How do you treat an ear infection? Or..Wax build up?

[Tracy]

Do you think it's something to see the doc over? I think Josh may have an infection but I'm really leaning towards that he has too much wax build up. He says it hurts, has no fever and complains that he hears muffled voices through it.

If at all possible I'd like to treat him at home. I've put 1/2 peroxide 1/2 warm water in his ear and it took the pain away, which makes me think wax build up...Maybe? But I'm wondering about garlic oil and I don't know how to whip some up. Anyone want to walk me through this ?

I haven't had to deal with ear issues for YEARS, since Madison was little.

Thanks !

Tracy

[Gargoyle]

The only thing I've seen be effective for Jessie's over build up of wax (she gets this a lot and I really do believe they are tied to her allergies) is to use a syringe with warm water and shoot the water in the ear till it pushes the wax out. Nothing over the counter we've ever purchased were strong enough to break it up and none of the little dinky things they give you to shoot water in the ear, ever had enough power.

I don't know the size of the syringe dh got, but he found it at work and sterilized it. It works just like the one at the doctor's office did. So if you can find a syringe of a good size, you could do it yourself. If not, I would go and talk to the doc and have them take it out with water.

We are trying to stay on top of it now, so it doesn't get built up to the point of having a huge hard wax clot in there. Dh just cleaned her ears out the other day, using a mix of peroxide and water, with the syringe and it cleaned it out nicely. Then we swab the opening with alcohol to draw any remaining liquid out.

I wish I could help more with where you could get a syringe because that's the only thing you really need, that and some warm to the touch water and some time in the tub.

I hope you can get it out and he feels better soon.

[kokoro]

I see an ENT regularly to have wax removed. It runs in my family. I would not try to remove it myself based on the experiences of both my mother and father. Both have had *very* bad experiences with *doctors* who messed around in their ears, ended up pushing the wax in further and makiing things worse and also both had experiences where docs touched something in their ears that caused them dizziness and maybe nausea for days. I am picky about who I see and how I let them get the wax out because of this.

[karunamayi]

For garlic oil, you cruch a few cloves of garlic and add it to about a 1/4C of *warm* oil. Not hot, as your don't want to cook the garlic. Let it sit for an hour then drop a few drops in.

I remember when I was a kid and I'd get a fever, whicever side I was laying on, that ear would leak melted wax.

maybe J can lay his head down on a heating pad or hot water bottle for a while to see if the heat helps at all for the wax and maybe even the discomfort?

My chiro is an expert at dealing with kids who apparently needed tubes put in. You might consider finding a reputable chiro if you don't have one already.

Good luck!

[Tracy]

UPDATE:


Well, he woke up this AM with a fever and complaining that both his ears hurt and he could hardly hear, his throat was hurting, his neck was "killing him", and he felt like he might throw up.....Oh, and he couldn't catch his breath.

So, thankfully our ped has a walk in clinic on Saturdays and it turns out that he has a double ear infection, strep throat and needs breathing treatments. She thinks he may have asthma. I guess it was a good thing that I took him! He's a little weeping mess right now and wants nothing more than Mommy to hold him (Which is nice!).

I'll save the instructions for the oil though, K! Thank you!

Tracy

[Peggyann]

~PA~

[lizinpa]

Awww poor boy!! That sounds awfully painful! I'm glad you were able to get him into the doc...

feel better soon, J!

[libbylibbylibby]

Oh, ack! We've been there before! Hope he is on the mend soon.

[Gargoyle]

Oh no poor thing. Good thing you did go to the doctor with him. Hope feels better soon.

[mirage1]

He's a little weeping mess right now and wants nothing more than Mommy to hold him (Which is nice!).
Poor little guy! I hope he's feeling better soon.