Just wondering...have any of you had a middle ear infection?

[beechezz]

I travelled home from visiting my brother who lives in Switzerland 3 weekends ago, and I had severe ear pain on the plane''s descent. My ears would not pop and the pressure was terrible in my ears, to the point that I was literally crying. Fast forward to today...I was at the doctor''s for the second time yesterday as my ear tubes are filled with fluid (ear infection and sinus infection are gone due to a round of antibiotics). It feels like I have water in my ears that I cannot get out. I was prescribed more claritin, mucinex, and flonase. The doctor said I am severely congested, and the fluid is backing up into my ear tubes causing them to bulge. Has this happened to anyone, and do you have any advice? If this doesn''t get better soon I am going to lose my mind!!! Should I make an appointment with an ear, nose, and throat doctor?

Please help, any advice is welcome!
Thanks PS''ers.

 

[Munchkin]

I know it well. Both as a long time ear sufferer as well as a pediatric APRN.

The bottom line is that even when an infection is killed with antibiotics, fluid can remain behind the ear drum for months. So, you don't have an infection anymore, you now have effusion. The fluid itself can hurt every bit as much as an infection, but there really isn't a quick fix. Until the rest of your congestion has cleared, your ear congestion can't clear.

The meds you were given are designed to reduce nasal congestion. As a by-product, it is hoped your ear congestion will be ameliorated as well. It isn't a given, though.

The meds may help, but a trip to an ENT isn't warranted until the fluid has been present for a few months. Unfortunately, I see over a dozen kids a week with this. It's one of those diagnoses that I have to tell a parent that I can't make their kids feel better. Time or tubes are the only things that fix it, and tubes are a last resort.

ETA: A couple of natural remedies include chewing gum to adjust the air/fluid levels behind the drum and holding your nose and mouth while exhaling (like a scuba diver.) Both of those can help "pop" your ears which will eventually allow fluid to drain.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I recently had something similar and I knew after a round of antibiotics the infection was gone but the fluid and congestion remained. I always sniff warm salt water up my nose as far as it can go (I try to do it three times a day) then gently blow it out. I think the salt water helps the inflammation and hopefully keeps the sinus passages ''clean'' so that another infection doesn''t occur. My doctor said she wishes more folks would do this but many of them find it yucky. If it helps and doesn''t kill me, I''m all for it! It doesn''t help overnight but combined with a good decongestant and the Mucinex to thin the mucus it finally drained and I had relief.

Hang in there - it should subside - it is painful until it does though!

 

[beechezz]

Thank you sooooo much Munchkin and MissGotRocks, I truly appreciate someone else sharing their experience with this annoying problem.
I will continue taking the prescribed meds and go from there. I just hope it doesn''t take a few months to get better because you may have to check me into the insane asylum, lol.

 

[bebe]

Does heat help ? And maybe a Neti-Pot ?

 

[miraclesrule]

It sucks. When I had a cold a couple of months ago, I thought I had a tooth issue, but it was from the sinus pressure and eventually the pain resolved.

I used to get chronic infections and have had tubes in my ears seven times as an adult. I haven''t had one in years and years, but I remember the pain as if it was yesterday. It''s really painful sometimes.

I always carry gum on planes so that I can get my ears to pop, but sometimes they take so long I feel like the eardrum is going to bust open on it''s own (and that is extremely painful).

I hope you''ll find that as your sinus congestion resoves, so will your pain.