Josie's ear infection

[homeschoolmomma1]

I'm not a doctor but do a lot of ear infections in babies cause deafness? I know I am asking an odd questions but I was just wondering

[Kitchen Princess]

Ya, but it's mostly temporary. Sometimes that's the only way you know your kid has an ear infection.

[Buzzard]

I had a lot of ear infections as a young child, mostly in my right ear. I definitely have some loss in that ear but its hardly a big deal. I never had tubes...

[QueenNocturne]

When I was a little kid, ear infections were always accompanied by hearing problems. That's how my parents knew I had infections because I never experienced any pain with the infections.

My hearing doesn't seem to be affected now though. Hopefully Josie will be fine.

[Beeks]

I think depending on the severity and frequency it can cause permanent problems, but it's usually fine if they're treated right away

[CanadianHippie]

I think it also depends on the type, the last infection I had was in the labyrinth, cause vertigo like no bodies business but no real risk of hearing loss because it didn't affect the actual hearing part of the ear.

[ladypuglover]

I was born with double ear infections and had my first set of tubes before I was even 3 months old. The last set of tubes was around 10 years old I think with many, many surgeries in between. Sadly for me they never worked as they should have but thankfully I can hear today for the most part. Different accents can be hard or picking out sounds in noisy backgrounds. I have a very hard time hearing the microwave, oven timer or dryer timer if the TV is on or kids are making noise but I have learned how to handle it by sticking close by when the cookies or dryer is done.

I don't see anything abnormal with Josie getting tubes as some preemies like mine never need them and some do long before this. It seems like the doctor had given a wait and lets see if this is an on going thing attitude before deciding to go ahead and doing the surgery.

Bet you all 10 to 1 that we will see the surgery. Which is to bad as most babies/children just need their parents and lovie during this time and nothing else.

[Beeks]

LPL: were you literally born with ear infections or was that a figure of speech? I had no idea that was possible!

[ladypuglover]

LPL: were you literally born with ear infections or was that a figure of speech? I had no idea that was possible!

I literally was born with inner and middle ear infections in both ears. They don't know how it happened but my mother did have a medical tramua while pregnant with me. I didn't hear my first sound until I was 3 years old and I remember it was my mother's voice. :D

[Eclipse]

I had several ear infections a year as a child due to congestation caused by severe allergies. My infections caused my language centre to develop differently and scarring on my ear drum. Nothing could be done for my infections but if the Duggars can do anything for her, I hope they do. My parents had to spend hundreds of hours with me, along with speech therapists to develop my speech skills, overcome my hearing problems and address the related learning disabilities. i worry about Josie because if she does have any hearing related problems, I doubt her special needs will be addressed properly at the Duggars' school of the dinning room table.

[lilwriter85]

I had several ear infections a year as a child due to congestation caused by severe allergies. My infections caused my language centre to develop differently and scarring on my ear drum. Nothing could be done for my infections but if the Duggars can do anything for her, I hope they do. My parents had to spend hundreds of hours with me, along with speech therapists to develop my speech skills, overcome my hearing problems and address the related learning disabilities. i worry about Josie because if she does have any hearing related problems, I doubt her special needs will be addressed properly at the Duggars' school of the dinning room table.

I agree the Duggars wouldn't be able to address her needs at the dining room table. I hope that Josie doesn't end up with hearing problems. I know two people who suffer from hearing loss due to frequent infections when they were young children.

[marmalade]

As I said over at TWOP, the kid needed the tubes put in long before Michelle (apparently) acceded to the surgery. My niece, who is the daughter of a woman who had to have serious sinus surgery due to allergies, had to have the surgery, but much earlier in life.

I wonder if Josie also had allergies. It's not like they were sheltering her from what was coming inside last spring. Pollen can stick to Jill's or Jana's clothing...you know the rest. It's NOT all teething, Michelle, but as we know, her children don't have imperfections other than their teeth...and it took them years to admit that, other than Jana who had them early and was only seen with them in the first special.

[PBrooke]

I haven't seen the ep yet, but just mentioning (though I'm sure most know this): you don't have to be a preemie to need tubes, and just because you need them around the one-year mark doesn't mean you really needed them much sooner. One of my siblings had tubes put in somewhere around a year, as soon as it was realized she needed them.

[Lillybee]

Michelle did say that she also had conjunctiivtis.I hope that this is the only problems she has but I am getting a feeling that she may have vision problems.

[Jessica]

Bet you all 10 to 1 that we will see the surgery. Which is to bad as most babies/children just need their parents and lovie during this time and nothing else.

Well considering they allowed her to be filmed as she was born and then struggling just to live ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRABz6WCQsQ -- the fact that they let all this be filmed is rather disturbing to me. Sure, film her after she's made it through the first few weeks, but seriously? Your wife's being air-lifted to another hospital and your first thought is to call the camera crew?!) why wouldn't they film her for some silly old surgery?

[ladypuglover]

I haven't seen the ep yet, but just mentioning (though I'm sure most know this): you don't have to be a preemie to need tubes, and just because you need them around the one-year mark doesn't mean you really needed them much sooner. One of my siblings had tubes put in somewhere around a year, as soon as it was realized she needed them.

No, of course full term babies might needs tubes too. I was full term myself and had them done but chances are higher for preemies. As for needing tubes, each child will be different. Some might need them as newborns and others not until they are toddlers or preschoolers. Just depends on how the child's body reacts.

I'm just glad that if Josie does need them that a doctor caught on to that fact and that her parents will allow the surgey to be done. One sister in law of mine is deaf because her parents waited to have God heal her. Like the old joke of the man asking Gody why He didn't save him and God saying I sent you 2 boats and a plane, what more do you want. Hopefully JB and DQ know that they need to get on this boat with Josie. To bad that they don't see that several more of their kids need to get help too.

[ADoyle90815]

One thing I do know about having had several ear infections as an infant was that while I didn't have hearing loss, I did have scar tissue in my ear. It was while treating one of those infections that it became apparent that I'm allergic to penicillin. Now, my preemie cousin might have had ear infections, but I don't remember for sure, but he did have significant developmental delays because he was born so early. I only hope that Josie doesn't have anything like my cousin, since I don't think she'll get what she needs from the SODRT.

[Sola]

It can cause glue ear, but that can be sorted with grommets. Kids are prone to it as the eustachian tube is quite small and easily gets blocked up. Preemies are even more prone to it. Sometimes it will clear up by itself in a few months, though sometimes it doesn't or the level of hearing loss is almost total and it requires grommets. My daughter had them a few years ago, she was almost completely deaf prior to the surgery.

[LIzzieB]

I had about 4 sets of grommets before the age of seven as a result of ear infections and glue ears. I was full-term and reasonably healthy (apart from a bit of respiratory stuff), so it's not surprising that a preemie like Josie might have some problems in that regard. I was lucky that both my parents are audiologists and my mother worked in child health for many years, so I got the best of care. Both my parents saw the results of kids not having received adequate care during ear infections - they can definitely cause hearing loss.

A bit off topic but there is a huge problem with hearing loss in remote Aboriginal communities in Australia, caused by a lack of access to decent hygiene facilities, and a lack of education about the ramifications and treatment of ear infections. Hearing loss can have a dramatic impact on language acquisition and education, so kids are disadvantaged from the get-go. It's a tragedy.

[Deleted03]

I had repeated ear infections around 4-5 and was missing school half the year. I had some ear loss too but never got tubes or anything. Actually after a year of that my mom went to a homeopathic doctor that prescribed less dairy products and a long term homeopathic treatment. After the start of the treatment I had only one more ear infection and never had one since.

I'm sure the Duggars try to be on the safe side with Josie as everyone is watching them.

[Antigone]

Sevy's had so many ear infections i've lost count. She has grown immune to one kind of ear infection medication, so the pediatrician is at the point of, "Nothing you can do, just give her tylenol for pain and if there is a fever, bring her in but you should consider tubes next time." She was born (preemie) with a type of hearing loss (we don't know what, but we suspect it has to do with her brain and the way it processes sound from the type of hearing test she failed). We think her ear infections have caused further hearing loss and it is only noticeable when she has her ear infections (she has to rely on sign language whenever that happens). As well as her inability to understand spoken language if she is in a large group (she had to rely on sign language when she was in her huge preschool class- 30 kids, but she was fine in her smaller class, 15 kids).

Hubby and I won't stress about it as long as she seems to be getting 100 percent. I just wish we could find some way to document her hearing loss (she's passed all of her screenings, but her teacher said her behavior indicates there's something off) so she does not get "lost" since that could have some kind of negative impact on her education and possibly social skills as well.

Sorry for the rant/ramble, it hits close to home due to Sevy and a lot of things I have seen with parents who refuse to communicate or accomodate any needs with their not only hearing impaired kids but all kinds of special needs as well. I haven't seen any new episodes but I might watch whatever is coming up so I can see Josie's behavior for myself.

Sorry if I sound like some crazy lady, LOL, It's driving me up the wall whenever someone asks about this type of thing and I can never give a clean, simple answer- even from the pediatrician and audiologist who know our family all too well due to our frequent visits :) LOL!

[bananacat]

I used to get strep throat and ear infections all the time when I was a kid. It turns out I'm very allergic to second hand smoke, and my mom quit smoking when she found out. But everyone thinks of asthma or lung cancer, and many people don't realize the effect it can have on your throat and ears. I did have tubes in my ears but I was a healthy full-term baby so I had less of a risk than Josie. Preemies are more vulnerable to some things for years into their lives. As an adult I still get strep throat pretty often when I am exposed to second-hand smoke but I haven't had an earache in a long time.

[forever ago]

Ear infections can cause temporary deafness, yes. Depending on the severity and frequency, permanent hearing loss can set in. I had hearing problems as a child because of my ear infections, and still have some trouble picking out accents and hell, even understanding English at times. I wound up getting tubes in my ears at 7. They fell out at 8 or 9, and I've only had 2 ear infections since- one at 14 and the other at 18 after a sinus infection. The second was so minor I barely knew there was anything wrong with my ears... then again I was more focused on the fact that thanks to a cold and sinus infection on top of already having asthma I COULDN'T FUCKING BREATHE.

I wouldn't be surprised if poor Josie suffers some hearing loss- being a preemie with a weakened immune system I don't doubt those ear infections are absolutely awful. Poor baby :(

[IReallyAmHopewell]

I haven't seen the show, but assumed the "sign language" was the popular baby signs many parents are now using. My niece quit when, as a teacher, she saw her son had stopped trying to talk! He got what he wanted faster with signs. I didn't equate it with possible deafness.

[ladypuglover]

I haven't seen the show, but assumed the "sign language" was the popular baby signs many parents are now using. My niece quit when, as a teacher, she saw her son had stopped trying to talk! He got what he wanted faster with signs. I didn't equate it with possible deafness.

I agree as a lot of preschools are teaching baby sign now too. My 3rd didn't speak until he was 3 and with learning baby sign, he started to make sounds like gooing and cooing shortly before 3 years. Before baby sign he was just silent. Baby sign IMO is a great thing for all different kinds of babies and their needs.