Bejeeeeeeesus my ear ....

[OhFuck]

So the whole family's been infected with something or other all week, but I've managed to keep it down to a scratchy throat until the tonsils started a couple of days ago, and then last night a streaming cold and out of the blue blindingly painful earache. Not just sore-tonsils earache either, proper stabbing pain with deafness.

I've never had it before in my life - holy crap it hurts! I think I've managed to blow snot backwards up into my ear and I can feel the eardrum throbbing

I've taken 2 paracetamols which afforded me 90 minutes sleep and I've been drinking honey and lemon all night. Is there anything else I can do except ride it out? I'm pregnant too, so can't take any decongestants and have a delightful background of nausea to all this ...

can you steam your self with menthol crystals or eucalyptus? I'd find a pharmacy and see if they can suggest anything at all.

Go see a GP, first thing Monday- you might need antibiotics.

a "grandma's cure" for earache:
warm up some olive oil (warm! not boil!), mix it with a few drops of lavender oil (not a must) and drip it in your ear/soak up some cotton wool and use as ear plug.

Poor you, I can only add, don't have any dairy products, it makes ears much worse. Best thing is clear fluids, warm soup etc. Try to avoid wheat as well. Both dairy and wheat make the body produce mucus, which you definitely don't want more of!

Hope this helps, even a little bit. You have my sympathy.

You may have otitis media and should see your GP tomorrow although evidence does not always support the use of antibiotics. I have had this many times annd perforated my eardrum 3 times. It is truly agony. Hope you feel better soon.

Oh poor you, I had this during my last pregnancy and it was so painful, I just sobbed for days. Not being able to take ibuprofen was horrible

Ask the GP to swab your ear to test what's causing it. I had 2 syringings and 2 rounds of antibiotics before I was swabbed, and the results showed that the infection was fungal, not bacterial. What makes fungal infections worse? That's right, damp and antibiotics. Canesten drops brought it under control after about 2 days.

Please don't put anything in your ear, from the chemist or the kitchen cupboard. Don't tug at your ear either, you'll irritate it more. Lie on a hot water bottle.

Demand that swab early - don't end up like me, phoning the GP after 3 weeks of hell and screaming "It's worse again, if you don't do something I am going straight to casualty because I can't handle this!"

Thank you all so much. I've had a busy morning at work and I think, having been upright since 2.30am, it's drained a wee bit because I've managed a couple of hours kip this afternoon.

It's definitely otitis media, because I can feel it worse when I blow my nose as the pressure increases. I have a feeling Sudafed would help

At least now I am just deaf and not nearly so painful. Off to work again briefly now, and I shall return with supplies of more paracetamol and some olive oil!

I'll phone the docs if it's no better by tomorrow morning. Thanks again. I've never had this before in my life and I had NO idea it was so painful, it brought me close to tears.