Ear infection? Off to the docs tomorrow or wait?

[Dillie]

My dd is 6 and is in a fair amount of discomfort with one of her ears.

She says it is popping and cracking and hurts when it does. She can't lie on it and won't let either me or my dh near her ear so I think it really is hurting her. She can be a bit of a drama queen so not really sure.

I gave her some Calpol about 6 ish but that did nothing so gave her a dose of nurofen just after 8. She has finally dropped off, but looks so miserable poor love :(

Should I take her to the docs tomorrow if she is still in pain or wait until Thursday/Friday? She hates the doctors at the best of times!

Go to the docs, you can't be to safe with ear infections.

Take her to a doctor, ear infections can be really painful. I know there is a new way of thinking that apparently the use of antibiotics shortens the duration by only a couple of days, but whenever my DCs had ABs for ear infections, they felt better the next day. Once I didn't realise that DD had it (as she wouldn't say it hurts) and she was miserable for 3 days. Not worth it, imo.

Miserable for 3 days til we got ABs on day 4, it should have said.

mine find a hot water bottle to rest painful ear on helps as an idea if she wakes again with pain
worth going to doc just to check but ime if the ear is red and not pussey/gunky then they won't give you a-b's. nurofen is an anti inflamatory, helps my boys more than calpol too
Hope she and you get a good nights sleep x

Thanks for your replies. Took her to the drop in clinic and she does have an ear infection :( She is sleeping now so hopefully once the abs kick in, I should have my bouncy 6yo back.

Always seems to be the holidays they get sick doesn't it!

aww sorry to hear that for dd but at least she can rest with it being the holidays, if during term time I feel the pressure to get them back asap, hope she's on the mend soon