Ear infection question [Archive] - Two Plus Two Older Archives

CrazyEyez

11-07-2005, 01:15 PM

Substantial hearing loss/ringing in my ear since Friday evening. Diagnosed with an ear infection Saturday morning; began antibiotics. Never had one before.

I still can barely hear out of it, and when in a quiet setting I hear ringing like a mutha [censored]. Is it normal for this to go on so long? Should I expect my hearing to return soon? This is really annoying.

FYI if anyone's looking to ambush me you've got a good chance of succeeding if you approach from my right.

xadrez

11-07-2005, 01:24 PM

Best advice is simple, really. Just keep taking the antibiotics. Ive had ear infections that lasted a week. If it last longer then go back to the doctor.

Generally, you should feel better within a couple days after starting the medication.

theweatherman

11-07-2005, 01:26 PM

I used to get ear infections all teh time as a kid, but i never had substantial hearing loss from them. Notthat I can remember at least. I just always had pain, ranging from a dull ache to sharp stabbing pain. The pain lasts a few days after you begin medication.

I'm not a doctor, but anti biotics will not help to reduce pain/ fluid in the ear directly. You should probably take a decongestant as well. Ear infections are the result of fluid bulid up behind th eear drum, this same fluid is what causes the pain, not the infection. The infection gives only the fever/ sickness.

CrazyEyez

11-07-2005, 01:30 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I used to get ear infections all teh time as a kid, but i never had substantial hearing loss from them. Notthat I can remember at least. I just always had pain, ranging from a dull ache to sharp stabbing pain. The pain lasts a few days after you begin medication.

I'm not a doctor, but anti biotics will not help to reduce pain/ fluid in the ear directly. You should probably take a decongestant as well. Ear infections are the result of fluid bulid up behind th eear drum, this same fluid is what causes the pain, not the infection. The infection gives only the fever/ sickness.

[/ QUOTE ]
I've had minor pain, but ibuprofen takes care of that. I have not been taking decongestant. I'll give that a shot.

jdl22

11-07-2005, 01:33 PM

I would reccomend putting a hot pack over your ear. Make it as hot as you can stand and put it on for as long as you can stand.

flair1239

11-07-2005, 01:34 PM

If you have a heating pad, lay your ear on it with med. heat, that will lessen the sense of temporary hearing loss by moving the fulid in your ear.

Also try some motrin, as that will reduce the swelling in your ear, and that will also help with the pain.

Good luck, ear aches suck!

Shajen

11-07-2005, 01:38 PM

Can you pop your ears?

I've fought ear infections/issues my whole life.

The last time I went to the doctor for an ear infection he said (in addition to the antibiotics)to pop my ears as often as I could (every 30-60 minutes or so) until the hearing started recovering/ringing ceased.

It works.

Probably your best bet for getting the fluid from the infection to move on.

flair1239

11-07-2005, 01:39 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I would reccomend putting a hot pack over your ear. Make it as hot as you can stand and put it on for as long as you can stand.

[/ QUOTE ]
YIKES! The tissue on your ear is very sensitive. If you apply medium heat and relax, maybe take a nap, it will help a lot.

The idea of as hot as you can stand is scary unless you are a sick bastard who likes to inflict pain upon yourself instead of making it feel better, but each to his own!

jdl22

11-07-2005, 01:43 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I would reccomend putting a hot pack over your ear. Make it as hot as you can stand and put it on for as long as you can stand.

[/ QUOTE ]
YIKES! The tissue on your ear is very sensitive. If you apply medium heat and relax, maybe take a nap, it will help a lot.

The idea of as hot as you can stand is scary unless you are a sick bastard who likes to inflict pain upon yourself instead of making it feel better, but each to his own!

[/ QUOTE ]

The tissue being sensitive means hot as you can stand isn't all that hot. I used to get ear infections very frequently and still do. I use one of those neck warming things that have oats or whatever on the inside. It is much hotter when I'm actually using it on my neck than ear but it does the trick.

CrazyEyez

11-07-2005, 01:48 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Can you pop your ears?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure what you mean. I can sort of move my jaw around and sometimes it crackles and pops, but hearing is never restored. Not even temporarily.

[ QUOTE ]
Probably your best bet for getting the fluid from the infection to move on.

[/ QUOTE ]

I may jam an ice pick in there if this doesn't subside in a day or so.
The silver lining: The longer this goes on, the sweeter it will be when it finally pops and I can hear again. I imagine it will be the greatest moment of my life.

mmbt0ne

11-07-2005, 01:54 PM

You guys are a bunch of babies. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Also, don't do anything that a doctor didn't ok. That doesn't mean to only do what he told you to, but at least run an idea by him before you go shoving stuff in/on your ears.

Shajen

11-07-2005, 01:56 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Can you pop your ears?

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm not sure what you mean. I can sort of move my jaw around and sometimes it crackles and pops, but hearing is never restored. Not even temporarily.

[ QUOTE ]
Probably your best bet for getting the fluid from the infection to move on.

[/ QUOTE ]

I may jam an ice pick in there if this doesn't subside in a day or so.
The silver lining: The longer this goes on, the sweeter it will be when it finally pops and I can hear again. I imagine it will be the greatest moment of my life.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hold your nose and mouth closed and try to blow air out. You don't have to do this very hard, and be careful. In a fit of anger at my stupid ears I blew too hard and blew my left ear drum. That sucked. The cool thing though was when I smoked it would come out my ear /images/graemlins/grin.gif

mmbt0ne

11-07-2005, 01:58 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Hold your nose and mouth closed and try to blow air out. You don't have to do this very hard, and be careful. In a fit of anger at my stupid ears I blew too hard and blew my left ear drum. That sucked. The cool thing though was when I smoked it would come out my ear /images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Or yawn, or swallow. That's always done the trick for me.
<font color="white"> OMG SWALLOW GET IT!! I MADE THE JOKE FIRST! </font>

CrazyEyez

11-07-2005, 02:00 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Hold your nose and mouth closed and try to blow air out. You don't have to do this very hard, and be careful. In a fit of anger at my stupid ears I blew too hard and blew my left ear drum. That sucked.

[/ QUOTE ]
Oh yeah, I inadvertantly did this yesterday while blowing my nose. It caused extreme pain for a fraction of a second, and no restoration of hearing. I kind of don't really want to do it again. /images/graemlins/tongue.gif

Shajen

11-07-2005, 02:03 PM

Also, if it stays bad for several more days, take your ass to a Ear Nose Throat doctor, get a referral or whatever.

Don't mess around with your hearing. GP docs don't usually know much about ears.

11-07-2005, 02:04 PM

i used to get ear infections like it was my job. it's not abnormal for one to have hearing loss for a while. my hearing would occasionaly be impaired for up to 2 weeks. i've heard tell of it lasting a month. sometimes it's not neccesary to take antibiotics for ear infections, as they go away on there own, but since youv'e started, make sure to finish the prescription or else you can develop antiobiotic resistant situations which suck

vulturesrow

11-07-2005, 02:08 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Also, if it stays bad for several more days, take your ass to a Ear Nose Throat doctor, get a referral or whatever.

Don't mess around with your hearing. GP docs don't usually know much about ears.

[/ QUOTE ]

I had an ear infection when I was 6. The GP told my mom that it was just excessive wax buildup and I was just "being a crybaby". A couple days later I woke up and my ear was protruding out from my skull. I ended up staying in the hospital for 10 days and had get an operation know as a mastoidectomy, where they had to cut away part of my mastoid bone because the infection had set into the bone. Luckily we had one of the best ENT surgeons in the state and I had no permanent effects other than my left ear being a bit lopsided. So yeah, dont [censored] with your ears.

James Boston

11-07-2005, 02:14 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Also, if it stays bad for several more days, take your ass to a Ear Nose Throat doctor, get a referral or whatever.

Don't mess around with your hearing. GP docs don't usually know much about ears.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was going to post the same thing. I was mis-diagnosed (sp?) with an ear infection several times by a GP before going to an ENT specialist. He took care of it in one visit.

CrazyEyez

11-07-2005, 02:22 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Also, if it stays bad for several more days, take your ass to a Ear Nose Throat doctor, get a referral or whatever.

Don't mess around with your hearing. GP docs don't usually know much about ears.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was going to post the same thing. I was mis-diagnosed (sp?) with an ear infection several times by a GP before going to an ENT specialist. He took care of it in one visit.

[/ QUOTE ]
Well I'm not sure what "bad" is. Pain is not an issue. As far as hearing loss, someone posted here that it can last for awhile. I read on the internet that the fluid can stay trapped for some time, which I infer means the hearing loss can linger as well. I guess if there's no change by tomorrow I'll give the doc a call. If they tell me it may take a week/month, then I will SCKM. (I'll get video and arrange for payments from Diablo to my family.)

11-07-2005, 02:24 PM

This summer, I had an ear infection and finally went to the Dr. after like 3 days. He gave me a Z-pack at my request, but it didn't do anything. After that was gone, I had to go back and get 2 more antibiotics and take them for a week before I was back to normal. I went like 2 weeks with not being able to hear and that ringing. Now, everything's back to normal.

CrazyEyez

11-07-2005, 02:29 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I went like 2 weeks with not being able to hear and that ringing.

[/ QUOTE ]
No.
.
.
No.
God help me.
(Strangely, posting about it repeatedly has not made it easier to take my mind off it. Huh.)

I may put in a request to change my handle to Crazy Earz.

Shajen

11-07-2005, 02:29 PM

mmbt0ne

11-07-2005, 02:33 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Also, if it stays bad for several more days, take your ass to a Ear Nose Throat doctor, get a referral or whatever.

Don't mess around with your hearing. GP docs don't usually know much about ears.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was going to post the same thing. I was mis-diagnosed (sp?) with an ear infection several times by a GP before going to an ENT specialist. He took care of it in one visit.

[/ QUOTE ]
Well I'm not sure what "bad" is. Pain is not an issue. As far as hearing loss, someone posted here that it can last for awhile. I read on the internet that the fluid can stay trapped for some time, which I infer means the hearing loss can linger as well. I guess if there's no change by tomorrow I'll give the doc a call. If they tell me it may take a week/month, then I will SCKM. (I'll get video and arrange for payments from Diablo to my family.)

[/ QUOTE ]

Bad is when you have no idea what's going on in your ear because most GPs can't diagnose a damn thing when it comes to ears.

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I went like 2 weeks with not being able to hear and that ringing.

[/ QUOTE ]
No.
.
.
No.
God help me.
(Strangely, posting about it repeatedly has not made it easier to take my mind off it. Huh.)

I may put in a request to change my handle to Crazy Earz.

[/ QUOTE ]

2 weeks? Try 13 years. All because the first doctors didn't think the ear infections meant anything significant and that tubes could fix all problems.

4_2_it

11-07-2005, 02:34 PM

Hope you are flying anywhere the in the next couple of weeks. I had an ear infection hit me on the descent of long flight. I would have taken the emergency exit without a parachute option if it would had been offered.

Shajen

11-07-2005, 02:38 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Hope you are flying anywhere the in the next couple of weeks. I had an ear infection hit me on the descent of long flight. I would have taken the emergency exit without a parachute option if it would had been offered.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep.

My ears ended up stabilizing the pressure by releasing air through my tear ducts.

Holy hell that hurt so damned bad.

Mars357

11-07-2005, 03:58 PM

Go to a health food or herbal med. store. Ask them for some garlic ear drops... they work wonders at releaving the pain. We rarely put our kids on antibiotics for ear infections. This stuff works like a charm.

Skipbidder

11-07-2005, 10:09 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Go to a health food or herbal med. store. Ask them for some garlic ear drops... they work wonders at releaving the pain. We rarely put our kids on antibiotics for ear infections. This stuff works like a charm.

[/ QUOTE ]

You are clearly a paid shill of Big Garlic.

Why are you suppressing the true cure for ear infections, which is to apply cold compresses to the feet?

DrPublo

11-08-2005, 03:20 AM

I had a horrible ear infection over the summer as well, lasted about 2 weeks. It was first diagnosed as inner/middle ear, and the doctor gave me a week's worth of oral antibiotics. Turned out that did nothing and the pain and pressure got worse and worse. Went to ENT, and it was re-diagnosed as an outer ear infection (swimmer's ear). He gave me eardrops and some serious painkiller.

Even after the infection cleared it took about another month for my hearing to return to normal.

The Doc

CrazyEyez

11-09-2005, 04:39 PM

Bump for update/advice:

Still can't hear out of my right ear. Loud ringing. Minimal to no pain.
Called an ENT today. Lady sounded ready to have a nurse call me, then at the last second asked if I had been referred by my GP. I said no. She told me to call the GP. I asked why I couldn't get some help from the "experts" and she didn't really give me an answer.

Called the GP, they put a nurse on with me. She said it's not abnormal to take this long for the fluid to clear. Keep taking decongestant. If pain increases or it's not better by next week, call back.

Do I go with this, or call another ENT?

Shajen

11-09-2005, 04:54 PM

you can make them refer you if you want.

If they won't, get another doctor.

It should NOT take 3 weeks for the crap to drain from your ears or for your hearing to come back. That's bunk.

Get a referral. Worst case scenario, you at least find out what specifically is wrong with you.