Over 20 ear infections (7 or more with tubes)

@anluromi Wow! We lived this X2 with our daughters forty years ago, now may daughter has a 6 year old in the same situation.
My first daughter had her first ear infection at 5 weeks, her first tubes at one year, eventually ended up losing one eardrum completely to an infection, and needed a tympanoplasty to repair. The good news is, her speech and learning progressed normally (in spite of a few teachers who thought we were "making excuses") and her hearing now is near normal. A similar situation plagued our second daughter, the temporary solution was to keep her on a low dose of antibiotics for an entire year. (sorry the specifics are lost in the mists of time)
We had a fabulous ENT who treated 3 generations of our family and said unfortunately, genetics can cause this. We have poorly formed or placed eustachian tubes, and it becomes chronic. My Dad struggled all his life (as did 2 of his brothers), my brother and I, both in our 70's still deal with it.
When daughter # 2 was suffering, with the "...Ongoing nasal congestion and drainage..." he sent her for allergy testing. Once we made out environment more allergy-friendly (a long list - limited pets, stuffed animals and fluffy covers, lots of laundry and constant cleaning, no carpet, remove woodstove, install HEPA filters, determine food sensitivities...) we all did a lot better.
Has anyone suggested allergies could be behind this problems? Did you, your husband or any siblings have a history of ear infection?

I went through this with my son. It was allergies. Once he was off dairy he was much improved. We also eliminated wheat. After about 6 months he was able to eat small amounts of dairy with days off in between. Same with wheat. We chose to eliminate the foods rather than use allergy medications. There are more cow's milk alternatives now. It might be worth a try.

Hello @anluromi. Ear issues in kids are so frustrating. Our two sons, 30-40 years ago dealt with this. Tubes, frequent antibiotics, etc. What seemed to make a world of difference was adding a hospital grade hepa filter air purifier in their bedroom at night. Once we did that, the frequency of ear infections dropped dramatically. Neither son was plagued with developmental delays. Currently my niece has a two year old who was fighting MRSA in her ear. She has literally been on oral antibiotics for a year. Finally after recent tube placement and more antibiotics, she is declared clear of infection. Her speech has been delayed but no balance or other issues.
I am a big believer in second opinions, and with that history I might consider that if the tubes don't bring him some relief.

Thank you so so much. We just did an allergy test and it came back positive to a kind of mold and etc. he also has recurrent runny nose it is like constant. Based on the comments here I will try the air filter.

Be sure to gat a 2 stage HEPA filter. It is also helpful to remove carpet wherever possible and use allergy covers on mattress and box spring and wash all bedding frequently in hot water. We also limited stuffing to 3 that were fluffed in the dryer every week to shake out dust

Do you know anything about the newer front loading washers growing and spreading mold? I've heard they can be the cause of mold in our clothing and,bedding.

I have heard about it, but I don't have one. My sister-in-law wipes her seals & behind them on the door and machine at the end of each week with an anti-bacterial wipe and leaves the door open - apparently, according to my brother's allergist, that is where mold forms. I bet you can Google for good info - maybe from your manufacturer.