Is there somthing wrong with my son???
By Caila611
@Caila611 (992)
United States
March 8, 2007 12:12pm CST
My son falls constantly. Granted he's two and has been walking only a few months but he falls at least 50 or so times in a day. Let me give you some background on him. He was completely deaf when he was born due to a cleft palate. He stopped breathing several times and oxygen was used to help his apnea. He was finally put on a PEG tube so that nothing would go into his stomach by mouth. He had tubes put in his ears at four months old and they have since fallen out and he has at least two ear infections a month. Yes we see an audiologist and an ENT but why does he keep falling? Last night he rammed his head so hard he had a purple goose egg and then two hours later he fell again and has another one but this time he had a bloody nose and a black eye! The child is going to hurt himself very badly some day. I'm so worried about him.
8 people like this
30 responses
@jen0526 (82)
• United States
8 Mar 07
You need to get a second opinion, if he is having two ear infections every month, your ENT should have put new tubes in his ears. My daughter had ear infections badly until she was three, and was constantly falling down. After she stopped having them all the time, she quit falling. Ask your pediatrician for a referal to a different ENT. Falling down that much and hurting himself is not normal for a two year old.
4 people like this
@missinghim (1339)
• United States
8 Mar 07
maybe because of all of the ear infections and deafness his sense of balance is way off or maybe he has vertigo. I know when I have an ear infection I often bump into things or run into walls quite often because my sense of balance and distance is way off. What did his audiologist say?
3 people like this
@Caila611 (992)
• United States
8 Mar 07
He keeps telling me that his falling isn't because of his ears it's because of him being two. GRRR. I don't like that explanation. We have had a physical therapist here to help him walk and be more steady which has worked very well. But still he would see him all the time with bruises on his head. He even commented that i needed to find out why he keeps falling.
4 people like this
@dragonstar13 (1465)
• United States
10 Mar 07
I don't like that answer either. I've had three kids, 7 grandkids and tons of nieces and nephews, they all fell a lot learning to walk, but not to the point where they were injuring themselves. With the exception of my youngest granddaughter. She falls frequently and often bruises herself -- we have stone tile floors -- but she is being observed for problems with her legs, we are expecting she will need surgery, braces or both.
If you are the least bit uncomfortable with what you doctor is telling you, definitely ask for a second opinion.
@funnysis (2619)
• United States
9 Mar 07
I would say that your son may suffer from vertigo because of his ears and until he gets old enough to control the falling it may happen alot I would most certainly contact an ear,nose and throat spealist as they can run test on him to see what exactly is causing it they put a tupe in one of my daughters ear and the eardrum rotted away because it was inverted at the time so sek medical attention to find out how to deal with this problem before he gets hurt severly.Good Luck.
@nativetxn (1)
• United States
9 Mar 07
Obviously his equalibrium is off...due to the ear problems. Sounds to me as though he needs tubes again, or have adenoids removed. He has no sense of balance, that's why he's falling all the time. Hope you get it worked out.
2 people like this
@tami8994 (16)
• United States
9 Mar 07
I agree with the opinions given so far. It could be just the ears and equilibrium. I would definitely go for the 2nd opinion. Also consider his eyesight. Problems with that could also affect balance. My niece had similar problems and it turned out to be her eyesight. To help reduce head injuries, my sister-in-law would have her wear a helmet. This really helped alot until the problem was situated with glasses. Good luck and I wish you and your son the best.
@Caila611 (992)
• United States
9 Mar 07
I talked to his case worker yesterday and she mentioned the possiblity of his eyes. I am going to make an appointment with this eye doctor. He had trouble with tracking till he was almost a year old and had one eye that was lazy but it resovled. Thanks for the idea.
1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63235)
• United States
9 Mar 07
You might want to talk to a different doctor. You might also want to talk about getting him a helmet to wear to protect his head on his falls. I know many children wear them when they have seizures. I am NOT suggesting that your child is having a seizure, just that children wear them when they have a history of them. Most of all, tho, a different doctor - maybe you can find a pediatrican that specializes in deaf/hearing loss children. Check with your state (nation?) for any thing the government can help you with on this. I live in my state's capital & we have both the blind school and the deaf school here in town.
2 people like this
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
9 Mar 07
i think you need to go to another doctor and ask for a second opinion form the doctor... sounds not normal to me... i believe his deafness has something to do with his balancing... since he is only two, it is not too late yet to find out what really happen and cure him before it gets any worst... good luck and i will pray for you and your son... keep us updated...
2 people like this
@sylviekitty (2083)
• United States
9 Mar 07
Well, on the one hand, if he's only just started walking, maybe he is still getting his sea legs, so to speak. On the other hand, falling that many times a day does not seem normal. I don't care if he's 2 years old or not. He hasn't had a typical development, and so IMO, this doesn't seem typical. It sounds like you need a second opinion. I noticed somebody else mentioned having his vision checked. It sounds like a good idea. He might have issues with motor control that need to be addressed. I would definately seek advice from another doctor. Good luck to you. (Poor little guy).
2 people like this
@jolanda33 (720)
• Netherlands
9 Mar 07
i think you need a second opinion! yuor balance is coming from your ears, so if his earproblems don't disapear i think the problem stays!
i think he needs new tubes in his ears. my husband had earproblems when he was young and he also get tubes in his ears and they worked great.
don't listen to that doctor, and get another one!
2 people like this
@marief2rnurse (2704)
• United States
9 Mar 07
I think you should take him to the doctor immediately to find out what's wrong before he breaks bones or get bone damage. And clear your house of unecessary things he can bump into. I had a 4 year old sister who kept falling but she grew out of it. Your son is young and while he's young you should have him looked at to fix problems early.
@retardedrugrat (4791)
• Canada
9 Mar 07
I'm thinking that because he suffers so often with ear infections that his sense of balance may be off.
You really should take him to the doctor if you're really worried about him. The doctor should be able to suggest something or refer you to someone who can help.
It's not good that he's obviously hurting himself and the worst thing is that he's not doing it on purpose.
I wish you all the very best of luck in sorting this out.
2 people like this
@JWREDBUD (28)
• United States
9 Mar 07
My folks worried about me when I started crawling. We lived in a two story apartment and the stairs were very hard on the head. My parents had better things to do then watch me so occaisionaly I'd wander off and tumble down those very stairs. True story.
@thepack (32)
• United States
9 Mar 07
it does sound like his vision not that i'm a doctor but at that age it is one thing for him to fall but to get hurt the way he does even with the ears just seems he cant see how far away he is from things you didnt say how he falls is from going down stairs falling into furniture hope things pan out for him
2 people like this
@laststand5182 (43)
• Philippines
9 Mar 07
My heart goes out to you and your boy. I think it would be a good idea to have a second even a third opinion. In the meantime, maybe he could wear pads and helmet for added protection.
@onabreak2 (1161)
• United States
9 Mar 07
If your Son has ear problems then he will probably have equilibrium
problems. That could be causing him to fall but the poor little guy is getting so bruised up.
I think that you need to ask the doctor why he keeps falling and dont leave till you get a good answer. Also move all the things that can hurt him in the area where he is falling.
Coffee table and end tables can cause havoc on their little noggins. He is an adorable baby if that is him in the picture.
Good Luck
@cayennepepper (266)
• United States
9 Mar 07
If I were you I would talk to your doctor about this. I am not a doctor nor will I pretend to tell you what is wrong with your son or not, but perhaps he is having problems with his equilibrium. It may have something to do with his hearing problems and ear infections. It may also have to do with something else. I would check it out and not leave it up to guess work.
2 people like this
@Impervious (1147)
• United States
9 Mar 07
God bless you and the wee one. I have been very fortunate, I know that the inner ear has something to do with balance. I know that is not much help if any, but I hope it is helpful in some way.
God Luck
2 people like this
@sandypadi (68)
•
9 Mar 07
Hi,
I don't think there is any such problem with your son. As he is only two years old, it is very common they will not have proper balance and it will take a while to walk properly. Some kids they take longer time and some they walk as early as 1 1/2 years itself. I have a daughter of 3 years old. She started to walk, when she was 10 months old but she used to fall so many times a day (especially when she runs) until she was 2 1/2. And by almost 6 months, she has full balance on her and walks and runs without falling. So don't worry.
@vesuvius (1677)
• Philippines
9 Mar 07
Well it's so sad to read those... I guess that the best that you could to help him is give him the best medication available and to always remain in his side physically and emotionally. Yes he might hurt himself bad but when you're there, I'm sure confort would be an understatement for what he would feel. Hope he gets well..
2 people like this
@psiwyber (26)
• India
9 Mar 07
if fishes go deaf...they lose their balance to swim in a straight line...maybe the same applies for humans...ur son is still young...soon he will realize the problems of falling and try to be more careful...see that u use some protective pading when he wants to walk on a flat surface
