Ear pain?
 

So I've had this cold/flu thing since Saturday now. Had a fever all day Sat and a terrible sore throat and cough since then. Well I woke up this morning at about 4 am with absolute awful pain in my left ear. It feels super full, like it won't pop? and well it hurts, haha.

I've never had this happen before so does anyone have any suggestions on what to do? Do I just have to take some pain meds and wait it out? I did put a heat pad on it last night but that was 4 hours ago and it still feels the same. I'd really love to avoid wasting hours at the doctors office if all they're going to do is send me home with OTC meds.

Blah, I hate being sick. :thumbdown:

sounds like you may have an ear infection :(

you needto have your ear looked at - you dont want your ear drum to pop!

ok some "weird" options to try.

preheat a cloth filled with salt. Put it on your ear for half an hour.

or

warm some olive oil and put a couple of drops in your ear. close it with a cotton ball.

But I think it's better to get a doctor to look at it.

Yeah sounds like an ear infection.. I had one a couple of months ago..trust me don't wait like I did bc the pain will get unbearable. They will probably give you an antibiotic.

I had that two weeks ago and had to get an antibiotic. I may be going back b/c it is still bothering me...mine started off as a cold, gone sinus infection and then ear infection.

I had to take my 5.5 year old to the doctor last night b/c he suddenly started complaining of his ear hurting. He has an ear infection and got amoxicillin. He is missing school again....sigh....

Ugh, I was afraid that's what you all were going to say. I never even got them as a child! Guess I'll make an appointment...

Thanks guys!

As someone that has had three eardrum ruptures in the last few years, let me say that my ENT doc recommends taking a decongestant at the first sign of ear pressure/pain. The first preventative for a rupture is to drain that ear as fast as possible, so a decongestant should do that. You might already have an infection though, so the decongestant won't cure that and you will need to see a doc for an antibiotic. Best of luck on your ear!

Yes, what Julie said. :) Sorry Lynnette. That is so painful. I hope you can get in soon. ((HUGS))

This.

If I do not have a fever with the ear pain I take the good stuff that is behind the pharmacy counter. If I do have a fever (even low grade) I call my doctor for an antibiotic. Sadly it happens so often (blocked sinus window so the gunk doesn't drain correctly) that they just call in the meds without having to see me.

Are you taking an antihistamine?

I never had them either as a child. The one I had recently was the first one ever. It hurt soo bad.

I'd take a Sudafed first to see if that helped (Get the good one you have to sign for at the pharmacy not the one on the shelves) Hope you feel better soon..ear pain is no fun

I don't drain well and my sinuses tend to impact in my gums and my ears hurt with it and Sudafed and Advil usually keep me pretty sane. I'm not really supposed to even take Sudafed b/c i have wonky blood pressure but I can't function without it during the spring/summer

I take Claritin too for the same reason... I also avoid dairy like the plague and that helps a ton too... but since you had a fever, I'm guessing it's already an infection and you'll need antibiotics :hugs:

and I haven't had a sinus or ear infection since quitting dairy... and if I even have a little bit... I get all stuffed up :( so now I just avoid it like the plague... but you might be able to get away with only avoiding it until you're cleared up :hugs:

Thanks everyone! I took your advice and went to the doctor since they were willing to refer me to the urgent care place 2 minutes from my house. Good news is it's not infected. Bad news is there's fluid in there and apparently the force of all my coughing burst some of blood vessels or something which is why it hurts when combined with the extra pressure from being sick.

From what I gathered it's not very common since the doctor's comment was "yeah, that's definitely an abnormal ear" LOL when he looked at it and then he asked if it would be ok to bring in some of their newbies so they could check it out. So I had like 5 random nurses come in to compare my good right ear to my bad left ear and based on their comments, I don't think it's a pretty sight. One nurse's exact comment was "oh, you poor baby." :D

But the good news is he gave me some antibiotics which should help speed up my recovery and ward off the possibility of the ear getting infected, so yay. And I took some Mucinex D which has pseudophedrine so I'm feeling a little better now, haha.

Oh man!!! :thumbdown: You poor thing!!! :( That's some kind of coughing to bust blood vessels in your ear. :blink: It's sort of funny that they were all gawking at it, lol. :p

Ugh! Hope you're feeling better soon, Lynnette. Glad it's not an infection and that you haven't had a rupture. I poked a hole in my ear drum about a month and a half ago (cause I'm talented like that), and it was NOT fun. Luckily there was no fluid or infection, but it really hurt and I felt like I was in an echo chamber for about a month. It's a lot better now but not completely healed. Don't be surprised if you start to feel a little dizzy or nauseous as well.

Glad you got to the doc, ear aches are horrible. I didn't get them as a kid but I've had them as an adult (damn sinuses!), no bueno. Rest up and take care.

You have every sympathetic vibe I can send across the ocean because ear infections and ear pain is horrid - and I'm battling an infection in my ear canal right now so I know how much they can hurt :(

hope you are feeling better soon Lynette....

Oh good, I'm glad you got taken care of. I had an ear infection a few years ago and it was terrible (really makes you sympathetic to kids that get them all of the time). I had to have my ear drum punctured, drained and vacuumed. I was going to suggest Sudafed like Meg mentioned, since it will reduce the swelling of the ear canal (which is causing the pressure due to inflamed tissue trapping fluid in your canal). Hopefully you get some relief soon!

Oh, that sounds awful!!! :crying:

Hope it's feeling better soon!!!