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ear infection... can't sleep
mully
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
so I'm only assuming what I have is an ear infection.. extreme pressure in my left ear/jaw.. no hearing impairment or anything, just a very tight, stinging, constant pain.
any way... I'm exhausted and I can't sleep due to the aching, so I'm at the point of tears, here. any home methods for either killing the pain or just plain ole putting me to sleep? I am eyeing vodka but I doubt that's a good solution.
any way... I'm exhausted and I can't sleep due to the aching, so I'm at the point of tears, here. any home methods for either killing the pain or just plain ole putting me to sleep? I am eyeing vodka but I doubt that's a good solution.
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If it was serious enough for me to have to go the doctor, I'm assuming it was necessary.
Go to an ear, nose and throat specialist for sure, just in case. Worst case scenario, ear infections can affect your brain.
This is not medical advice, but totally something I'd probably try in your situation.
I pretty much had the same thing, couldn't sleep. I ended up just watching 4 hours of Saved By The Bell in the morning, then went to the doctor right away.
XBL
If you can afford it, also get a heating pad. The ibproufen works for a couple of days then your body kinda starts to get used to it. So the heating pad helps with the ache as well.
Beyond that, be careful washing your hair, do NOT got water into your ear, especially tap. I learned the hard way. Very hard.
See a doctor ASAP since it can go bad quite quickly iirc. I had lots of problems as a child and even had surgery for it.
Seriously. My boyfriend let his ear infection go on without consulting a doctor. It ended up getting so bad that when he did finally go in they said he would have died soon and they ended up having to give him a rather large shot in the butt
Ear infections aren't a little thing though....anyone I've ever known to get an ear infection severe enough that they couldn't sleep eventually went to the doctor, got anti-biotics, and got better. None of them got better on their own or by using some home remedy, they just suffered until they went to the doctor and got anti-biotics.
i managed to get a couple hours of sleep, and it's still aching at the moment but nowhere near as bad! also today i am going to the dentist, so uh ... feel bad for me. earache and dentist, wooo.
Yeah, ear infections, or any infection really, can get really serious faster than you think. We only think they're little things because modern medicine has developed routine treatments for them.
You might want to try Nyquil, as well. Also, if you have a recliner, try sleeping in that, with your head elevated considerably (close to a 45 degree angle), instead of laying flat.
God that sounds like the worst day ever.
And some ear infections may go away on their own but if he's really in a significant amount of pain, it's probably something that a doctor needs to see. I think that goes for just about any body part.
I've done it before for toothaches.
Now, if you've already taken medications that interact poorly with alcohol then you shouldn't though.
If you don't have Nyquil, take some Benadryl with a shot.
but in the meantime, hot showers, a warm heating pad (or a wet washcloth in a zip-top baggie, microwaved for ~15 sec) will be your best friend, also, ibuprofen, a decongestant, and the ultimate ear pressure reducer: Mucinex
I know you aren't coughing, but the active medication in Mucinex (guaifenesin) is something that loosens mucus (yick) and that's exactly what is clogging up your ear - the first time I had an ear infection and used that stuff I practically cried in relief as soon as my ear popped, it was magnificent
hope you feel better
1) Get your ass to a doctor and get on antibiotics. You need antibiotics to cure this thing. Once you're on them, you can expect it to stop hurting within about a day.
2) In the meantime, this is the ONLY thing I've found that helps at all: Get a towel. Soak it in the hottest, most scalding water that comes out of your taps. Don't actually boil water, that's excessive and you'll just burn yourself. With the towel soaking wet with steaming hot water, hold it against the affected ear. Not just the ear though, but also the part of your head/neck under your ear drum. Pressure here helps a bit, but the key thing is the heat. It will soothe the pain by lowering the pressure to a vaguely manageable level.
That's all I've ever discovered that actually works.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
That usually helps relieve the pressure for me but not always, Ibuprofen (anti-inflammatory/pain pills) is your best friend until you can maybe get something stronger from the doctor or until your ear drum ruptures which sounds bad but I have had that happen before and OMG it was great. Couldn't hear for a week and a half, but the pain was gone instantaneously and I just had to have puss and blood come out of my ear for a couple days. But its really best to avoid that if at all possible :P
So ya, sock, rice, and microwave + ibuprofen = you best friend till you can get something better from the doctor.
Ok, well, May... but you get my point.