Anyone Had a Viral Ear Infestion?

Updated on September 08, 2008
M.B. asks from Toledo, OH
8 answers

i have gone thru two rounds of antibiotics for an ear infection, thought it was clearing up but i still had fliud in my ear. two weeks after that it was bothersome and i went to the er for it, they told me to take sudafed and it would dry it up. two days later i made a doc appt with my family doctor since it wasn't helping and becasue my neck from my ear to my shoulder was in pain. she diagnosed me with an outer ear infection, gave me drops and allegra and told me to call monday if i didn't feel better, she'd refer me to an ENT. the next morning i woke up with so much neck pain i was crying..there's nothing i can do besides take ibuprofin which helps the pain since it's the weekend. it seems to be getting better, but i was wondering if anyone else has gone thru this and how long it takes to clear up?

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So What Happened?

thanks for all the replies...i hate searching the internet to get info on things like this, but sometimes you have to then you scare yourself! the neck pain is better than it was friday for sure, actually this morning i felt hardly any pain. i went to the grocery store with my fiancee to get out of the house and some of the pain came back. i'm just so drained, but i know there really isn't anything else i can do besides the drops, motrin and allegra. i'm feeling better, but should i still go back to the doc so she could refer me to the ent? and do they really help? i heard they can drain excess fluid if they put tubes in your ears also, i just don't know how bad you have to be to go to that extreme. i guess i am lucky though that i only work part time and could call off work for about a week...i just want to get thru this and get better!

so i went to the ent today...he said i don't have an infection even though my ears still hurt..he wants to give me a hearing test in two weeks...told me to keep taking allegra in addition to any otc pain medication. didn't give me any drops. maybe it's just my allergies acting up and causing the ear pain? i told him about the neck pain and he didn't really answer, well we'll see what the next couple weeks will be like!

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J.F.

answers from Evansville on

This may sound like an off-the-wall suggestion, but you might try going to a chiropractor. I have had chronic ear infections since birth and still get them today (at 28 yrs old) if I'm not careful. I've had tubes a couple of times and been to probably 100 different ENTs throughout my life. The only thing that actually STOPS the infections and keeps them away is having a chiropractic adjustment on my neck. It can significantly help with allergy/sinus issues too and it's not something a medical doctor is likely to have you try.

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H.D.

answers from Youngstown on

Last winter I had a terrible ear infection. I was so miserable and didn't want to keep taking antibiotics because I was pregnant. I found some all-natural things that worked!

Take Shaklee's Nutriferon, which builds up the immune system naturally, Garlic Complex, Vitamin C, Defend & Resist, and Alfalfa 3 times per day. This should take care of it.

For immediate relief, try
Onion Juice-
Blend a peeled onion in the blender. Put juice in a small bottle. Pour in ear. Sounds gross, I know, but really works!!

I have a friend whose daughter would get an ear infection every couple of weeks and started taking Shaklee's Carotomax and it took care of it within days and hasn't gotten one since!

If you have any questions, you can e-mail me at ____@____.com or visit my website: http://www.shaklee.net/heatherdoyle

I hope this helps!

Sorry the reply is so late...I was in the hospital delivering my little girl! :)

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N.W.

answers from Bloomington on

I thought for sure that I had an ear infection a few months ago, but it was just a lot of fluid that built up pressure. My doc told me to take Sudafed and gave me a nasal spray (since that's how it'd drain). Just some Tylenol for the pain. It took longer than if it had been an ear infection, but it did finally drain. I don't remember exactly how long, but I want to say something like a week. Hope yours clears up soon!

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S.C.

answers from Fort Wayne on

I had fluid in my ear not too long ago. It wasn't an ear infection, just fluid. They put me on an antihistamine and told me to take ibuprofen for the pain. I also found that a heating pad worked really well to help relieve some of the pain. Make sure that you aren't getting any water in your ear when you shower. If you notice any fluid or blood leaking out of your ear, get to the er. It means your ear drum has burst. They probably won't do anything for you if it does, it will heal on it's own. If the pain isn't getting better, I think I would go to the ER again.

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T.P.

answers from Dayton on

Hi M.,
Sounds like you suffer from allergies like me. Well thats what the ER and the ENT have decided was my ear/neck/headache problem was from. I know how bad the pain and suffering is, and have went to the ER several times over the last few years with it. They will give you pain shots sometimes for the pain to go away, only to get it back again. :( Its very troublesome.

My only solutions to this troublesome problem so far have been,
buying a Netti pot from the local drugstore. Taking sudafed with the psuedophrine in it (the other off the counter stuff does not contain it) and taking ibuphoren 800 or some sort of pain killer. But the new Zyrtec is awesome so far that i started taking that on a regular basis now at nite before I go to sleep. Its over the counter now, and really does help me so far. Still get the terrible migraines sometimes but not as often. I suffered friday after the rain came in and our air in the house was turned off, (I had ran out of the zyrtec) but took some sudafed and did the netti pot and pain meds again, so now I feel better again for now. Grant it, I went to the ENT did the whole allergy shots things for a year and a half, they told me I would have to take them for up to 3-5 years. I found it wasnt as helpful as they say it would be, I was still suffering on a regular basis. I went to yet another ENT recently and he states the new drug/shots are improved now and put me on a nasal spray and has recommended the shots again. I just am not a believer in the shots now, I just dont think they help like they should :(. So trying to find another solution with the ENT, but no luck yet.

Good luck to you, hope it helps!
T.

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H.H.

answers from Cincinnati on

Hi, M. -

I had some kind of ear infection a couple of years ago that literally attacked me for about 9 months... it wasn't continuous, but it was persistent and kept recurring. I saw an ENT specialist, and I believe, of all the things that various doctors provided me, the otic steroid that he gave me was the thing that helped me pull out of that terrible time. I used it sparingly and continued to use it periodically for almost a year. This might be something you could ask about.

I wish you the best - that was one of the most horrible illnesses I've ever had.

Take CARE!
H.

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T.M.

answers from Cleveland on

Hi M.,
I've always had ear trouble since I was an infant. I had tubes put in my ears when I was 3 yrs...and finally had my tonsils removed when I was an adult.
Before the tubes, I would always get fluid behind my ears when we would go on vacation and have to fly. The pain was so bad and I would hate the return flight home not to mention the pain of the popping and things I tried to do to relieve the pain when we were landing (nothing seemed to help). I would always have to go into the doctor for an antibiotic to get rid of the fluid in my ear. I would also have a hard time hearing while on vacation. It was so frustrating. I finally went to an ENT who put tubes in my ears about 4 years ago (they are supposed to be permanent...not like the kids kind that fall out after a while) but sometimes they can still fall out.
Now, when we fly, my ears don't even pop on the plane. It's so nice.
If you have to go to an ENT ask him if tubes would help your condition. I've noticed a big difference :)
It's an outpatient procedure and very simple. I had special earplugs made for when I take a shower or swim and have a perscription antibiotic if I do happen to get water in them.
I'd definitely do it all over again!!!!
I hope you get better soon!
Let us know how it gets!

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G.G.

answers from South Bend on

Hello M.;

First, I will give you my experience. Until the year 2002 I had never had ear infections, and did not suffer from them as a child. But, for many years I had been working at a diagnostic lab when I came down with an awful virus that seemed to affect every part of my body - I will try not to get too graphic here. I had not missed one day of work for almost fifteen years when my ears all of a sudden began to hurt so much I cried. I finally had to take off work and stay home and went straight to my family physician. I already knew that ear infections could be a bear to treat, and this one was no exception. Don't give up on your doctor because many times several different medications have to be tried before any seem to actually work. And first of all, IF your ear situation is caused by a virus, no antibiotic will directly cure it. You will just have to tough this one out, but sometimes prescription ear drops helps to relieve the discomfort. Antibotics will only work on bacterial infections, and sometimes even those are difficult to treat. My ears also filled up with so much fluid that I grossed out even my doctor when he looked into my ears. I had to go back to him several times. What really was scary for me, was that I lost all of my hearing for awhile! After three days (only amount allowed for illness) and I had to go back to work, still very ill and with a fever, I knew I could easily spread my horrible disease to the patients, but the lab didn't care. Also, even standing a foot away from people I couldn't hear anyone talk and had to learn to lip read. You know that bar at the bottom of your TV screen that shows you how loud you have it? Well, I had to have it all the way to the end in order to hear anything at all. My poor husband couldn't stand it and had to go outside when I watched TV. After several weeks, my hearing slowly started to come back, but I still don't think it is as acute as it used to be. I know several other friends who had similar ear infections over the past several years. It affects people differently however and hopefully you won't lose your hearing like I did. I have never been that sick for so long in my life; I hope I never again get whatever that was! But these ear infections can take a long time to go away, so have patience.

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