Thursday my DD had a fever and headache so I kept her home from school. She complained of a headache all day and the fever responded to Advil when I wanted her to feel good enough to sleep. Today I did not see her till a little while ago because I was at work. My DH was with her all day but she does not complain to him. Well, she has been complaining that her ear hurts since I've been home. She still has a fever because she feels warm (lost the thermometer).
So it's Friday night at 7 so all the places are closed. I've read that ear infections don't really respond to antibiotics anyway. Do I take her to the ER tonight or just give her some Advil to help with pain? Do they respond to antibiotics or not?
BTW she is 5.5
After the Motrin and laying on the heating pad for awhile she was still really complaining about the pain. I checked and urgent care was closing at 8 so I took her there. Turns out she does have an ear infection. He gave her amoxacillin. She has never been on antibiotics so I don't know how this will work but we will give it a try.
Thanks for all the help :)
She's 5.5 and has never been on antibiotics?? All my kids responded well to the antibiotics whenever there was an infection. Throat, ear, nose. Each child was different and where amoxocillan was great for one, it wouldn't be in the other and he'd prescribe something else.
I'd take her in to an urgent care center in the morning. I think she probably has an ear infection. You can't let that go - her ear drums can get perforated. She needs antibiotics.
So sorry - I know she feels awful.
Good luck,
Dawn
An ear ache is the most painful pain in the world. I think in the "Home Remedies" book I had years ago it said to blow a warm hair dryer down the ear shaft. The warm air will also soften and thin out the goo so it can drain.
If you have children's sudafed give her half a dose. It will thin the goo out some and may allow the infection and dry goo to drain accordingly.
In the chiropractors office the use a massager and push from the bottom of my ear down towards the collar bone/sternum area. This helps the goo to move towards the throat out of the Eustachian tubes.
I truly would take her to the ER if nothing is working though because ear pain is a sign that there is too much stuff behind the ear drum. It needs to start draining. If she isn't treated with antibiotics it can make her deaf like it did my grandson. The ENT went in to put tubes in to see if that would help him hear even a little bit and he found debris from past ear infections that the antibiotics never treated. He cleaned the ears out and my grandson can hear normally again. IF he had seen an ENT when he had the ear infections he might have received the correct antibiotics. The pediatrician did not prescribe the correct ones.
I asked the pharmacist afterwards and he said the antibiotics the pediatrician had prescribed were general ones that were good overall but not really worth anything for the ears or other internal/enclosed areas.
Make sure to ask the pharmacist if the right prescription is what you have been given. Specifically for ear infections. If it's the white augmentin I can't get a kid I have ever had to swallow willingly when they taste it so you might see if there is anything else.
Advil and a decongestant. Pseudophed, if you have any, can reduce the swelling and fluid causing pressure on her ear.
A true ear infection WILL respond to an antibiotic. Now, not ALL ear infections will respond to ALL antibiotics. For my oldest daughter, regular old amoxicillin didn't cut it, but augmentin did. Sometimes it takes a stronger antibiotic depending on what bacteria it is that is causing the infections. At any rate, I'd go ahead and take her to an urgent care or ER since I imagine your regular dr's office will be closed Monday and 5 days with an ear infection just isn't nice. (Ours are closed, but we're military and it's hard to remember what holidays civilian Dr.s do and don't close for!)
Oh, and DO make sure you give the antibiotic for the FULL prescription period. Just because she's feeling better does NOT mean you're done giving the meds. If it says 10 days, do the full 10 days. No ifs, ands, or buts.
Yes, IME, they do respond to antibiotics.
Does your ped do an after hours co-op clinic?
Is Med Express or Urgicare available?
Is she in extreme pain?
Do you think Advil will get her through til the morning?
Advil again tonight, an antihistamine to help dry up the fluid, and if it is still acute in the morning, a trip to your weekend clinic or urgent care.
Our ped usually goes right to Augmentin, as Amoxicilin tends to be ineffective in our kids.
If she has an ear infection then antibiotics are appropriate. If she does not then they are not. My son had chronic ear infections and one round of antibiotics did not always clear it up , that is why he ended up needing tubes because they were so frequent.
Flip side, a family friend's son was diagnosed with ear infections, but he actually had no evidence of chronic ear infections according to the ENT and was on antibiotics for no reason for almost a year. Turns out the antibiotics were causing much of the issues, if you take them with out need. So, moral of the story - MAKE SURE IT IS AN EAR INFECTION and that they do not just quickly look and go yep!
Seeing that she is 5 it should be easier than trying to diagnose a 1.5yr old who does not understand to hold still and stop crying. The screaming (also autistic - making things more interesting) was part of what made it look like he had one developing according to the ENT. Good Luck, due to how painful they can be I would see a doctor ASAP.
Maybe this video will help as well
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOG_ShtYjXU
Unless the pain and fever don't respond to OTC medication I don't even take my 5 year old to the doctor for an earache.
I give mucinex and decongestant nosedrops to help drain the ear and Tylenol/Ibuprofen for fever and pain.
Our pediatrician wants to see DD on day 3 of a fever, unless it is really high and unresponsive to the above meds.
We haven't needed or gotten any antibiotics for ear infections in at least 3 years, our pediatrician agrees with the scientific evidence on this: most ear infections are not bacterial and watchful waiting is an appropriate approach to treatment.
Hope she feels better soon!
Good luck
My 3-1/2 year old daughter has been sick with a head cold since Sunday afternoon and finally this morning I thought we were nearing the end UNTIL right after lunchtime she started complaining that her ear hurt. I called her pediatrican and they said I could bring her in tonight at 5pm or wait until tomorrow to see how she is. I'm so glad I decided to take her in tonight because she ended up having a double ear infection! On the way home we picked up her antibiotic! Her pediatrician also said to be sure to give her Advil or Motrin every 6 hours as needed for the pain for the next 24 - 48 hours! My daughter also had a fever of 101.6 = (
I asked the nurse what I could do for her at home (before I decided to take her in tonight) and she suggested Advil or Motrin for the pain, a warm - not hot - compress is helpful and also to warm up - again warm, not hot - a little olive oil and put just a drop or two into the sore ear!
I hope your daughter feels better soon!
Yes, ear infections are cured by antibiotics. Take her in before there is permanent damage done. They are terribly painful! You can't even imagine what she is going thru till you have one as an adult.
There are antibiotics that will , if properly given, heal an ear infection. Call the doctor-maybe he'll meet you at the ER-have you had an ear infection as an adult? I have-it is very painful. Don't know how children endure the pain. Good luck.
My daughter tends to get them with no symptoms...at her 8 month visit they found she had one and had not been running a fever, pulling on her ear, or anything. That one was tough to get rid of. She has had several others since then (she's 6) and antibotics have worked every time. Unfortunately, she tends not to complain until it is real bad. She goes from fine to crying out in pain.
Ear infections do respond to antibotics. Sometimes, one may not work and you might need another round or a different Rx.
You can let her lay her ear on a heating pad (set on low and a towel or something between it and her skin). You can also give Tylenol or Advil. These two should be able to get her through the night and in the morning you can take her to your doctor (if they have hours) or Urgent Care.
Just read your SWH and you made the right call.
If it's a bacterial ear infection, you will need antibiotics. If it's viral, time will fix it, not antibiotics. I'd give it the weekend to see if she improves, then go to the dr if she isn't better on Monday. I did this just last week with my daughter. She has responded well to the antibiotic.
My kids have also only very sporadically been on antibiotics--my kids are 8, 5 and 2 and I don't think my 2 has been on them, my five once and my 8 twice. Two of those were for ear infections, and I think they helped. But, as the poster said, there are two types, viral and bacterial, and it's pretty ahrd to determine the difference. My doc has once said, "Leave it and if it's bad, fill the prescription" and one other time said, "Fill the prescription" becasue it was bad enough that the risk of overmedicating when it would go away on its own was worth it, in her opinion. It's your call, but if the painkillers are not resolving the pain, it might be time to see hte doc.
