My 4 year old daughter has suffered from hearing loss due to glue ear for nearly a year now.She now has severe hearing loss in both ears,today I have been asked to decide if I want her to have grommets or hearing aids.I know it is a really personal decision to make, but I dont really know much about either.Well I've researched them but im wanting peoples experiences of either grommets or hearing aids.

I've not personally had experience of either, but my little bro was in a similar position and was very deaf with glue ear; He had grommets and has never had a problem since :)

I had Glue Ear as a nipper which was treated with grommets.
Apparently I spent time in special classes for the deaf but I don't recall that, but I do remember having hearing tests - "tap the desk when you hear a beep" sort of thing.

As I remember it meant I (my mum!) had to try and keep water out of the ear. I couldn't swim for a while.

It wasn't any great hardship.

One grommet is still in I think.

I think wearing a hearing aid would have been hard for me, I imagine as a kid I would have been catching it on things/breaking them all the time.

Having no children myself I can't really speak out of experience but I can imagine it being quite hard for a child to get used to and regularly wear a hearing aid, like DaFoot said the possibility of breaking it/catching it etc.

I know it's awful to say aswell but kids can be cruel...would wearing a hearing aid cause your daughter any problems amongst her peers, teasing etc. I know some children would be confident enough to deal with any issues like this but if your daughter is likely to get very upset if any other children pass comment etc this may be something for you to think about. (of course this may not happen it's just a "what if" to think about")

Good luck with it anyway and i'm sure as a parent you will make the decision that's right for your daughter.

My brother had this question put to him (well, my mum) when he was about 6. He had the grommets 3 times and they worked for a while, as soon as they fell out it went back.

He refused hearing aids for the fear of being bullied. He recently had an op (at 15) to insert some permanent tubes into his ears and so far are doing very well :)

hi my sisters son is 14 hes had grommets after gromments in now hes as a hearing aid which is the colour of man united hes had no problem with other kids at school i think he got fed up off having them done and not workin for very long good luck on wot u do

My son had grommets inserted when he was 5 years old. Up to then he had a constantly snotty nose, and his hearing was impaired. He also had repeated ear infections.

The result of the op was amazing. The snotty nose disappeared and he was able to hear properly. He still had the occasional ear infection, but at 10 years old, they are no more than any other child of his age.

The grommets remained in place for around 18 months and there was no need to have them replaced when they came out.

Thank you for all your replies,It helps alot to listen to other peoples experiences.In a way I wish it was took out of my hands,it would have been easier for the doctor to say this is what were going to do...Oh well i'll carry on thinking.Thanks again.

My son wears a hearing aid - not for glue ear for something different (he has very little hearing in the middle frequency range of his right ear). I too put off getting him an aid for a few years because I was very worried about bullying. We told him it was a bit like a bionic ear and thats how he presented it to his friends (no-one else in school has one) and they thnk its cool. Its no worse really than wearing glasses or when they get older braces on their teeth.

Aids these days are very funky you can pick the colour of the aid itself if you want to and the ear plug (even to getting pink and sparkly or a picture of her choice). He has never said that he has had any issues with bullying because of the aid - now his ginger hair is another matter :lol: He has had to have one of his aids replaced due to leaving it at the swimming pool and that was done very quickly without lots of questions.

Saying that I am in favour of aids as it has made a huge difference to my son and helped his behaviour too, Im surprised that an aid is offered for glue ear though as I would have thought that it would just amplify a muffled sound.

i would go with the gromits first as they will help drain the glue ear. a hearing aid can always be fitted at a later date.

if you dont get the glue ear sorted out it can lead to other problems (mastoiditis) and this has more serious problems attached to it.

i would go with the gromits first as they will help drain the glue ear. a hearing aid can always be fitted at a later date.

if you dont get the glue ear sorted out it can lead to other problems (mastoiditis) and this has more serious problems attached to it.

Neither hearing aids nor grommets cure the underlying cause of glue ear. Doctors can not cure glue ear but nature does as the eustachian tube matures as the child grows. However in some children removing very enlarged adenoids that cause breathing problems, or repairing cleft palate, may improve eustachian tube function with resolution of glue ear.

There is no evidence that grommets prevent middle ear complications associated with glue ear but on the other hand putting grommets 2 times or more can increase the risks of significant complications like cholesteatoma and perforation. Grommets can act as a foreign body and can trigger ear infections that may also lead to mastoiditis.

The function of grommet is not to drain the fluid but is to allow air enter the middle ear, which is impaired in glue ear due to poor eustachian tube function. The other name of grommet is "ventilation tube" (not a drainage tube).

Doctors do not treat the "glue ear" but the "child". Different children with glue ear may have different MEDICAL HISTORY and the treatment will vary. However if hearing loss is the main problem then "Hearing Aid" is a non-invasive option that will help with the hearing with consequent improvement in speech and better performance at nursery/school without the added risks associated with surgery and complications of grommets itself.
The hearing aid is not permanent and will be withdrawn as soon as the glue ear gets better by itself in course of time.

Bullying and compliance is not a problem if the child and parents are informed of the pros and cons of both the options and they make an informed choice.
In fact temporary hearing aids in glue can play a positive role as teachers/carer can help children develop disability awareness for other parmanent disabling conditions as well.

it appears that i need to stand corrected (or trolled) although with my sons history etc we were advised that gromits would help his ear to drain (possibly with the introduction of air into the middle ear).

Gromits however do not lead to mastoiditis as that is caused by leaving an ear infection with inadequate treatment, however the infection got started.

gromits would be the way to go, until the hearing aid comes along