Earache 11 days before IMLOU!!

Barbara Spitler

I swam Monday a.m., in the high school pool.  Easy ride yesterday on my road bike, in cooler weather, on a bike trail.  Last night developed an earache in left ear , that feels like an icepick went into my eardrum!  Should I get to the doc immediately, or see how it feels tomorrow?  IMLOU is currently 11 days out....

Michael Johnson

Get to your doc immediately...or a urgent clinic.......get on drops or pills immediately if there's an infecction. Nip it in the bud!

Kitboo

What MJ said. An outer ear and/or middle ear infection won't go away on its own.

Barbara Spitler

Thanks Michael and Kitima. Calling the doc's office now, for appt.

bret

Do go seek medical advise if your pain does not clear overnight or you have an associated hearing loss, canal swelling or ear discharge.

Barbara Spitler

Called the doc's office, spoke to the nurse, who spoke to my doc, and they phoned in RX for me, of Amoxicillan. 10 days, 3 x per day. Taking Clariton as well, and using nasal spray. This morning, my ear got stabbing pains as if an ice pick were being repeatedly stuck in it! Stupid question most likely, but will ask anyways; skip my Master's swim in the a.m.? Stay out of swimming until next Sat. swim practice day before IMLOU? (We are swimming in the Ohio River at IMLOU, fyi.)

bret

If it were me I'd go to someone who would do an exam of the ear. If you can't get in with an ENT, a primary care doc should be able to handle it. An ice pick! Ouch!!

Jeff Braaten

I am an ENT doctor so here are the questions I would ask if I couldn't see you. 1. How is your hearing? Loss of hearing associated with pain usually means fluid/pus behind the eardrum ( the standard ear infection ) or debri/swelling in the canal( swimmer's ear ) preventing transmission of sound to the drum. 2. Do you have a discharge? Either debri/swelling in the ear canal( swimmer's ear) or a ruptured ear drum can cause this. If the eardrum ruptures usually pain goes away but drainage starts. 3.Were you sick in any other way? Allergy, cold symptoms, etc.
Oral antibiotics are not the treatment of choice for an external ear canal infection(swimmer's ear), topical antibiotic drops with a steroid is but is only helpful if the canal isn't so swollen to allow the drops to penetrate. Oral antibiotics would be better for the standard pus behind the eardrum infection.

Barbara Spitler

Jeff, I have swelling in the ear canal, but no discharge. I say it is swollen, because it feels like it is. I am not sick in any other way, except having slight congestion in left nasal passage. I am taking Clariton for that. As I said, it feels like an icepick in my ear. A couple of times, the stabbing feeling has gone into my jaw on the left side. I do not notice any particular loss of hearing. For the past week or so, I have been extremely sleepy...moreso than just training tired. I attribute this to the infection. What is your opinion regarding swimming prior to 8-29, IMLOU?

Jeff Braaten

Tough call about the swimming. If this is Otitis Externa ( swimmer's ear ) you should avoid water for at least a week. With such a big event coming up I would suggest go seeing your doctor tomorrow or Monday and have him/her look in your ear. If you have swimmer's ear insist on a drop such as Ciprodex to go along with the Amoxil. As I said earlier the drops are more beneficial than an oral medication. Also, unless contraindicated you could ask the doctor to give you a steroid shot to quickly reduce the inflammation and subsequently the pain and swelling. The drops are a little expensive if your insurance doesn't cover it and there are some other choices if $ is a consideration, but with the investment in time you have put in already it is worth it.

Barbara Spitler

Thank you for your advice Jeff. I appreciate your expertise!
On another note, are you training for any races currently?

Linda Patch

You totally have swimmer's ear. I've lived with it enough in my house will all my swimmer boys. Like Jeff says, you need the drops pronto. Oral Rx not the way to go solely.  I have to say, I think it's somewhat irresponsible for the doc to disgnose and give you an Rx over the phone without examining an ear that has been swimming major yardage for months.

Barbara Spitler

In the doctor's defense, he is my G.P., and I've had ear infections before. I spoke with his nurse, and did not say that I have been swimming major yardage for months. They were trying to accomodate me, as he had no openings until Tues. of next week. I will call his office Monday to ask that I come in for him to look at the ear and see about drops. If he cannot see me, I'll go to the local 'after hours' clinic. Thanks for your concern everyone!

Bill McKinney

No suggestions on the ear itself...I've had swimmer's ear and otitis media (not sure the difference), and both were pretty grim. Drops always worked for me, although the time Dr. Frankenstein jammed the scraper through my eardrum in Urgent Care was particularly memorable. My only suggestion is about the swimming. At this point you're 8ish days out from the race. NOTHING you do in the pool, lake, or river, is going to have any impact on your fitness or swim time. You're good to go on the swim, so don't worry about that. Skip the pool and forget about it. You'll be much better off investing that time in icepick removal! I'll also give you my standard advice on getting in to see the actual doctor...don't call, just show up in the office and start crying...works every time!

Barbara Spitler

Thanks for the comments Bill. Although, I have to say that your experience at the Urgent Care scared me! The funny thing is, that I am wide awake, here at 3:55 a.m., and got on here to ask if I should just go to Urgent Care Clnic today, since I start back to school on Monday! LOL! Seriously! I'm thinking that I work all day M,T,W, next week, with two appts. after school on M, Tue. Thinking that I better go see someone tomorrow, tell them I'm on Amox., can't get in to see my reg. doc., and need to be seen, and get some drops. What do you guys think? No discharge in ear per se, but it seems that the wax is 'thinner', if that makes sense. Gotta get this damn thing cleared up, as I am not going to have my race jeapordized by swimmer's ear, after a year of busting my butt to do an Ironman!

Bill McKinney

Dr. Jeff says get thee to a real live doc to look in your ear. Now I'm worried about you not getting sleep! Did you get it cleared up today. The one upside to Dr. Frankenstein was that it did feel a lot better after he ruptured the eardrum. The kicker to that story is that I had to take my 6 year-old into the urgent care last Saturday for a really bad earache. Guess who the doctor was? Yep, Dr. Frankenstein...needless to say I kept a close eye on him when he was examining daughter's ear! Did you PM Jeff with answers to his questions about hearing, etc.? Let us know what happens!

Linda Patch

Barb, I don't know what more you need to hear. Tough love talk time. You should have been at the doc days ago, if not from day one of this. Swimmer's ear does not clear up quickly. The best you can do now is damage control and get yourself as well as you can by the weekend. You've gotten the best advice you can here, even from an ENT. Crucial days have passed. The rest is now up to you to take action, or not. Sorry to sound tough, but you have spent too long building to be brought down by inaction of getting ear drops. Go to the doc or the clinic today. Really.

 

 

Barbara Spitler

Linda, I have an appt. tomorrow after school, with my doc. I appreciate the advice I have gotten from everyone. Guess I should have insisted on getting in to see him when I first called last week. I have never had swimmer's ear, and thought it was just an ear infection that would clear up with antibiotics. So, when they offered to phone in the RX, I thought I'd be fine with that. Stupidity on my part...
Atleast the pain has subsided quite a bit.

Barbara Spitler

Update: Saw doc. today, it isn't Swimmer's Ear. I have an inner ear infection. Got drops to put in as well as continue taking Amox. Am feeling better, and got okay to swim, just wear earplugs. Thanks for your help everyone, and yes Linda, for your 'tough love'.
I am confident of a good swim at IMLOU, albeit slow, which is my norm.