is fluid in the ear serious?

Question

about 4 days ago i started feeling a little stuffy then 2 days later i became totally congested and sore throat. i called my doc and of course they couldnt fit me in until next week. now this weekend has been hell. friday night i felt like i had been underwater and let tons of water in my ears. now i can not hear anything out of my left ear. im assuming all these things are related but is this ear thing serious. i havent had an ear infection since i was a kid. please any info would be nice

Answer 1

The ear, in the world of medicine, is not just the ear that we commonly refer to. The ear is quite a complex structure and consists of 3 parts: the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. Otitis media, as the name suggests, refers to infection in the middle ear.

How does otitis media occur? The middle ear, which is the space behind the eardrum, is normally filled with air. A tube normally connects the middle ear to the throat. This tube is called auditory tube or the Eustachian tube (Eustachian was a chap who discovered the tube hundreds of years ago). The function of the tube is to normalize or equalize the pressure between the middle ear and the atmosphere. When blocked, pressure in the middle ear decreases, causing mucus (or fluid) to fill up the space. The mucus may then become contaminated by bacteria and viruses, thus allowing infection to occur.

This is the basic mechanism of middle ear infection. There are many reasons for the Eustachian tube to become blocked. One of the commonest being an upper respiratory infection or common cold, which causes the Eustachian tube to swell up and block. This is particularly common in children as their Eustachian tubes are smaller and not yet fully developed. The other less common cause being a tumor growing around the opening of the Eustachian tube in the throat, causing the tube to obstruct. This is particularly common in the middle age or the elderly population, where tumor of the throat is prevalent. Having said that, very often, an ear infection occurs 'out of the blue' for no apparent reason.

What are the symptoms of a middle ear infection? Earache is the most common complaints. It is often described as a deep ache or pressure, sometimes bad enough to disrupt sleep. Dulled hearing and deafness are also common symptoms; they usually last for several days. Fever is also common, but not very 'specific' as other infections can also cause fever. Young children with middle ear infections may also vomit and tend to look very ill. Babies cannot point to their pain but if they are irritable, feel hot and crying all the time, a middle ear infection should always be suspected. Discharge is a common symptom too. As the infection progresses, pressure begins to build up in the middle ear. When it is too high, the eardrum 'pops', allowing its content (usually pus) to flow out from the middle ear.

Are all earaches caused by middle ear infection? Absolutely not! Lots of other diseases can cause earaches as well. For example, people with toothache can sometimes have earaches, this is due to pain being 'referred' to the middle ear. Other causes of earache due to referred pain include sinusitis (infection of the sinus), sore throat, tongue ulcers, thyroid problems, outer ear infections, so on and so forth.

What is the treatment for a middle ear infection? The aim of treatment is to kill the bugs responsible, to control the pain and to control the fever (to bring the high temperature down to normal). Antibiotics are commonly given to kill the germs responsible, the commonest being Amoxicillin. Pain killers (or analgesics) are given to control the pain, panadol is usually sufficient but some people may need stronger pain killers. Lastly, panadol can also do the job in lowering the high temperature as well. The course of the disease is usually between 7 to 14 days.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

The ear thing will go all with all your other symptoms. You may have an ear infection, or maybe your glands are swelling on both sides of your throat, which in turn can be putting pressure on the ear canal, causing it to hurt like the dickens. Hopefully, you get in soon to see your doctor. Until then, the best thing you can do for now will be to take tylenol every 4 to 6 hours to try, gargle with warm salty water to try and ease the throat pain, or get you some throat lozenges. Make sure that you drink plenty of fluids (if you are having trouble eating because of the throat pain) so you do not dehydrate. You can also try lying your ear on a heating pad for 20 minutes or so to see if it helps with the pain. If you do not have a heating pad, take a bag of rice, put it into an old sock, warm in the microwave for about a minute and use this as a heating pad. It can be rewarmed several times and the moisture in the rice will hold the heat for about 20 minutes. I hope some of this information will help you until you can get to see your doctor. I can just imagine how miserable you are. Good luck.

Answer 4

If you cant get into your doc quickly, i suggest buying some decongestant. Buy the the kind that has psuedophedrine(suddafed)it is the best over the counter. Your ear sounds like it is infected and there is always the possibility that it could rupture. The decongestant will relieve the pressure and pain, depending upon which state you live in the suddafed will probably be behind the counter because all the methheads buy it up too cook meth, so ask the pharmacist. Good luck.

Answer 5

th ears, nose and throat are all connected. The doc will probably put you on an antihistomine to reduce the fluid feeling. It is only a big deal if you let it go on months with out being treated. For now go to Wallgreens and pick up Similasan's Healthy Relief for Earaches it is a homeopathic and works great!

Answer 6

Well since the tubing from your throat and ears are connected.. any sore throat usually you feel it in your ears also... Especially during congestion..
Now adays.. doctors dont like to treat ear infections with antibiotics unless it is extremely severe and fever real high.. They dont want you to get antibiotic resistant.. So they just treat the symptoms to help dry you out and with over the counter pain medication. and maybe ear drops to help the ear.. They just tell you to go home and drink fluids, rest and allow the 10-15days it takes to clear up on its own..

Answer 7

You need antibiotics! Call your doctor again tomorrow morning explain how it has progressed. If they still won't fit you in, you can either ask if they can refer you to another doctor or you can call your insurance company. Our dentist did this to my husband when he was in pain. I called the insurance company to ask if he could go to a different dentist due to the pain he was in. The insurance company contacted the dentist & within minutes the dentist's office called to apologize, & had him come right in. ...Of course they denied that we told them that he was in pain, but regardless he got the care he needed. A good doctor should & would fit you in if you are in pain or refer you to the doctor that they have on call when your doctor is not. Good luck! I know how you feel I had the same problem. It was painful & disorientating. I could barely hear, & what I could hear was muffled; like I had a glass over my ear. I hope you feel better soon!

Answer 8

You have some type of ear infections. You should call your doctor back and explain the worsening symptoms and ask to be worked in. You need an antibiotic now.

Answer 9

my sister had fluid behind her ear drum when she was a child. if the doctor sees fit, he/she will talk to you about putting this little tiny cylinder in your ear drum that will help drain the fluid out. from what i remember, in time, the tube just eventually falls out. check this site out http://www.ear-tube.com/

Answer 10

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