What can I expect after my child has ear tube surgery?
Your child will immediately bounce back from ear tube surgery – most times in just a day or two. But, no matter how great they feel, after your child undergoes ear tube surgery, you should:
Keep your child’s ear dry at all times
Use over the counter drugs, such as acetaminophen, for minor pain
And call your physician if:
Pain, swelling, redness, drainage or bleeding increases in the surgical area
Your child develops sign of infection – headache, muscle aches, dizziness or a general ill feeling and fever
Your child experiences new symptoms like nausea or vomiting
Ear tubes help prevent reoccurring ear infections by air ventilation, but other foreign objects – like water – can enter through the tubes. These foreign objects can promote bacteria from growing and an infection to arise. So, it is imperative that you try and prevent any substances from entering your child’s ear, and you can do that by:
If your child nurses or drinks from a bottle, always sit them in an upright position when feeding
Use ear plugs when swimming
Use ear plugs when washing hair in the bathtub, and have them avoid lying down in the water
Tell them to avoid any substance that can be squirted in their ears such as hoses or any other liquids (juice box fights aren’t as rare as you think)