Have you had an ear infection after you were an adult? I got one when Wiz was little and had so many. I was truly AFRAID of what I might do because the pain was so awful that I just wanted to get away with it and I couldn't tolerate being touched, noises, and my other sensory problems were a LOT worse. In the twenty years I have been married to my husband that was one of TWO times I called him home from work because I could not care for our child. I was truly afraid Wiz would come up and try to pat my arm and the tactile defensiveness would have me lash out before I could think. That is a sensory issue I have struggled with when in extreme pain - migraine is usually the time it happens but it was even worse with the ear infection.
I would happily have stuck an icepick into my ear to stop the pain. The doctor told me that ear pain is one of the worst things he sees - people think it is a little kid problem and no big deal and then they get one as an adult and EVERYTHING changes.
Just because the fluid doesn't look infected does NOT mean it isn't or that it is not painful. V may have had this for so long that he doesn't know that people do not all feel that way all the time. It is common in kids for them to not report pain that is chronic because they think that it is just how bodies feel and everyone feels that all the time.
When Wiz was little we had probably fifty dr appts where I took him in and said his ear was infected and it hurt and the dr looked and said it was just fine, I was a new mommy and needed to relax, blah blah blah. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. We would go back in 2-3 days and the doctor would say it was "the worst infection I have ever seen!! Why didn't you bring him in sooner? NO kid should have it get this bad!" Any time we saw a new doctor there were about 5 visits with the "why didn't you" koi and I pointed out EACH time that the paper just under hte one for this visit was about the last and it was two days ago, so WHO didn't treat the problem?
I know that ears can HURT from the fluid in them long before ANY infection can be seen. Not only from Wiz but also because my older bro had HORRIBLE ear problems and we had an amazing ENT when we were little who wanted him treated if they can see fluid, at least with the pain drops. They make a benzocaine or some -caine ear drop that you warm in a cup of water and then put in the ear and it really soothes the pain. WOn't help speech but can help keep him comfortable when he has an ear problem. It was called Auralgan last time we had some.
Chronic pain of ANY kind, even low grade pain, can cause major changes in a child's behavior. Kids also are not as able to figure out where they hurt. I know that sounds strange, you are hte one that hurts, surely you know where it is coming from, right? But it is WRONG and is super wrong in a child with sensory issues. thank you is 12 and just this winter was able for the first time to say "my lungs are tight, I need my inhaler". Until now the rest of us noticed a look on his face and a change in his posture and would say "thank you, stop a minute. What is your body telling you? What does it need?" Until about 2-3 years ago I actually would ask how his feet feel, his legs, his hips, his stomach, etc.... and we went through the whole body to find out what was wrong. He simply could not come out and say "my head hurts" or "my tummy hurts" because the sensory impulses are all mixed up. With Wiz I would take him to the doctor f he had a new wrinkle or a really bad day or reverted to some past behavior problem. 90% of the time when he had a problem at school that was "big", he was sick. That is what it took to get the doctor to listen when I said he had migraines at age 2. He would just freak out and destroy anything he could and he was such a fun, cool little kid that it was really really NOT normal for him.
So just because the doctor isn't seeing anything and V isn't complaining of pain doesn't mean there might not be a problem. For me that would be a factor in this decision.
Another factor would be the chance that the surgery could improve a lot of things. LOTS of kids have fluid in their ears that delays speech. You won't know if this is something that the surgery would help until you do it. Taking out the tonsils and adenoids CAN help reduce the number and severity of future infections. thank you was always sick with a cold of some type until he was four. Then the ENT recommended the tubes/tonsils/adenoids surgery and said that they are seeing a lot of kids are really helped by it. Even kids who don't complain of a lot of ear pain but have fluid and colds a lot are helped. This was 8 yrs ago, but from the time he had the surgery he has had fewer cold/ear infections/viruses to the point that we went from at least one dr appointment a month to having well check and MAYBE 2 other visits a year and those were more from scrapes/sprains because he fell or walked into something. Before that he was just a "sickly kid".
They won't be able to give you a 100% sure answer that the surgery will or won't fix the speech issues. I am betting that even though they say the fluid isn't infected that it is at least uncomfortable sometimes and V is just unable to tell you this. He may not yet be able to stop and think and tell you that this or that body part hurts at this time. SOme kids have to learn this. It isn't an easy decision and of course I support whatever you do, but if there was a chance it could help I would probably try it.
Esp after having had an ear infection when Wiz was little. It was just the most intense, drive you insane pain I have ever had. Given over 40 years of chronic migraines and25 years of treatment for chronic pain conditions, that says a LOT. I thought I was going to lose my mind. The mere fact that I THOUGHT about sticking an icepick all the way into my ear scared me, esp because we had one! I made husband hide it until after I was better.
