Grommet Op

[lorraineliyanage]

My daughter is having grommets put it on Friday. Does anyone have any tips on after care or any experiences to share that might make me feel a bit less anxious about the op? Thanks!

[Belle]

Hi - my son has had this op twice, at 15 mths and then at almost 2, and it was absolutely fine both times. The anaesthetist and surgeon are bound to put you (and your daughter) at your ease, and there really is no pain. After care v simple - just some ear drops and precautionary antibiotics - my son was sleepy after the GA both times but other than that no ill effects. And they made such a difference. We've been unlucky in one respect - his have fallen out now twice, but as he's now a bit older we're taking a 'wait and see' approach to see whether we need replacements again.

It's a v simple op and I spoke to a friend who's an ENT surgeon beforehand who reassured me that it's v routine and straightforward. The hardest bit as a parent is of course seeing your child being put under but again I found the team v reassuring on this count (used to dealing with anxious parents) and it was fine, all handled v smoothly. Good luck!

[buggie]

Maybe make sure you take in a favourite toy/blanket - take it down to the anesthetic room. It then (without them realising) keep hold of it & give it back to them in recovery so that it doesn't get lost in theatre. Bugglet had to have an op at 10wks old & found it really useful to take her grobag in and popped her in it in recovery (with the zip undone a bit so that the pulse probe could be on her foot). Would consider doing this again if she was still in grobags (with agreement of the nurses).

[lorraineliyanage]

Thanks for the info - glad the op made a difference, Belle. I'm looking forward to not having to shout so much at my daughter or hear her saying "Huh? What?!" all the time!

[Belle]

Oh yes, my son was allowed to keep his dummy first time round (was not using it by time of second op).

We had the op done because of recurrent severe ear infections rather than hearing issues but actually think it made a difference to speech, so think his hearing had been affected too prior to the op (just not in a v obvious way). I found once I started telling people about it almost everyone I mentioned it to either had had the op themselves or had a relative who had, think it's really v common.

[lorraineliyanage]

I don't know of anyone whose had it recently but I do remember a few kids at school had grommets. I never really knew what they were, I always thought it sounded a bit like 'maggots'!

[Cedges]

I had grommets when i was 4 and 6.

When I was 4 they only put in 1 when they were supposed to do both so I had to have another op. When I was 6 they did both ears and they also took my adenoids out. Which was a shock to everyone including my parents so the after effects of my grommet op was nosebleeds.

I'm sure I was a really rare case and in a totally different PCT in 1992 but please do check grommets are the only thing they are going to insert/remove and in both or one ear as previoulsy discussed.

Otherwise from memory I was way less sick than the rest of the kids in my ward having their tonsils out and the 1st time I was in and out as a day patient.

I don't mean this as a horror story at all, but advice to triple check everything. Good luck x

[lorraineliyanage]

Hi Cedges, definitely no adenoid or tonsil removal but I will double check whether it's one ear or two - it should be both as she is deaf in both ears.

[mumof3girlies]

My daughter had grommets at age 5 and a half, which is quite late, we had been watching and waiting but when school started to get concerned with how engaged she was, we decided to have them done, we were amazed by the instant difference, she was hearing things she had never heard before! she recovered really well from the op, although she was nervous about it before about going in for it, (being a bit older) but we made a huge fuss of her, got her a new toy etc. Not sure where you're having the op, we had it at Evelina and they were brilliant in every way, my daughter can be a bit stubborn and the staff were completely unphased by child refusing to have emla cream/get on trolley etc. etc.!

I had read somewhere some research that in a lot of cases when grommets are done at the same time as adenoids removal the impact on hearing is greater, we were told that if the adenoids were large they would remove them, they did and the only difference was she needed a week off school instead of just a day or so.

We read some books about going to hospital (?usborne) and that helped prepare her. She had no after effects from the operation or the anesthetic and we were quite concerned about putting her through it, a lot of friends and staff at school noted how much better she was hearing and that she seemed more involved and outgoing than before the op.

Good luck with everything! let us know how it goes..

p.s take some nice snacks/favourite foods for after the op, in case she's not keen on food offered.

[lorraineliyanage]

The consultant said she is a big young for adenoid or tonsil removal as they usually consider that around age 5. We'll see how the grommets go, hopefully that will sort her out and no further action will be needed. I shall let you know how it goes. Yes - good reminder to stock up on snacks although she's having the op at Benenden Hospital in Kent and they have a good snack selection in the kitchen that she was happily feasting on at the consultation!

[Sanne Panne]

I had it done 6 times in the late '70s (not for hearing issues but for chronic ear infections and related pressure issues) - don't remember much of it except a fondness of the ENT doctor who was great with kids. I also remember being a bit disorientated and nauseous after the operation (even after being dismissed from the "waking up room") so maybe carry her in your arms on your way home.

Check her pillow in the morning for a few weeks after the op to see if the grommets haven't come out. Maybe technology has improved and maybe they aren't likely to come out if the ear isn't infected in the first place - could be worth asking the ENT doc.

Good luck!!!

[lorraineliyanage]

Hi Sanne, thanks for the info - will let you know how she gets on with it. The grommets do still fall out quite easily, apparently