# Help! Just woke up with horrible ear pain



## 2+twins (Apr 20, 2004)

So I must have a pretty nasty ear infection b/c I just woke up in severe pain in one of my ears. I don't know what to do for it. It's the middle of the night, I'm alone with the kids who are, of course, asleep. Flipping to the opposite side didn't help. The pain is almost unbearable. Changes in pressure (such as w/burping) make me feel like I'm going to die! I really, really don't want to take any medications during pregnancy but this hurts so bad that I'm ready to fill a scrip here & now. Any help?


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## mac5977 (Mar 13, 2004)

Have you tried a warm compress on your ear? An easy way to make one is to dampen a washie, fold in quarters and microwave for about 20-30 seconds. Be careful, it can get pretty hot fast.

Or how about warm garlic oil? Garlic is strongly antibacterial/antifungal, so it can help treat an infection. I make my own by slicing some garlic, then warming gently on the stove. You don't want to cook the garlic, just warm it. High heat will destroy some of the benficial properties.


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## provocativa (Jan 17, 2005)

You can buy garlic/mullein oil at the HFS. Or crush some garlic and heat it up in olive oil for awhile. Strain and save in fridge. Put some on a cotton ball and microwave BRIEFLY. Be careful not to burn your outer ear. Put the coton ball in your ear and leave it there. I actually put drops of oil in my ear. The oil is soothing to the tympanic membrane (air on it is what hurts), the garlic is antimicrobial. Homeopathic pulsatilla, recommended for many pregnancy ailments, really helps ear infections. The Hylands combo remedy doesn't contain it but Source Naturals does. You could get the single remedy, but the Source Naturals helps acute conditions better. Also, in between ear oilings, put peroxide in your ear.


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## jenny-g (Nov 10, 2005)

1). Warm compresses and hairdryer on hot into the ear, + tylenol.

2). *Go to the doctor!*. If it's outer, you can get drops that are neomycin/steroid that will help rather quickly. If it's inner, you really need to make sure you are okay. Treating a mild infection with pg-safe antibiotics now is MUCH BETTER than treating a disaster of a problem with stronger antibiotics later.

A normal ear infection is one thing- the wake up screamer type is another. I Understand Completely. I hope it gets healed soon!


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## 2+twins (Apr 20, 2004)

Well I went to the doctor & she said it was an outer ear infection and that it wasn't that bad. I'm totally confused about that b/c it sure felt bad (although since sleeping upright it has gone done to a more tolerable level of pain). Anyway, she wouldn't prescribe me anything since she's not an ob/gyn (and I don't see an ob/gyn this pg and would really rather not deal with them - long story) and I'm allergic to what she would have prescribed (penicillin & sulfa drugs). So I bought some garlic/mullein drops but I have a question about that. The bottle says to use 2-4 drops before bedtime and to warm the oil first. How? And do people think that that's all I should use (just once a day)? I'll be sleeping upright until this gets better so I don't know if the drops are gonna stay in place. Ugh - this sucks. Thanks for the advice!


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## jenny-g (Nov 10, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *love_homebirthing*
Well I went to the doctor & she said it was an outer ear infection and that it wasn't that bad. I'm totally confused about that b/c it sure felt bad (although since sleeping upright it has gone done to a more tolerable level of pain). Anyway, she wouldn't prescribe me anything since she's not an ob/gyn (and I don't see an ob/gyn this pg and would really rather not deal with them - long story) and I'm allergic to what she would have prescribed (penicillin & sulfa drugs). So I bought some garlic/mullein drops but I have a question about that. The bottle says to use 2-4 drops before bedtime and to warm the oil first. How? And do people think that that's all I should use (just once a day)? I'll be sleeping upright until this gets better so I don't know if the drops are gonna stay in place. Ugh - this sucks. Thanks for the advice!

If it's outer, they wouldn't prescribe you penicillin anyway! That's so dumb! The first line of treatment is that they have topical eardrops with neomycin (same thing that's in neosporin) and a topical steroid (like in itch creams) which helps with the swelling immediately, and so the antibiotics can get in there. I get these all the time, and I often don't heal without those drops. You should pursue the drops if this continues for another day. I've had to use them once during this pregnancy.

Otherwise, also, warm diluted vinegar drops are very good for if you're just becoming infected, and as a preventative- the vinegar sets up an acidic environment and the bacteria don't do well in it. (they even have prescription eardrops that are nothing than diluted vinegar, and they even have the diluted vinegar eardrops that have the steroid in it- but no antibiotics). You use them four times a day, making the water you use warm (boil it in the microwave first to sterilize it) will help with the pain.

I"ve had great success with the vinegar as a preventative and heading off really mild cases.. but once it gets to the screaming pain, those neomycin drops are the only thing that work, personally, for me.

Good luck! I can't believe the doc was going to prescribe you oral antibiotics for an outer ear infection. Good lord. They don't even work that well for it. Perhaps you can call back and get a script for the eardrops, which are really no big deal.


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## AppleCrisp (Aug 19, 2005)

Yeah that's weird - oral abx for external ear infection. Any ENT would have samples of topical drops to give you. Good luck. External ear infections can be really excruciating, one of the most painful things.


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## CaliMomof5 (Dec 17, 2005)

I used to get a lot of outer ear infections. At first, I could use the neomyacin drops, but they stopped working. Cipro oral antibiotics and cipro otic solution work wonders - they won't prescribe them during pregnancy though.


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