Yeah, I have an ear infection (otitis media). So, why not take this opportunity to describe what an ear infection is, why it hurts, and what you can do about it.
Otitis media literally means "middle ear inflammation," but it really refers to the build-up of infected fluid in the spaces in the middle ear, behind the ear drum, which are usually filled with air. This causes pressure to accumulate in this space, which translates to pain and the feeling of "ear fullness." The pressure can distort the ear drum slightly, which also causes pain and a reduced ability to hear in that ear. Children get these types of infections much more commonly than adults.
Above is a side-view diagram of the outer, middle, and inner ear. Specifically, notice the canal in the ear called the Eustachian tube. This tube connects the middle ear to the throat, and is important in the equalization of pressure. Ever notice that when you are flying, pressure builds up--and by swallowing/drinking/etc you can clear out this pressure? That is because of the Eustachian tube. However, as it is connected to the throat, this presents a very convenient highway for bacteria from the throat to travel to the middle ear and cause an infection. As to why children get more frequent ear infections, its purely a physical problem: they are smaller, and their Eustachian tubes are shorter than adults. This equates a much smaller distance that infective bacteria have to travel. The fact that a child's immune system is less developed also plays a role.
So, the "ideal" conditions for otitis media to occur is when a person already has a throat or sinus infection, and this infection travels via the Eustachian tube to the middle ear. Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae are the most common bacterial causes of otitis media, although it can also be caused by Moraxella catarrhalis, a gram-negative, aerobic, oxidase positive diplococcus. The common cold can also induce otitis media.
In severe cases, the build up of pressure can cause the rupture of the ear drum (this is also a surgical option to remove the fluid). While this sounds traumatic, it *does* relieve the pain, and in almost all cases, the ear drum heals itself. Otitis media usually resolves itself, although antibiotics can be prescribed to treat the infection. In children, a common protocol is to wait 72 hours after the onset of infection to prescribe antibiotics, in the interest of using these drugs as sparingly as possible as to not induce drug-resistent forms of bacteria from propagating.
Comments
Bringing your work home, I see? :)
Posted by: romunov | September 12, 2006 4:50 PM
What are you five years old? Who gets an earache as an adult? Oh, me.
I was out eating barbecue one night and decided to skip the movie because I had this tingle in my ear. A couple hours later I was in the ER.
I hope you caught it earlier. : )
Posted by: Robert P. | September 12, 2006 8:40 PM
You didn't mention the wondrous glory of ear tubes!
I'm serious. I think they're truly unbelievable, a wonderful invention.
My son, when he was a baby, caught his first ear infection around 3 months old, right around the time that he *stopped* being colicy. From that point forward, his ears *never* completely cleared up. He'd be on a course of antibiotics; when a course ended, within 3 days, he'd be feverish again. Finally, when he was 11 months old, and he was showing signs of hearing loss due to the fluid in his ears, we gave up, and went to an ENT to have ear tubes put in.
It took less than five minutes to put the tubes in - including the time to put him under anesthesia. (It's actually pretty cool; the doctor showed us how it works in order to relax us and convince us that it wasn't a big deal. Basically, they've got a gadget that looks like a cross between a syringe and a gun. It's got a fiber optic scope. They just put the thing into the ear, sight the position they want to put the tube using the fiber scope, and squeeze a trigger; it punches a hole for the tube, inserts the tube, and sucks out the fluid behind the eardrum in one smooth motion, and it's done.)
And from the day they went in, he was a *different kid*. His entire personality changed overnight, from a grumpy difficult kid to a happy easy-going little guy. The tubes fell out naturally about 9 months later. He never had another infection that needed to be treated after the tubes. (Still caught one or two, but the only way we knew it was because we'd see some gunk draining out of his ears. No fevers, no pain, no antibiotics.)
I've also got an adult friend who's got ear tubes; he basically has new ones put in every year or two. He's even more enthusiastic about how amazingly wonderful they are than I am. He couldn't hear, and was constantly sick for his entire childhood. In his twenties, he got tubes for the first time. And it was exactly the same deal as with my son; overnight, everything improved. No more sick all the time, no more not being able to hear. He's had tubes in his ears for something like *20 years* now.
Posted by: Mark C. Chu-Carroll | September 12, 2006 10:11 PM
When I was in music school I had a very interesting ear infection: it affected my pitch perception in one ear, so that when I heard a note, each ear would report a different frequency to my brain. I heard the beat frequencies in what seemed to be the middle of my head. It made the ear-training exams very interesting!
Posted by: Rick | September 13, 2006 10:07 AM
Damn. I feel for you girl. I just had another one a couple months ago. I used to get them every year from age 13 to 19 when I would get the flu. So every year I got tubes put in. OUCH!!! Lemme tell ya. I would rather let the sombitch rupture. The last time I had tubes put in the doctor hit a freakin' nerve or something with the anesthesia and the right side of my face went numb for a little while. To this day when my right ear pops the right side of my tongue briefly goes numb. Trippy. The anesthesia was the worst part of the whole procedure for me. It always hurt like a mother and I've got a pretty high tolerance for pain.
You should try putting a sock filled with warm rice on your ear. It really helps take a lot of the sharp pain away. The sock forms nicely to the shape of your ear and the rice stays warm for some time so you don't have to keep reheating it over and over. Just my two cents. Hope you feel better. I feel for ya.
Posted by: Scott A | September 13, 2006 12:03 PM
Something that has worked for me in mild media otitis. If it is one ear only, before bed I'll take one 12 hour antihistimine (has a drying effect, but it needs to be strong, like benedryl or pseudo-fed :-) and 2 - 3 ibuprofins (200 - 600 mg, described by Doctor as a "child dosage") for the anti-inflammatory effect, and then sleep on the opposite ear with my mouth open. I have found that this can lead to a draining of the eustachia into the throat (in the morning rinse throat thoroughly with coffee ;-) and reduce fluid build up. I get roughly one infection a year.
Posted by: Redleg | September 15, 2006 3:51 PM
I've also been a lifelong sufferer of ear infections and finally discovered an almost free, completely non-invasive solution (recommended to me by another sufferrer who literally dealt with this problem for forty years before researching and finding a good solution). I've gone from about 4-5 infections/year to maybe one.
There's some kind of drainage issue with my right ear that seems to cause the infections. That coupled with what I've discovered to be an allergy to dairy protein seemed to be the main causes.
But the 'cure' has been a simple, holistic, preventative thing called "Jala Neti". I've recommended this to several friends and the two who have taken it seriously say it has changed their lives (certainly changed mine).
In a nutshell, it's pouring saline solution through your nose. So long as the water temperature and salinity are right, you barely feel it (does take a slight bit of getting used to).
Apparently the two sides of your sinuses are connected, so you put the warm saline into a 'neti pot' (a watering can optimized for your nostrils), tilt your head to one side, stick the nozzle in the top nostril, and tilt to pour. The water comes out the other side. That's it. You pour half the pot on each side, clearing your nose after each side. Then you sharply blow out each nostril with your head tilted down and looking straight to dry out the excess water. The whole thing takes 3-5 minutes (including warming the water in the microwave and mixing the salt). If you're really congested sometimes you have to sit there and let the water do its work.
The best pot I've found comes from http://www.healthandyoga.com - it's stainless steel, ergonomic, cheap, and indestructable. Comes with instructions. For salt, I just buy non-iodized table salt from the supermarket - talk about a cheap solution.
I do this preventatively twice a day, though people without my anatomical issues can probably stick to doing it when they start to feel a cold coming on, are congested, etc.. It's also more important for me to do it in the winter when the air is really dry.
Good luck!
-dasist
Posted by: dasist | September 16, 2006 12:04 PM
i have a ear infection and i can not here out of it will i be able to here out of it ever again
Posted by: Laura Helen | April 11, 2007 9:39 AM
Going to see a Ear specialist on 6/15 for an Middle Ear Infection. God dos it hurt!!! I'm almost wanting to pierce the damn ear drum myself just to release the preasure. I wish I had swimmers ear then I could push the fluid out myself by pinching my nose and closing my mouth and pushing air out through my ears.. Then I could take some Coloidal Silver 20PPM and kill the infection in a day.. But alas, my ear drums are sealed water tight...
Posted by: Larry | June 15, 2007 1:31 AM
what do you do when after you have had a ear infection your ear still feels full and pops? It has been about four or five months since my infection and my hearing is still not right. I have this weird feeling like my ear needs to clear but it never does. What do I do? This is not comfortable at all!
SB: You should see a otolaryngology (ENT) ASAP! You may be causing serious, irreparable damage to your hearing by waiting so long.
Posted by: John | August 3, 2007 1:37 PM
I don't know if I have an ear infection or not. But I am having alot of pain that feels like its in my inner ear and alot of pain in my jaw(where my jaw connects) it swallon as well.
If you can give me any information I would appricate it.
Thank you
Posted by: Tia | November 6, 2007 11:38 AM
Go to the doctor, i am not one.
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Posted by: Eadirldja Holzendas | November 28, 2007 6:55 PM
I have had very bad ear and nasel congestion for 18 days now and been back to my Doctors twice can anyone suggest a way of clearing the fluid in my ears i have been taking Sudafed and Otrivine to clear this but it hasn't wirked yet
Posted by: Louise Malpas | January 18, 2008 9:59 AM