Olive oil

[Jori]

DD is complaining (okay, screaming in tears) of an ear ache. I gave her a pain killer and she seems alright now. I don't have sweet oil but can I just olive oil in a clean dropper? just found out what our individual deductibles are and it's 4 times what it was last year so i don't want to go to urgent care or the ER unless it's really bad .

[Motherhen]

I don't know about oil but what I'd do is take a sock and add epsom salts to it...heat it up and let her lie with her head/ear on it to help give relief. I've also heard that garlic cloves inserted in the ear are good. Thats what my father in law would do for a problem with his ear. You could also use a hairdryer on low--blow into the ear. I've never tried that one.

When I hear a story like this, I'm glad that Canada has health care. Before, down in S.Ont where I lived, a wait at the ER/hosp. is long but now that I live in N.Ont, healthcare is FAR superior and a wait at the local hosp. is short.-usually 15 minutes--no more than an hour..but it sure makes me thankful that I'm not in the US. I hope she is feeling better soon---an earache is a very painful thing.

 

Edited to say: I also just thought of tea tree oil...or oil of oregano--would any of those work? Is that what you mean by 'sweet oil'? Have you any amoxillin on hand for infections? You can purchase some from KV Vet Supply (kvvetsupply.com) under Fish antibiotics.

[windmorn]

They are the same thing. Decongestant may help too. The sudafed behind the counter not the stuff out in the store. Our dr. told us that new psudeophed was tested as nasal spary with some good results so they made a pill and it doesn't work. Hope she feels better soon. OHHH BTW There is some homeopathic drops that you can sometimes find around earwax cleaner outer that helped dd last time she had an ear ache. I think they are Similason brand.

[Annarchy]

We swim a lot in the summer. Because we were going to the Dr. at least 2-3 times a month for ear infections/divers ear, he suggested this:

 

1/2 alcohol & 1/2 vinegar solution. 2 to 3 times a day and after baths. Drip in ear, then tip your head and drain. (I put enough to fill my ear.) When my ear is screaming at me, it takes a day or so for it to calm down, and then, maybe 3 days and my ear is back to normal.

 

Alcohol sterilizes and dries the ear out.

Vinegar combats bacteria and other nasties.

 

 

Sweet oil is olive oil.

[Jori]

Thanks everyone! She seems to be doing better. She had a headache and an off and on fever over the weekend. I was going with sinus/allergies because the counts are so bad right now. Maybe this is part of it, too.

 

Ann~ I use straight alcohol for at least the past 20 years (probably more). I swam competitively in Middle and High School and taught and lifeguarded for years. Summers were spent on the water as well so I just made it a habit. I haven't had problems in a long time but I also had a ruptured eardrum at one point.

 

I tried to do the hair dryer trick when I dried her hair and she was so upset I couldn't tell if it helped her.

[Jeepers]

Sweet oil is just olive oil. It is called sweet oil because of the taste. I've also heard you can use baby oil if that is all you have. Carefully warmed up oil (just a little above room temp) will feel good as opposed to cold oil in a sore ear. Be careful with a hair dryer because of the noise so close to the ear. I usually get the heating pad and lay on it on low.

 

I hope your DD is feeling better.

[Jori]

We ended up in the doctors office this afternoon. Who knew if you called and said your kid was complaining of an earache they want to see you same day. Turns out the poor kids has a bad middle ear infection. They put her on antibiotics and we have to watch for a reaction (she has reacted to omnicef) so picked up liquid benadryl for her. She prompt took that even before I had given her the medicine as she broke out in hives from new dryer sheets.

 

Seeing some huge holes in my preps with this. Ignore any errors, using my phone as my desktop pc decided to stop working and the laptop has decided to not go on the internet.