Swimmer's Ear?

Try these to avoid. I've heard a little alcohol gets rid of it.


Edited by rollinbones 2006-12-05 2:15 PM






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Swimmer's ear is an infection in the ear which I believe is caused by bacteria building up in your ear canal. You might just be sensitive to the water...make sure your ears are dry when done Q-tips etc. Ear plugs would help I'm sure.

Thanks for the fast responses! I've never had this happen before so it was quite a surprise. Thanks for tips and product recommendations.

Peroxide and vinegar. The alcohol will dry out the lining inside your ear canal and possibly cause additional issues. 16 years of competitive swimming and I was always told never to put alcohol in my ears.

Caitlin-

I could be wrong, or have incorrect info, I'm not a doctor, do what works for you, by all means. I was just relaying what I was told, so I hope you were not offended.

TJ

Wanted to add I've been warned by several doctors not to use Q tips. In my case, the Q tips just pack in the wax, which makes me more prone to get water stuck in my ears.

You also can put a few drops of baby oil into the ears before swimming; supposed to help keep the water from "sticking."

Using a hair dryer on low for a few seconds in the ears can also help -- and soothes you when you do have an ear infection.

I use the 1/2 perioxide-vinegar mix after every swim AND every shower. But be careful if you already have an ear infection or you'll be in for several agonizing hours of searing pain.

My Doctor told me never stick anything in your ear smaller than your elbow. You can try the above suggestions but nothing beets a quick check up at your doctors to make sure it is just swimmers ear.

You get swimmer's ear because the pH kills the bacteria that normally thrive in your ear, hence the remedy of vinegar. Don't know if straight alcohol would be "bad" necessarily, but it is certainly better than q-tips. The skin inside the bony part of your ear is the thinnest in your body and it actually "flows" like a glacier from your eardrum to the outside. Q-tips are made to tear it up and to cram wax, which normally is not present that deep, up against your eardrum and give you infections. I like peroxide myself, probably not necessarily the best for some unknown reason, for general cleaning. Something about all that fizzing says, "Hey, I'm working in here..."

You could be hurting when you swallow because of muscular movement tugging on the tissue around the base of the ear. If it were my ear I'd go get it checked out, just to make sure you didn't have any sort of perforation of the drum or infection getting into the inner ear or down into your eustachian tubes (the pop when you fly tubes), which may also hurt when you swallow.

Probably something simple like drops for a week or so, but ears are important. Ya gotta take care of 'em.

Edited by Mr. Freeze 2006-12-06 8:03 PM

Huh?





*snicker* Sorry, I had to...

I'm in agreement with the above statement, and I have hearing loss from when I was attached to an artillary battery for 30 days. It does not take much.

Check.

It doesn't take much to mess 'em up. Ringing is your body's way of saying you already did. Kinda like throwing "witches" into the river, if they sink the damage is pretty much done.

I think it was MEPS where we were all toeing the line after our hearing exam, waiting for our paperwork from the hearing test lady, and she says, "Where's So and So?" Right here, he says. "Did you know you have loss at frequency X?" Huh?

We all started cracking up, cuz that was the first time we'd heard the obligatory hearing joke, so then she got all up in his shiz because she thought he was being a clown. But he really couldn't hear. When she figured out he was serious, then she turned on us for laughin'...

I've used several combinations of the alcohol, peroxide and vinegar with good success ... the combination being driven, of course, by what I happen to have on hand at the time.

Am I the only person using ear candles for routine ear health? Every 4-6 weeks, I candle my ears and they feel awesome afterwards!