# Black stuff in ear - ear fungus or what?



## PM (Nov 19, 2001)

My dh has had very bad fullness in both his ear for the last month. He already has problems because he suffers from severe dermatitis, which causes a LOT of flaking in his ears (looks like dandruff, but it's not). So that blocks up his ears. Plus he has the very bad habit of attempting to clean that out with a Q-tip. So he's been flushing with sea water and using rubbing alcohol to soften whatever it is. His hearing finally got back to normal, he's no longer in pain, but now he has black stuff in his ears.

I had the same thing several years ago after I got a bad infection from swimming at a beach where almost all the children were contracting "skin fungus" (not sure how it's called in English - they get white spots all over). So I had 3-4 bad infections in a year and a couple of times had this black stuff, too.

What can I call it? I want to look up some info on the Net and try to get dh to the doctor. We use homeopathy but I really think he needs to see a doc this time.


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## Clarity (Nov 19, 2001)

I had several infections over a few month period, and took antibiotics...it did not get rid of it for long. Picking at it made it worse (I'm like him...I use qtips, an ear pick, etc...since my ears really fill up when my sinuses are bad.) I think I got it from a hot tub. I finally got rid of it using ear candling, (2x in one week) and using oil ear drops when I felt it starting to recurr. Olive oil with graperfruit extract and tea tree oil (I bought it.) The black stuff was scary. Good luck!

C


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## LEmama (Nov 21, 2001)

I have had a couple of infections in my ear canal which were caused getting water in the ear. My ears were painful, itchy, and felt blocked up. My hearing was affected also. My doctor prescribed some ear drops (I think the bottle says 'Acetol') and it cleared up quickly. I have read that applying drops of apple cider vinegar mixed with rubbing alcohol also clears up mild infections of the ear canal.


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## sarahthomas (Oct 23, 2007)

I know this is an old thread but it's quite searchable on Google so I thought I'd add to it in case anyone else was looking for advice.
If you have something black and puss like in your ears, it really is the best idea to go to the doctors.
It might well be asperfillus (a black fungus) or anything else but the most important thing is to go to a doctor, have it cleaned professionally (possibly suction but certainly not a q tip or cotton bud in sight) and then the correct medication applied. These things can lead on to worse things and so need immediate attention.
Nothing smaller than your elbow should go into your ears, it's as simple as that.
Also, keep the ears dry while infected. Do not wash them or get shower water in them. The best way to avoid this is to put blobs of vaseline soaked cotton wool in the ear (not inside the canal, in the ear covering the canal). With enough vaseline, they stay in place during your shower and you obviously should avoid spraying the water directly near the ear.
The basic advice though is to get to the doctor. I am also not keen on over-medication and like alternative therapies but there are times when your health is at stake and you need help before things get bad.


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