So, I have a really bad ear infection and it is driving me crazy. I can feel the pressure building and it hurts like hell; I am very tempted to just pop my ear drum with a needle or something. Chances are, its going to happen anyway and my doctor won't do it for me. Is this a bad idea? (apparently, they do it in England)

4/4/2009 11:59:51 AM

Yes, it is a bad idea.

4/4/2009 12:01:03 PM

Very, very bad idea.

4/4/2009 12:06:25 PM

Horrible idea. Chances are, the pressure in your ear isn't from the eardrum.

4/4/2009 12:07:47 PM

but it really hurts!

4/4/2009 12:08:06 PM

Really really bad idea. Once your ear drum bursts once (whether you poke it, or it does on it's own) it will be more susceptible to tears forever + infections. Also, it's not like popping it is going to make it feel any better. That's some pretty terrible pain in and of itself.

4/4/2009 12:08:28 PM

Is there anything I can do to get it to drain faster? Dr. gave me decongestants but they aren't doing anything for me yet, and I get the feeling it'll take a day for anything to change

4/4/2009 12:11:32 PM

Drink a soda (seriously). Put a hot towel over the ear for a little while. If your decongestant doesn't contain an anti-inflammatory (like ibuprofin), then take some of that. Make sure you aren't already though.

Note: None of these are cures, they may just ease up on some of the pressure until your ear infection is cured. Do you know what kind of ear infection it is? Or is it just sinus swelling?

[Edited on April 4, 2009 at 12:15 PM. Reason : ]

4/4/2009 12:14:48 PM

I'm not sure what kind it is, I'm on antibiotics for it too (Ceftin), if that helps. All I care about is gettin through the day until the antibiotics start working, so I'll try those. Thanks

4/4/2009 12:18:29 PM

i used to get really bad ear aches, and my grandmother would always warm up a little bit of oil on a spoon and pour it in my ear and then use a cotton ball to make sure it didn't get out. This always made it feel better. Also, she used to blow smoke in it too and cover with a cotton ball. also helped out a lot with the pain.

4/4/2009 12:21:14 PM

Cup your hands and clap them really hard on your ear.






Just kidding, don't really do this.

4/4/2009 12:45:54 PM

yeah you think it hurts now just wait until you pop it

I ruptured my eardrum wakeboarding once and it felt just as bad as the terrible ear infections I got when I was little

so DONT DO IT

decongestant, anti-inflammatory, pain-reliever, and just tough it out man

4/4/2009 12:52:07 PM

most folks will tell you to put heat on a ear infection, but i always found ice worked best for me. i'd just freeze the side of my head until it was numb. this may be dangerous, but it made the pain go away.

4/4/2009 1:04:10 PM

come on people, just let darwinism work...

4/4/2009 1:32:31 PM

Yeah, I ruptured my ear drum quite violently once and I can tell you that it hurts A LOT! The potential for infection is also extremely high.

4/4/2009 1:37:17 PM

Suck it up bitch

4/4/2009 1:44:39 PM

jesus do not pop your ear drum on purpose! that is the stupidest thing i have ever heard.

4/4/2009 4:34:21 PM

Quote :

"Once your ear drum bursts once (whether you poke it, or it does on it's own) it will be more susceptible to tears forever"

That's also very true, ever since mine ruptured and healed I can't even blow my nose without feeling pressure and weakness in that ear

sometimes if I really have to blow my nose hard I'll hold that ear closed so the pressure from the outside offsets the internal and the stress isn't entirely on my eardrum

4/4/2009 5:04:04 PM

intentionally popping your eardrum may be the worst idea I've ever heard

4/4/2009 5:25:52 PM

like infection i had was like that, until it finally burst and i woke up with blood/pus all over my pillow, healed just fine on its own

4/4/2009 5:49:19 PM

Yeah, this is seriously a retarded idea that can/will cause hearing damage (and pain).

What everybody else said so far is correct. You should consider changing antibiotics if there isn't a significant change in your condition after a week or two (I dunno how long your course of antibiotics is supposed to last, but it's bad to end it early).

When I had my first sinus infection, and I didn't know what it was (so I didn't go to a doc for antibiotics), I had terrible pain in my ears and my head almost constantly. I took two sudafed, two tylenol, and two advil every 4-5 hours when I was awake, and it made it bearable. Also, the Zicam medicated spoons (or other zicam stuff) made me as high as a kite and as happy as could be. Really hit the spot as far as treating the fever/pain/pressure, but make sure you don't take it with other medications outside of your antibiotics (it has decongestants, cough suppressants, tylenol, etc in it).

4/4/2009 8:09:05 PM

come on people, just let darwinism work...

4/4/2009 9:59:20 PM

Multiple ear infections every year since I was a child, including a ruptured ear drum from infection. I even had a skin graft to repair the the hole left behind. I'm an old pro and have gotten some good advice from my ENT.

In addition to the antibiotics, decongestants, and pain meds...

Drink lots of water.
Chew gum to help ease pressure.
Heat. Heat. Heat.

And there are apparently OTC ear drops available for earache. I don't know much about them. I've only used Rx ear drops, but they may be worth a shot. And since it's usually the kiddos that have ear infections, you should check the kids section of the pharmacy.

4/4/2009 10:26:55 PM

^


jesus, just thinking about doing that makes me nauseous

4/5/2009 12:01:07 AM

a set of balls might do the trick

4/6/2009 4:41:31 PM

Don't use a needle

Ice pick is probably more effective

4/6/2009 4:49:15 PM

Quote :

"intentionally popping your eardrum may be the worst idea I've ever heard"

4/6/2009 5:26:16 PM

i had a ruptured ear drum from an ear infection my senior year of high school.

my general practice doctor prescribed some antibiotics that did not work. thank god i went to an ear, nose and throat guy eventually (post-rupture). he prescribed some ear drops that finally reduced the pain. said that if i had come in a day or two later, i could have had permanent hearing loss in that ear.

4/6/2009 5:30:45 PM

get a netipot and use it. it will help create some gentle pressure on the inside and loosen up the mucus thats plugging your ear.

4/6/2009 5:31:39 PM

NetiPots are awesome. Even if it does nothing for your current ear infection, using one regularly absolutely helps reduce the number of infections (mine always start as a sinus infection that travels to my ears). And omg, when you have an infection, they are phenomenal at clearing out the junk. I prefer using a sinus wash bottle to a NetiPot though because I prefer the positive pressure created with a squeeze bottle.

4/6/2009 9:28:12 PM

Quote :

"So, I have a really bad ear infection and it is driving me crazy. I can feel the pressure building and it hurts like hell; I am very tempted to just pop my ear drum with a needle or something. Chances are, its going to happen anyway and my doctor won't do it for me. Is this a bad idea? (apparently, they do it in England)"

the monarchy is half retarded due to inbreeding....just b/c they do it in england, doesn't mean it is a good idea.

get some ear drops or something.

4/6/2009 9:30:38 PM

i use the sinus wash bottle too, actually. neilmed to the rescue!

4/7/2009 5:16:25 AM

Quote :

"NetiPots are awesome. Even if it does nothing for your current ear infection, using one regularly absolutely helps reduce the number of infections (mine always start as a sinus infection that travels to my ears). And omg, when you have an infection, they are phenomenal at clearing out the junk. I prefer using a sinus wash bottle to a NetiPot though because I prefer the positive pressure created with a squeeze bottle."

agreed!

4/7/2009 11:56:55 AM

4/9/2009 10:27:04 AM

hey mulva...this IS the lounge
please edit your picture

4/9/2009 10:29:20 AM

come on people, just let darwinism work...

this is why people still watch american idol

I'm Big Business and i approved this message.

4/9/2009 11:20:30 AM

Quote :

"Very, very bad idea."

while you're at it amputate your arm!

4/9/2009 2:14:02 PM