Ear Infection Discharge -- Blood ok?

[srhs]

DS2 had chronic ear infections that resulted in tubes 4 months ago. Currently, he has his first ear infection since. The discharge, though, has some blood in it. He never had a discharge before the tubes, but a pedi told me to expect it post-tubes (a discharge that is, no mention of blood). When we took him to urgent care for the diagnosis yesterday, the blood wasn't there yet. It appeared today.

Is this ok? Why do these things ALWAYS happen afterhours?

[ThreeofUs]

Call your ped's after hours line and leave a message. When there's blood in something like this, this is the smart course.

[infomama]

I'd be on the horn.

[maestramommy]

Agree with Ivy. I don't know whether it is okay, but if I saw blood coming out of my kid's ear, I'd call asap.

[srhs]

TY! Ok, calling. The other issue was who to call. Since urgent care saw the infection (also afterhours), I felt weird calling pedi, so we are calling ENT.

I did find this on Dr Sears' site (http://www.askdrsears.com/html/8/t081600.asp) so feeling a bit better:
"Ear drainage – if you see blood or pus draining out of the ear, then it is probably an infection with a ruptured eardrum. DON'T WORRY! These almost always heal just fine, and once the eardrum ruptures the pain subsides."

[HIU8]

DD had an ear infection about 2 months after she had tubes in. It was a ton of yellow fluid and gunk on her pillow that I found. Yes, blood does mean a burst eardrum and relief of pressure. I would still call b/c your DC will need to be seen.

[Snow mom]

His eardrum shouldn't have ruptured--that's the whole point of the tube is to let the pressure/fluid clear without building up to the point of infection/rupture. DDs eardrum ruptured before we got tubes for her and there was quite a bit of pus and maybe a bit of blood but the pus was the dramatic part. Is the blood red (fresh) or brown (old, or perhaps not blood at all)?

ETA: If you had him at urgent care I assume they looked to make sure the tubes hadn't gotten clogged? A clogged tube might lead to a lack of proper drainage and perhaps a rupture.

[HIU8]

It is the point of the tubes, right. My ENT did say it could still happen though. So far with the one infection for DD it was just a lot of puss. I love the tubes so far!!

[Green_Tea]

My daughter had tubes continuously for almost 5 years. We did have a handful of infections with drainage, and sometimes that drainage was bloody. The ENT and the ped were never concerned, as it resolved after a few days.

Certainly call to see if your ped wants to check it out in person, but bloody EI drainage with tubes is not unusual or typically a cause for concern.

[srhs]

My daughter had tubes continuously for almost 5 years. We did have a handful of infections with drainage, and sometimes that drainage was bloody. The ENT and the ped were never concerned, as it resolved after a few days.

Certainly call to see if your ped wants to check it out in person, but bloody EI drainage with tubes is not unusual or typically a cause for concern.

Phew, thank you, that helps! The ENT did say he wanted to see him but no rush and to just make an appt tomorrow. He didn't sound concerned.

DH has been unemployed for 2+ mos, and I am SAHM, so I am not looking forward to another copay+coins (after urgent care yesterday) but that's a petty gripe, I know.

[srhs]

His eardrum shouldn't have ruptured--that's the whole point of the tube is to let the pressure/fluid clear without building up to the point of infection/rupture. DDs eardrum ruptured before we got tubes for her and there was quite a bit of pus and maybe a bit of blood but the pus was the dramatic part. Is the blood red (fresh) or brown (old, or perhaps not blood at all)?

ETA: If you had him at urgent care I assume they looked to make sure the tubes hadn't gotten clogged? A clogged tube might lead to a lack of proper drainage and perhaps a rupture.


It is the point of the tubes, right. My ENT did say it could still happen though. So far with the one infection for DD it was just a lot of puss. I love the tubes so far!!
Feeling like a moron, but I didn't know that. I thought the point of the tubes was to help his pretty-horizontal ear canals drain better so they didn't get so clogged up and prone to infection.
It makes sense now that you say it, but I hadn't thought about them that way. Strange that the ENT didn't mention that, but he is pretty laid back and doesn't give a lot of details unless I press.

[YouAreTheFocus]

We didn't have tubes, but we had this happen with our baby once, when he was about 10 mos old. He had been diagnosed with an ear infection on Saturday, and during the ear exam the Doc (not his Doc) had puffed the air into his ear. Sunday morning I noticed dried crusty blood in his ear & totally panicked, b/c to me the ear is not an oriface blood should ever come out of. I called the emergency nurse line, the nurse was super calm and ho-hum. He asked me if I scraped together the blood, would it be less than the eraser on a pencil. The answer was no, and we were free to go on w/ our day, w/o even a follow up with the Doc. Nurse said the eardrum can get a tiny tear, probably from the pressure of the infection paired with the air puff, and that it would heal up on it's own, and the only thing a Doc would do is put him on antibiotics. I just wished the Doc would have warned us that this could happen.