Ear infection..ouch!

[DammitJanet]

Got a question really.

I took no chances when I woke up in the middle of the night Friday morning and took myself off to the Urgent Care place just as soon as I could that morning. No playing around with an ear infection! Too close to the brain and I dont want a repeat...lol.

I explained to the doctor there about what happened the last time I had an infection and how they told me I was to rush right in if I got another one and he checked both ears. Bad one in the right ear, slight one in the left. Even the ear canal is infected in my right ear. I cannot hear hardly anything out of it and it feels like my head on that side is stuffed with fluid. I can hear my heart beat and it hurts when it beats.

I got put on levaquin and some cortisporin ear drops. Also a cough medicine because I still have this bronchitis junk that I have had for almost two weeks. I am still on the nebulizer.

I have been on the levaquin and cortisporin ear drops now for 4 days. Shouldnt I be feeling some better by now? Oh...yeah...they upped my vicodin to every 4 to 6 hours and without that, I couldnt stand the ear pain. Its that bad.

The cough is pretty much gone now but the ear is still killing me. I always thought that you started to feel better after a few days on an antibiotic and levaquin is a pretty strong drug. Do I hit them back tomorrow? That will be 5 days.

 

[gcvmom]

Janet, if it's still hurting that much, I'd go back in. Better to be aggressive about it than to sit back and suffer.

(((hugs)))

 

['Chelle]

My easy child has had many many many ear infections (tubes twice). I know that when she takes the basic antibiotic the pain itself starts to go away within a day, sometimes hours if we go in at the first sign of anything. The couple times she was on the better stuff it was all cleared up in 5 days. I would go back to the doctor and have it checked out if it's been 5 days and no relief from the pain.

 

[DammitJanet]

Chelle...that is what I was worried about. 5 days and no relief at all. If I plug up my left ear, I cant hear a thing.

 

[hearts and roses]

Yes!! Go back ASAP. Five days you should be feeling much better.

I hope you get relief and it's not more serious.

 

[DammitJanet]

I just realized when I went to get my stuff together to go back to the Urgent Care place that I have an appointment tomorrow with my regular GP. I think I am going to just wait until tomorrow and have him check me out and kill two birds with one stone. I have to go to GP anyway tomorrow to get my regular medications. Its pouring rain here now so I really dont want to get wet and get any sicker.

 

[flutterby]

I don't know what levaquin is. I mean, I know it's an antibiotic, but I don't know how strong.

When I had the really bad ear infection and it wasn't getting any better, they switched me to Avelox and told me that if that didn't work, I would need IV antibiotics. After 4 or 5 days on Avelox, it wasn't feeling better and they told me to finish the rx then call them. I think it was a 7 day prescription. Anyway, it did take the full prescription before I felt better.

However, with your history, I wouldn't wait.

 

[DammitJanet]

Is avelox a penicillin type drug? I cant take them.

I desperately dont want to go in for IV drugs. That is what started this whole mess! If I only hadnt gone in with Cory to the ER, I wouldnt be sick now. Tony wouldnt be sick now! We caught some kind of stupid bug from them and all three of us have ended up really sick. Tony missed 3 days of work last week with it and he never misses work being sick. Bad part about it too is the stupid ER doctor (PA too) did nothing for Cory!

 

[GoingNorth]

Janet? Can you get in to see an ENT out where you live? My mother had problems with recurrent ear infections and had tubes put in in her early 70s. I didn't know it could be done on adults, but it really helped her.

It's an office procedure that doesn't even require anesthesia when done on an adult.

 

[flutterby]

I don't think it's a penicillin drug, but I'm not sure. It's new - not in generic - and they told me it was the strongest antibiotic they could put me on. If it didn't work, it would be IV antibiotics.

 

[Hound dog]

Janet get back to the doctor asap!!!

Didn't he give you an oral anitbiotic with the ear drops?? Or did I miss that?? (I've been typing pharm notes for the past 3 hrs, I'm seeing cross eyed lol)

Hope it clears up soon! WE DON"T WANT A REPEAT PERFORMANCE OF LAST TIME!!

(((hugs)))

 

[klmno]

Ouch is right. I'm glad you are keeping in close contact with one dr or another- but you can't afford to take a break in antibiotics- you know that.

I hope you're feeling better soon.

 

[witzend]

Those are miserable. I went through a few years as a kid when I got them to the point of drainage. Just awful! I hope that your doctor will be able to help you out tomorrow.

 

[flutterby]

Thing is, Janet, last time you had one that felt like this you ended up almost dying and scaring us all to death. Don't wait.

 

[DammitJanet]

Im going in at 2 tomorrow. I am on levaquin once a day so it should be keeping the infection at least somewhat at bay. I dont think it has moved into a sinus infection because there is no pain in the sinus regions. No pain upon pressing my eyes or my cheeks. Its all ear pain and pain under and behind the ear...down below the jaw. My head feels and sounds like I am in a drum and like I am hearing under the water. Well...actually I cant hear out of that ear hardly at all. I picked up the phone earlier and forgot and put it up to that ear and heard nothing...lol.

 

[Wiped Out]

Five days with no relief is a long time. I'm glad you are going in tomorrow but wish you would go in even sooner. Hugs.

 

[susiestar]

Levaquin is about as strong as avelox. That it is not working is alarming. Please urge your reg doctor to be aggressive with this, esp as the whole ear hurts. In addition to the cortisone drops you already have, ask GP for some of the auralgan drops. They contain benzocaine and will numb any part of the ear they come into contact with. They are generic and really help, esp if you warm them up a little. They don't help the infection but they will help the pain. Ear infection pain can drive you insane.

Push the doctor to be aggressive with the bronchitis too. We love you and don't want you to be as sick as you were last year! I hope Tony and Cory feel better soon too.

 

[gcvmom]

It can take a long while for your hearing to return, especially if you've got a build-up of fluid in the infected ear. First the infection has to be knocked down, and with it the inflammation that's got your eustachian tubes blocked and trapping the fluid in there. Then your body has to reabsorb the fluid...

Hope you get some relief from your appointment tomorrow!

 

[Lothlorien]

Levaquin and Avelox are similar and are very strong antibiotics. The Levaquin should have knocked it out by now. Be careful taking Levaquin. One of the side effects of Levaquin is a ruptured Achilles tendon. I took Levaquin everytime I had a sinus infection and the docs never told me of this side effect. I had constant Achilles pain for a while. I learned about it on the internet. The docs don't give it to me anymore.

 

[busywend]

Now I see. 5 days on medications - certainly should be better than you are feeling. I know from the other post that you are planning on getting in tomorrow. I hope when you wake up you feel less pain tomorrow.