worst (and really, funniest!) part of the whole thing. He slept on the car ride home, had a little snack, and went down easily for his regular afternoon nap. He slept longer than usual, but when he woke he was his usual self. No one would have ever guessed this was a kid who had surgery that morning!
Eamon has done great since surgery. He’s vocalizing a lot more than before surgery, which is a joy to hear. Our biggest excitement came when he caught a cold and DIDN’T GET AN EAR INFECTION!!!
Although I think the decision for your child to have surgery is one that should never be taken lightly, I can say that this was a fabulous decision for our family, and was so much easier than I anticipated. The benefits have been well worth it!
Community Voices for Health 
Glad to hear it went well. What a little trooper!
My Nina had tubes put in after we discovered that despite having NO ear infections, she had a lot of fluid in her ears, which was affecting her speech. Since she was going under for a throat surgery anyway, we had the ENT check her ears at the same time: a 2-for-1. It made a significant difference in her speech.
I am not sure I would have done it for just tubes, as my husband and I are always reluctant about anesthesia an our little ones, but I am glad it worked the way it did in this case.