Chronic Otitis Media

You should go back to your doctor and demand to see a specialist. (although if it is cronic you may find you are at the hospital nearly every week)

It seems that their is no perfect solution to end this type of misery and I have seen at least 3 different specialists who dole out different treatments unfortuantly none of which have worked, but they do ease the symptoms.

Hope you have better luck, one tip though you may find that using cotton wool and vasalene is better than the ear plugs as they will tend to make your ears sweat and not help your problem.

Thank you for the tip I will try the vaseline and cotton wool.I was back at the doctors last week as the infection had spread to my sinuses above the nose and above my mouth. The pain was dreadful, I was given a steroid spray to use and yet again told that my ear did not look to bad.What does too bad mean... :?

If this flares up again I will see a different doctor and ask for referral. Thanks again.

You didn't mention if they ever did a culture of the infection. If they didn't, they should. If they are treating you with antibiotics for a bacterial infection, but it is actually a fungal infection, I can't imagine it will ever get better.

Hi, I have just been looking up otitis externia as my specialist said yesterday that is what i have. I have had it for 10 years! Doctors have given me drops, ointments, tablets - all have eased it but it always came back. This specialist said that as it has been in both ears now for such a long time it is going to talk a long time to be cured of it. I have a script for an ointment that a pharmacist makes up for him specially and I have to apply it twice daily for a month then once every night for 2 years. I can't read the script - you know what doctors writing is like - but once it is made up by the chemist I hope to know the ingredients and can list it for you. The specialist said that the drug companies used to make the ointment but they stopped making it some time ago.

He also recommended the cotton wool and vasaline trick for the shower, and also to put into my ear after each wash some aquaear, it helps break down the water in the ear and flush it out. This is best to use after the inflamation has settled or it hurts. Alternatively you can use 50/50 vinegar and metholated spirits.

He said the constant scratching has removed the outer layer of skin and it weeps serum - and serum is what they use in cultures to grow things, hence its a perfect place for breading bugs. My swabs came back with staphlococyle something and candida - yuk. So I think I have been lucky after 10 years to have not had a major serious infection spread from my ears into the surrounding bones etc.

I am fed up with sore ears tho and sore neck glands. So I do hope this cream works. I will keep you posted and what the ingredients are.

But do go and see a specialist - and if that one doesn't cure it, then find another. This specialist is my second one and he is the one that finally made sense to me of what is going on.

Cheers,

Cate.

:cry: HI i have suffered with this chronic illness for just over 7years, constant iching, leaking light headedness, i could go at least a year with no problems but now i am treated as a out patient every other day i just dont get a break at all. It is now affecting my work and social life i just want to cry and people who dont have this are so easy to judge me by saying do not ictch!!! but how the hell dont we ictch its so hard not to, i have been told about a operation they can do were they remove the skin from your ear canal and replace it with skin from another part of the body? has anybody had this done? i see a surgeon on Tuesday and will be asking for this op, im 33 and dont want to be like this forever cant beleive there is no cure they can put man on the moon but cant cure my ears!! i had swabs done and all come back i am now resistant to all forms of treatment. but found a new cream its SIMPLE DERMA CARE INTENSIVE RELIEF and it is working on the out side of my ears were it has become very dry and crusty fingers crossed any ideas anybody please let me know thanks for listening debbie xx

I started to have earache after I couldn't get rid of a sinus infection..then it was lymphs in the front of my neck, then they found out in my ear and only have me 1 week of antibiotics, then 2 days later I found the pain was so much worse so I when to ER again and they told me my ears were great and CT scan doesn't see anything and to look at getting my teeth checked...my teeth were looked st and fine and pain got worse with 2 weeks off antibiotic. Anyone know if it's hard for them to see this infection?