Ear infection - advice?

[Foxypaws70]

Was diagnosed with an ear infection 3.5 weeks ago; two courses of antibiotics and it's still sore, gunky, and I'm intermittently deaf/echoey in head/pressure in ear. It seems to go away for the odd few hours during the day but at night it fills up with gunk again. I thought only kids had this?! I'm worried I've damaged my ear as when it started off I thought it was wax and used all sorts of drops (hydrogen peroxide/sodium biocarbonate/olive oil) that the doc has now told me off for ... apparently you're not supposed to put anything in your ears until a doctor has a look first?! Really don't want to take a third lot of antibiotics?

I had ear infections on and off for my whole life. In America, they give antibiotics different then the UK, but I have had to take antibiotics for ear infections before, but they have always felt better before the 3rd week.

what kind of ear infection is it?

If it's still sore and you haven't been messing with it I would definitely go back to the GP and see if you can be referred to an ENT. I have scar tissue in my ear and I have to pop my ears several times a day and especially when driving, I find that my ears hurt and I need to pop them constantly. I pop my ears by opening my jaw really wide, if you pop your ears, does it offer any relief, even if only temporary?

Thanks subterfuge ... nothing really relieves it and I've got a temperature now, so I'm heading off back to the GP. I've never had anything that didn't respond to antibiotics, so it feels quite scary. (I think it's a fungal infection/inner ear? Yuck!)

There are inner, outer, and middle ear infections. Inner ear infections often take the longest to heal. If it's a bacterial, rather than a viral infection than it's more serious and can be harder to heal. A trip to the GP is definitely in order and I hope you soon feel better.

Please don't delay visiting your g. p
I did and have lost the hearing in that ear