ear ache

[Lybra]

having a lot o pain in my ears, trying over the counter Ear Calm, it is helping but I am on my second bottle. And need another one, this after my Doctor said to keep using this, the Pharmacist said the same. But if there is anything better out there ,I would be intersted I knowing . Thank you.

[rabbits65]

surly if you have infection though you might need some antibiotics. I would call before the weekend sets in.

[ClumberSpaniel]

Hi Lybra

You need a qualified audiologist/medical practitioner who is qualified in aural care.

Yes, one of the culprits for pain can be impacted wax, but there can be more sinister reasons for it.

You may have a perforated Tympanic Membrane (ear drum), which means any liquid going inside your ear canal goes through the perforation & into your middle ear can be playing havoc with the 3 smallest bones in the middle ear & causing infection.

Have you ever had grommets inserted into your ears? Imagine a fizzy drink from McDonalds: the lid to the drink is your tympanic membrane/ear drum, and the straw inserted into the lid is a grommet. They are inserted to help drain fluid from the middle ear to your outer ear, because the middle ear is not supposed to have fluid in it, it should only have 3 bones.

Do you have a history of having ear infections? They can obviously affect some people more than others, so your history may or may not be relevant.

Here’s a brief bit about some ear infections, I’ll explain a couple of things first:

-The outer ear doesn’t just mean the cartilage shape you can feel on the side of your head, the outer ear goes right up to your Tympanic Membrane/ear drum. Outer ear infections are usually in your ear canal, because an infection of the cartridge structure outside the ear canal would be a skin infection.

-Your middle ear is the air-filled space behind your tympanic membrane/ear drum that contains the 3 smallest bones in the human body.

-Your inner ear is a fluid filled snail shell shape further inside your skull that converts the air vibrations made by sound into electrical signals to be processed/interpreted by the brain. Infections of the Cochlea (the ‘organ of hearing’) are more rare, and usually present as terrible balance. When kids/even adults spin around in circles for several seconds & try to walk straight but have problems maintaining their balance & often fall over, that’s because the fluid in their Cochlea is still moving around & sending the wrong message to the brain. So you’ll feel something like that & probably nausea if that’s where your infection is.

-Effusion basically means producing pus. Pus is white blood cells which have been sent to fight infection. More than half of all infections do not produce pus, so it doesn’t matter either way around.

Types of Ear Infections:

Middle Ear Infections (Otitis Media):

Acute Otitis Media (AOM): A sudden infection of the middle ear, often accompanied by pain, fever, and fluid buildup behind the eardrum.

Otitis Media with Effusion (OME): Fluid remains in the middle ear after an infection, potentially causing hearing difficulties or a feeling of fullness.

Chronic Otitis Media with Effusion (COME): Fluid persists in the middle ear for a long time or returns repeatedly, even without an active infection.

Outer Ear Infections (Otitis Externa):

Swimmer's Ear: An infection of the outer ear canal, often caused by water exposure.

Inner Ear Infections:

Labyrinthitis and Vestibular Neuritis: Infections that affect the inner ear and can cause balance problems.

Symptoms:

Pain: Earache, pulling at the ear (especially in young children).

Fever: High temperature.

Difficulty Hearing: Feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear, or changes in hearing.

Other Symptoms: Itching, irritation, or scaly skin in and around the ear, or discharge from the ear.

Symptoms in Young Children and Babies: Rubbing or pulling at the ear, irritability, fussiness, or loss of balance.

Causes:

Bacteria:

Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae are common causes of middle ear infections.

Viruses:

Respiratory infections like the common cold, flu, or allergies can lead to ear infections.

Eustachian Tube Dysfunction:

Swollen or blocked Eustachian tubes can prevent proper drainage of fluid from the middle ear, leading to infection.

Otitis Externa/Swimmer's Ear:

Otitis Externa or ‘swimmers ear’ as it’s colloquaily known is an infection or even just inflammation of the outer ear canal. Frequent and/or prolonged exposure to water in the ear canal from swimming creates a moist environment for bacteria or fungi to grow, especially if the ear canal is not properly dried, can lead to infections.

Some non-de script viral infections can lead to permanent hearing loss because the virus has attacked your Cochlea, the snail shell shapped organ of hearing that is full of tiny hairs which receive the signals your 3 hearing bones produce. (I personally know 3 people that happened to, and they were in no way old at all).

Bearing all this in mind, you need to get your ears checked by a professional (GP’s are very hit & miss with their knowledge of the ear).

One way around it is to find your local Specsavers & book in for free full hearing test. Just say you have noticed hearing conversation more difficult for several months, and that female voices & American accents are the most difficult for you to pick up & you want to buy hearing aids if you need them (there’s no obligation to actually buy anything at all, everyone can go home & think about it, nobody expects you to buy anything the same day as a hearing test).

The audiologist will always ask you questions about pain/discharge from your ears, as well as visually checking your ears as well, so obviously tell them everything about your pain, as well as what you have done/been advised to do with washing your ears with EarCalm.

EarCalm contains Acetic Acid, which is the main component of vinegar. I realise your pain/discomfort drove you to use it, but ‘overuse’ can irritate the ear canal & the ear drum, especially after washing your ears with it for a fortnight.. The natural pH of our ears is slightly acidic, which for the majority of people is sufficient enough to prevent bacteria from causing infections. The trick is knowing which treatment to target at specific treatments, another reason to get it looked at by a professional.

In your local area, you might be able to call a hearing specialist, or anyone advertising wax removal services, as anyone going near your ears for whatever reason has to examine them.

If you are still in discomfort and feel the need to put something else in, use olive oil (don’t buy the expensive extra virgin, just ‘virgin’ olive oil, or even plain ‘refined’ olive oil may help, as the level of acidity is very mild. Are you laying on your side for a good 5 mins with the canal with drops in pointing upwards? I don’t want to tell you how to suck eggs, but some people just let drops immediately drip out of their ears, or think that putting ‘bungs’ of cotton wool in means they can stand up normally. Cotton wool bungs are advisable as they prevent messing clothes & furniture, but 5 mins laying on your side is the only way the oil will do anything.

Sorry this took so long & was huge.

Good luck, let me know if you want to know anything else 👍

[Lybra in reply to ClumberSpaniel]

Thank you that is a lot to think about, but I will study this.

[ClumberSpaniel in reply to Lybra]

Sorry,

Main point: get someone qualified to look into your ears! They’ll be wet at the moment with a fortnight’s daily spraying, but it could be wet wax/skin debris, or it could be infected.

Check out Durham Hearing Specialist YouTube channel for him explaining videos, conditions, and treatments.

Hope you get your ears sorted soon 👍