Please help. Agonising earache

[FamilyCircus]

Woke up on Thursday morning with this and it's now much worse; feel like sobbing.

I'm taking ibuprofen but it's not doing much.

My ear keeps blocking. I can unblock it by holding my nose, blowing hard and swallowing at the same time, but it blocks up again in seconds. No discharge and I don't normally get much wax so I don't think it's a build up. I've not had a cold for months either so I don't think it's related to my sinuses. I read that if it's an ear infection it should resolve within a few days without antibiotics, so I didn't bother to go to the GP yesterday. It's so much worse now though and I'm desperate for a bit of relief from the pain

Any ideas? Will I look like a fool going to an NHS walk-in-centre tomorrow?

No, you won't look a fool, it's so painful :(
Try a hot water bottle, that helped me, and you can take paracetamol with brufen.

So sorry.for you, it is rotten.

Thank you ohbugrit.

I don't have a hotwater bottle, but I'm feeling sleepy so hopefully I'll be able to drop off for a few hours. There's an NHS clinic about a mile away so I'll head there once it starts getting light.

Oh I have a top tip a mumsnetter gave me. Put some porridge oats in a sock, tie the top, warm it for 30 seconds (or however long) in the microwave and then hold it against your ear. It does help. You have my sympathies earache is the pits.

Warm some olive oil up (warm! NOT boiling!) and put that in the infected ear. Put cotton wool in after the oil and leave.

I have suffered serious ear problems since I was a young child. My most recent infection was 4 weeks ago. Ear drum burst.

You haev an infection. Antibiotics are needed, as simple as that. The quicker you go on them, the quicker it clears up.

You will be surprised at how much better you start to feel.

I feel for you
x

I suffered with similar last year and it is horrendous. I remember crying like a baby as the pain was so horrendous. I'd liken it to toothache.

I went to the NHS drop in centre but they wouldn't give me anything in the way of antibiotics as it wasn't an infection. They just said it would heal on it's own but it may take a few days and to keep taking ibuprofen and ride it out. I wanted to chop my fucking head off by day three so you have my sympathies. It did go on it's own though and gradually my hearing came back. Just make sure you keep yourself dosed up with pills as I found that helped greatly.

It took about two weeks for my hearing to go back to completely normal by the way.

Thanks everyone

I don't have any porridge oats so I tried the warm olive oil. It felt lovely and soothing at first and I drifted off to sleep for a while . Didn't last so I tried some steroid lotion for my scalp psoriasis (my doctor recommended it when I had a bought of ear infections years ago which he suspected was being caused by psoriasis). OMFG it hurt! I've just taken another dose of ibuprofen and the pain is beginning to dull, thank fuck!

I haven't gone to the walk-in-centre yet because DS isn't well and has gone back to bed. When he wakes up I'll take him with me if he's feeling up to it, otherwise I'll have to wait until tomorrow. I really don't know if there's any point in going to the centre anyway as it's apparently only staffed by nurses so they won't be able to give me a prescription anyway, will they? I don't want to sit there for hours if it won't get me anywhere. I might phone NHS Direct and see what they say.

I think I've overdone it with the ibuprofen and I'm a bit worried about it. I took 8 yesterday (including the night) and have just realised I should have only taken 6 maximum. Is this dangerous? I'm alternating with paracetamol but they don't do much and I'm bloody desperate for more pain relief 4 hours after taking ibuprofen. Is aspirin an anti-inflammatory? Can I alternate that with ibuprofen instead of paracetamol/ibuprofen?

Thanks for all help and suggestions. DP is cross with me because I shouted at him for talking too loud and I feel lonely and miserable.

bought = bout

You could take co-codamol instead of paracetamol. Ease up on the brufen, you'll end up with sore guts.

Some nurses can prescribe so it's still worth going I would have thought.

Poor thing ... hope it eases really soon.

Thanks ohbugrit. I'll be good with the ibuprofen now and stick to the maximum dose. DP has been despatched to the chemist for co-codamol so that should fill the gaps nicely. I am a terrible wimp with pain or discomfort. I just can't stand not feeling 100% well physically.

How are you feeling? :)

Oh, thank you for asking ohbugrit

I'm on the mend, thank God. I saw my GP on Monday who was so nice he made me cry. He specialised in ENT and winced when he looked in my ear. Made me feel all validated and brave for waiting it out during the weekend .

He gave me antibiotics in tablet form and drops and permission to carry on with the painkillers/resting as ear infections are "one of the most painful things that can happen to the human body". I relayed all this to DP who wasn't particularly sympathetic and he now thinks the doctor was mocking me. He was NOT!

So, ear is still blocked and I still need the painkillers, but they give me full relief so I'm a lot happier. I will never again wait an ear infection out though. I swear it got worse during the 4 days I left it and I'm now having a longer recovery period. Next time I shall call an OOH doctor, or failing that turn up at A&E, damn it. It was such fucking agony I was close to ODing on painkillers out of desperation.

Sorry, I'm going on a bit now.

That's good,sounds like he was helpful. Hope you're fully recovered soon (and hope a teeny bit that your DP gets an ear infection!) ;)

[nods]