Any tips for surviving glue ear?

[MissLiss]

DS1 who is almost 4 has been suffering quite badly from glue ear and very bad associated hearing loss for the last three weeks. He is becoming increasingly frustrated that he can't hear properly and we have noticed that he is becoming quite withdrawn. In fact, I'm really worried about him. I'm doing the obvious things like making sure that he is looking at me when I am talking to him he still gets upset. Our GP assures me that it should pass, but should I be waiting or doing something now?

It's hard when you can't fix something for them

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Does this happen often? or regularly? glue ear is quite common in children, My Ds had a hearing problem which was corrected with gromits, If you are that concerned maybe you could ask your gp to be referred to a ENT?

Our dd just had grommets placed a couple of weeks ago. Before that the doctor tried, using only the magic of saline inhalations and balloons to blow up with her nose. Unfortunately the passive treatment didn't work and she needed the surgery. I'd go back to your doctor and ask for the referal.

Definitely ask for the referral. In the meantime, phone your local ENT or GP and ask if it's ok to put warm olive oil in your DS's ears. I do this with my DS and it has helped quite a lot, but I wouldn't want to advise 'treatment' for anyone else without their Dr's approval, as it could actually make things worse rather than better.

If your Dr gives you the go-ahead, I got a little bottle with dropper-pippet from the chemist for 99p which I filled with oil and stand in a sink of warm water while DS has bath, then add about 2 drops in each ear about 2-3x per week. It seems to keep the wax moist and runny enough to work its way out of the ear naturally, rather than causing a build-up and resulting infection.

HTH.

u could try homeopathy, these are available over the counter:
glue ear

Have you tried osteopathy, I read that can help with glue ear.

My dd1 had glue ear and we tried homeopathic drops and cranial osteopathy, neither of which seemed to help in her case. She had grommets fitted last month and it has had a miraculous effect. I think you'll be advised to watch and wait for a while. (DD1 had it for over a year before surgery, as we wanted to try other options first..). You may find it clears up on it's own in the spring when all the coughs and colds hopefully go away.

In the meantime all you can do is make sure you attract his attention before you speak to him, otherwise you'll end up yelling and he'll look at you bemused... It's worth mentioning it to pre-school/nursery so that they can do the same. Good luck and hope it clears up on it's own.

i was going to say the same as others, get a referral for ENT and get the grommits, makes a big difference

Yes, agree, get referred to an ENT consultant for hearing tests & grommets. My DS had bilateral grommets inserted at age 4 and he went from having less than 50% hearing to 100% normal pretty much the moment he woke up from the anaesthetic. One of the grommets has come out now so we're going back to the specialist in a couple of weeks' time. If he recommends a new grommet we will go for it, no questions asked.

In the meantime, make sure your child's preschool / school teachers are aware of the problem - they will be used to dealing with it, and will make sure they compensate for your DS' lack of hearing. Make sure he can see your face when you're talking to him; if his back is to you, walk in front of him to get his attention etc. And also be aware that loud noises can be extra scary for kids with poor hearing - they don't hear the build-up (e.g. the noise an approaching lorry makes) and they only hear it when it's right on top of them, which can make them jump!

The grommet operation is nothing to worry about. I wasted a lot of time worrying about it. It was absolutely fine.

Thanks so much for your advice. We went back to the GP who has suggested he refer us if another infection occurs, or if the hearing loss worsens, but in the meantime he has been hit with another ear infection and we are just dosing antibiotics.

I have spoken to his pre-school, who have been really helpful, and I'm just going to ride out this latest episode and see where we go.

Thanks for your tips.

I would add be careful of taking endless rounds of antibiotics which can end up with DS having gastrointestinal tract problems and immunity issues due to upsetting the balance of bacteria in the gut. To alleviate this you can give DS probiotics after (or even during) the antibiotics, the best one for me being BioKult available on the net or from good health food shops. Good luck with the wretched glue ear.