Anyone have problems with ear infections???

[Type1Ely]

Yesterday, I went to see the Urgent Care doctor because my throat was so sore/red and my ears ached horribly! Turns out, I have a viral head cold and more fluid in both of my ears! This is the 3rd infection I've had in 4 months and it's driving me crazy! In July, I had an outer ear infection and was given ear drops to help with the infection. Well, that first week of August, I went to San Diego,Ca. to visit famiy there and because of pressure changes on the plane there and back, my ear infection got worse and turned into an inner ear infection. I was first given Augmenten along with my Nasonex and Zyrtec and the ear drops and was told it would all clear up in about 2 weeks. Well, two weeks went by and it got worse, I couldn't hear clearly and the pressure was causing me to have terrible headaches! I went back to my Primary care physician and this time she gave me Allegra along with the Zytrec, Nasonex, and ear drops. Once again she said give it two weeks and it'll go away. I waited and it seemed to get better-my ears didn't feel clogged up but it still didn't feel like they were all better. When I went back in for a follow-up, she said that it was all cleared put but it felt like the muscles around my ears were inflammed and gave me Ibuprofen. After another 2-3 weeks, all the pain went away but now I've got so much fluid in my ears that I can hardlly hear and along with the viral head cold, I feel miserable! My doctor said that if I keep getting ear infections back to back, then I may have to see an Ears, Nose, and Throat Specialist and if it really gets bad then I might need ear tubes! Its like I can't catch a break!! I was wondering if anyone else has had problems with ear infections?

[notme]

My daughter went through ear infections every few weeks for the first ten years of her life. She had tubes put in twice and as soon as the tubes fell out, she started getting ear infections again. We were at a loss on how to heal them. Her ears had scar tissue from all the infections and her hearing has been slightly affected.

When she was 16, she got another ear infection and the ENT told us that she needed tubes AGAIN. She was devastated. A friend of mine told me to NOT give the antibiotics, but to give her massive doses of garlic pills. I was very skeptical. I asked the ENT to give us three weeks to try and cure the ear infections and look again and reconsider the tubes. He didn't want to, but he let us try. I took my daughter off of antibiotics and started giving her massive doses of social garlic (no smell). After a couple of weeks, my daughter felt much better. We took her back to the ENT and he was really amazed. He said there was no sign of infection and he didn't see the need for tubes at that time.

My daughter is now 26. She has not had ear infections again. Once she catches cold, she starts on the garlic pills.

I wish we had done this sooner. I was the biggest skeptic in the world, but the garlic worked. Read up on it and see if this is something you would consider.

[Type1Ely]

I'm definately up for trying the garlic pills. Just out of curiousity, where did you get the pills? I know that GNC sells a lot of products that are organic or plant-based. Also, how many times a day did she take it and the dosage? Oh, my doctor gave me Cipro(Antibiotic), so I assume that I should stop taking those and just use the garlic pills instead? Thanks for the advice:) Today after work, I'm going to shop around for some and take them asap!

[notme]

No. Don't stop taking them, but take the garlic with it if you feel better about it.

At the time we purchased the social garlic at the local pharmacy. My daughter buys it on her own now, so I am not sure where she gets it. It works, I swear by it.

Let us know how it goes.

[nicole]

I have constant earaches and ear infections.
Anytime I get sick I get an ear infection of some sort. So your not alone. I know how it feels.

[Type1Ely]

Oh, I found the garlic pills at GNC-100 for $10 so not bad! but I had to stop taking the Cipro. Early Wed morning(3am), my boyfriend had to take me to the ER because the pain in my left ear became so unbearable that I couldn't stop crying and I couldn't sleep! The ER doctor said that my right ear was clearing up but my left formed a blister inside! To ease the pain he gave me Vicodin and the Z-pack(another antibiotic) but he was shocked that my primary care doctor never referred me to an Ears, Nose, and Throat specialist after the second time since each time I have an ear infection, it gets progressively worse! I have an appt with my primary care doctor on tuesday, so hopefully I'll get a referral for an ENT and see how my cold is doing. Thanks again for the advice(I'll keep up with the garlic pills and all other meds)

[drummingfool]

I cant believe this is the firat time I've seen this thread... I need to pay attention!

Actually, I've recently (in the past 2 weeks) developed a pingpong ball sized lump in front of my left earlobe, right at about the jaw hinge, and now my ear has been hurting (inside the canal). I'm gonna have my endo look at it on wednesday. Hopefully he can help me... if not, maybe he can refer me to someone. It's been KILLIN me!

[notme]

Don't mess with that df. You need to see a doctor. You have one massively swollen gland.

Ely, take massive doses of the garlic. Start out taking 500+ mg three times a day. Do that for a week or more until the infection is gone. Then start taking it as directed to prevent any more infections. Garlic is excreted by your body and it won't hurt you to double or triple your dose in the beginning.

[Type1Ely]

Drummingfool,
You should definately have one of your doctors look at your ear. In my case, I'm set up with an appt this tuesday so my primary care doctor can refer me to an Ears, Nose, and Throat specialist, since each time I get an ear infection it gets worse! If your pain is as bad as mine is, then you're strong because I couldn't stop crying since the pain was so unbearable! Ibuprofen helps out if you don't have any other pain killer...but Vicodin is wonderful! it helps me sleep without being in pain. let me know how your visit goes!

[Type1Ely]

Notme,
I'll definately take that large dose of the garlic pills because now I'm coughing all night and it seems that I'm getting worse, not better! Hopefully its everything draining from my ears, going to the back of my throat that is causing me to constantly cough. and like you said, the extra dose won't hurt. thanks for the tips-its nice to know I'm not the only one.

[Type1Ely]

So my last post was in October when I first began to see my ENT about my allergy problems. The allergy skin test showed that I'm allergic to pretty much everything(indoor, outdoor, and seasonal allergies) and I need 4 allergy shots a week to build up an immunity.(In November) A CT scan of my sinuses was also done to see if there was any blockage from fluid that was causing me to have the reoccurring sinus and ear infections. My ENT received the results and told me that it was a tumor of some kind and that he was referring me to his former colleague, who is also an ENT and a sinus surgeon. The next month(first of December) I saw Dr. Joseph Han, and he looked at the CT scan and indeed knew it was a bony tumor but wanted to have a more detailed CT scan done of my sinuses and my whole brain to pinpoint the exact location of the tumor. He specializes in sinus surgery by going up through the nasal passage instead of cutting from end to end of your forehead and drilling a hole in the skull, but he is well-known for going up through your nose and leaving no scars. The second set of CTs came back in and I was scheduled for surgery on Tues,DEc. 30th at 12pm. Before the surgery, my surgeon came into the OR prep room and told me and my family and my boyfriend that according to the CT, it looked like it was a soft tissue tumor and not a bony tumor as he originally guessed and that meant that there was a higher chance of it being cancer. It was the most devastating news that we all have heard and we all broke out in tears. I remained optimistic because Dr. Han said that when he first goes in, he would take a biopsy of the tumor to determine if it was soft tissue or bony and if it was bony he would complete the surgery by removing all of the tumor and if it is soft tissue, he would have to leave it there and treat it with radiation. Luckily for me, it turned out to be a bony tumor and he continued with the surgery. The surgery lasted for 4 hours! He could not remove all of the tumor because it extended from between my eyes, all the way to the bottom of my brain. Since he could not remove it all, the tumor is still in there(a small amount), however, it will grow larger again throughout the years because of the type of tumor it is. The official name of it is: ossifying fibrous tumor. After surgery, my nose bled for days like a running facet. Even vicodin and tylenol with codine couldn't get rid of all the pain because of all the scar tissue that was created in my sinus cavities and near my brain. On Jan 6th, I had to go in a second time for another OR visit for a Sinus Debriment to get rid of most of the scar tissue, so that I could breathe out of my nose normally again. I still am going through the healing process. I don't take the pain meds unless I experience a migraine(triggered by the tumor). I also use a sinus irrigation rinse(2x a day), along with saline sprays(every 2 hrs), and my already prescribed nasal sprays. Throughout all of this, my body has been through a lot of stress. I have loss weight because it hurt when I ate hard or crunchy foods because with the surgery, my surgeon drilled a hole through my right nostril bone so until I am fully healed(which is estimate to be about a 3 month process), my nasal structures and not considered to be normal). Also, my sugars have definately been elevated. Not too extreme, in the low to mid 200s but I just bolus and I'm fine. This whole experience has been a huge ordeal but I also see it as a blessing because the biopsy of the tumor showed that its benign. I am scared that it will grow fast and that I'll need surgery again within a few years. Since its pressing up on the bottom of my brain, it is very tricky to remove! I have learned that you should never second guess yourself, if you think that you need a second opinion from another doctor, then get it. If I hadn't complained about the reoccurring sinus and ear infections, I would have never been referred to my ENT, Dr. Debo, for a long time, and then Dr. Debo would not have referred me to Dr. Han. I am very grateful that the tumor is not cancer but it is yet another thing I have to monitor along with the diabetes and everything else that is associated with diabetes. I was wondering if anyone else has had medical issues that at first don't seem related to diabetes? Also, if you have had surgery, how long did it take you to heal? Thanks for reading:)