Ear infections

[Grace&Violets]

What would be the best way to deal with an ear infection, if you didn't have antibiotics? We don't get them very often, but DD just got her 2nd one ever (she's 5) and I hate giving antibiotics. I'm giving them to her anyway, because her ear was draining and she's been up the past two nights with a fever and not able to sleep from the pain.

 

TIA!!!

 

 

[Annarchy]

We do a lot of swimming and used to get a lot of ear infections. Our doctor told us to mix a solution of 1/2 alcohol 1/2 vinegar and rinse our ears twice a day when we felt them coming on. It seems to work really well. Any time I get water in my ears - showering or swimming, I'll use it to be on the safe side.

[snapshotmiki]

I put an eardropper of hydrogen peroxide in my ear and lay on my side until it stops fizzing. Within a day, it usually stops hurting.

[WormGuy]

My aunt would put a few drops of warm Sweet Oil in our ear and then a plug of cotton.

 

 

 

John

[Homemaker]

Coconut oil usually takes care of it for me, but a few months ago I had one that the oil and the peroxide wouldn't budge. I got to thinking about what I had been eating and had to admit that I was eating a lot of cookies and ice cream. Sugar does it to me. I get sinus infections, a weak tooth starts hurting, my vision gets weaker, and I get the ear infection.

Two days doing low carb cleared it up.

 

As a side note... I can always tell within two days when my husband starts drinking soda again. His bad breath comes back, and after about four days his dandruff returns.

 

Cut out the sugar, it does horrible things to your body.

[CrabGrassAcres]

Put bonnets on babies to cover their ears and don't let the children out in the cold without covering their ears. Adults prone to ear infections should also cover their ears in the cold.

 

Put vinegar (warm) in the ear and give vitamin C. A little cod liver oil won't hurt anything either.

[Cricket]

Warm corn meal ( heated in a dry cast iron skillet) tied into a sock is comforting for a child to hold against the sore ear. That's what my momma did!

[Grace&Violets]

Thank you so much for all of the replies! I think we let this one go a little too long, because DD's ear drum was perforated. She had a doctor appointment today. Her ear was draining so much, there was probably around 1/2-1 tsp of fluid sitting in her ear, every 15-30 minutes. Seriously, she couldn't keep enough tissue with her to keep it clean. I decided to go ahead and do the antibiotics last night. She has now taken 5 doses and seems to be doing much better. The doctor said that most ear infections in children over the age of four are usually viral, as opposed to bacterial, but he believes that DD's is bacterial, since it is responding to the antibiotics. Also, because it is draining. Either way, I wish I would have asked ya'll this question when I first learned that her ear was hurting. I could have saved her a ton of pain, and me, nights of little sleep.

 

I keep a 3-ring binder of all of my info and household management things. These responses are going straight into that binder.

 

Thanks again!!

[bluegrassmom]

A friend of mine told me that her doctor says when your ear is draining quite a bit to hold a hair dryer to it on a low warm setting and it will help dry it out. Shortly after she told me this I got sick and my ears filled up. I used this method and it gave me alot of relief. I know it sounds contradictory to the don't-let-them-get-wind-in-their-ears rule (whice I agree with 100% by the way) but maybe it's the difference in temperature that makes it work. All I know is it gave me some comfort when I was really sick.

[ScrubbieLady]

When I was young, I had a "few" ear infections. Cigarette smoke(I know, not a good thing) blown in the ear will help to stop the pain. Then, they didn't give antibiotics as frequently as they do now.

[Ambergris]

Once the eardrum has been perforated, don't put in the peroxide. Your child will be screaming, terrified, from the vertigo. Don't do this.

 

A cloth dipped in the hottest water she can stand, wrung out as dry as possible, is very soothing when held up against the ear. Problem is, that if your ear infection is bacterial instead of viral, the hot moist air makes your bacteria multiply like crazy. I've tried hot vinegar for this reason. It feels just as good, and one snarl made my husband stop complaining about the smell. To get to sleep, put in a ziplock sandwich bag.

[Collette]

My young son had frequent ear infections. The doctor suggested that I raise the end of the bed where his head is- not by using pillows, but elevating just that end of the bed so his head was higher than the rest of his body. He never had another ear infection again, and is now 18 years old

[Stephanie]

That's a great idea Collette! I have one (next to the youngest) who is prone to ear infections during flu and cold season (even after tubes). I will definitely keep the elevated bed idea in mind!

[GirlNextDoor]

You can wring out a hot wash cloth and put it in a flexible plastic cup. Put the open end of the cup over the ear and hold it tightly so it forms a seal. Let it cool and it creates a vacuum relieving the pressure of the infected ear.

[out_of_the_ordinary]

I have a question about Sweet Oil. The bottle I bought doesn't have any directions/dosage info on it.

How often can I put drops of it in my ears? I think I'm starting to get an earache and want to stop it before it is bad enough that I have to go to the doc's. Thank you!

[CrabGrassAcres]

Granny used to warm the sweet oil and put a few drops in my ear. Then a warm dry rag over it. I don't think you can over do on it, but it really doesn't require a lot if it is going to work. Be careful about usiing heat as it can induce rupture.

 

Gargling with warm salt water and using a neti pot will help relieve a lot of earaches too.

[Collette]

Granny used to warm the sweet oil and put a few drops in my ear. Then a warm dry rag over it. I don't think you can over do on it, but it really doesn't require a lot if it is going to work. Be careful about usiing heat as it can induce rupture.

 

Gargling with warm salt water and using a neti pot will help relieve a lot of earaches too.

 

 

Thank you CrabGrass! If I had thought it through further, I would have remembered having to do that for myself as well. For some reason, I didn't transfer it to animals...plus the fact that she was SO young. I appreciate the reminder. She is doing great at this point.

 

Have a blessed day, and I love your quote!

[Grace&Violets]

What exactly is sweet oil? I've been trying to figure this out.

[Ambergris]

Heavily filtered olive oil.

[Grace&Violets]

My youngest ds had a horrible ear infection last Christmas that lasted for 10 days. I stupidly did not come here to read about how to cure it or stop it, at the time, plus we were far from our home. Well, because of this ear infection, he has a huge hole in his ear drum that the doctors want to patch. They said that if it isn't healed within 1 year, then they will have to patch it. Ds keeps getting ear aches, some pretty bad, so the last one that happened, I came back to this thread and read through it and decided to try white vinegar in his ear before it became a full-fledged infection. What do you know? It healed up the same day and hasn't bothered him since. We'll still probably have to have his ear drum patched, but at least we're avoiding infections until then. Thanks to all!!

[GirlNextDoor]

Thank God you killed the nasties with vinegar, but, I cannot emphasize this enough--if there s a hole in the eardrum please do NOT flush the ear. The poor kid can wind up with an infection in the middle ear which might leave him deaf, not to mention you can induce vertigo, a falling spinning needing to vomit sensation that can last a long, long time. Weeks.

[kappydell]

several of my herbals, including the modern ones, state that the yellow flowers of the mullein plant are anti bacterial and used in ears infections. They are picked and used to infuse a sweet oil which is dropped in ears. CAUTION, Ive not tried this but am not so certain on how long it would keep. Just passing on the info, as it gives me another excuse as to why I needn't pull my "weeds"

[Grace&Violets]

GND - I was worried about getting too much in his ear, but I made sure to only use 1-2 drops. It's been 8 months since he got the hole in his ear, and I'm thinking that it's getting time to think about doing that patch the drs talked about. I just wish the darn thing would have healed on its own!