kfeusse Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 my 10 year old who is a fish and has been swimming a lot lately in our small backyard pool, complained that his ear hurt and itched last evening. I had him sleep on a hot water bottle last night, but he still complained this morning. I did give him some motrin this morning, (dye-free) he has allergies to dyes and I really want to avoid a doctor who will put him on antibiotics...so I was wondering if anybody here knew of a all natural remedy for ear infections (if he even has that...I dont know). Also, if he wants to swim, can he wear earplugs? It is going to be near 100 every day this week and I know he is going to want to be swimming. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Just a heads up, my dh has hearing loss from ear infections as a kid. I would get the antibiotics. You really don't want the hearing loss. In the future you can use a product called swimmer's ear (rubbing alcohol) or a mixture of swimmers ear and vinegar if he is swimming in lakes, oceans or the like where things grow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 My oldest got swimmer's ear last year. It quickly gets much worse if you don't handle it. My ds got antibiotic drops, not oral medication. Ask the doctor if you can get a prescription for antibiotic eye drops instead of ear drops as there is a huge price difference but the medication is the same. Go figure. Now that I think about it, he was prescribed an oral antibiotic as well but I didn't give it to him. I figured I'd wait and see if the drops worked first and they did. I also tried garlic oil before heading to the doctor. It didn't work. To prevent future infections you can use ear plugs or after swimming put a few drops in each ear of equal amounts rubbing alcohol and white vinegar. The alcohol dries the water in the ear and the vinegar preserves the pH balance in the ear. That is preventative though so it won't do anything to solve an existing infection. ETA: It does sound like an infection to me. At least, that was what my ds complained of and the pain just kept getting worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 When Rebecca had swimmer's ear they just gave us ear drops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kfeusse Posted July 1, 2012 Author Share Posted July 1, 2012 he is now telling me that his ear only hurts when he puts his finger inside...not all of the time...so I am wondering if it got irritated or something...kids....UGH!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MegP Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 One of the hallmarks of swimmer's ear is that the ear LOBE is very sore to the touch. Also it can be itchy inside your ear, and sore inside at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissad2 Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 When Rebecca had swimmer's ear they just gave us ear drops. Yes, swimmers ear is an infection of the outer ear canal and should be treated with antibiotic drops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 he is now telling me that his ear only hurts when he puts his finger inside...not all of the time...so I am wondering if it got irritated or something...kids....UGH!!! Just keep an eye on it. My dd was complaining of this a couple of days ago (hurting when she put her finger in it) and now today she says it hurts all the time and is itchy. I started her on the drops this morning. You never know with kids if it is something or not! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 (edited) I get swimmer's ear periodically (yesterday, in fact) and if I treat it *immediately* with a mixture of vinegar and rubbing alcohol, it will nearly always go away just as quickly as it came on. I would try vinegar (and, if you have it, rubbing alcohol) right away -- I've had some doctors just prescribe that anyway. But if the pain is not improved by tomorrow, then I would take him in and see if he needs the abx drops. Edited July 1, 2012 by JennyD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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