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Original poster

What is the youngest age a child / your child can have / had grommets

28 replies

messageinabottle · 08/10/2008 22:14

the previous grommet post got me thinking...

my DS (16 months) has recurrent ear infections and glue ear

I have taken him to a homeopathist and stopped dairy, unfortunately to no avail.

We are currently on about ear infection number seven. When we visit the dr a swab is taken and we are sent home with antibiotics. I really don't want this to continue not only because of his constant intake of antibiotics but I feel that by the time the ear is discharging, the damage is done and I'm worried his ears will be scarred.

DS has an ENT appointment on Monday and I'm wondering if it's worth mentioning gromments.

To be honest any other advice would be gratefully received

TIA

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Woooozle100 · 08/10/2008 22:24

our ent said they would do from 18 mths. Dd was 19 / 20 mths when she had her first grommets.

Ear infections don't neccesarilly stop due to grommets - grommets can give dramatic ear gunk a whole new dimension!

I would be more motivated to try out grommets cos of hearing loss / speech delay

Sorry you are having such mares with ear infections

bozza · 08/10/2008 22:26

I think DS was 2.2 ish when he has his first set of grommets.

KerryMumchingOnEyeballs · 08/10/2008 22:29

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

milge · 08/10/2008 22:29

a week before his 2nd birthday!

notthebubblyseaweed · 08/10/2008 22:34

Sorry to hear this.

My ds was 2.5 before glue ear diagnosed.

By chance someone recommended cranial sacral therapy with an osteopath who specialised in children.

As I've posted on other threads, this treatment was amazing-he was old enough for behavioural and developmental problems to be developing due to this.

I can only say it changed his life and ours.

Our osteopath now in the St Andrew's area (Gillian Mackintosh) and ds now 12 and not looked back.

Hopes this helps and best of luck!!

Original poster
messageinabottle · 08/10/2008 22:41

wow wow wow thanks everybody

I'd only really seen posts of children having grommets at 3 or 6 yrs so I'm really surprised at the ages here (I don't know of anybody in rl with similar ear problems to DS)

ejb lol at grommets giving dramatic ear gunk a whole new dimension. People step away from DS with a 'eeeeeewwwwww' when they see his ear(s) whereas it's completely normal to me (unfortunately)

we could start up an ear gunk support group

and yes the speech point is another reason why I am considering mentioning grommets.

DS' understanding of words and speech seems OK as far as I can tell. He does have a few words / we sing songs / he will fetch me this and that etc but his spoken words do seem a little flat if you know what I mean.. But then this may just be because he's kind of learning the new words and hasn't mastered them properly???

OP posts:
cthea · 08/10/2008 22:44

DS was about 14 months when he had his first set of grommets.

notthebubblyseaweed · 08/10/2008 22:50

My ds's problems developed from as you describe to severe nosebleeds, delayed speech, shyness (never lifted his head to look at another adult) and most awful, headbanging. Probably an exreme case.

This all improved after first session. Had several sessions, every two weeks at first, then every 6 mths, then yearly but still the immediate improvement was the most noticeable.

Original poster
messageinabottle · 08/10/2008 23:15

sorry DS just stirred - he's really unwell bless him

thanks for that bubblyseaweed. I will have a look into cranial osteopaths in our area tomorrow (must get to bed!)

I don't mind how we help DS I just want him better

so I take it your DS didn't have grommets fitted?

OP posts:
notthebubblyseaweed · 08/10/2008 23:20

No he didn't.

GP was just getting round to suggesting it when by chance someone suggested we give the osteopath a try.

She also sorted out my dodgy shoulder

Original poster
messageinabottle · 08/10/2008 23:25

thank you

I've just found one four miles away who specialises in (infants) cranial sacral therapy so will give them a call tomorrow

It won't hurt to do this while I discuss options with ENT / wait for appointment and see how we go

Now I really must get to bed goodnight!!

OP posts:
notthebubblyseaweed · 08/10/2008 23:34

Night!

Will just say to prepare yourself for sceptism of varying degrees from medical profression.

Let us know how it goes!

notthebubblyseaweed · 08/10/2008 23:35

Oh and hope you have ok night with ds..

Candlewax · 08/10/2008 23:36

My ds was 18 months.

BexieID · 08/10/2008 23:58

Other mums have mentioned to me "does Tom have glue ear". He's almost 2.6 and is still not talking. He makes sounds like humming the syllables in words and says the odd word. He also gets so frustrated that he headbangs or hits me. He also has a really large tonsil and he's had two courses of antibiotics and will have to goto the docs again. He always has an ear infection too when they look in his ears. Don't mind me, i'm just thinking aloud.

notthebubblyseaweed · 09/10/2008 00:53

Hi Bexie i was so worried about my ds i thought he was on the autistic spectrum because of the behaviours you are describing.

I think you should definitely explore your ds's symptoms and find out if glue ear.

then i would strenuously reccommend you find an osteopath who practises cranial sacral therapy.

we didn't look back.

notthebubblyseaweed · 09/10/2008 00:55

If you need any more info please ask as our ds's sound v similar.

And i can vouch for positive outcome.

BexieID · 09/10/2008 16:46

It has also been suggested by SIL that he might be autistic, but MIL says no as he does understand what you are saying to him. I'll make an appt with the Docs. Has now been 4 weeks since his last antibiotics, which was how long we had to wait.

I just find the docs useless, lol. He has 3 scabby/scaly marks on him that one doc said "if I had to make an educated guess I would say it's a fungal infection" and gave us some steroid type cream that DF wasn't happy about (he has eczema so has been there and done that with various creams). When we went to the docs about his tonsils the first time, we got that doc to look at the marks and he said they were molluscums and would clear up on their own. Toms don't look like the photos of molluscums i've seen.

I'll look into the therapy. There seems to be 2 people in Glasgow and someone in Greenock who do it. Was your son a fussy eater as well? Tom still doesn't really do lumpy dinners, but will eat hula hoops and choc digestives.

pindywop · 09/10/2008 16:50

my dd was about 16 months.

She had not said one word before grommets but started talking well soon after.

She is 3 now and grommets still in place.

notthebubblyseaweed · 09/10/2008 18:19

yes he was a fussy eater. highly suspicious of anything without a crumb coating!! had to play elaborate games to get anything green into him.

and we were beginning to think he was on the autistic spectrum too.

our osteopath said that some research she had seen suggested that SOMETIMES undiagnosed glue ear mistaken for autism due to similarities in some behaviours.

notthebubblyseaweed · 09/10/2008 18:24

Just noticed bexie that you mentioned glasgow.

our osteopath was in glasgow now in st andrew,s

she is fabulous

her name is gillian mckintosh and i think she has a website.

she was doing some clinics in glasgow recently, not sure now but would be worth a trip to st andrew's.

I'll have a look and see if i can find her online.

BexieID · 09/10/2008 19:08

Tom will eat carrot. Any other veg on his plate is for decoration/him to play with, lol. He is also a fussy drinker!

I need to phone the docs and make an appt re: his throat and may just ask them about the possibility of glue ear.

BexieID · 16/10/2008 12:21

Well, back from the docs and we are now waiting for a ENT appointment to come through. I almost cried when I was putting him in his buggy to go home!

BexieID · 17/10/2008 10:41

messageinabottle - how did your DS get on at his ENT appointment?

Original poster
messageinabottle · 22/10/2008 16:03

Hi everybody,

Sorry I've been away for a while! Thanks for all your messages.

As for an update, we went to the ENT appointment on Monday and the consultant was lovely. He explained everything very clearly, without being patronising or dismissive. He gave DS ear drop antibiotics - Sophradex (sp), unfortunately, which he has before but this time we must administer them THREE times a day for TWO WEEKS as he said that it maybe the infection never totally cleared (which sounded good!) BUT we have been using them for about a week now and unfortunately DS' ear started leaking again only this Weds... very disappointing

The consultant didn't have much to add as to WHY this problem occurs ($64m question) as all the evidence seems to be contradictory (which is true, I agree).

When I mentioned grommets he said that our trust policy is not to sedate infants younger than two years so whatever happens, DS won't be having grommets until then (if he does).

In the meantime, we have an appointment with a cranial osteopath tomorrow but I wonder, Seaweed, this is not cranial sacral osteopathy - is there a huge difference?

and good to hear that you have requested an ENT appointment Bexie, at least you are moving forwarding with resolving the situation I'll let you know how the osteopathy session goes tomorrow

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