Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Children's health

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

9mo with gungy ear - GP?

6 replies

ElphabaTheGreen · 28/05/2015 19:45

9mo DS2 has had a mild cold. He had a screamathon around midnight on Saturday night/Sunday morning which resolved with Calpol and plenty of boob, then on Sunday morning I noticed a load of mucus coming out of his ear. Since this exact same thing happened to DS1 at pretty much the same age, I take it his eardrum ruptured with the pressure in his ears from the cold (PFB DS1 got rushed to the GP, of course, which is how I gathered this).

Now, DS2 seems fine. He's happy, he's never run a temp, he's not pulling or rubbing at the ear and it's not at all red inside BUT five days later, it's still producing mucus which is either white or slightly ear-wax yellow and it's a little bit smelly. Not offensively, but if you put your nose near his head, and particularly that ear, it smells ever so slightly of dirty socks.

Do you think I need to do anything beyond keeping it clean (without putting anything inside obviously) so it doesn't get uncomfortable or itchy around the outside? I can't remember whether or not the GP put DS1 on prophylactic antibiotics when it happened to him. I don't want to waste an over-worked GP's time, or put an otherwise healthy baby on antibiotics he doesn't appear to need, but I also don't want to be too cavalier about it...

What do you think?

OP posts:
UniversalTruth · 28/05/2015 20:36

My DS had this a few times when he was under 2 - GP said he wanted to see him every time, but you might be able to do a telephone consultation.

ElphabaTheGreen · 28/05/2015 21:13

Did you do a phone consultation first where the GP then said to bring him in, or did he say after the first time it happened 'bring him in if it happens again'? Did the GP actually do anything beyond having a look inside?

Sorry to interrogate, just trying to establish if negotiating the logistical nightmare of getting him into the doctor, or even the challenge of getting a telephone consultation is justified!

OP posts:
306235388 · 29/05/2015 16:17

Ime they usually prescribe antibiotics.

Also you don't want to mess around with hearing -his ear drum needs to heal so you need to get on top if the infection. Don't take risks it's not worth it.

ElphabaTheGreen · 29/05/2015 16:47

I took him today in the end. No antibiotics prescribed. Just told not to take him swimming, which I wouldn't have done, and come back if he gets worse, which I would have done.

OP posts:
306235388 · 29/05/2015 19:32

Could've been a need for antibiotics though so always best to get professional opinion

UniversalTruth · 29/05/2015 20:41

Sorry, just come back to the thread. Glad you got sorted - we had antibiotics every time as ear swab (on 2nd occasion) showed nasty bug so can't say if all children should get treatment. Hope your dc is better soon.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page