Absolute bloody disaster!! We're supposed to go to Disneyland in a few hours

[Sneakysloth]

We have to leave at 9am to drive to the eurotunnel and go to Disneyland and I've been awake since 2am with a sobbing 4 year old really distressed that his ear hurts. We've all had horrible coughs/colds this last week and I think his has developed into an ear infection. He keeps asking if we can still go and I'm telling him not to worry and just to rest but then he gets distressed that he doesn't want to not go. I phoned 111 at 3am but not heard back yet (I know that might sound dramatic, but it is the weekend and it seemed better than A&E?)

He's had calpol when he first woke, ibuprofen not long ago, got a warm flannel on his ear. I'm sat up so he can rest on me and be a bit more upright to try ease pain. We wait for the doctor to call. But in the mean time.. gonna have to shatter all my kids excitement about Disneyland aren't I?

I wouldn't postpone but I wouldn't go without getting him treatment either. That seems unfair and ear infections can develop nastily. I would do all I could to get hold of some antibiotics this morning. I know it isn't an A&E job but if you go first thing (like now) it will hopefully be really quiet and you won't be putting anyone out.

Sorry to hear this and I hope he feels better soon. But for goodness sake please don’t go to A&E - shocked by the number of people suggesting this rather than a pharmacist! No wonder the waiting times are so long

I live in France. It is pretty easy to get an appointment with a doctor there and isn't very expensive. You can even get online ones if you are sure it is a basic ear infection. If you can manage to get to France, that could be an option.

Warm olive oil is for wax abd itches only. It won't cure infection. You can buy antibiotic ear drops over the counter called Earcalm.
Going a&e for this is lunacy.

I would make a solution of warm, salty water and gently syringe into the ear at regular intervals. The salt should kill any bacteria.

Hope he feels better soon, just a word of warning, if you are coming from London, avoid the A2 at bluewater, there has been a bad crash overnight and the coast bound section is closed.

You poor thing that’s so unlucky. Fingers crossed for you.

We got antibiotics from the pharmacy a week or two ago for a perforated eardrum. Took less than an hour and we were there at the front the queue waiting for the pharmacy to open!

Oh no OP 😕 I would dose him up with painkillers and get going and then see a GP in France, provided you have an EHIC.

I’m staggered that at least three posters have suggested A&E for an ear infection. No wonder the NHS is in such a mess (yes, I do know there are much bigger reasons for the NHS being in crisis but people rocking up to A&E with an earache really won’t help).

Really?
in the old days when the NHS worked my gp called an ent consultant who saw ds that afternoon. Ear infection is nasty.

You’ll be waiting hours in A&E.

I would dose up with calpol and ibuprofen and go.

We recently had a 9-hour wait in A&E for a known medical condition of my DD's which required timely medical care that we can't get via a pharmacy or a GP. Has to be hospital.

The posters on here telling OP to go to A&E need to wake the fuck up. People in this country are dying because hospitals are drowning under the demand of idiots like you turning up to A&E because you think that's the right thing to do if a holiday is at stake. Please educated yourselves.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/ear-infections/

Pain relief is the most important thing.
Lots of ear infections settle on their own.
If you've all had a viral infection it may not even respond to antibiotics.
Go and have a great holiday.

Glad you got it sorted OP. 111 was definitely the route to take. I hope you have a lovely holiday.

Also shocked at people suggesting A&E for antibiotics. It is neither an accident nor an emergency.

Better access to decent healthcare services over there too.Deal with it once you’re there.

You might not get antibiotics if it’s deemed to be a viral infection.

Oh that’s a shame. My son had an ear infection whilst on holiday when he was about 8yrs old and it was pretty awful. He still talks about it today, how much pain he was in and how ill he felt. This happened while abroad though so was a bit more tricky to get meds. Definitely get meds sorted before you travel otherwise it could be a miserable time for him.

I’m a pharmacist, we can prescribe painkilling drops or antibiotics if the eardrum is perforated if it’s a middle ear infection. From his symptoms most likely not perforated (as usually the pain is better as the pressure has been released), so likely to be given the painkilling drops, the pharmacist will do an ear examination to make sure. Also DO NOT put olive oil ear drops down!!

I'm more concerned about you being scared to wake up your husband!
No one else has picked up on this!!!

Oh FFS, don't go to A&E just for a bad ear, our local Dr's don't even treat ear infections now, they haven't for a few years.

I don't think i would go. It doesn't sound like you or ds is well enough to go.

I didn’t see anywhere that’s she’s scared? She didn’t want to wake him up because he’s doing the driving.

She doesn't want to wake him up because one of them needs to be fit to drive

@Meagainnewname I can't see where the OP says she is scared to wake her husband unless I'm missing something?

I can see that she wants him to get a good sleep so he's ok to drive if they can go - no point 2 of them being so tired they can't actually go. She's fretting because she wants to check the insurance but doesn't want to wake him until its time.

She didn’t say she was scared. She was being sensible based on the fact she was coping with the situation and it was him who would have the long drive to do.

Just go to A&E now, will most likely be quieter in a morning. Our local A&E children’s department has a streaming service where you can see an ANP if it’s not ‘A&E job’ and they are very understanding when your child is in distress and needs antibiotics and are unwell. I also think honestly they will be understanding of the situation and want to help sort them out. I hope you get sorted x

Antibiotics aren't automatically necessary for ear infections, and don't actually make much difference to recovery time. Oh, and please don't use olive oil!!!!