Exclude for EAR Drainage? TMI sorry

[jojosmommy]

Have you ever sent home and or excluded because of drainage from ear?


Dck has been sick over 3 weeks. We all got sick from her too. Yucky cold. I excluded when she had nose drainage other thsn minimal clear. She has ear tubes and has been in the doc 2x during this cold. Doctors say its just a cold. Sent home last Thursday with blood draining from left ear. Doc said its normal, gave mom drops. Bla bla bla. Ff to today. Nasty green drainage from ear. I cant stomach it, or keep up with it. I stuffed ear with cotton ball and kept on. Would you send home with this disgusting drainage?

Sorry tmi.

She better come Tuesday clear of ALL symptoms.

[countrymom]

ewww gross! sounds like something more is going on, maybe a sinus infection.

[sharlan]

I'm sorry, but she would be out the door by door. Green drainage from the ear is not normal.

[mema]

I would send her home. That is not something that you should have to clean up after. Could she have an ear infection even tho she has tubes?? I'm not good with that stuff because my dd has never had an ear infection and my ds only had 1-at age 5. Never had an dck's have them either.

[SilverSabre25]

green drainage? BLOOD?! Those are NORMAL?

Um...second opinion, and NO I would not allow a kiddo in care with symptoms like that. Ick!

[Willow]

A kiddo with an ear infection that's had tubes can have every color of the rainbow come out their ear. Most ear infections stay contained behind the drum, but a tube allows it allllllll to come out. What you are seeing is the same thing that's inside any child's ear when they get an ear infection.

Since ear infections aren't contagious and the child is already on medication I would not exclude unless they were in obvious pain.

[jojosmommy]

She does have both possibly. Drs claim once they have tubes the only treatment for ear infections is these drops. She has been on the drops for weeks. The second time she was in they said the green stuff is normal mucous from sinuses but instead of draining from sinuses to throat it drains to the ear because the tubes make it easier to do so.

I think its so nasty. Mom and dad are good about taking her in and stuff but they are hitting dead ends with the docs. I am going to tell dad green ear drainage is above and beyond the call of duty here. I might vomit.

[Meyou]

A kiddo with an ear infection that's had tubes can have every color of the rainbow come out their ear. Most ear infections stay contained behind the drum, but a tube allows it allllllll to come out. What you are seeing is the same thing that's inside any child's ear when they get an ear infection.

Since ear infections aren't contagious and the child is already on medication I would not exclude unless they were in obvious pain.

Ditto. It's gross but it's better than the pressure and infection that all that goop can cause. That being said the drops should work within a day or two if it's an ear infection. You're applying a topical medication right to the infection site instead of one that needs to be absorbed.

Since it's green I would say it IS mucous. I've had this with my dd when she had a sinus infection and tubes. The mucous takes the path of least resistance.

They don't give kids with tubes antibiotics for ear infections. Alot of the reason they put tubes in to have another way to treat the kids without oral meds. My dd was on antibiotics for MONTHS with no end in sight before tubes.

[nanglgrl]

One thing to consider is that the ear infection may have cause the child to rupture their ear drum. I had that happen last year and had drainage tinged with blood. It hurt when it ruptured but felt so much better after because the built up pressure was finally released. I could barely hear for 2 weeks.

I also have a child with constant gunky greenish drainage from his ear. It doesn't seem to bother him and they each have heir own bedding for nap time so I try my best to ignore it. He has tubes and parent's have told me their doctor says it's normal for him (I trust they have talked to the doctor about it).

[daycare]

I want to puke...yuck sorry

I do have in my policy that I don't allow any form of drainage from the ears or eyes (of course tears)

If it is not meant to normally discharge, then you need to be home...

[itlw8]

Oh come on. That is what the tubes are there for . Do not stuff it with cotton and prevent the drainage Just take a wet washcloth and wipe it off. It is not as bad as poop.

[jojosmommy]

Oh come on. That is what the tubes are there for . Do not stuff it with cotton and prevent the drainage Just take a wet washcloth and wipe it off. It is not as bad as poop.

I should clarify that I didnt STUFF it with cotton. I simply put part of cotton ball in the ear, not the ear canal. The mucous was leaking faster than normal daycare activities allowed and she even had some on her shirt on the one side. The cotton ball served more as a catch all for the dripping. I swtiched it out. Plus it kept the kiddo from picking since I can imagine all that wet leaking from the ear cant be too comfortable.


And yes the mom and dad have been in and out of the doc about the cold. That is why I was conflicted about it. I know they have been seen by ENT and yes they asked for an oral antibitoic but ENT wont once you have tubes. That is the point of putting them in.

And about the blood. I too was worried about the tube shifting or becoming dislodged which is why I sent home the day blood was coming out and they took her in. I guess this is NORMAL and they don't even want you to come in for blood dripping. They said kids would be in obvious pain if it dislodged so there was really nothing to worry about. FYI and TMI I guess.

[Kelly]

I never heard of not giving oral antibiotics to kids with ear tubes. My son has had about 7 sets of ear tubes over the years (he's 22 now) and still gets an ear infection with drainage about once a year. We do drops for a couple days but if they don't work he goes to the doctor and gets oral antibiotics.

[Blackcat31]

I never heard of not giving oral antibiotics to kids with ear tubes.

Me either. I have had lots of kids here that have tubes and almost all of them get antibiotics for infections. The moms say the tubes just make the infection much easier to treat.

I haven't had a kid get drops at all. (that I know of)

~OP, sad to say the green drainage and blood is also something I have been told are completely normal.

I do agree though that it is absolutely disgusting and I honestly think that if it really is something that makes you physically ill, then I would not feel one bit badly about asking the parents to either keep her home or make alternate arrangements (grandma, family friends etc) until the drainage has stopped.

It wouldn't bother me personaly, but as a child care provider and having seen probably EVERY type, color and kind of fluid that could possibly seep from a child's body, I am NOT going to begrudge someone of their "the ONE thing" that makes them vomit. ya know?

I mean come on, we ALL have one and if this is the thing that makes OP's sktomach turn when dealing with it, then exclude.

Simple as that. I would even tell the parent's exactly why. Parents probabaly have "that one thing" too.

[jojosmommy]

Im not going to name names but the town I live in has a HUGE medical institution and IME what "they" say goes. We are not frequent fliers there seeking instead a smaller less beauricratic medical facility. In all my experiences and all the stories I hear the docs know whats best and lay people like us dont know what works and what should happen. Insert my longest eye roll ever!