I think I have a damaged ear drum and an ear infection. Is their any rush to see a doctor?

Answer 1

I had that problem a couple of weeks ago, one ear I had infection, went to doc and gave me some drops, in one week I was fine again, there is a rush?, I guess so, it's very uncomfortable..☺

Answer 2

Hi, I'm an Audiologist (hearing and balance specialist)

If you're on Antibiotic drops already, there is not much more you can do. Pain relievers can help, but ear pain is usually very acute. We have many nerves in out ears as a protective measure because the structures are so delicate. It can take a few days for the pain to subside once the medication has taken effect. Here in the U.S. we can only get antibiotic ear drops with a Doctor's prescription, so I'm assuming you've seen a physician if your ear drops do contain antibiotics. I also do not know what "calpol" is.

If you have access to antibiotic drops without first seeing a Dr., then there is the possibility that you have impacted ear wax that you have pushed up against the eardrum. You may also have scraped the skin along your ear canal which could lead to an infection. It is possible, but doesn't seem likely based on your description, that you have ruptured the eardrum.

You won't really know what the damage is until you've had a professional examination. In the meantime, since you do not know the specific cause of your symptoms, DO NOT put anything else in your ear (such as peroxide or sweet oil) because you could make it worse. If the ear drops were not prescribed for you, they may have expired. Just use oral pain relievers and as others have mentioned, and apply heat to the outer ear (such as a hot water bottle).

This is why we always tell patients to NEVER use cotton swabs or anything else to clean their ears. Our ears are self-cleaning - the wax is there to catch dirt and debris and there are hair cells that push it out so we can wash it away with a washcloth while bathing. Extended use of cotton swab can damage those hair cells and they become less effective. Many people have ear canals that are actually smaller than the head of the cotton swab, so the swab does actually push the wax in deeper, where it sits and dries out and will be very painful to have removed by the physician.

Answer 3

If you want to keep your hearing, I suggest you get in to a Dr. and let them get you started on antibiotics. Just the fact you think your ear drum has been damaged suggests you've already had the infection for a while.

Answer 4

Yes you should have it checked as soon as possible. If the ear drum is damaged then you are not hearing as well as you should. With treatment hopefully it will repair itself. No guarantees on what will happen to your hearing! The same happened to me with repeated ear infections. I ended up with a hole in my ear and even with surgery, my hearing is permenantly damaged.

Answer 5

And how, pray tell, do you know you know you have this ear drum damage?

I guess that this would explain your "terrible pain" while listening to head phones in your other question. However, you will have trouble hearing the eyebrow wax responses like this (another question).

Answer 6

yes...the sooner you go the better.....the worse the ear infection gets the harder to get rid of it....go now. It could also cause other damage if not treated quickly.

Answer 7

Assuming this is a serious question - YES, you could cause major permanent damage to your ear. Besides, it would hurt like hell.

Answer 8

Yes, as soon as possible. If you leave it and the infection carries on you can end up with permanent hearing loss.

Answer 9

The doctor can prescribe you anti-biotics to kill the infection. I would get it checked out before it gets worse.

Answer 10

Yes - it can get a lot worse if left.
Get down to A&E - they can check it out and give you antibiotics.