Any other suggestions? 
He's in a lot of pain from the pressure.
Doctor is the only option I'm afraid.
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Mortious wrote, obviously thinking too hard:
The ear drum is an extremely delicate piece of equipment, and the ear drops could even be making it worse.Doctor is the only option I'm afraid.
Shows how much I know.
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Mortious had this to say about Knight Rider:
I thought Canada had a national health service like the UK?Shows how much I know.
Yeah... For Canadians.. 
I'll blame it on the fact it's 6am and I haven't slept yet.
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Ares had this to say about Captain Planet:
Yeah... For Canadians..
With out system you should be able to go in for an emergency and it won't be a problem but I'm not sure how our cousins do it.
Regardless, if it's really bad you need to get him on proper ingested antibiotics ASAP.
I have almost chronic ear infections so I've had a bit of experience with this.
quote:
Mortious wrote this stupid crap:
I thought you were Canadian. Or you are but he isn't? I'm all confused now.I'll blame it on the fact it's 6am and I haven't slept yet.
She's Candian, he's a New Yorker.
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Ares's fortune cookie read:
Severe lack of "cha-ching" here people... And it's a long drive back to NYC.
An emergency room isn't going to turn him down. Go now, let the insurance sort it out later.
Hearing > Money. It'll work itself out, it is more important that he doesn't go deaf.
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From the book of Falaanla Marr, chapter 3, verse 16:Hearing > Money. It'll work itself out, it is more important that he doesn't go deaf.
It's actually pretty unlikely he'll lose his hearing. Having said that, I've spent 1-2 months with only hearing in one ear before. Not pleasant in the least.
It'll most likely be an outer ear infection which will progress to inner ear. Can he hear out of the affected ear? Can you see down into the ear the same distance as the unaffected ear? If the answer is no to both of these, he will need to see a doctor to get meds to properly treat it, and they'll most likely flush the ear which will be a really interesting experience if he's never had it done before...
Remember, IANAD, and I'm pretty sure no one else on the boards is.. Get to a doctor as soon as you can and have it looked at.
As for the doctor thing, I thought no doctor was allowed to refuse anyone even if they can't afford it. There are pay plans, and sometimes even the government will eat the bill. Trillee fucked around with this message on 08-30-2004 at 01:12 AM.
At least I know that the drops are probably helping. I just read a thing that said that swimmers ear is caused by bacteria in water (mostly fresh water lakes)...And these drops are suppose to be anti-bacterial.
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Verily, Trillee doth proclaim:
Problems with taking him now anf getting it taken care of before it gets worse?
Yes. And my parents are sleeping (car). Even then, he won't let me. Stubborn Anamericans!
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Ares's account was hax0red to write:
I'll see if I can take him tomorrow. Thankfully my dad is home. If worse comes to worse,he can probably drive him to Buffalo to a free clinic or something.At least I know that the drops are probably helping. I just read a thing that said that swimmers ear is caused by bacteria in water (mostly fresh water lakes)...And these drops are suppose to be anti-bacterial.
The ear needs to be as clear as possible to *cough* allow any 'flow' of pus. I recommend you stop with the ear drops.
There's a reason they give you ingested antibiotics if you have an ear infection.
This is doubly true if it develops into an inner ear infection.
Oh and swimmer's ear only happens after a long long long time swimming.
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Check out the big brain on Kaglaaz How'ler!
Also as stupid as this may sound. Another great way to help his ears drain is to chew gum as much as he possibly can stand. It does help but hurts like hell when you already have pain. This is something the medical staff suggested to my wife whose ears plug up very easily.
Well, he WAS eating pizza earlier and for a brief moment, his ear popped... So that might be an idea.
Now, if only I could get him to stop shoveing q-tips into his ear.
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Ares had this to say about Matthew Broderick:Now, if only I could get him to stop shoveing q-tips into his ear.
Very bad idea until a few days have passed. After a day or two, use qtips to get the rest of the gunk out.
edit: before this, he'll just irritate the eardrum even more. Niklas fucked around with this message on 08-30-2004 at 01:18 AM.
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There was much rejoicing when Niklas said this:
The ear needs to be as clear as possible to *cough* allow any 'flow' of pus. I recommend you stop with the ear drops.There's a reason they give you ingested antibiotics if you have an ear infection.
This is doubly true if it develops into an inner ear infection.
Oh and swimmer's ear only happens after a long long long time swimming.
These are prescription for middle ear infections. My family is prone to them. I actually had the tubes put in when I was a baby. They are helping a bit actually.. They've broken up some of the blockage. It's just some relief until we can get him somewhere.
He swan for like 4 hours ear day... Plus the times we went tubing.
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Niklas wrote, obviously thinking too hard:
Oh and swimmer's ear only happens after a long long long time swimming.
Accually it can come about from any amount. I've gotten it from just spending a half hour swimming. Alls it takes is getting water trapped in the ear.
Anyway to get some traveller's insurance online that doesn't have to be sent through snail mail?
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Trillee had this to say about Tron:
Accually it can come about from any amount. I've gotten it from just spending a half hour swimming. Alls it takes is getting water trapped in the ear.
Oh well, might be thinking of something else. Surfer's ear I think it is.
And Ares, over here they never prescribe ear drops for ear infections. I guess it's a difference in medical opinion or something. Still, might want to head to a doctor's but it should start getting better after a day or so.
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Niklas impressed everyone with:
Oh well, might be thinking of something else. Surfer's ear I think it is.And Ares, over here they never prescribe ear drops for ear infections. I guess it's a difference in medical opinion or something. Still, might want to head to a doctor's but it should start getting better after a day or so.
Yeah, we've only started really doing anything about it today, because he woke up with a lot of pain. (before it was just some pressure)
It felt better for awhile today, but now it's bad again, and he's maxed out his limit on advil.
I can see your reasoning on the ear drops thing (being liquid on liquid). If these were specially formulated for my mom or something, I definately wouldn't use them. But these are just for relieving middle ear infections.
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LOCACORTEN® VIOFORM® Eardrops
Novartis
Flumethasone Pivalate - Clioquinol
Topical Aural Corticosteroid - Antibacterial - Antifungal
Action And Clinical Pharmacology: Flumethasone pivalate is a moderately potent difluorinated glucocorticoid with anti-inflammatory, antipruritic, and vasoconstrictive properties. As it is a pivalate, its action is concentrated at the site of application. This local effect on diseased areas results in a prompt decrease in inflammation, exudation and itching.Clioquinol, the antimicrobial component of Locacorten Vioform Eardrops, is active against a broad spectrum of pathogenic micro-organisms, including fungi (e.g., Candida, Microsporum, Trichophyton) and gram-positive bacteria (e.g., Staphylococci). Clioquinol has only a slight inhibitory effect on gram-negative bacteria. Clioquinol exerts a bacteriostatic rather than a bactericidal action.
The polyethylene glycol vehicle is inert, non-irritant and viscous. This vehicle softens the cerumen and ensures prolonged contact of the active ingredients with the surface of the ear canal.
Indications And Clinical Uses: Otitis externa ("swimmer's ear"); otomycosis including that due to aspergillus niger.
Contra-Indications: Perforation of the eardrum (suspected or verified).
Viral (e.g., chicken pox) or syphilitic skin infections; tuberculosis of the skin; skin eruptions following vaccination.
Known hypersensitivity to flumethasone pivalate or to corticosteroids in general, to hydroxyquinolines, clioquinol, or other quinoline derivatives, iodine, as well as to any other components of Locacorten Vioform eardrops (see Supplied).
Application to the eye.
Children: Use is contraindicated in children under 2 years of age
I then checked symptoms of the preforated eardrum, and he's had no bloody discharge, or hearing loss. so, hopefully these will clear things up.
(while you're at the store don't forget the gum!quote:
This insanity brought to you by Kaglaaz How'ler:
*peers at the medical info* Yep, should work great. Better then what I get for swimmer's ear from my doctor. And you're in canada yes? Tylenol + codeine or (if he's over 25) Asprin + codeine are both available over the counter yes? Should take care of the pain in no time(while you're at the store don't forget the gum!
Actually, we tried the Tylenol One's (codeine over the counter) from advice of my mom, and they did nothing. The advil has worked the best... The highest stuff we have in the house are my mom's Tylenol 3's.. Waaaay too much codeine (and they are precription drugs). X_X
He's saying now that the chewing hurt his year.. 
I wish he'd make up his mind.
My daughters both have had LOTS of ear infections over the last 5 years. Plus at 33 I'm starting to lose my hearing due to heriditary. (Thanks dad ) Plus being down at the cabin every summer throughout my childhood, swimming has me pretty well familiar with ear problems too.
Here is the Mayo Clinic writeup on Swimmer's Ear. The right side of the page allows you to move on learn more about just the basics.
I didn't have swimmer's ear. I had a straight up ear infection. I rubbed a q-tip too hard against the ear when I'd just gotten out of a hot shower and warm, dark, moist places are where bacteria like to hide and breed. My ear hurt, but no biggy. So for a week I waited for it to stop. Mom gave me some stuff for it and some helpful suggestions regarding it. Didn't help. By the end of the week it not only hurt to chew, but it hurt to move my jaw to speak. I was speaking through clenched teeth and eating squishy foods, and I still didn't go.
By the time I *DID* go to the doctor, my ear canal had swollen closed. The soft tissue in the soft spot behind my ear (reach up and feel it, you have the same soft spot) was feeling puffy. The ear infection was having a party in the area between my eardrum and the swollen closed portion of my ear canal. It had spread into the little tube connecting my ear to my throat. By this point, it hurt to lay my head on either side, and I turned my head slowly due to the disconcerting "sloshing" sensation.
The doc couldn't get the scope far enough into my ear. He said I'd waited too long, and it would go one of two ways. I'd take the oral antibiotic he prescribed, and it wasn't too late. The infection would subside, he could put a stint in when the swelling went down enough, and it would help drain the stuff, my eardrum would rupture, and if I would lucky, it would heal with a minimum of hearing loss. If the infection had settled into the soft tissues behind the ear (which is like a sponge full of nooks and crannies for bacteria to settle in), I was in for a long term fight because the antibiotics could only do so much, and I would by the end of it probably lose some of my hearing in that ear.
I got lucky. I've always been a fast healer, fast to get over illness, and generally healthy. The antibiotics worked, the swelling went down, the stint went in, and a massive amount of disgusting brownish-yellow goo came out. It would run out of my ear and down my cheek while I was sleeping. Pretty disgusting, but oh how good it felt to not have that agonizing pressure. Eventually the stint popped out on it's own. When it went in, it was maybe half an inch long, about as wide as a toothpick. When it came out it had swelled to the size of a fat orange tic-tac.
But that wasn't the end. Then my eardrum ruptured. The doc said it would happen. The only question was would it rupture in the center (bad), would the bacteria settle back in and keep rupturing it as it healed, causing scar tissue if not an outright loss of hearing (very bad) or would it tear at the edge (good) and heal normally (very good)? I lucked out again, though you couldn't tell me that at the time. It HURT like FUCKING HELL when my eardrum ruptured. Doc looked with his scope and confirmed it was at the edge. More crud out of my ear (this time, mixed with blood; the yellowish crud was gross, but this would congeal like a blood clot. Really gross), but it didn't hurt. A few days later when I went in for the follow-up, it had healed nicely.
I don't have any hearing loss that I notice in that ear, but I lucked out. There were several times where bad choices or sheer fate could have said "ha ha got your right ear!" and that would have been that. I'm not a doctor. Maybe your boyfriend's situation isn't as bad. But don't dick around with it. In the States, doctors, especially emergency room docs, have to treat you. They'll chase you around to pay the bill afterwards, but they can't deny you service. Ja'Deth Issar Ka'bael fucked around with this message on 08-30-2004 at 08:43 AM.
sigpic courtesy of This Guy, original modified by me
quote:
Niklas attempted to be funny by writing:
qtips
Qtips should never really be used inside the ear, they're designed for the outside of the canal. Otherwise you wreck the tiny hairs that line it.
Since those hairs are critical in the removal of earwax from the canal, you can look forward to blockages if you over-use qtips.
So as yourself this; $100 for a clinic visit, or $10,000 for hospitalization? (Numbers are conservative, I know.)
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Over the mountain, in between the ups and downs, I ran into Mortious who doth quote:
Since those hairs are critical in the removal of earwax from the canal, you can look forward to blockages if you over-use qtips.
I've been using qtips in my ear canal for about 20 years. How else do you remove the giant wads of wax that develop there?
