Well, the Pediatrician finally referred Lily to an ENT to put tubes in her ears. The "surgery" isn't scheculed until June 4....I wish is was sooner, but that's all they had. Before I had her, I always heard about so many kids getting tubes and I thought I would be more concerned if one of my children ever had to get them. Well, I'm not really worried about the "surgery", not yet anyway. The thing that I'm concerned about right now is that she can't eat anything after midnight before the surgery, which means no breakfast. So, I'm imagining a screaming baby all the way from St. Amant to Baton Rouge (at least 30 minutes). Hopefully we'll leave early enough that she will just sleep, but I don't know. From the way the doctor described the procedure it seems quick and easy. The don't actually use general anesthesia to put them to sleep, they just use gas. They make a 2mm incision in the ear drum, insert the tube and they are done in about five minutes. She has to stay there for about 45 minutes in recovery, then we can go home. I have to stay home with her the rest of the day, but she can go back to daycare the next day. He also explained to us that the tubes don't prevent ear infections, they just release the pressure and make it easier for fluid to drain. Hey, from my point of view, anything that helps my baby suffer less is awesome. I will be glad to finally get these in. It seems like about 2 or 3 months of solid ear infections. We can't get rid of them!
Real Medical explanation I found on a website:
Ventilating (tympanostomy) tubes are tiny, hollow plastic or metal tubes that are placed in the eardrum through a small slit. These tubes balance the pressure in the environment with that in the middle ear. Doctors recommend ventilating tubes for children who have had recurring ear infections (acute otitis media) or recurring or persistent collections of fluid in their middle ears (chronic secretory otitis media).
Placement of ventilating tubes is a common surgical procedure, done in a hospital or doctor's office. After the procedure, children usually go home within a few hours. The tubes usually fall out on their own after a few months, although some types stay in for a year or more.
