Why do children have Grommets?

[CAM]

I want to know from all you knowledgable mumsnetters why children have grommets in their ears (have I spelt grommets correctly?) What are they actually for, are they necessary, and do they work? Please answer with as much information as you know.Thanks.

[jessi]

Hi Cam, don't know that much except that I had them when I was a child. It was for my hearing I think and I stayed in overnight in hospital and they then fell out of my ears in due course. (they are meant to, I think!) I was slightly deaf and couldn't blow my nose when I was little and they definitely helped. Not deaf at all now, so they must have worked. HTH!

[SueDonim]

Grommets are little tube things inserted into the eardrum to allow any fluid to drain away, usually when a child had a condition called 'glue ear' which causes them to be deaf. As Jessi says. they eventually fall out of their own accord by which time the problem hopefully will be solved. HTH.

[Harrysmum]

Hi, ds had them inserted in December so we know all about grommets! They are like tiny plastic drinking straws inserted into the ear drum. They faciltate drainage not because they are tubes but because they allow the pressure to be equalised and thus easier flow of fluid esp. down the back of the throat. It also means no painful ears when flying. They work themselves out spontaneoulsy between 12 and 18 months after insertion and more may be needed. Ds had his after persistent ear infections were causing some developmental delays in speech and balance. HTH.

[MotherofOne]

Just a different point of view on grommets... like Harrysmum's experience, our son had persistent ear infections and was diagnosed with Glue Ear at about 10 months old. The Ear Nose Throat consultant recommended grommets, but I was very nervous of him having a GA and surgery at a very young age unless it was deemed absolutely necessary.
As Harrysmum says, the key recommendations for grommets are if a) the child is obviously in on-going pain with the pressure in the ear, and b) if speech development was being affected.
We got second opinions and in the end decided not to go ahead on the basis that a) & b) above weren't a big issue at that stage, and I'm pleased to say that ds's condition cleared up completely of its own accord in 6-8months. His speech now is absolutely excellent too - he shows no signs of suffering any setbacks on that front.
There is some (anecdotal?) evidence that using toothpaste with Xyitol (sp!) in can help protect from bacterial infections, and we certainly did this (Boots crocodile on front one) but obviously who knows?
HTH.

[wendym]

A good site to go to for information is www.wellaware.co.uk It has a section on ear infections.

My daughter never had grommets because once we started to use xylitol regularly it stopped her infections. In clinical trials it stops 30 to 40% depending on how you take it. Chewing gum is best but obviously can't be given to babies. There's also a nasal spray said to be better but there haven't been proper published trials (www.nasal-xylitol.com tells the story) There's an article in the British Medical Journal (9 November 1996). There is only anecdotal evidence that xylitol works once the child has glue ear but the Royal National EMT use it. You certainly have nothing to lose (except ear infections) by trying the toothpaste.

There wasn't a lot of impact on dd's speech. However we didn't realise until her teacher told us that her problems with sounds (and hence spelling) was probably down to the repeated ear infections.

[wendym]

Sorry that should be www.well-aware.co.uk - look for glue ear

[ChanelNo5]

My eldest ds is booked in to have grommets in April. He will have a GA, but will only be a day patient. Does anyone know how long you should keep them off school afterwards, is there a recommended time or is it just dependent on how they are afterwards?

[JJ]

ChanelNo5, my son was fine the next day. The ears aren't sore at all afterwards, it's the throat that gets raw due to the tube that's put down it. All in all, it's not a bad operation-- just be sure to have loads of ice lollies on hand for when he comes out of it.

Is he having grommets because he has glue ear? If so, is he having a hearing test beforehand? Sometimes it will clear up between the diagnosis and the operation.

The stats for glue ear clearing up on its own are something like: 50% of cases clear without intervention after 3 months, then 50% of the remaining clear after 3 more months and 50% of those that are left will clear within 12 months. Umm... the exact number of months might be wrong, but it's something like that. My son had grommets last year after 4 months of horrible hearing because of glue ear. It made an amazing difference for him and was definitely the right decision. Good luck!

[JJ]

In this thread there is a long and perhaps dull account of my son's operation. (The date posted was 26 Nov.)

[ChanelNo5]

Thanks for the advice, jj. Yes, he is having them for glue ear which he has had for about a year. Repeated hearing tests have shown that it is not clearing up, so I think this is the right way to go for him. Having said that, I am really worried about him having a GA. Will definitely read the account of your son's op.

[AliH]

Can anyone tell me whether the Boots xylitol toothpaste is on the wellbeing website, or perhaps the exact name of it? I have been trying to get hold of xylitol toothpaste for ages.

My dd gets repeated ear infections, and the eardrum bursts every time. I have been recommended to a cranial osteopath by a friend. Does anyone have any experience of using one for ear problems? Dd doesnt seem to have a hearing or balance problem except around the time of the infection. Does this sound as if glue ear might be a problem?

All advice welcomed. Thanks

[Tinker]

AliH - don't know if you're near a Tesco but their own kids toothpaste has xylitol in it - silver box, I think.

[MotherofOne]

AliH - no, I had a look on the wellbeing site and it doesn't appear to be there. We bought ours at our local, fairly small, branch of Boots. It's a children's toothpaste, white tube with a picture of a green crocodile on the front - think it was AppleMint flavour...in the ingredients on the back Xylitol is listed. Will dig out more exact details if you need them, but it is in ds's bedroom at the mo, and he is happily tucked up right now! Let me know if you're still having problems and I'll give you the barcode or something!

[MandyD]

AliH, a friend of mine went to a cranial osteopath with her son of 18 months and it did help his glue ear considerably. She also uses homeopathic remedies, so not sure which was the most effective.