[Pint Sized Terror]

My daughter is 2 1/2 and every fall and winter she has chronic ear infections. Well, she and my son have both had a cold for the past few days, and lo and behold, my little angel has been fussy, clingy and overall just flat out miserable all day. She didn't want to eat dinner, and instead crawled into my lap, started sobbing and said her ear hurts. I have a little thing to look in her ear, and there's a LOT of gunk in her ear canal. It's not green gunk, but reddish. She isn't running a fever yet, so I gave her some Tylenol for the pain. I just know she's going to be up tonight with a fever though. I feel so bad for her.

[lizziep]

aww poor kiddo. i feel her pain. from the time i was an an infant until i was about 14 i had about 4 to 6 ear infections a year. it was so awful, painful and horrible. and even now as an adult i get them once every year to every other year. seems like every time i get a bad cold it immediately becomes something worse.

there are otc ear drops now, the ones i found were from simlasan i think the brand is called. i just read an article that said to let your kids tough them out and it'll be cleared up in about 4 days. but i don't know what i think about that.

sometimes the heating pad on low and just resting my head on it can help for a while too.

poor kiddo.

[kathrynk]

The heating pad is a good idea. It'll loosen some of that gunk up so it can drain. Also if she'll allow it, swab out her ear with a q-tip that's been dipped in rubbing alcohol. That'll dry out some of the build-up. Ear infections are no fun Have you seen her doctor? If she's having chronic ear infections she might have another ENT issue that's causing them. Glad you're there to help her through it. I'll be thinking about her!

[GradPhase]

I had chronic ear infections my whole childhood. I've had tubes three times - and now every GP I go to says "Wow, that's a lot of scar tissue!" when they check 'em out.

When I lived overseas my nanny used to put a little bit of heated onion juice in olive oil in my ears when they were infected - and I remember it working really well. I've also used olive oil or white vinegar for swimmers ear. All of which my doctors have told me not to do........

Poor wittle one. I hope she feels better soon!

[Pint Sized Terror]

I had to take her to urgent care. Her fever spiked, I'm not sure what it was exactly since the dog ate our digital thermometer, but she was burning up. She was absolutely inconsolable, and she vomited the Tylenol I had given her for the pain and fever.

Doc said she has a massive infection in her right ear, and the beginning of one in her left. She said her right ear has a lot of gunk in it that needs to be cleaned out, but she said not to even touch it until the ear infection is cleared up, and after it's cleared up, to have the stuff cleaned out by a doctor. Her fever was 102.3 at the doc's office, so they gave her Motrin, which she kept down. She kept another dose of Tylenol and some antibiotics down before bed, and is sleeping peacefully on my pillow in my bed. Ear infections are miserable. My son had one when he was 4, but my daughter gets them almost constantly during the fall and winter months, and at least once during the summer. Last year she had 6 ear infections from October through the end of February. It was like one never ending infection. They had treated her with one last round of antibiotics and told me if that didn't do the trick that she would need tubes. Thankfully it cleared up. I'm not keen on having tubes put in her ears, however. I'm scared about it more than anything, I guess. We'll have to wait and see how things pan out this year.

[pinkflower]

I'm glad you were able to take her in. It is so horrible to see your child in pain like that

My son had 6-8 ear infections per year from when he was 13 + months (after he weaned). He's now 4 and has gone a whole year without them yay!! I asked about tubes and they really discouraged them because they said he would probably outgrow it, and it seems he has (knock on wood).
I hope she feels better soon

[shcirerf]

Poor Babe! Hope she feels better soon.

Talk to the Dr. about her tonsils. I have several friends who had kids who had chronic ear infections, they finally insisted they take out the tonsils and the ear infections disappeared! If her tonsils are swelling as well, it puts pressure on the ear and viola, you have an ear infection.

I know Drs. don't like to remove tonsils anymore, but sometimes, it's worth it. And they can do it with laser now, so it's not as yukky as it used to be.

[Pint Sized Terror]

I had to have mine out in 4th grade, shcirerf. I had chronic throat infections, and once they removed my tonsils (and adenoids) they stopped. I'll ask the doctor.