Ears won't pop

[The Princess]

My dd has been battling an ear infection for 2 weeks now, she has 2 more days of medication. Her ears feel fine (as far as pain) but she says her ears will not pop. We have tried just about everything that I know of....chew gum, yawning, heat on them, etc.....does anyone have any other ideas??
I'm wondering if when she is done with the medication the infection will come back???
Any information anyone has would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Coconut36]

My YDS is prone to ear infections and I was doing some reading on things to help..one thing I came across was a Dr (Pediatrician I think) who would have his son blow up balloons when his ears felt like that..something about the pressure blowing the balloons helping the fluid to move and the ears to "pop".

 

[I Love Pluto]

SLOWLY -- Head down, then up as if washing your hair in the shower. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Please do this sitting down, so you don't get dizzy.

 

[tasha99]

If her ears won't pop, they won't pop. Sounds like there's enough swelling somewhere to keep her eustachian tubes from working. I suppose you could try Benadryl if she's feeling pressure in her ears. Her ears not being able to pop wouldn't make that infection come back, but it could set up the same situation of ears that can't drain. Hope she feels better soon.

 

[dawson5]

I used to get ear infections quite a bit when I was a kid. I don't know if it's a good thing to do or not, but the quickest way for me to get my ears to "pop" was to plug my nose, close my mouth and blow (like you're trying to blow air backwards, up your sinuses). It always popped them for me.

 

[Goofycampers]

It sounds like she still has a build up of fluid in her ears. As the infection continues to resolve and the fluid dissipates the ears will "pop".

 

[disneyfreakk]

I used to get ear infections quite a bit when I was a kid. I don't know if it's a good thing to do or not, but the quickest way for me to get my ears to "pop" was to plug my nose, close my mouth and blow (like you're trying to blow air backwards, up your sinuses). It always popped them for me.

This is what I was going to suggest. It always works for me!

 

[Nette]

I've had this happen. No matter what I tried I could not get them to pop and "stay". Sometimes the blowing while holding my nose would get stuff to move and one of the ears would clear momentarily, but it always plugged back up. Ultimately I had to wait it out. I'm so sorry your DD is going through that. It's just miserable as it becomes very difficult to hear, especially in crowds. They will clear eventually. Just let her know it's not forever...

 

[golfgal]

I would have her take Dimatapp or another decongestant to help the fluid in her ears drain. It most likely is retained fluid and not "popped" ears like you get on an airplane.

 

[Arielle22]

If her ears won't pop, they won't pop. Sounds like there's enough swelling somewhere to keep her eustachian tubes from working. I suppose you could try Benadryl if she's feeling pressure in her ears. Her ears not being able to pop wouldn't make that infection come back, but it could set up the same situation of ears that can't drain. Hope she feels better soon.

Last month I had to go to my doctor as I could not hear out of my right ear. The doctor said my ear drum was sucked backwards due to the tube not draining due to my cold. She said nothing could be done and it could take days or weeks. It took about 1 week to clear up.

 

[Nolcrest]

Last winter I had the worst plugged ears you could imagine. They were almost giving me panic attacks because I felt claustrophobic. After 3 weeks with no improvement I finally went to an ENT.

He said I had a build-up of fluid. Believe it or not in the office he had me close my mouth, plug my nose and blow thru my nose as hard as I could. (I always thought that was bad for your ears). At first nothing happened. He told me to try it throughout the day. If no improvement to go back to him. On the way home in the car, I tried again. AH, the fluid moved and my ears crackled unbelievably and I had instant relief. A couple more times of doing that and I finally felt great.

Not that I would say this is what you should do but I found it odd that after paying an ENT this is what he recommended.

 

[The Princess]

Thanks for all the replies....the dis is great!!!

 

[low-key]

An ear or tooth ache are two of the most painful things you could have

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Not sure how the DIS will feel about it...but I'm sharing anyway.

My son had a couple of ear infections. At the time we were seeing a wonderful chiropractor. They actually offered to adjust his ears. I had NEVER heard of that before...and it is uncomfortable. But my son felt a lot better after the adjustment.

I will add that he was on antibiotics due to the infections--but it was just something they could do to help him feel better and his ears did "pop". He was around 3 when this was done.

I cannot tell you the clinical aspect of what that did though nor how it works. I just know they did something to his ear to get it to "adjust" or pop.

ETA: And I'm not one to promote a chiropractor in lieu of modern medicine. I'm just commenting on something the chiropractor whom we were seeing anyway offered in addition to traditional medicine.

 

[wdwmom2]

Not sure how the DIS will feel about it...but I'm sharing anyway.

My son had a couple of ear infections. At the time we were seeing a wonderful chiropractor. They actually offered to adjust his ears. I had NEVER heard of that before...and it is uncomfortable. But my son felt a lot better after the adjustment.

I will add that he was on antibiotics due to the infections--but it was just something they could do to help him feel better and his ears did "pop". He was around 3 when this was done.

I cannot tell you the clinical aspect of what that did though nor how it works. I just know they did something to his ear to get it to "adjust" or pop.

ETA: And I'm not one to promote a chiropractor in lieu of modern medicine. I'm just commenting on something the chiropractor whom we were seeing anyway offered in addition to traditional medicine.

My chiropractor does this also. I know nothing about it, never heard of it before this. He did it on me to demonstrate how it was done. He sort of manipulated my ear by pulling it a certain way. It was a little uncomfortable, but not painful. I don't know anyone who has had it done, so not sure what kind of results to expect.

 

[NotUrsula]

Children's ear canals tend to tilt up a little bit toward the top of their heads as they turn away from the ear itself. For this reason you will find it easier to administer eardrops, etc. if you pull up a bit on the part of the ear cartilage that is closest to the crown of the child's head; it temporarily changes the tilt of the ear canal a bit to help the drops move down into the ear.

As to what can be done to help release the pressure, try steaming them with cups the way that you would on a plane. If it possible for air to move through the tubes, it should do so after you use steam to help equalize the pressure. If you don't know how to do cups, here it is:

Get a couple of small paper/foam cups that are meant to hold hot beverages; this is to protect the child's fingers. Next, boil a bit of water; you won't need much, just a couple of tablespoons. Put a wad of paper towel or paper napkins in the bottom of each cup, and pour a little bit of the boiling water over them into the cups. Turn both cups upside-down to make sure that NO hot water dribbles out, then turn the cups and put them open-side in over the ears,. holding them there tightly for around 3 minutes, or as long as the person who is hurting can stand the heat without getting a steam burn. The difference in temperature will cause the air pressure inside the ears to try to neutralize.