Ear Tube Recovery Guide

What should I expect?

An ear tube is a tiny vent in the eardrum. It lets air into the middle ear and lets fluid drain out, which improves hearing and reduces ear infections. Placing it takes about 5 to 10 minutes, and recovery is usually quick. Hearing that was muffled by fluid often improves right away. All of these are normal:

• Sore ears for the first few days. Young children may pull at their ears.
• A small amount of drainage for the first few days, sometimes longer. It may be blood-tinged in the first day or two.
• After general anesthesia, nausea or an upset stomach for the first couple of days. Start with clear liquids, then go back to a regular diet as you feel ready.

How do I use the ear drops?

Not everyone needs ear drops after surgery. If we prescribed them, use them exactly as directed, usually 4 drops in each ear with a tube, twice a day for 7 days, and finish the full course even if the ear looks better. Getting drops through a tiny tube takes a little technique:

1. Warm the bottle

   Hold it in your hand for 1 to 2 minutes. Cold drops can cause brief dizziness.

2. Lie down with the ear facing up

   Lie on your side, or have your child lie down. Gently wipe away any drainage from the outer ear first.

3. Put in the drops

   Use the number on your prescription label, without touching the tip of the bottle to the ear.

4. Pump the drops through the tube

   Press the small flap in front of the ear opening inward 4 or 5 times. This pushes the drops through the tube into the middle ear.

5. Stay with the ear facing up

   Wait 1 to 5 minutes, or as long as the label says, then wipe away any extra.

6. Do the other ear

   Repeat if both ears have tubes.

For young children: a video or story helps them lie still, and a second adult can help hold them. Press the small flap in front of the ear for them.

What if the ear drains?

Drainage from the ear, often during a cold, usually means the tube is doing its job: an infection is draining out instead of staying trapped behind the eardrum. Think of it as a runny ear, much like a runny nose. It can be clear, cloudy or yellow, and sometimes blood-tinged, which is not dangerous.

• Treat it with antibiotic ear drops, usually for 7 to 10 days. Use the drops we prescribed, or call us if you do not have any.
• Antibiotics by mouth are usually not needed. The national 2022 ear tube guideline recommends ear drops alone for drainage through a tube. Drops put the medicine right where the infection is and avoid side effects such as diarrhea and rash.
• Wipe the outer ear with a soft cloth or tissue before each dose so the drops can get in. Do not put cotton swabs (Q-tips) in the ear.
• Call us if the drainage lasts more than 7 to 10 days on drops, keeps coming back or smells bad, or if there is a fever, significant ear pain, or redness and swelling around or behind the ear.

What about bathing and swimming?

• Baths, showers, hair washing and clean pools: ear plugs are not needed. The national 2022 ear tube guideline advises against routine water precautions for children with tubes.
• Use ear plugs in lakes, rivers and the ocean, for diving deep underwater, and while an ear is draining.
• Any time water in the ears is uncomfortable, it is fine to use ear plugs.

How should I manage pain?

Discomfort after ear tubes is usually mild and short-lived, and over-the-counter medicine is almost always enough. Use acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) as directed below or on the package.

• Adults: acetaminophen 1,000 mg every 6 hours (no more than 4,000 mg in 24 hours, or 3,000 mg if your package says so), or ibuprofen 400 mg every 8 hours with food.
• Children: dose by weight, not age, using the package directions or your pediatrician’s. Acetaminophen is about 10 to 15 mg per kilogram (2.2 pounds) every 4 to 6 hours. Ibuprofen, for children over 6 months, is about 5 to 10 mg per kilogram every 6 to 8 hours with food.
• Do not give aspirin to children. Ask your pharmacist if you take other medicines or have other health conditions.

When can we get back to normal?

• Normal activity can start again the evening after surgery.
• Most children go back to daycare or school, and most adults go back to work, the next day, once they feel well and the grogginess from anesthesia has passed.
• Flying is safe with ear tubes, and often more comfortable than before, because the tubes let pressure equalize.

What happens next?

• A follow-up visit within 3 months, often sooner, to check the ears. A hearing test is usually done in the first few months to confirm that hearing has improved.
• Regular checkups until the tubes come out, commonly about every 6 months, to make sure the tubes are in place and working.
• Short-term tubes usually fall out on their own in 6 to 18 months; long-term tubes can stay in for several years. If you see a tube in the ear canal or find one on a pillow, that is expected and harmless. Do not try to remove it; mention it at your next visit.

When should I call?