Ear infection: Us antibiotics or not?

[anonymxxx]

My 9month old son has his first ear infection.
We are given the option (by the doctor)to left his little body fight the infection (he has high fever) or administer antibiotics.
What would you do and what have been your experiences? Thanks!!!

KerryMum -- thanks so much for your answer. The Doc reckons it's bacterial since DS fever is very high. He has been very poorly for two days and two nights and we held off to give the ABs so far (we have them at home so that we can give them at night if necessary). I am very much against ABs unless necessary (realise they can be life savers!), but it's hard to see him suffer so much. Some people say it can get chronic if you don't give ABs, your story implies the opposite. Thanks for sharing your experience and hope your son has outgrown them!

okay... i suffer from ear infections and i ALWAYS take the anti-bs and they ALWAYS work. i would never, ever, EVER willingly put my child through that suffering.

i've been admitted to hospital for days with them, ear infections are absolute torture. believe me, if he could choose...

Thanks for your experience, Aitch. I agree the suffering is horrendous, although he seems to suffer more from the fever than anything else. (We give paracetamol and he gets much better for a while.) It seems to be somewhat cyclic - I think he's over it and then he becomes worse again. I think we see if he is better tomorrow and if not, we'll give the ABs.

Aitch, it seems there is a problem with resistance to Abs. Doc said that he had to go up the AB ladder in some kids that had repeated ear infections. It seems you had no problem with resistant strains? - I once had problems with resistance to bacteria that cause UTI. Wasn't nice at all... Hope your ear infections will get better.

yup, i had a problem wiht pseudomonas, which is completely antibiotic resistant. that's what put me in hospital. but i make sure they swab me for that as they write their first prescription, no point in giving abs if they're not going to work. they then call me back if it's psuedomonas (often picked up in swimming pools, not so clean bathrooms). morphine worked, in that instance, and coal tar packing, until it went away after a week of mortal agony in hosp.

personally it's not something i'd subject my kid to, but if you can manage the pain, then manage the pain. give more painkillers than you thought possible, or give the abs. imo. no treatment, or hesitant 'is he in pain?' treatment, would be unnecessarily cruel imo. use the painkillers as a prophylactic, if you don't want to give abs.

you did see that they gave me MORPHINE, didn't you? that's how sore it is, truly... morphine sore.

Dear Aitch and KerryMum,

thanks for your responses last week. Thought I should give you an update. DS had high fever for two days, on the third it came down and he was much better, no increased temperature on the fourth. We did not give ABs since he was so much better on the third day, but the week was tough.

Aitch, thanks for sharing your experience. I had ear infections but none was as painful as yours. It's good to know your experience, so that I do not conclude from my own pain level to that of others.

I hope this was a single incident and won't reoccur. If it does, I am sure I will be back seeking for advice.