Ear pain = ear infection?
January 12, 2009 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Ouch – my ear hurts. A writer friend of mine heard my complaints and mentioned that she’s had similar pain and, for her, this means an ear infection. I can’t recall when I last had an ear infection (if that is what I have) but I remember all three of my children going through it. I remember the screaming from the pain when they were little and the sobbing when they were older. Why is the ear so painful?
The most common type of ear infection is called otitis media, or infection in the middle part of the ear behind the ear drum. Infection of the ear canal, from the ear drum outwards, is called otitis externa, or often, swimmer’s ear. After colds, ear infections are the most commonly diagnosed childhood illnesses
Fluid builds up behind the ear drum, usually the result of a cold or allergy, and the fluid becomes infected, causing pressure and pain in the ear. For younger children, other than crying, you may not be able to understand what is bothering him or her. With an ear infection, young children will likely tug on their ear. They may seem to be hungry but unable to eat or drink. This is because sucking can be very painful if you have an ear infection. Lying down also hurts so they may resist being put down to sleep – more so than usual.
Why do children get more ear infections than adults? They have shorter Eustachian tubes, which are the tubes that go from the middle ear to the back of the throat. The roll of the tubes is to keep the pressure in the ear equal and to drain any fluid that may be in the ear. If the tube gets blocked, usually with mucous from a cold or allergy, the ear can get backed up and infected. As children grow up, their Eustachian tubes also grow, making it harder for them to block.
It used to be that kids were given antibiotics right away, but now man doctors are taking a more wait-and-see attitude because it seems that some of these infections are clearing up on their own. That being said, it’s your child’s doctor who should make that call, since the doctor knows what he or she is looking for.
Anyway, ear infections hurt. I guess I’m off to the clinic later to see if that is what I have, but it does hurt!
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Tags: pain blog, pain in ears, ear pain, ear infection, otitis media, otitis externa, middle ear infection, swimmers ear, eustachian tubes
While I do understand that antibiotics are often over-prescribed, and that we should listen to our doctor, I’d like to be quick to point out that as parents, we must trust our gut instincts.
When I was a child I got a LOT of ear infections. Often times my mom listened to the doctor who told her my infections would clear up on their own. When they didn’t antibiotics or ear drops were prescribed. Fast forward a few years, and all those ear infections actually damaged my ears. Due to them, I had to have a double mastoidectomy, and since age 7 I’ve had to wear hearing aids.
Please, don’t mess with your ears. Leaving an infection alone can cause more, and sometimes irreversible, damage.
My mom regrets to this day not having trusted her gut and getting antibiotics/ear drops sooner. Yes doctors are professionals, and I’m certainly not saying to ignore their advice, but sometimes moms just know when something isn’t right. If your child has repeated ear infections, please don’t ignore them and ‘let them clear up on their own’. Swimmers ear might clear up, but a true infection won’t.