Dr. Hive........ ruptured ear drumns, pain....

[sweetsouthern]

my dd is 13 and apparently due to allergies , ruptured both ear drumns. we went to see the doc today, he gave her zithromycin oral tabs and said to take advil & tylenol. this used to happen to her sister ALOT when she was younger, but never to this dd. this dd does have sinus and allergies issues normally. the doc said nothing else looked problemsome. she was ok earlier, but now is complaining up a storm even after advil and then 4 hours later of tylenol. she is not my complaining child, but she really does look like shes in quite a bit of pain.

 

any ideas???

[jeninok]

For me, once the ear drum ruptures the pain gets better. :sad:

 

You could maybe try warm compresses, or even cool ones depending on which would give her more relief. Has she taken allergy meds, or maybe even Mucinex to help thin and loosen the fluid and move things along?

 

My son has been given pain drops a couple of times when he had ear infections, but once the ear has ruptured, I don't think you can use them.

 

If she doesn't start to improve after 24-48 hours I would want a re-check, to make sure the infection that caused the rupture in the first place hasn't spread to other areas.

[Tap]

When my very tough (!) dd13 ruptured her eardrum she was in tears. OTC stuff wasn't cutting it, so we had the doctor call in prescription strength hydrocodone/acetaminophen for. She used it for several days around the clock until she was finally feeling better.

[DianeW88]

Actually, that's odd. Usually the pain goes away with a rupture. Was the doctor sure they both ruptured? If they did, then I'd assume she also has a sinus infection. Where is she experiencing the pain?

[maddykate]

My eardrums have ruptured many times, so I feel very sorry for your dd. I know that pain.

 

Sometimes, the eardrum can reseal itself pretty quickly and if the infection is not gone, can cause the same problems again. Maybe the antibiotic will kick in soon and take care of the infection that is causing the pain. I would definitely take her back in if she isn't significantly better this time tomorrow.

 

Oh, I wanted to add: it sounds crazy, but it works for the pain. Cut a potato in half and microwave it on high for about 20 seconds or until it pretty warm, but not hot. Lay the potato directly on her ear. For some reason, it immediately draws out the pain. Weird, but true and always works for me.

Edited September 14, 2012 by maddykate

[justamouse]

Ohh man, I did that once and the pain, I cannot tell you. I honestly though it was worse than childbirth. And I had to keep a cottonball in my ear forever because the slightest breeze in it killed.

[mommymilkies]

Actually, that's odd. Usually the pain goes away with a rupture. Was the doctor sure they both ruptured? If they did, then I'd assume she also has a sinus infection. Where is she experiencing the pain?

 

It depends on why it ruptured. I had one traumatic rupture (water pressure from sponge ball hitting my ear) and one pressure related rupture. The pain kept getting worse and remained for months post-rupture with the first and a couple weeks with the second. I've had like 4 ear surgeries. My ENT says the pain is normal. But I would get it looked at in a month or so to make sure it's healing properly.

 

Ohh man, I did that once and the pain, I cannot tell you. I honestly though it was worse than childbirth. And I had to keep a cottonball in my ear forever because the slightest breeze in it killed.

 

Yup. I agree. I still am weird about stuff near my left ear. Even wind.