A week ago she complained of ear pain. We took her to her doctor, and she had an ear infection. The tubes are still in place, but the infection occurred.
Ear infections occur when the fluid within the middle ear becomes infected.
The runny nose of a typical viral upper respiratory infection is often accompanied by fluid also within the middle ear. Most of the time this fluid either runs down the Eustachian tube or is reabsorbed by the body. This traps the fluid in the middle ear. If this fluid becomes infected with bacteria, the child experiences an ear infection. Ear tubes are placed to essentially give the fluid a new way out of the middle ear when the Eustachian tube isn't doing its job.