After taking this medicine for the 10 days like my doctor prescribed me to take, which has almost been a year ago. I wasn't experiencing anymore pain in my right ear so I figured the medicine has cured what problems I was experiencing at that time until just yesterday after waking up I had the most sharpest, stabbing severe pain in my ear again, where I couldn't even bare to lift my head from my pillow cause it felt like the pain was shooting even deeper into the inside of my ear which I had been laying on my right side which was probably putting alot of pressure on my ear but the inside of my right ear hurt so severely that I almost cried, its a very intense sharp, stabbing, throbbing pain deep inside, probably close to the inside of my earlobe. My question is why am I having ear pain like this? I take very good care of myself. And atleast three times a week I clean my ears out with a quitip, sometimes adding rubbing alcohol to the qui -tip. And I know not to shove the qui-tip deep inside the ear, and I don't. I basically clean around the inside which i don't go too deep into and around the entire ear. I work in a very dusty environment with carbon, though I work in the office I don't get all the black stuff (Carbon) in my ears like the laborers, but daily I am always getting something out of my ears, even sometimes you can't see anything in them after cleaning them up. I have never experienced this much pain, not even a year ago when my dr prescribed this medication to me. I have had a few little minor pain issues in the same ear which I didnt pay too much attention to as I thought the pain was possibly a pimple, and I could feel it or something like a pimple in the inside of my ear, and the only thing I would end up doing was pushing the pimple towards myself with one of my fingers applying a little pressure, hoping it would eventually pop after applying a little pressure to the pimple daily until it was ready to leave my ear. lol. Sorry this is so long, but my husband and I just moved back to the OK area, and I haven't found a doctor just yet, which when I do find this doctor this time, I am going to ask for a referal to a specialist cause I never want to experience those pains again. lol. Heck I also have degenerative disc disease with two erupted disc, which one sits right on my spinal cord, as next week I am already going to a specialist in the city so in the meantime while waiting to get into the doctor I figured I would ask some other viewers, if they have ever experienced the pain I am experiencing, I really need some good advice on what I can possibly do, to help it, or to temporary ease the pain naturally until I can be seen by my doctor. I would greatly appreciate anyone's help in trying to help me. Thanks for your patience in reading this letter. I hope to find some good answers, I look forward to it. :)
Hydrocortisone/Neomycin/Polymyxin B - Severe ear pain... PLEASE HELP???
Question posted by akwine31 on 6 Dec 2012
Last updated on 8 December 2012
Answers
Hi akwine31 and welcome to DC. It sure sounds like you have an ear infection. There are lots of temporary measures including a heating pad as you lie on that side with the heating pad on your ear. If you get that sudden stabbing pain and then feel like your ear has popped or burst with fluid coming out then you surely do have and infection and you need to be treated. A primary care physician can certainly take care of this or an ENT doc. If you have a fever or intense pain then either Tylenol, Advil or one of those that you well-tolerate will also help. If you work in a dirty environment then perhaps you can use disposable ear protection or even cotton, changed daily, to keep your ears protected.
As already mentioned, don't put anything bigger than your elbow in your ear canal. Just a bad idea and runs the risk of pushing something further into your ear canal. Alcohol doesn't belong in your ear either. If you also feel congested then something like Mucinex DM can also give you relief when taken as directed.
It truly sounds like you need to be seen, though and I hope you are able to get relief sooner rather than later.
Mary
Hi Mary,
Thank you for your response. I will no longer be using the q-tips in my ears with the rubbing alcohol. I will be trying the heating pad tonight to see if the problem goes away. Thanks again for your quick response, I really appreciate it. It means alot. :)
I just wrote you a long response and my stupid computer kicked me off as I was about to save it! Ugh! Here we go again, DONT put q-tips in your ears, even just a little bit can force bacteria, yeast, dirt and wax further into the ear! Rubbing alcohol is too harsh to use on your ears!! It dries out and strips all the protective oils and waxes that coat our ear and ear canal leaving the delicate skin vulnerable to infection. To clean the outer ear, use soap water and a clean wash cloth, rinse with clear water and dry carefully. If you get dust particles in the canal, it is ok to occasioanally flush the ear canal gently with warm water and a bulb syringe. This will flush out the dust and excess ear wax without compromising the protective oils. The drops you mentioned are for outer ear canal infection (an instance of this kind of infection is "swimmers ear") pain can come from either an outer ear infection or an infection in the middle ear. Drops cant get into the middle ear so they usually use antibiotics, and/or decongestants depending on the source of infection (bacterial or viral). Ear infections can be very painful. They should be treated by a professional. If you dont have a Dr to see yet, your next least expensive option is to go to an Urgent Care facility. If you cannot find an Urgent Care facility then you can go to the ER but this is very expensive and time consuming option which is better avoided by finding an Urgent Care facility. In the meantime, use some acetaminophen or iuprofen for pain and you also might try a warm compress to the outer ear. I like the kind you pop into the microwave that gives moist heat off like a "bed buddy" which you can find at most pharmacies-Walgreens, Walmart, CVS etc for about 10 dollars US. So no more q-tips and no more rubbing alcohol-this is making things worse! Good Luck!
Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it. I won't be using anymore q-tips I guess. The doctor said she didn't think it was swimmer ear, but that my ears were not draining like they were suppose too, just my right ear I mean. My left ear never bothers me. She said I might even have to get tubes or something in my ears if it don't ever clear up. She said babies go through with the same problems. I will check into all this, and again thank you for your response it means alot. :)
Related topics
pain, hydrocortisone, hydrocortisone/neomycin/polymyxin b, neomycin, polymyxin b, inflammatory conditions, doctor, disease
Further information
- Hydrocortisone uses and warnings
- Hydrocortisone / Neomycin / Polymyxin B uses and warnings
- Neomycin uses and warnings
- Polymyxin B uses and warnings
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