To go to A & E?

[EarProb]

Even though I'm not strictly sure it's an issue for them because I am so desperate.

I am having really bad problems with my ears. My GP is at a loss and has referred me to ENT months ago but nothing has come of it yet. I keep going back to the GP but they say there is nothing they can do.

My ears are completely blocked with gunk. GP says not infected but the one time I managed to pay privately to have them cleared out he said he thought they were.

Both my ears are completely swollen on the outside and the inside. My ear drums have not been visible for the best part of a year and I sometimes wake up with stuff leaking all over my pillow and even running down my face. It's absolutely vile. I have even woke up before now with blood dripping down the side of my face from the inside of my ear.

It looks awful too so my self esteem has plummeted.

I now cannot hear at all when I am lay down and only slightly when I'm stood up because they are that swollen and full. I cannot hear my baby stirring in the night.

I am so desperate. I feel incredibly depressed with it and I've no idea where to turn. The ENT referral has been chased several times by my GP but nothing yet. It was sent in April.

I don't know what else to do. Sometimes I honestly feel like I don't want to be alive anymore it's affecting me that much.

A&E sounds a sensible albeit final solution after a year! but I would choose another day and certainly call 111 first.
Maybe a different private ENT session?

Sorry to hear about your issue 😔

That sounds awful 😕 not sure if A&E is the right place but I can see why you'd be tempted to go. Have you tried out of hours? Likely to be a different gp to your own so you might get a different opinion?

This sounds like an infection and I can’t understand why your GP hasn’t prescribed antibiotics? ENT will have an emergency clinic your GP can refer to for an urgent (usually same/following day) appointment. This absolutely is not ok.

Just to add that if you went to A&E on a weekday, you’d probably get sent to ENT as an urgent case if necessary. Personally this is what I would do, tomorrow.

This sounds like a reoccurring infection I get alot. Severe otisis something. ... I can never remember! There are drops that work within a few days, were you given anything to try first?
I once practically crawled to a and e with it because I was so ill and they were brilliant. And glad I did because it can become an infection that spreads to your skull and/or sepsis etc.

Get yourself treated. It is absolutely miserable. Best of luck

I would stay as far away from a&e as you can tonight, it’ll be hell. Walk in centre tomorrow? Can the gp not syringe your ears to clear some of the gunk, they had to do my husbands last year and it made a big difference.

Is it worth asking another GP to take a look as it sounds like they may be fobbing you off a bit. If there is an infection you would think a GP could at least start to treat that before you see an ENT specialist.

Bleeding from the ears sounds very concerning. If you mention that to 111 I would have thought they would tell you to go to A+E.

I feel your pain my right ear keeps getting blocked I have loud pitch noises in it can't hear nothing when someone is speaking on right side cant even hear when i is on. Trying to get appointment it hard I don't know what to do either ...

I wouldn't go to a&e, I'd call the doctors secretary tomorrow and ask for the consultants details and ring them and ask for a short notice cancellation

It sounds like you might need grommets

Do you mean they just need syringing to get the gunk out because if so there are people out there who will just come to your home and do that (saw an ad for that service last week)? Or is it more than that?

Please go to a&e! If your struggling to hear, you have to get it sorted.

My gramps had the same issue a few months back, he was on a 14 month waiting list for an appointment, but he got to the point that he lost his hearing.

We took him to a&e and they gave him an emergency referral to the specialist that he was on the waiting list for, and was seen 24 hours later.

If your loosing your hearing they will help you out

I think I'd nip to A&E before the match ends! It does sound very painful.

Contact NHS 111. They'll get you in to see an out of hours GP, they'll prescribe antibiotics and possibly send you to be seen by someone on all from the ENT team, at that point you might actually get the help that you need.

If that isn't possible, do you have a private Hospital or similar in your area?
You might be able to pay for a private consultation and they may refer you to their own NHS clinic.
It's worth a shot, with life being this bad for you at the moment.

I hope you feel better soon

You can pay to have your ears syringed but blood and swollen ears are more likely an infection (otitis externa and/or otitis media). Unlikely to need grommets as pp suggested but possibly antibiotics.

I experienced something very similar a few years ago - very long story short, I saw an ENT privately and they gave me steroid ear drops and it completely cleared up. I now get an ear infection maybe once a year and the rest of the time they are fine.

NHS were worse than useless for me sadly. I would recommend going privately if you can at all manage it.

I don't understand why you haven't been given ear drops. It sounds awful OP. As a fellow ear sufferer I would see someone ASAP.

This may sound stupid, but have you tried allergy pills?
I get swallen ears and gunk when I get allergy reactio ln ro something ir sinusitis and allergy pills help the swelling.

You can get suction clearance done privately, even some pharmacies will do it. Then you can approach GP again for antibiotics/drops.

Sounds awful. If I had stuff running down my face I would go to A&E. If it not currently doing that but there has been a change since you last saw a gp e.g. more swollen, hearing worse etc. I would ring NHS 24. If you are feeling suicidal, again phone NHS 24.

On Monday you need to phone the ENT department at the hospital you have been referred to and find out where you are on the list and approx how long it will take for you to be seen. Ask if there’s a cancellation list you can be put on if you are prepared to go in at a few hours notice? When you have the answer you can decide whether you’d be prepared to get a credit card/personal loan to go private.

I hope you get answers and treatment soon x

I once went to a&e with a bleeding & weeping ear. I’d been having problems with it for months. They got an ENT dr to see me there and then and he gave me some antibiotics that actually worked. My ear was badly damaged from all the infections, but I’m sure it would’ve been a lot worse if I hadn’t gone that day as my GP wasn’t helping at all.
Ear infections can turn nasty - go get yourself seen. But maybe wait until the post football drunken chaos is over!

Go. I’ve been where you are and needed ops on my ears to fix it. If I hadn’t been getting any joy via ENT I would have go to A&E. Ear pain is equal only to tooth pain in its severity. You’ll also be facing long term hearing issues and your eardrums will be bursting all over the place.

Is there another gp at your practice you can see? I can understand the desperation to go to a&e but to be honest I don't think it's a job for them.

Definately sounds like they are infected and antibiotics at the very least are in order, however. Your GP needs to get the finger out.

I had bleeding from my ears during an ear infection, the Dr just said my ears were so swollen that the tension caused them to bleed/split a bit. I was advised to take ibuprofen for the inflammation along with antibiotic ear drops I was given antibiotic tablets too. The tablets ery.... Something, were weird and made me feel absolutely ravenous but nauseous at the same time.

As echoed above I wouldn't go to A&E tonight, they are bound to be overrun with football and drink related incidents.

Sounds to me your hearing is at risk so that sounds like an emergency to me, considering how long it has gone on for