Ear infections, grommets, ABs and long-haul flights

[amethyst74]

We're off to Canada with our 3-yr-old and 6-yr-old soon. Younger child has a history of numerous ear infections and perforated ear drums: been on low-dose ABs (Trimethroprin) since Feb and even while on it has suffered several more infections and burst drums, the most recent a month or so ago: we've also been given ear drops which we used last time instead of upping the AB dose as we usually would. Left eardrum has been perforated for a while, seeing ENT consultant at the hospital but he won't put him on the waiting list for grommets (apparenlyl a month or so long in my area) until both ear drums healed.

Anyone who's been through this before ... any advice for the flight? We're due to see the consultant in mid-August and I am really worried that if the ears still aren't healed, and he doesn't get grommets before autumn we'll be back to the horrible cycle of fever, terrible pain, lots of painkillers and ABs we've had the last couple of winters.

Am planning on taking sachets of Ibuprofen, ear drops and ABs along, but any other sage advice from parents who've gone through this?

Don't fly if he has an active ear infection, the pain can be excruciating and could easily set you up for further problems if he comes to associate flaying with pain!

That's really my advice in a nutshell, assuming you've spoken to his doctor about the ear drum and are adequately covered by insurance.

Personally, I wouldn't be flying with him at all until his ears are sorted though...

He doesn't have an active ear infection, we told the consultant we were planning this trip and he said it was fine ... and we have insurance. My family live overseas and he has never met his cousins so this is a big trip for us ... I desperately want his ears to be sorted but at the moment there doesn't seem much light at the end of the tunnel ...

I think you need just to think about the anatomy here. Pain is due to pressure in the middle ear- be it negative due to flying or positive ( lie a boil) due to infection.

If a child has grommets in that are working they can fly without any problem. The little grommet hole will do what their own Eustachian tube doesn't do and sort the pressure changes out. No problem. Same with an unhealed perforation - might be a problem swimming, but not flying.

You can't have grommets till the ears are healed because, well you make your own little hole to pop them in, you can't do that with a perforation there and essentially a hole in the " wrong place".

Get insurance take the medication with you and go anyway would be my advice ( DD2 had lots of infections from about 18months and 3 sets of grommets from 3+ until 11yrs shes finally out grown it, which the average child should do at 6!).

BTW grommets stopped the infections in their tracks, we knew which grommet was out as she'd get an infection pretty much straight away. Apart from the memorable small hand reaching round in the car and saying " mummy this was in my ear" and passing me a grommet - I think that was the 1st set... they are absolutely tiny !

THis could be part of your lfe for years don't let it stop everything un necessarily ( though yes you probably can't fly with active infection, I'd ask your GP how many days antibiotics are needed before you can!)

Thanks Theas18... Good to hear your child got over it in the end! Hopefully the ear that's perforated still will be fine, the other ear doesn't seem so infection-prone, so crossing everything he'll be ok! The worst thing about the infections is seeing him in such excruciating pain. Hoping for a few clear months with no infections, get everything healed them grommets here we come!

She 14 and were were discharged from ENT a year ago! we thought it'd go on for ever... The pain and fever...i n the middle of the night... awful..

However, you can be optimistic, it hasn't held her back at all it seems ( though maybe she'd be on " child genius" if she didn't have glue ear, instead of just being top of her class all the time!) . She's done loads of music too even though she's clearly been quite deaf for a lot of her childhood.

Hope you get your grommets before the winter. Having them done really isn't a trauma at all. It's so funny when they hold their ears after as everything is too loud though.

Thanks! That is good to hear. So far he has mild hearing loss in the perforated ear, fine in the other... Fortunately his speech is excellent so I am not worried about it affecting his development at the moment... More worried about the effects of prolonged ABs... Packing him full of probiotic yoghurt, not sure how much good it does!

I would avoid flying if I was you.
DS had grommets in but still perforated his ear drum on landing and the screams he let out will live with me forever. As will the scarey experience of being a lone parent in a foreign hospital with DS and a toddler.