Hi Moms,
I have had for the first time in my life the most painful ear infection ever!! I am abslutely miserable!
I went to my family doctor on Friday and he said it looks really bad and either my eardrum ruptured or is about to.
He prescribed Floxin (ear drop antibiotics) Amoxicillin and Vicodin for the pain.
I'm running a fever, can barely eat or talk, have swollen lymphnodes, SEVERE ear pain, loss of hearing, loss of appetite, headache and face & neck pain.
I am not sure what else to do at this point. How long do ear infections take to stop hurting after you've started antibiotics? My son's b-day party is scheduled for tomorrow and I don't know if I can make it. I haven't slept in the past 3 nights and I don't think I can take it anymore. Is this normal for a severe ear infection or do I need to go to the ER?
Thanks so much for any helpful advice!
Thank you to all for the helpful responses. It is now Monday, 3 days after my antibiotics have started and I am finally beginning to see some relief. I did have my son's party on Sunday and the only reson I made it through was because of the pain meds. When we got home, it was right back to bed with the heting pad on my ear.
The heat from the pad sure did seem to help me with getting some sleep.
I can't believe how painful ear infections can be. I definitley now know the warning signs which to me it was only some fluid in the ears before it got severe but at least now I know and won't wait so long to seek medical treatment next time. Thanks again to everyone!!!
If you can make it until Monday go to an ENT. My sons and husband went to Dr. Gregory Rohn at Presby Plano. Maybe they can fit you in. We really like him. He is in a practice. It is Southwest ENT Associates.
N., if your Family Dr. said it looks bad and is an either OR situation,your pain is that great. I'd be calling an ENT, for sure. That is their Speciality, and they may use different antibiotics than the reg, DR. There may even be something ? in your ear that entered in your sleep , but the EAR specialist has extra training for this problem. If you don't know one, I use a wonderful ENT,down Garland Rd, from Doctor's Hosp. his name is Dr, Dewight Lee. I had swollen lymphnodes and had already tried several different meds.over 3 weeks,BEFORE I went to him, he said he would put me in Hosp. if necessary. It took 7 days on antibiotics by IV in hosp. then another 10 at home. Now I see him at the first onset of problems in that area.Good luck , and see an ENT, ASAP, or the hearing loss could become permanent.
bf
Being that it's your first ear infection, you may have had signs that you didn't recognize when it was beginning, which is how it turned into a severe infection. With a severe ear infection the antibiotics will take about 24 hours to start working, but more like 48+hrs. to make you start feeling better. It can take up to 5 days to get your hearing back, since it takes a while for all the fluid to clear up, which is probably what's causing your hearing loss. I had tons and tons of severe ear infections when I was a kid, starting when I was a month old. I used to use a heating pad in my pillow case to lay on at night, so I could get some sleep, otherwise the pain was too great. You'll probably start to feel better tomorrow {just in time for the party}, but you won't feel great yet. I'd definitely stay away from the Vicodin until after the kids have left the party... try a combination of Tylenol and Motrin together instead for the pain. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon.
I'm glad your ear is doing better! They say an ear infection in adults is way more painful and worse than in kids. But i did want to throw this in. My son has had several, including one time with his drum busting (he's only 6). I kept asking him why he didn't tell me it hurt earlier, etc. Well, because it didn't. This had happened before as well where he went to the doctor during the afternoon and his ear looked fine, and that night in the emergency room it was horrible. My doctor said an ear infection can come on that fast and strong, within just a few hours. With my son, at the first inclination of ear discomfort even taking immediate action may not be fast enough. So I keep pain medication on hand when I know his antibiotic won't work quicker than his ear infection worsens.
Ear infections can be the worst pain. Affects hearing, smell, taste and can make you dizzy. If the meds aren't helping, contact the dr. to be sure. I also have to ask, do you have allergy/sinus problems? This will also make the problem worse, and in come cases can be the original culprit. If so, the stuff will help with the infection, but your'e still gonna have drainage, buildup and pressure in ear, nose, thoat. If problem persists, might want to see an ENT (ear, nose and throat) specialist.
N., usually when I take antibiotics I feel better within 24 hours although it might take a little longer if it is a severe infection...if it were me, here's what I would do:
1. Make warm compresses to put on the side of your head where the infection is. I usually will nuke about 1 cup raw rice for 10-15 SECONDS in plastic bowl, stir, check to see if it's got heat, re-heat for the same amount of time until it's warm and then dump this in a cup towel. I gather up the edges of the towel and rubber band it shut. Next, wet a washcloth with warm water and wring out. Put washcloth on the side that's sore, then put the heated rice wrapped in the towel on top of that washcloth and keep it there till it cools. Then I evaluate and see if I feel any better. If not, then I call the Dr. I do this for all my sinus or ear pain issues.
2. Does your insurance have one of those nurselines? United Health Care and Aetna have those, usually it will say something about this on the back of your card. You can call them and ask for advice and it's free if your insurance offers this and they are open 24-7. I have burned up their phone lines and it's saved me craploads of trips to the Dr.
3. Just call the Dr.'s office and leave a message telling them you feel worse and asking the Dr. to call you back to see if you need to go to the ER. Maybe he will decide to change your script to something else if he thinks that you ought to be feeling better by now.
Good luck!!!
another temporary thing to add...
put a throw pillow in the dryer to warm up and then lay on it if you are laying down or hold it on it if you aren't.
I have had several severe ear infections, and I have ALWAYS noticed improvement within 24 hours on the meds. The ENT is where I'd be headed - not the ER.
I agree with the others. Go to an ENT ASAP. Hope you are feeling better soon.
