Ear ache on holiday - help!

[DoNotDisturb]

My five year old is complaining of ear ache. We're in Greece. He seems fine in himself and only seems to mention it when it suits him. I have no doubt he has some discomfort but I'm not sure how bad it is. Any suggestions of best course of action?

Would a doctor say just leave it to get better? Is there a bog standard drug for ears I can get at pharmacist? Should I stop him swimming? So far he's continued swimming snd diving which is why I'm not convinced it's too bad..

Any advice gratefully received. Obviously if he gets worse I'll get an appointment with the doctor however we don't seem to be there yet and vaguely hoping a trip to the pharmacy may be enough..

Bump

It;s quite common, and may be an infection caused by pool water. My DD is prone to this as she is a water baby.
I would take a trip to the pharmacist or doctor. I generally find pharmacists in countries like Greece very knowledgable, he will also advise if it needs a GP appointment or not.

Thanks deepbluetr. Hopefully the pharmacist this morning will advise something.

So does your daughter usually get drops for the ear? Or antibiotics?

My DD is a refuser of medicine. Luckily she has never had a serious illness, but she has never been able to swallow antibiotics.
Usually the ear infection clears up within a few days anyway. If you are near a pharmacy it will do no harm to visit.

They've given me some ear drops. Thanks for your help. :)

Hope he's ok, my DS (also 5) had a terrible ear infection last year in Crete. He's a water baby too. He was screaming for me to cut his ear off and get him a new one

Turned out to be a very bad infection needing drops and antibiotics. If your son continues to cause trouble / gets worse, don't hesitate to see a GP.

Enjoy your holiday!