Dr. Shapiro

I just returned from the Pediatric Ear, Nose & Throat doctor, Dr. Shapiro, and we are all set for Matthew's tubes. One of the "guidelines" that they follow is four ear infections in a four month time or six ear infections in a six month time. Matthew has had five ear infections in under four months! His hearing tests were within normal range, which was a sigh of relief. He is not hearing as well out of his "bad ear" (the left one), but still it is within the normal range, so that was great news. For the exam, the doctor looked at Matthew's eardrums. They want the eardrums to have a slight curve. Matthew's are flat as a pancake, which is causing the ear infections.

The actual procedure is very quick, about ten minutes per ear. Matthew will be given some gas that will make him go to sleep, so there are no I.Vs. The doctor will then cut a small hole in each eardrum and insert the small, plastic, flexible tube. The hole allows for the pressure behind the eardrum to become pressurized and get rid of the pain and the tube helps to keep the hole open and slow the closing (healing) process. The tubes will stay in for six to eighteen months and fall out on their own. This is a temporary fix for Matthew and he may need to have them redone after the first set falls out. It all depends on the maturity of his ear passages.

Overall, this was the best option for Matthew. When I spoke to the doctor about Matthew's reaction to his other antibiotic Omnicef (he was having very bad diarrhea...some days up to eight times), he said that was he was experiencing was a side effect, though not as serious as the hives (from the penicillin). We want to save the antibiotics for later in life when he gets sick. If we build up an immunity now, we will be in trouble down the road. So the option of constant antibiotics was not a wise one. We don't want him to be in pain, so this is the best answer for us. Luckily this procedure is VERY common and hundreds of thousands are done per year.

Matthew's surgery is set for Friday, April 18th. We are very fortunate that Matthew's doctor is a very well known and respected pediatric ENT (the only pediatric ENT our pediatrician refers to...the others are adult ENTs). Also, a good family friend, Kathy Alban, will be Matthew's nurse, so we are very relieved that he will be in the best hands all around.