Earache Help

[LiteBrite]

I'm wondering if anybody has any good home rememdies or drugstore solutions for fluid in the ear that's causing pain. I brought home a heck of a cold from my WDW vacation last weekend. I'm taking a decongestant, which is helping some with my stopped up nose, but I can still hear the fluid crackling inside my ear. I tried rinsing the ear canal out with some hydrogen peroxide, but that didn't help either.

Anybody?

 

[kpm76]

My suggestion is to see you doctor. I have always been plagued with earaches etc. One time I tried to cure it on my own and ended up rupturning my eardrum. When I finally went to the Dr. he told me that there are some illnesses that you can let "run its course" but earaches are not one of them because they can be serious. Good luck...hope you feel better soon

 

[mrsheppo]

I had the same thing about a month ago. I took Sudafed for the congestion and I also used Similasan, which are over the counter homeopathic eardrops. You can find it at WalMart, Walgreens, Target, etc.

Hope it helps.

 

[Pop Daddy]

anyone remember this song

Cheech And Chong ft. Alice Bowie
Earache My Eye

My momma talkin' to me tryin' to tell me how to live
But I don't listen to her 'cause my head is like a sieve
My daddy, he disowned me 'cause I wear my sister's clothes
He caught me in the bathroom with a pair of pantyhose

My basketball coach, he done kicked me off the team
For wearin' high-heel sneakers and actin' like a queen

------ lead guitar ------

The world's comin' to an end, I don't even care
As long as I can have a limo and my orange hair
And it don't bother me if people think I'm "funny"
'Cause I'm a big rock star and I'm makin' lots of money
money, money, money, money, money, money
Ahhh! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...

I'm so bloody rich! Ha ha ha ha
I own apartment buildings and shopping centers! Ha ha ha ha
And I only know three chords! Ha ha ha ha

 

[WonderfulDreamer2]

The fluid is in your middle ear, not in the canal. It will go away but using anything that dries you up will help a little. Its a yucky feeling. Hope it gets better.

 

[lindalinda]

okay you said home remedy, so here goes. it sounds crazy, but an actual doctor told my cousin to do this. She has chronic ear fluid problems. He told her to use a blowdryer. I am not saying blow it directly into your ear, but kind of back and forth across it. I have tried it and it SEEMS to work at least a little for pain, though I guess it could be all in my mind. (no warranty expressed or implied, use this advice at your discretion)

 

[mrsheppo]

anyone remember this song

Cheech And Chong ft. Alice Bowie
Earache My Eye

My momma talkin' to me tryin' to tell me how to live
But I don't listen to her 'cause my head is like a sieve
My daddy, he disowned me 'cause I wear my sister's clothes
He caught me in the bathroom with a pair of pantyhose

My basketball coach, he done kicked me off the team
For wearin' high-heel sneakers and actin' like a queen

------ lead guitar ------

The world's comin' to an end, I don't even care
As long as I can have a limo and my orange hair
And it don't bother me if people think I'm "funny"
'Cause I'm a big rock star and I'm makin' lots of money
money, money, money, money, money, money
Ahhh! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...

I'm so bloody rich! Ha ha ha ha
I own apartment buildings and shopping centers! Ha ha ha ha
And I only know three chords! Ha ha ha ha

This must be the longest post you have EVER made.

 

[Pop Daddy]

This must be the longest post you have EVER made.

I could copy and paste with the best of em

 

[Marseeya]

okay you said home remedy, so here goes. it sounds crazy, but an actual doctor told my cousin to do this. She has chronic ear fluid problems. He told her to use a blowdryer. I am not saying blow it directly into your ear, but kind of back and forth across it. I have tried it and it SEEMS to work at least a little for pain, though I guess it could be all in my mind. (no warranty expressed or implied, use this advice at your discretion)

It's the warmth. And I definitely wouldn't recommend this, but we'd always heard to blow cigarette or pipe smoke in the ear. It does relieve the pain, but my doctor about had a fit when I told him about it. I also used to blow a hot breath on my pillow and put my ear there while it was warm -- it feels really good.

Anyway, going to a doctor is best. Don't fool around with your ears.

 

[Beth76]

Did you go swimming in WDW? It could be swimmer's ear. I don't know for sure, but you might need to see your doctor. I'm no expert on ear problems, but my son just went in today with an ear ache, but nothing else was bothering him. It turned out to be an outer ear infection because he went swimming last week. I don't know if there's a "home remedy" or OTC that will help, if that's the case.

 

[Marseeya]

Did you go swimming in WDW? It could be swimmer's ear. I don't know for sure, but you might need to see your doctor. I'm no expert on ear problems, but my son just went in today with an ear ache, but nothing else was bothering him. It turned out to be an outer ear infection because he went swimming last week. I don't know if there's a "home remedy" or OTC that will help, if that's the case.

There is a product called "Swimmer's Ear." DH gets water on the ear pretty easily and he has a lot of success with that stuff. Once in a while it doesn't work and he has to see a doctor, but the drops do okay.

 

[Cindyluwho]

I agree that seeing your Dr. tomorrow is best, in the meantime I have a great home remedy for the pain.
Take a drinking glass that will fit comfortably over the ear.
Put a paper towel (balled up) in the bottom of the glass
Pour in enough boiling water to wet the paper towel, not so much that it will leak out when you tip the glass.
Immediately hold the glass firmly over your ear, doing your best to seal it around the edges by holding it tight.
The heat will draw the ear drum back into it's correct position and immediately relieve the pain.
Remove the glass and breathe a sigh of relief!
It only lasts for a couple of hours, but probably enough to get you to sleep.

 

[Beth76]

Just looked up some info on swimmer's ear.

A dry ear is unlikely to become infected, so it is important to keep the ears free of moisture after swimming or bathing. Removable earplugs, sometimes worn for hearing protection, can be used to keep moisture out of the ear canal. Q-tips should not be used for this purpose, because they may pack material deeper into the ear canal, remove protective earwax, and irritate the thin skin of the ear canal creating the perfect environment for infection.

The safest way to dry your ears is with a hair dryer. If you do not have a perforated eardrum, rubbing alcohol or a 50:50 mixture of alcohol and vinegar used as eardrops will evaporate excess water and keep your ears dry.

Before using any drops in the ear, it is important to verify that you do not have a perforated eardrum. Check with your otolaryngologist if you have ever had a perforated, punctured, or injured eardrum, or if you have had ear surgery.

Source: http://www.entnet.org/healthinfo/ears/swimmers.cfm

 

[LiteBrite]

Thanks for all the replies, everybody. Hubby picked up some Similisan at Wal-Mart for me, and it did seem to give a little relief. I also spent some time with a heating pad on my ear, which was soothing.

This morning the ear feels better, and I can't hear the sounds in there, so I think I'll hold off on going to the doc for now. After years of rushing in for antibiotics every time I felt bad, I'm now trying to stick to the principal of waiting till I've been sick for at least 7 days before I go in. It's really amazing - I've been doing this for a couple of years now, and I have never failed to be better before the 7 days were up. I do realize the ear thing is a little different, but since it seems better, I'm going to chance it.

By the way, I didn't go swimming at WDW. I did sit in the hot tub one afternoon, but I didn't put my head under.

 

[golfgal]

Moist heat will work better then a heating pad. Wet a washcloth, put it in a ziplock bag and put it in the microwave until warm. If you lay on that it will work better then just a plain heating pad.