Ears, ears n flu bugs

[crazycanuck]

I'm about to rip my ears off soon :mad: I've come down with some sort of flu thing that's bothering my inner ear. I feel as if i'm in some type of tunnel and can't pop my ear. I took some Sudafed PE for a few days but it's not done exactly what I want it to.

I want to ride my bike and have energy but it quickly disappears. I just spent two days resting/snoozing etc..

It's not been warm in the mornings (lately 0C to 3C..) & suspect i picked up some sort of chill when I took me doggies for an early morning walk last week. Bah.

AGHGHGHGH...Any thoughts?

[zoom-zoom]

In addition to the Sudafed, maybe try an antihistamine? I get bad inner-ear/vertigo issues every so often. Just had one last week. Came out of nowhere and pretty much left me invalid for 2 days, then was gone. I otherwise felt fine.

[OakLeaf]

Inner ears are so isolated that decongestants don't have a lot of effect - and phenylephrine doesn't do a thing for me (or my DH) under the best of conditions. Is it still legal to buy pseudoephedrine in Australia? In the USA we have to sign for it, but we can buy it.

If it's been going on for more than a week, and/or if it seemed to get better and then worse, it's likely a bacterial infection that would benefit from antibiotics.

Another thing that helps me is a heating pad behind the ear plus postural drainage (lying with the plugged ear up). Of course that does run the risk of the infected mucus draining right into the other ear. :rolleyes:

Good luck. I had a refractory ear infection a few years back and it took seven months for the hearing to come back in that ear. It was just horrible for a good month. That "tunnel" feeling (aka head encased in cotton) is the worst part of it I think. :(

[crazycanuck]

Zoom-I thought the sudafed stuff was an antihistamine as well...? I don't feel as stuffed up..

Oak-I think you need a prescription for anything with Pseudoephedrine in it..I just know that the over the counter stuff @ pharmacies don't have it in them.
I don't have a heating pad but I keep my head/ears covered w a beanie and my hoodie. I have a gazillion blankets on the bed & the little heater on low& some real pj's(finally bought some).

I can see another sleeping day tomorrow..If it's not beter by fri, i'll give my dr a dingle.

Btw...how long does it normally take for cold/flu tablets to wear off? It's the drowsiness i'm concerned about.

Thanks

[tulip]

You might want to consider going to the doctor to get it checked out. I'm prone to ear infections when I swim. A few years ago I had one so bad I couldn't sleep or do anything. The regular antibiotics didn't work so I had Cipro drops. That's powerful stuff but it cleared it up in two days.

If you think it's swimmers ear (you do triathlons, right?) you might want to consider before- and after-swim drops to prevent infections in the future. You can mix alcohol and water, or you can buy prepared swim ear drops.

[OakLeaf]

Heat does give me a lot of relief, not only for the ears but all the sinuses. Give it a try with a towel dipped in hot water and squeezed out - if that feels good to you, ask Ian to bring you back a microwaveable heating pad!


How long it takes the side-effects of meds to wear off really depends on the individual AND the drug, which you didn't specify. I think if you feel drowsy then you should be careful and not worry about whether it's from the illness or from the drugs! Ear infections and that "tunnel" feeling really do a number on concentration and attention, so do be careful and get plenty of rest (mental as well as physical).

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

CC, you do a lot of swimming, don't you? I'd suspect it has something to do with that right off the bat.

[OakLeaf]

External ear infection (the kind swimmers often get) is very different from middle ear infection (which is what it sounds like she has).

I've had both, there's no comparison.

[zoom-zoom]

Zoom-I thought the sudafed stuff was an antihistamine as well...? I don't feel as stuffed up..

Nope, it's a decongestant. Meds with D, like Allegra-D or Claritin-D are antihistamine + decongestant. Antihistamines will stop sneezing from allergies, but don't do much for congestion, especially of the non-allergic sort.

[crazycanuck]

I haven't swum since early june...:( but the ear thing isn't from swimming. THis is more inside & I thought i might be able to drain some if i solely slept on my right side last night. Nope. I feel better but the ear doesn't.

I have been taking Sudafed PE over the course of this week but have to limit the amount (directions say not to use if driving etc) as I have errands to run etc.

I do have one more qu...I purchased some "Breathe Easier" essential oil blend (corn mint, eucalyptus and thyme)from a health food store & tried to use it this afternoon but found it wayyy overpowering. Is there a secret to the head over bowl of hot water method? :o

I'm visiting my coolio dr tomorrow.

Thanks!

[crazycanuck]

I visited my dr today & have bubbles in my ear n was given some antibiotics. He said the bubbles were similar to glue ear. Glue ear's not supposed to be painful but my ear is really really sore :mad:. Ow.

So, should i just do very short bike rides(rugged up as much as possible) or just rest til this goes away?

[OakLeaf]

I guess it's whatever you feel up to and whatever the doctor said...

but definitely DON'T do anything strenuous - you need all of your immune system - and I would stay off public roads as well, if you're feeling anything like I do when I had that ear infection. I simply would not have had the concentration or attention to ride safely in traffic, never mind the sense of hearing or balance.

I never heard of "bubbles" or "glue ear." Must be some-a those Aussie medical terms. ;)

[crazycanuck]

Thanks Oak, i'll just stay on the bike path & just take it easy for now. I learnt my lesson wed as i went out mtn biking thinking I was better & have spent the last few days sleeping. I guess I could just work on one legged drills.

I thought glue ear was a common word everywhere. (i googled it and saw it mainly affects kids & isn't painful..)

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Bubbles? Glue ear? :confused: I too have never heard of such things.

If he gave you antibiotics it must be an infection?

[malkin]

Bubbles, need to pop, and glue ear all describe middle ear problems.
Vertigo is an inner ear problem.

The outer ear connects to the world through the ear canal. Outer ear is the part that goes from your "ear" (the thing you see on the outside) to your ear drum (tympanic membrane).

The middle ear is everything from the tympanic membrane to the oval window, inside that space are your teeniest bones, the hammer, anvil, and stirrup. Their fancy names are incus, malleus, and stapes. The middle ear connects to the outside world (kind of in your throat, really) via the eustacian tube which opens (pops) to equalize pressure and keep the middle ear happy. When the eustacian tube tissues get irritated, then it doesn't function properly. Complicated mechanism, but middle ear infections result, and fluid can build up, and the fluid can get infected...in short, you have a ghastly mess. It can hurt, or impair hearing (usually temporarily), or just feel like your head is in a bucket.

Middle ear infections can produce either positive or negative pressure in that little space. Somtimes the pressure exceeds the stretchiness of the ear drum and The ear drum ruptures and releases middle ear fluid.

I have some really gory pictures that I show parents sometimes when they are reluctant to take their kid to be seen...

Here's a pretty drawing of a normal ear: http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/image.do?imageKey=PEDS/19566

[malkin]

Bubbles, need to pop, and glue ear all describe middle ear problems.
Vertigo is an inner ear problem.

The outer ear connects to the world through the ear canal. Outer ear is the part that goes from your "ear" (the thing you see on the outside) to your ear drum (tympanic membrane).

The middle ear is everything from the tympanic membrane to the oval window, inside that space are your teeniest bones, the hammer, anvil, and stirrup. Their fancy names are incus, malleus, and stapes. The middle ear connects to the outside world (kind of in your throat, really) via the eustacian tube which opens (pops) to equalize pressure and keep the middle ear happy. When the eustacian tube tissues get irritated, then it doesn't function properly. Complicated mechanism, but middle ear infections result, and fluid can build up, and the fluid can get infected...in short, you have a ghastly mess. It can hurt, or impair hearing (usually temporarily), or just feel like your head is in a bucket.

Middle ear infections can produce either positive or negative pressure in that little space. Somtimes the pressure exceeds the stretchiness of the ear drum and The ear drum ruptures and releases middle ear fluid. The fluid is also called "effusion."

Looking through an otoscope provides a health care provider with a view of the tympanic membrane (ear drum). When healthy, it is "pearly gray" (if you just say gray, you may lose points on your exam); because the membrane is translucent, the "crescent shaped" shadow of the malleus (hammer) bone can be visualized.

If the middle ear is infected, the TM may be red, visually bulging, and/or bubbles may be seen in the middle ear fluid.

Amazing what I can remember from graduate school!

I have some really gory pictures that I show parents sometimes when they are reluctant to take their kid to be seen...

Here's a pretty drawing of a normal ear: http://www.uptodate.com/patients/content/image.do?imageKey=PEDS/19566

[crazycanuck]

Thanks Malkin-my dr drew me a pic of my ear & the area affected. It's where my nasal passage meets the ear if that makes any sense.

[malkin]

Yep, that would be your eustacian tube.
It's pretty hard to visualize where it is in your head, sometimes it helps to yawn, make faces, or experiment with moving your velum (back of throat) around.