Glue ear dismissed as 'just ear infections'? Anyone tracking symptoms for GP proof?

[EmmaH26]

Hi everyone, my 2yo has had endless 'standalone' ear infections waved away by the GP — but I know it's glue ear messing with his hearing and sleep (those 3am wake-ups are brutal!). I've started a simple daily log of signs (like 'not responding to name' or tugging) and sleep patterns to show patterns at our next appointment. Thinking of turning it into an app that auto-summarises weekly (non-medical, just helpful insights to discuss). Quick qs: 1. Would this help you build a case for referral/grommets? 2. Worth a small monthly fee for AI summaries + GP prep notes? Not selling — just gauging if it's worth building! 🙏

Unsure on the app side of things but a request for referral to ENT will hold more weight where an audiologist has evidenced there is hearing loss. I would go back to your GP with concerns about hearing and ask for referral to audiology. Then you will have more grounds for referral to ENT. I shouldn't be this hard to fight for these referrals for our children but the GPs are working to criteria for referrals and if they refer outside of this it is rejected. There is not enough clinical discretion allowed to be used anymore.

Definitely request ENT referral. My dd has repeated ear infections as a toddler. The GP kept prescribing anti biotic ear spray. It was only luck that we once got a Locum GP who said that had been totally the wrong thing and on investigation the bones in her ear had degraded so that her hearing loss was massive. They gave her a sort of bionic ear aged 9, but she still has issues with it. Don’t be fobbed off.

The idea of creating a paid app to do this is hilarious. But people are dumb enough to pay for all sorts of you sell it right 🤷🏻‍♀️
App nonsense aside-yes presenting a pattern of symptoms would probably be useful. This might be worth a read if you haven’t already. www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng233/chapter/Recommendations

My son was the same he was on antibiotics constantly for 6 months with no break he got given every type of antibiotic the doctors could prescribe and ear drops etc. we were on the phone to drs multiple times a week as antibiotics only cleared it for a day or 2. We kept requesting a referral to ent as there was clearly more than just ear infections. We finally got one and he had a hearing test and boom they said he needed grommets. Trouble was had was because he was under 2 our local hospital we had to travel to the hospital in the city an hour away. It’s now been a year since his operation and luckily he’s only 2/3 infections….i dread the day the fall out

push for ENT referral.

no to the app. Waste of time.

you could have described me as a child. And the way my mum was treated. I did have glue ear. My mum took me to a cranial osteopath in the end which was the only thing that seemed to help.

In our area you can self refer to audiology based on a few symptoms and they diagnosed glue ear which might be helpful then pushing for further referrals or at least they then monitor it.

My daughters hearing was down to 50% by the time she was seen privately she had grommet put in 6 weeks later and no issue since (was over a year to wait for a first consultation with NHS ent)!

The GP kept just giving her antibiotics, we were at walk in for a broken foot who checked her ears and told GP to refer her!