How many ear infections

[Sunshineclouds11]

Hi

My DD is 20month and is on to her third ear infection of the year. Last one being only 2 weeks ago.

Is a referral needed? Why does she keep getting them?

Seen GP today who brushed over me speaking about if a referral was needed.

If the last one was two weeks ago it probably didn’t clear totally. Just be firm asking gp for a referral, brushing past it shouldn’t be an option. You’re just looking for the referral not the gp’s opinion on it.

Three is a little bit soon to be talking about referrals. DS had 14, DD 11. DS was grommetted at 16 months; dd at 20 months. They are grown up now but even in the 1990s the NHS mantra was that it should all just clear up and refusal to refer. Both children had grommets privately and it was a game changer vis a vis their wellbeing. Half the reason the NHS wasn't interested was that they both had very advanced speech. It didn't mean they weren't ill all the time though.

You can ask the GP to do a swab and see what's actually growing and what antibiotics it will respond to (or it could be fungal in which case you need something different).

@SilkAndSparklesForParties11 and 14! What that is crazy.
I thought 3 was a lot within 6 month.

@OtterMummy2024Yes we had a swab done. They've prescribed different AB this time so I'm hoping it clears it fully for her

3 feels bad when you're going through it, but it isn't that many. Sorry.
It's also normally hearing being effected rather than infections that trigger intervention.

Dd1 had three ear infections between 1yo and 2yo. Then almost never again with no intervention. I think she had one when she was 14 or 15, but no others.

Ds had his first ear infection at 10 weeks. He then had them about every 10-14 days (with a short break in the summer) until he had grommets at 20 months. When the grommets came out, he had 8 ear infections (5 of which burst the ear drum) in just over 2 months when they put another set of grommets in. He then wasn't as bad the next time they came out, but still was a couple of ear infections a month so he had a third set...

My lovely GP said that "grommets were what keeps consultants in BMWs" but pushed hard for ds to have them (on NHS). The second set he arranged for ds to see the ENT consultant urgently and the consultant did them that same week.

I think around that time I was told it that referral level was 8+ ear infections in 6 months.

Just make sure that she takes the full dose of antibiotics. Ds had a couple of antibody resistant infections (shown by swab) which were nasty to get rid off.