Earache help!

[Coronabegone]

Posting for traffic!

I've had a blocked ear for a few days, been using earex but yesterday I had some pain (nothing extreme) but now I've got real pain and I can feel like a "beating" sound in my ear. The pain is constant, made worse if I touch the area round my ear.

Should I take paracetamol/ibuprofen or alternate every two hours, continue with the earex?

Anything else I can do? Obviously doctors won't be open but could the pharmacist give me anything?

Thank you in advance.

Alternating the pain relief should help. Also you could try putting something warm (not hot) against your ear (this helped last time DD had an ear infection). It sounds like you might have an infection so my advice would be to call 111. You might be able to be seen in OOH over the weekend. If it is an infection it’s better to get seen ASAP. You’ll find you start to get relief soon after starting antibiotics.

Thanks @NooneElseIsSingingMySong you don't think it's OTT to contact 111?

Well they can always say no! No I don’t think it’s OTT because leaving an infection can lead to a burst ear drum (ouch). I think you need to see a doctor who can look down your ear. I’d call them and see what they say.

I would call 111 as well. I once had an abscess on my eardrum and you do not want that sort of pain.

I get swimmer's ear frequently, and I find that a warm compress helps the pain. If you have basil oil, a drop mixed with two drops of olive oil on a cotton ball can help too.

I had this not long ago and needed antibiotics. When they looked down my ear it was bleeding and said it can lead to a perforated eardrum so definitely needs checking out

They also have me some kind of spray. It absolutely stunk of vinegar though

Thanks all, I'm going to ring 111.

I have had this for two weeks now, the GP wanted to see it and said it was so blocked she couldn't even see my ear drum but there is nothing they can do about it. She suggested olive oil twice a day or buying a self syringing kit from the chemist. I'm using some ear pain relief spray I bought online which seems to help.

I have to go back in a week if it's no better.

Definitely try something warm on your ear like a towel or wheat bag.

While you are waiting to be seen by a doctor you could try the magic salt sock, it's basically just a thick white cotton sock filled with coarse sea salt, tie the end and heat it in the microwave until it's comfortably warm and place it on your ear. The heat helps the pain and the salt apparently draws out moisture giving relief.

Chop an onion in half, stick in microwave until warm and hold on the ear. Sounds bizarre but it works. Dont know how. Assume it's the onion drawing things out. Works much better than a hot water bottle etc.

If it's a middle ear infection ie behind the ear drum, then putting drops or anything else in your ear won't help and might even aggravate it. I've spent a lot of time in ENT with all this kind of stuff. You need a nurse or doc to look in your ear and see how bad it is. Sometimes they give antibiotics and sometimes they don't but if you've had it for a while and it's getting worse not better, then they probably will. Good luck, I know how painful and miserable it is.

I'm at the OOH doctor now! I will update.

It's an infection, antibiotics and stop the earex.

Thanks all!

If you are taking paracetamol for pain relief, buy the ones you dissolve in water. As you take it, gargle with it. Seems to help more.

No idea why, just told to try it by a nurse once.

Dh and a friend have both just had bad blocked ears. In both cases their GPs said about getting them sorted using micro suction but that they needed to get it done locally at specsavers or the local independent chemist as they were no longer allowed to offer the service.

Dh had to speak to the audiologist beforehand to determine if he was a suitable candidate for the treatment. He was, so went - but it wasn’t very successful so he wasn’t charged and given a letter to take back to the gp to say he needed to be referred to have it done medically.

Meant to add it might be worth ringing your local spec savers/provider of audiology services and there might be someone there who would be able to provide advice and/or help with your ear pain.

Glad you got seen! Hope it eases soon.

Glad you got it sorted. The antibiotics will kick in soon 😊