Ear Infection

newsgrl

New Member
Hi Ladies. Hoepfully, this is not a silly topic. I usually wash my hair once (sometimes twice) a week. I know many of you ladies do the same. How do you all protect water from going into your ears? I'm asking because I recently had an ear infection, and some of it was due to a buildup of water going into my ears when I wash my hair. (I wash my hair in the shower. Most of the infection was due to me flying on a plane while congested. For the record, that is the worst feeling in the world.) But I just wanted to know what do you ladies do, if anything, to keep water from going into your ears? Thanks in advance for your help.
 
I don't really have a method for preventing the water from going in my ears, but I had a similar thing happen to me earlier this winter (mild ear infection) and since then, whenever I wash my hair, as soon as I get out of the shower, I use a Q-tip to get excess water out of my ears.
 
I haven't had one yet. But, if your prone to them and like to wash often, try swimmers plugs.
 
Thank you ladies. I tried the silicone ear plugs on my last wash, and they were OK. I think the drops will be easier though. Thanks again for your help.
 
I'm not sure if it's safe but whenever I get water in my ears I use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to dry up the water.
 
newsgrl said:
Thank you ladies. I tried the silicone ear plugs on my last wash, and they were OK. I think the drops will be easier though. Thanks again for your help.

I wash my hair, frequently and have had some very painful ear infections. Silicone ear plugs help me a great deal, but I have to make sure that they're fitting in my ears, properly or else water will still get down in there and cause me problems.
 
I have this problem too...as a matter of fact I have one now. :eek: Apparently, I have small ear canals(???)which lead to an increased chance of getting an infection. My doctor suggested a few things:

1) ear plugs (of course)
2) use a blow dryer on low, to dry any water (never tried)

....and my favorite:
4) mix a solution of equal parts vinegar/alcohol and adminster the the same as you would ear drops. This helps to both dry out any excess water and destroy any potentional bacteria. I keep a bottle of the stuff in my bathroom cabinet, works wonders!

Hope this helps!
 
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besides antibotics, is there anyway to get rid of an ear infection? would the water and alcohol/vinegar solution work?
 
nickie11 said:
I have this problem too...as a matter of fact I have one now. :eek: Apparently, I have small ear canals(???)which lead to an increased chance of getting an infection. My doctor suggested a few things:

1) ear plugs (of course)
2) use a blow dryer on low, to dry any water (never tried)

....and my favorite:
4) mix a solution of equal parts vinegar/alcohol and adminster the the same as you would ear drops. This helps to both dry out any excess water and destroy any potentional bacteria. I keep a bottle of the stuff in my bathroom cabinet, works wonders!

Hope this helps!

Thanks, I'm gonna try this.
 
I am very prone to ear infection and ear pain. Before I got my custom made ear plugs, my ear doctor told me to use large cotton balls with vaseline slathered on them. The vaseline created a barrier, preventing the water from entering the ear canal.

nvybeauty, there are several successful natual remedies for ear infections, depending on your symptoms. Try abchomeopathy.com or google homeopathic or holistic remedies. Hope that helps!

Dee
 
DCBrown said:
I am very prone to ear infection and ear pain. Before I got my custom made ear plugs, my ear doctor told me to use large cotton balls with vaseline slathered on them. The vaseline created a barrier, preventing the water from entering the ear canal.

nvybeauty, there are several successful natual remedies for ear infections, depending on your symptoms. Try abchomeopathy.com or google homeopathic or holistic remedies. Hope that helps!

Dee

THANKS!!!!!!!!!
 
I rub tea tree oil around the outside of my ears and if there is a build up of fluid or wax in my ear, I warm olive oil, tea tree oil and aloe vera, put in my ear with a dropper and put cotton in it for a few minutes. I had three really bad ear aches over the last six or eight months and this really helped although I need to go on and go to the ENT.
 
nvybeauty said:
besides antibotics, is there anyway to get rid of an ear infection? would the water and alcohol/vinegar solution work?
I tried that and it made my ear hurt even worse. My doctor threw a fit and told me not to EVER do that again b/c it can cause damage. :ohwell: I told him that I checked online and saw that remedy on several sites that seemed to be reputable to me. He gave me antibiotics and told me to use the silicone earplugs and not to put ANYTHING else in my ears. I can't stress enough just how much the earplugs have helped me. :D
 
Mestiza said:
I tried that and it made my ear hurt even worse. My doctor threw a fit and told me not to EVER do that again b/c it can cause damage. :ohwell: I told him that I checked online and saw that remedy on several sites that seemed to be reputable to me. He gave me antibiotics and told me to use the silicone earplugs and not to put ANYTHING else in my ears. I can't stress enough just how much the earplugs have helped me. :D


thx!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I wash in the shower, and never really get water in my ears from just standing under the water. However, I have a detachable shower head, that I can take off, hold by the handle, and use (kind of like the hose that they use when washing your head in the bowl). They aren't that expensive, and are easy to install yourself. Some just twist and snap on. Plus they are nice just for your regular shower, since you can adjust the pressure. You could also use it if you want to lean over the tub to wash.

Also, there are rubber hoses (I guess that's what you would call them), that you can slip over your sink faucet if you want to wash in the sink (I've always found washing in the sink difficult though). In any case, either of these should help keep water out of the ear.
 
to ease the pain of ear infection ( i know from experience) try some warm olive oil (or sweet oil if you can find it.) and use a little dropper to put in the infected ear and cover opening w/ cotton ball. remember to keep your head tilted so it dont run out. you only need about 1 or two little drops. then the pain should subside. if its deep in there it may take like a minute or so for you to feel the pain go away. i used to get ear infections all the time and I remember being at work CRYING cause it hurt so bad. i went to the hospital and she said i had a blockage of wax pressing on my eardrum (gROSS!!) and was due to me using q-tips, and pushing wax farther into my ear! she wrote me a prescription to get these antibiotics that were like $150, shoot !! i went to cvs and got some drops called Debrox for like $7 bucks that do the same thing the antibiotics was gonna do lol. the debrox tingles like how peroxide does. it dissolves and softens the wax so you can clean your ear. i havent had an ear infection since. make sure after (if you use them) the drops to get a ear cleaning kit that comes with one of rubber ear syringes to get the excess wax out of your ear. it works better to have someone hold it to your ear for you, so you wont get water everywhere. remember to NEVER put HOT or COLD water in your ear . only body temperature water or you can cause yourself to have headaches/nosebleeds etc. and when you use the ear syringe, make sure your head is tilted slightly so you can let the water run back out of your ear.most kits tell you how to do it anyway.
 
nvybeauty said:
thx!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You're
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! BTW, Wal-mart sells the silicone earplugs for a few dollars.
 
newsgrl said:
Hi Ladies. Hoepfully, this is not a silly topic. I usually wash my hair once (sometimes twice) a week. I know many of you ladies do the same. How do you all protect water from going into your ears? I'm asking because I recently had an ear infection, and some of it was due to a buildup of water going into my ears when I wash my hair. (I wash my hair in the shower. Most of the infection was due to me flying on a plane while congested. For the record, that is the worst feeling in the world.) But I just wanted to know what do you ladies do, if anything, to keep water from going into your ears? Thanks in advance for your help.


Last summer I had swimmer's ear from letting too much water get into my ears when washing my hair in the shower and it did hurt bad, really really really bad. I can't emphasize how very badly it hurt, lol. Now I always push my ears down and tilt my head back, I just do what ever it takes not to let any water get into my ears. Be careful, swimmer's ear is no joke.
 
A_Christian said:
Last summer I had swimmer's ear from letting too much water get into my ears when washing my hair in the shower and it did hurt bad, really really really bad. I can't emphasize how very badly it hurt, lol. Now I always push my ears down and tilt my head back, I just do what ever it takes not to let any water get into my ears. Be careful, swimmer's ear is no joke.


That's what I had...swimmer's ear even though it was not from swimming. I caution you ladies from being too diligent about cleaning your ears on a regular basis (like daily) that is what caused my ear infection. The doc said I cleaned it so well that I probably scratched the surface inside the ear and let bacteria into the ear unnecessarily. Hurt like heck.

got antibacterial drops for it and now feel better.
 
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