Anyone around to keep me company whilst I wait for 111 to call back?

[WaitingForACallback]

Woke about midnight after taking forever to get to sleep with searing head/ear pain and feeling like I was made of lava I was that warm but when I got up to get something to drink I felt very shivery and have since thrown up several times.

I've called 111 because well there's not much else you can do at 1am on a Sunday and am now waiting for a call back but inevitably I'm starting to feel tired. It's been about 1hr half since I called and they said I'd get a callback within two hours (I'm sceptical) so I could do with some company whilst I wait please if anyone's about?

Glad you are on your way home OP. And nice one with the vomit.

No anti biotics for an ear infection? Seriously? I'm really surprised by that.
Hope the codeine helps, at least.

That changed a few years ago @Backinthedress, somewhere between my DC1 & DC2 where they stopped prescribing antibiotics and said it would heal on its own. To be fair it did for DC2 (on multiple occasions) but horrible for him - gave him calpol and ibuprofen at the time to manage it.

Hope you're ok Op as it sounds nasty.

I was really surprised too but he said it wasn't necessary so I guess I'll just have to take him at his word.

Glad you are on your way home OP. And nice one with the vomit.

I must admit it did make me feel a little better even though I was in a lot of pain. Am now safely at home. Just not sure if I should go to bed or try to get through the day. I feel a lot more alert now but if I went to bed I could probably sleep although I don't want to be lying awake tonight.

@WaitingForACallback

Don't forget that you can use warm or cold compresses on your ear to help with pain (whatever feels better). Warm compresses always felt better for me and seemed to work, along with the pain relievers of course. I hope you feel better soon.

Another poster cheering you on with the doctor's just desserts.

Try and get a bit of sleep, it will help you heal. Set your alarm for in a few hours.

Great advice, thank you.

Fortunately I have stopped shivering now but I still feel very warm so maybe a cold compress would be handy in making me feel a more normal temperature.

If no improvement get to A & E immediately. My daughter in law died after similar violent headaches, it was blood clots on the brain.

She too was diagnosed at the walk in centre with inner ear infection. 111 operator who she spoke to the day after, asked about headaches five times and each time he pressed no on his screen, transcript of call was played at the coroner's inquest.

I’m prone to ear infections and I had one that felt like someone was trying to pull my brain out through my ear with pliers. All I could do was sit and drool. You have my utmost sympathy.

It did pass pretty quickly without antibiotics.

Not a medic, but I’ve been told that if you can’t keep water down, that putting medication under the tongue will work as it will dissolve there. Paracetamol tastes so bad that it might not work though!

I tried to google to see if it was true, and found these. If DH could get to a pharmacy for you then they might solve the ‘not able to take medication without throwing up’ problem:

https://www.calpol.co.uk/our-products/calpol-sixplus-fastmelts

As a nearly 60 year old who suffered frequent ear infections as a child, I can still remember the nights spent crying in pain and trying to sleep with a hot water bottle on my ear. I feel sorry for any child (and parent) who is left to suffer through that. I, thankfully, was always given antibiotics. You have my sympathies OP. Hope your earache subsides soon.

DD had many many ear infections and was given antibiotics for them (until finally they gave us something other than amoxicillin and they stopped forever).
Usually the pain was from pressure, so once that pops she would feel much better. Sleep and hot water bottle is the best.

I feel like you have film footage of me in OOH that's literally what I looked like.

I'm hoping that it does indeed pass quickly and that the codeine kicks in and does it job.

Yes, the warm compresses can actually help drain the infection, which will help relieve the pain.

Just not hot compresses. No sense scalding your ear.

I have one of those bears filled with lavender seeds you heat up in a microwave. When I had a bad ear infection it was very helpful.
Hopefully the codeine will help - it might make you drowsy so you could get a few hours of sleep this afternoon, which you will need.

Ring gp tomorrow for antibiotics if they didn’t give you any I got fobbed off loads of times with drops

Just be careful: I had a bad ear infection spread to my brain and develop into bacterial meningitis. I nearly died. I only realised as I had googled it, as my ear infection just wasn't getting any better. It said on the NHS website that it could spread to your brain. As others have said, if you get a stiff neck and can't tolerate light, get back to the hospital.

Duly noted 🙂.

I've managed a few hours of sleep and DH has been out to pick up my prescription. Positive notes are I have not thrown up again and the head pain has subsided greatly but my ear still throbs like someones poured hot lava down it so I suspect it will take a while for it to start to feel anything resembling normal.