soapdragon Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 YS, aged very nearly 7, has glue ear. We have had a couple of audiology appts recently and his hearing has improved but, on 19th Dec, they said that he stil had some fluid behind the right ear. This morning he was hot and droopy and complaining of ear pain in the right ear so I took him to the out of hours clinic. Dr said, yes, he had glue ear and an inflamed ear drum but wouldn't prescribe antibiotics. She just said keep giving him paracetamol and ibuprofen and go back if there was any discharge (there wasn't today.) The clinic was very busy, we waitied ages and the Dr was very brusque and offhand - kept butting in when I was trying to explain the history (audio appts etc) I know they were very busy but I was made to feel like a paranoid mother even tho I explained that the hosp audio had told me to get any changes checked out between appt on 19th and next in a couple of months! When I got home I realised that I had forgotten to ask about swimming....YS loves the pool and I had promised to take both boys tomorrow. Provided that YS feel well enough the question is should I take him swimming or leave it until later in the week? The hospital audio dept didn't mention swimming at all so I had assumed it would be OK but, with this flare up, not sure now Is anyone able to give me any advice, please, as I don't want to disapoint the boys for no reason but obviously don't want to make things worse Thanks! PS Have checked a few online sites but none mention swimming or, more specifically, not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 I would say if his ear is inflamed prob best to avoid pool.My kids also were troubled with glue ear and advice then was swimming ok but not diving or ducking head underwater.I used to put some cotton wool with Vaseline in ear to try to keep it dry.BTW first thing that seemed to help glue ear was cutting down on dairy.I was told by health food shop/nutritionist that dairy was mucus producing,when I switched to goats milk and cut yogurts symptoms improved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat tails Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Just googled on some Dutch sites and they state that you can swim and shower with a middle ear infection, because the infection resides in the middle part of the ear, where no water can get in. So my guess is that you can go swimming. Else the doctors would have mentioned showering as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted December 28, 2014 Author Share Posted December 28, 2014 Thanks, both of you! YS hardly has any dairy at all Am always trying to get him to eat more for calcium but all he will have is cheese and a yog ! Will see how he is in the morning and take a view then trying cotton wool if he does go - do take the point about showering tho! Sometimes its hard to know what to do as a Mum !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 I would say if a bit sore give it a miss this week. Vaseline and cotton wool work well - bit messy and has to be able to apply himself. Ear bandit (available on Amazon) are good and very trendy. Also need to ask swimming teacher to SHOUT if their ears are blocked as they wont be able to hear. Dont worry about brusque Doctors they were like that with us as we were leading experts on glue ear as ES had it from 9 months of age. We even told them what to prescribe - quickest way to hack off a Doctor. Good luck and also might be worth trying cranial osteopathy to see if that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Almonds and chickpeas are a good source of protein. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted December 28, 2014 Author Share Posted December 28, 2014 Almonds and chickpeas are a good source of protein. 'Dippy', as hommous is know in our house (however you spell it ) is his absolute fave lunch so maybe the lads not doing so bad after all!!! Needless to say Nicholas is bouncing around now and looking forward to ham and turkey croquettes for supper; mind you that could just be down to paracetamol It always amazes me how desperately ill children can appear and then, just a few hours later, how they can make a seemingly miraculous recovery Will re asses the situation in the morning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatieB Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Another glue ear expert here. My son suffered from as young as I can remember and finally had his tonsils and adenoids out plus grommets fitted at 2 and a half!! He has continued to suffer. We got very used to the stroppy medics and became immune to temperatures over 40 but my god did the temperatures make the Drs sit up and take note. Anyway we found the ear bandit very good, in fact my son asked recently if we could get another but we couldn't remember what they were called so thanks for this post. It may not be medically based but I can say with certainty that the more he swims (goes under the water) the more it seems he gets sore ears. He is 10 now. On a side note please can I have the recipe for the ham and turkey croquettes? LOL I am in no way food orientated at the moment And yes its amazing how quickly they bounce back, and around the house, well in our experience until the calpol wears off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted December 28, 2014 Author Share Posted December 28, 2014 This is the first bout of glue ear that we have had since his habitual deafness for a few days following colds....I had not heard glue ear mentioned by the audio dept so was a bit shocked when the Dr kept going on about it. Have just given paracetamol before bed tho he seems in better spirits. Um, well, we are 'intuitive' cooks on our household rather than slavish recipie followers so here goes; Make a very thick cheese sauce (nearly a dough) and leave to chill - must be really cold. Chop ham and turkey/chicken and add along with any seasoning....s&p, chopped parsley etc. Chill again as needs to be really cold before cooking. Form into small cylinders about 2cm diameter (any bigger and they may well 'explode' whilst frying!) and flour then roll in egg and breadcrumbs then deep fry until golden. You'll prob need to do this in batches, keeping already cooked ones in a warm oven. Hope this helps with the ham/turkey mountain! I am guessing that you could add cooked, chopped sprouts too, if you'd like; this is a really customisable dish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 28, 2014 Share Posted December 28, 2014 Sorry to hear about the Poor wee man - amazing how quickly they will bounce back though. I was always advised that children with ear problems - including glue ear - shouldn't swim, mainly because glue ear affects the way that the pressure equalises inside the ear when they go underwater. Hence, they can get very bad ear ache He will grow out of it when he gets bigger and his eustacian tubes enlarge. Have they talked about fitting grommits? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Yes we did grommets at 9 months and tonsils, adneoids and more grommets at 3yrs. I am so glad to be overt all that - A's temp would soar in a matter of minutes - sometimes all her did was vomit and then cry with pain. Night mare and the after effects of anaesthetic on little uns which they never warn you about. It does get better as they get bigger. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted December 29, 2014 Author Share Posted December 29, 2014 Thanks for the sympathy.....tho he is much better today! At our initial audio apt, about 3 months ago, they said that grommets or hearing aid were possibilities but, as he had a cold then, to wait and have a follow up 3 months later! We went back on 19/12 and, by then, his left ear was back to normal whilst the right did have some fluid but they said they didn't think it worth doing anything at that point....just to monitor it. I am awaiting another apt for repeat hearing test etc around Easter. He didn't have a cold yesterday when this flared up so it took me by surprise. Normally I expect his hearing to 'go' for a few days after a cold but we hadnt had any of these high temp/floppy sessions with it until yesterday. I really want to avoid an op if at all possible given that we have been told that he will grow out of it........I think that a general for a small person is to be avoided unless absolutley nec If all stays as is and there is no more pain/temp then I think we'll brave the pool on Friday but I'll see if I can get one of those neoprene headbands........maybe the pool sell them He has been having swimming lessons since Easter with no probs so far so I am hoping that things will stay as are but obv need to think again if he has earache after swimming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 I think you may have to order it from Amazon Soapdragon - things might have changed and swimming or sports shops might sell - didnt in ES's youth. I cant remember where I got his - definately on line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 29, 2014 Share Posted December 29, 2014 Rosie didn't have glue ear, but she did get excruciating ear ache when flying, and sometimes swimming under water. Luckily she grew out of it before she started triathlons, or it would have been a bit limiting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGirlsMum Posted December 30, 2014 Share Posted December 30, 2014 My eldest suffered with glue ear and had grommits fitted. She always wore ear plugs for swimming, the pool sell some you can mould yourself but the hospital will make you some if they think you need them. Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted December 31, 2014 Author Share Posted December 31, 2014 Will not be swimming on Friday as, yesterday, I managed to slice open my left little finger with a bread knife whilst getting lunch so am unable to take the boys to the pool as have HUGE dressing which can't get wet My sister, who was over for lunch, hence slicing loads of bread, took me to the village GP and the nurse patched it up but I was horrified to hear that the GP surgery could not do stitches and that I would have to go to Abingdon/Henley so at least a 50 min round trip plus any wait! Apparently the GP surgery are not allowed to do this despite the fact that they can do minor surgery (ie; remove small lumps etc) With a houseful I declined to trog off elsewhere and lovely Scottish nurse used industrial quantities of steri strips. Really am quite shocked to find that local Drs can't put in two stitches....apparently its because the minor injuries units may then not have enough patients I said I'd sign any disclaimer etc if they'd just get on with it but NO Have now deputised OH to take boys on Saturday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandmashazzie Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Goodness,I thought the whole idea was to take pressure off A and E and minor injuries by going to your GP Sometimes I wish people would just use common sense rather than adhere to guidelines,it probably would have been quicker to do stitches than explain why they could not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted December 31, 2014 Share Posted December 31, 2014 Shazzie is right - it is the work of moments to pop a couple of stitches in I remember my uncle (retired surgeon, who luckily had his kit with him) sticking 4 stitches in my leg, at home, when I fell on an old fence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alis girls Posted January 1, 2015 Share Posted January 1, 2015 I would happily learn to suture - I dont even know how to use surgical glue - we as Practice Nurses just arent taught. Silly isnt it. Hope you are better soon . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapdragon Posted January 2, 2015 Author Share Posted January 2, 2015 Thanks for the good wishes - will have to remove the stockinget dressing soon as its turning into a health hazard! Hasn't 'bled through' since Tuesday so hoping alls well! I do find it odd that Drs/Practice Nurses can't stitch, esp as its only two/three required All fine and dandy to send peeps to the local hosp in a city but we are out in the sticks and so it would take half a day in total to get 2/3 stitches sorted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
