Infected ears

[atwhatcost]

My right ear has itched since the last century. Badly itched to the point of sometimes needing to scratch my neck. Most doctors have given me an antiquated prescription for ear drops. It works, but it takes two months, and then clears up only for two to three months. They can't give me anything newer because all the newer drugs cost too much -- and I'm just talking co-pay.

So, I have a new doctor, told him my age old problem and suggested it's a fungus infection, instead of the types that usually end up with popped ear drums and stuff oozing out of my ears. (I had a lot of those when I was a kid.)

He looked in both my ears and asked the usual question, "How do you clean your ears?"

I gave the usual answer, "Q-Tips." (They keep telling me I shouldn't, but what's the other choice? Sometimes they suggest ear drops, but what goes in never comes out without a Q-Tip.)

He then told me my left ear was red because of that too. (He was still talking, so I never had the chance to tell him I hadn't clean my ears in eight days.)

So he tells me the best solution is to get an eye dropper, put a couple of drops of vinegar in my ear three times a day, and then keep it in with Q-tips for half an hour.

I figured if my left ear was infected too, I'd do both ears. I've been doing this for over a week now, but only twice a day, because it HURTS! Ever scrap a knee and put salt on it? That kind of HURT. At first it was only my left ear that hurt, and the part that hurts the most is near the opening. (Right where the vinegar soaks into the cotton ball.) It scabbed. At first it scabbed with skin. Now the cotton ball has blood on it.

And now my right ear is hurting like the left ear did in the beginning, but wherever that hurts is deeper inside.

I know. Obvious answer is to call doctor, but that's not easy. The only time his phone isn't busy is when the office is closed. (Two lines, four women working for him, and he mostly takes accident victims, so they're forever talking to insurance companies, pharmacies, or other doctors. They're so busy, they give patients their next appointments and referrals while on hold.)

I'm not really into natural health stuff, but I'm tired of waking up in the middle of the night to scratch an itch I can't even reach. So, I figure, if anyone knows how to do this right, it would be someone who comes to this forum. Any suggestions?

 

[Hellooo]

Have you ever had tubes placed in your ear?

 

[atwhatcost]

Have you ever had tubes placed in your ear?

I hold the record in my family -- four times. But not since I was a kid. Amazing thing. Between the infections and the tubes, my right ear drum used to be collapsed against the bone behind it. (My doctor told me that when I was in my 20's.) It's healed, and I can hear almost as well as my left ear.

 

[oldthennew]

hey at,

so sorry to hear about your ear problems - hub and I both have had numerous un-pleasantness
concerning ears periodically over the years, starting when we were very young.
hub is pretty much ok with his ears now...although, they seem to be growing and sprouting things...

when I was a child, I had so many ear infections and head problems, that they took my
adenoids out twice....plus lots of stuff was always coming out onto my pillow...well, that's gone now
but I do have some very un-pleasant things going on in my head & ears due to a spinal cord stenosis...
only by the Grace of God...another day behind, thankful for the gift of the next....

any time we have any infections or childhood ones involving the neck up, measles, scarlet fever, mumps, etc.
our ears will take a big hit....sometimes the damage is permanent, BUT some docs will just keep you coming
back and back, and back$$$$even though they can readily SEE the damage and scars.

my sister-in-law burst her ear drum cleaning with a cue-tip...

a warm compress will usually help relieve an ear-ache, along with the 'age-old sweet oil drops', which
is olive oil; as a child, it would be warmed over a match on a spoon and dropped into our ears..and
plugged with cotton.

if you could get you some lobelia oil or origanum oil and make a warm infusion with a dropper,
this may help you...also some warm peroxide is good to wash the ear out, it loosens stuff.

as you know, it's always trial and error and different things work differently for different people....

hub and I are praying for you sweetie...

 

[atwhatcost]

hey at,

so sorry to hear about your ear problems - hub and I both have had numerous un-pleasantness
concerning ears periodically over the years, starting when we were very young.
hub is pretty much ok with his ears now...although, they seem to be growing and sprouting things...

when I was a child, I had so many ear infections and head problems, that they took my
adenoids out twice....plus lots of stuff was always coming out onto my pillow...well, that's gone now
but I do have some very un-pleasant things going on in my head & ears due to a spinal cord stenosis...
only by the Grace of God...another day behind, thankful for the gift of the next....

any time we have any infections or childhood ones involving the neck up, measles, scarlet fever, mumps, etc.
our ears will take a big hit....sometimes the damage is permanent, BUT some docs will just keep you coming
back and back, and back$$$$even though they can readily SEE the damage and scars.

my sister-in-law burst her ear drum cleaning with a cue-tip...

a warm compress will usually help relieve an ear-ache, along with the 'age-old sweet oil drops', which
is olive oil; as a child, it would be warmed over a match on a spoon and dropped into our ears..and
plugged with cotton.

if you could get you some lobelia oil or origanum oil and make a warm infusion with a dropper,
this may help you...also some warm peroxide is good to wash the ear out, it loosens stuff.

as you know, it's always trial and error and different things work differently for different people....

hub and I are praying for you sweetie...

You know I had to look up those two oils, right?

The second one looks good for irritation. The first one I'm a bit unsure why you think that's a good idea. I only clean my ears out once a month, and they aren't gross. When I saw my doctor he said the left was red, but clean. The right was a bit gooky in the back. (I know Q-tips are dangerous, and also know the ear canal is 1.5 inches long, so I hold on to the Q-tip so it can't go past 1 inch. I have no idea how the rest of the ear canal is reasonably clean. I've never cleaned that far in. lol)

So if the lobelia is to get rid of mucus, even in an ear-wax-kind-of-way, I'm not mucusy. So, is there another reason for that suggestion? (I'm completely ignorant of healthy living, so it's quite possible.)

(Note to self: No. Shoving oregano from my garden into my ears is NOT a good idea. Remember eating Russian Sage? Just don't assume stuff like that. )

 

[blue_ladybug]

vinegar??!!!!!!! wut!!!!!! that sounds like a quack remedy.. :/

 

[oldthennew]

Lynn,

lobelia-inflata is pretty much an all-around amazing herb...and a very powerful relaxant but quite
harmless...it's been used for centuries for all kinds of maladies concerning the bladder to fevers,
heart problems, inflammation, meningitis, the list goes on and on...
it's another one of those most versatile herbs that our Heavenly Father has so lovingly gifted us
all with and when used properly and with some education, it is an amazing natural medicine -
also it's really good when put in 'combination' with other healing herbs.

we really love cooking with home-grown herbs, as you know, there's just no comparison to
the 'store-bought', not to mention how healthy they are...

we're preparing our beds for 'winter-gardening', you'd think after all these years we would
get tired of it, but we still get excited like a couple of kids.....
God Bless, and may you both be well...

 

[atwhatcost]

vinegar??!!!!!!! wut!!!!!! that sounds like a quack remedy.. :/

Not really. This is the second doctor to tell me that. (First doctor didn't tell me why, so I didn't do it. lol) Vinegar is an antibacterial and anti-fungal.

 

[atwhatcost]

Lynn,

lobelia-inflata is pretty much an all-around amazing herb...and a very powerful relaxant but quite
harmless...it's been used for centuries for all kinds of maladies concerning the bladder to fevers,
heart problems, inflammation, meningitis, the list goes on and on...
it's another one of those most versatile herbs that our Heavenly Father has so lovingly gifted us
all with and when used properly and with some education, it is an amazing natural medicine -
also it's really good when put in 'combination' with other healing herbs.

we really love cooking with home-grown herbs, as you know, there's just no comparison to
the 'store-bought', not to mention how healthy they are...

we're preparing our beds for 'winter-gardening', you'd think after all these years we would
get tired of it, but we still get excited like a couple of kids.....
God Bless, and may you both be well...

I'm looking at images of them, but it can't all be lobelia inflata, because they're different plants. Any chance a fan flower is a lobelia inflata? (Looks like a purplish blue one, and I've got those out back.)

And do you make your own oil from your herbs? (We're big on herbs too, but more for cooking and the aroma. Well, okay, the lavender is to make bees as happy as us. lol)

 

[Stevehicle]

A little lotion just on the inside of my ear canal, not too deep, seems to help me out a lot. My left ear itches all the time. Take it from someone who's had tubes 6 times and countless ear infections and ruptured ear drums.

 

[oldthennew]

I'm looking at images of them, but it can't all be lobelia inflata, because they're different plants. Any chance a fan flower is a lobelia inflata? (Looks like a purplish blue one, and I've got those out back.)

And do you make your own oil from your herbs? (We're big on herbs too, but more for cooking and the aroma. Well, okay, the lavender is to make bees as happy as us. lol)

==============================================

Lynn,

we use 'herbs' for cooking and the aroma' and very importantly, for healing all kinds of different
ailments....(when we buy them in the health-food-store, we get the ones without alcohol and
refrigerate them. we always try to keep on hand these (4), (GOLDEN SEAL-MYRRH-MILK THISTLE-ECHINACHA).

a great BOOK to have on hand is, Jethro Kloss' "BACK TO EDEN", we highly recommend this BOOK
for anyone seeking Natural Healing..it has been a virtual 'life-saving' experience for us...
there are several editions, we like the 'original edition' and have used it for many, many years,
with awesome results..of course, it truly helped that he was a very Spiritual man and that he
dedicated his life to 'healing mankind using God's natural remedies'.....

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR in its natural state, (un-pasturized) has been a god-send to us in so many ways....
the uses are many and the results are amazing IF used properly....
we have recently noticed that Wal-Mart is carrying BRAGGS and HINES, we prefer BRAGGS, but the new
HINES is good and CHEAPER. = not ONLY is it ((anti-bacterial-anti-fungal-but also anti-sceptic))
NO HOME SHOULD BE WITHOUT IT!!!! just goggle it folks. (((BRAGG'S APPLE CIDER VINEGAR)))
a great BOOK to keep on hand - also, VERMONT FOLK MEDICINE, this shows the myriad uses
of apple cider vinegar from days gone by unto today.. it's amazing what uses it has....

 

[mar09]

yes, awc, i read abt 10% of ear infections are fungal. vant type much with dim lights, not quite a toch typist. but now are u now.

 

[mar09]

Ok, now i have to correct that one, too many mistakes. I said How are u now?

H202 or hydrogen peroxide is also said to be good to prevent a cold starting, when 1-2 drops are put in the ear when u start feeling an itch, it is said. Ive tried this. If it can soften wax when more is put (wc Ent said is alright), this may help other discharges to exit naturally too, or w/ slightly warmed olive or vco, and ive tried it once also. Am saying it is safe, tho as mouth wash idk perhaps its the concentration? I should think vco for oil pulling would be better instead of the alcoholic mouth washes so common now.

 

[atwhatcost]

Ok, now i have to correct that one, too many mistakes. I said How are u now?

H202 or hydrogen peroxide is also said to be good to prevent a cold starting, when 1-2 drops are put in the ear when u start feeling an itch, it is said. Ive tried this. If it can soften wax when more is put (wc Ent said is alright), this may help other discharges to exit naturally too, or w/ slightly warmed olive or vco, and ive tried it once also. Am saying it is safe, tho as mouth wash idk perhaps its the concentration? I should think vco for oil pulling would be better instead of the alcoholic mouth washes so common now.

I liked you last post. Made me feel like I was deciphering code. lol

My problem is my ears don't get gunky. I clean about once a month, just in case, and most the time there is so little, I can use one Q-Tip (one end per ear, since I don't want to cross contaminate) to do it.

 

[mar09]

Oh and i just remembered most bacterial infections have some pain, sometimes some discharge as symptom among others, while fungal infections tend to go itchy. A while ago (maybe a long time ago) there was something i read on candida diets but cant recall details now. Just that someties there may be overall more bad bac or fungi in the body wc can cause either headaches, yeast infections, etc. that ppl try to treat each time they occur, but the true cause wasnt being treated. What did u say was prescribed previously for ur ears? I am interested to know what worked w/ others and not.

 

[Crustyone]

I am sorry to hear about the ears. Mine burst when I was younger, but no real lingering problems. Moisture builds up inside the cochlea on mine, but Dimetapp dries them out and keeps the one that works in good shape. As for vinegar, if you have had burst eardrums, I wouldn't use vinegar, as if your drum hasn't healed solid some of the vinegar could get into the middle ear and that may be where the blood came from.
If I had your problem I would use colloidal silver for it. I have heard that olive leaf tincture is as effective, both kill hundreds of pathogens, so I will leave the selection up to you. I have only used colloidal silver for infections so I will say that for that I would use a drop or two in each ear and drink one ounce three times a day for 10 days. Do not use the black stuff. Clear is best as long as it actually has silver in it and amber is second best. I would be willing to use the black stuff topically, but not internally. I hope God leads you to a cure.

 

[heavenlyangel]

I am currently going through a battle with both my ears. They both ate infected, left is worse. Been to dr and got infection Med. After bout a week pain got so bad I ended up in Er. They gave me a different infection Med, said the one I was taking didn't work. I am now out of infection meds n still in pain. Also my hearing has got really bad n ringing in ears. I do however have an appt with ENT (ear, nose, and throat) Dr Sept 4, 2015

 

[mar09]

I am currently going through a battle with both my ears. They both ate infected, left is worse. Been to dr and got infection Med. After bout a week pain got so bad I ended up in Er. They gave me a different infection Med, said the one I was taking didn't work. I am now out of infection meds n still in pain. Also my hearing has got really bad n ringing in ears. I do however have an appt with ENT (ear, nose, and throat) Dr Sept 4, 2015

Oh HA,
i dont remember getting this when small, but another member said getting it often as a child. It is hard, no? Someone also said strengthening overall health will help, like if u can avail those green grasses, barley or wheat.. or spirulina wc are power foods for healing. Holistic practitioners would say not just take meds but healing foods the body needs to recover. Prayers.

 

[heavenlyangel]

Thanks for advice and yes it is hard..

 

[VioletReigns]

I just found this information. Maybe it can help you:

How to Treat an Itchy Ear Canal