My dh has a strange ear.....

[twoluvlykids]

it's massively swollen, bright red, the gland behind the ear is overlarge.

He went to outpatients yesterday, went back today with lines drawn on the swollen bits (halfway down his neck), and just told me if the infection gets into the bone behind his ear it's a direct path to his brain!!!!

I said, how long will that take???

Seriously, anyone know what I should do - apart from not bashing him round the head?

He's got to go back to outpatients tomorrow

This might (or might not ) be what dh has just had. His ear was so swollen the gp couldn't look into it with his ear thingy. Dh was given some prescription ear drops
(stronger than the sort you buy over the counter, apparently) and it cleared up within about 5 days.

thanks. he's been given antibiotics. he's very prone to ear infections (smokes - one of the side effects, i'm told) but this has never happened before.

the top of the ear, with the cartlidge, is rock hard, bright red and very hot. and about 4 times the size of the other ear.

Sounds very much like Perichondritis(sp?).
My dh works in a very dirty enviroment(dust,diesel etc...)and has had it 3 times in the last few years.
Twice he was given antibiotics but on one occasion he was in hospital with it for 5 days and was in alot of pain.
Dh was also told that once you get it,it's very hard to completely get rid of it and the slightest knock to the ear can trigger it off again.
Dh's always starts with the top gristly bit going bright red,then the whole ear swells to about 3 times it's size.
Let us know how he gets on tomorrow and I wish him well.

i'd better go off mn and look after him then, hadn't i?

It may not be that but it does sound very similar.Try Googling Perichondritis.
Must adnit,first time dh had it,I thought he was making a fuss about nothing...until they admitted him.

hmm..well, I did google Perichondritis, and it did look similar. Anyway, he went back to hospital today and it is much better & he didn't need an I.V. injection, which is what he was worried about.

The ear looks so much better, so the antibiotics must have kicked in.

Time to nag him a bit more about quitting smoking, I think...

Thanks for advise, MuffinMclay and Bubbaloo.

Oh,that's really good.Sounds like it's been nipped in the bud.