Ear Pulling and Fussiness at Night Not an Ear Infection?

i would bet that it IS teeth, in spite of the doc not seeing any. some teeth take a long time to come in. on the other hand, it could be something from when she reclines -- some slight ear/nose/throat drainage that only bothers her when she lays down. does she have any lactose/dairy sensitivities that might cause that?

I have a one year old little nephew that just got tubes in his ear. He was pretty miserable until my niece and nephew took him and the doctor decided that would be the best thing, he is a different child since he had this done.....good luck and I would talk to the doctor about this soon.

Could be as simple as just fluid behind the ear drum. Just pay close attention because it can turn into an infection. The fluid can still cause discomfort. Good luck.

Have you considered swimmer's ear? Sometimes after swimming or baths kids get water that stays in their ears. It sloshes around and can be very aggravating. There are drops you can try, but you can also just try a drop or two of rubbing alcohol to dry them out. If you GENTLY tug on her earlobes, repeatedly after a swim or bath it should release the water. Also, see if a warm blast of air from a hairdryer helps. She may have some water hiding that's tickling/itching her. It can later turn into something (like an infection) even tho the dr doesn't find anything now.

Best of luck!

Sara

She could be getting teeth even if you don't see them cutting through they can still be working their way up. If it doesn't go away then check with the doctor about an ear infection again. It may not have been bad when she went in. Also pulling of the ears is a sign of tiredness, make sure she isn't overtired when you put her to bed.

You can have fluid in your middle ear with no infection. I've had it all my life, and my family. It could be due ot allergies or to teething, but either way it has to be dealt with because it can turn into an infection. Try an over-the-counter antihistamine or decongestant, of the proper dosage for a kid that age, of course. It'll dry up the fluid and make her more comfortable and could even prevent an infection, and is a little less drastic than allergy medicine. You can treat allergies in kids this way, too. It doesn't always work to take them to an allergist until they're old enough to tell you just how they feel, because treating serious allergies is such a subjective matter. I've had better success just treating the symptoms and keeping an eye out for fever, which may indicate infection.

Don't hesitate to use acetaminophen (generic name for Tylenol) for the pain. It will help if it's teething pain, too.

Sounds like an ear infection to me. Doctors can be wrong, since medicine is a practice. I'd take her to another doctor for a second opinion. Obviously something is wrong.

I think that it's teething. My kids rubbed their ears when they started to get teeth. Check her mouth for incoming teeth. Rubbing cheek and ears seem to help the pain. Is she fussy when eating or biting more when she eats?

Hi K.:

She might have allergies with it being Spring. The ear might be itching her instead of being in pain. Place your finger at the outside of ear, where the canal starts, and massage it lightly and see if that sooths it. Try tylenol with allergy relief and see if that works.
They also have over the counter medication for ear infections. It is an eardrop. See your pharmacist. As stated, doctors can be wrong.

Sounds like teeth to me

have there been any other changes in diet -solids or liquids of late?

ALLERGIES! I've seen it before many times. I have a wonderful allergist and she specializes in pediatrics as well. Your baby will not have to be tested for allergies immediately or something like that.

First the doctor will to an exam of the ears, nose and throat. She can see when I am inflamed and am having an allergy reaction by the color of the wall inside my nose and many standard doctors have not been able to diagnose this - only my allergist. She's very experienced.

Same with both of my children. She can tell when the area below the ear (deep inside the ear) seems swollen just by touching the spot. I now take the kids in almost every time they have anything upper respiratory as it all starts with their allergies and the doctor is so skilled at seeing it I wouldn't take them anywhere else. As an indication of this - - I've taken them to the pediatrician for bronchitis symptoms before and the meds they gave made the kids worse instead of better. Taking the kids to Dr. Arora has meant a clear up in a couple days. She understands the right medicines to give and the right treatments for upper respiratory. She's a Godsend.

Bottom line - she has saved our lives. I couldn't live without her.

Please contact her!!! My allergist's name is Dr. Nirmala Arora. She is located at Good Samaritan's Doctor building. She's also got an office in Bolingbrook.

Her web page link with full contact information is here: http://www.suburbancenterofallergy.com/

Best of luck,

S.

She could have a yeast infection in her ears that can be cause by allergies. It is not really visible but a yeast infection in your ear does itch. Just a thought.

S.

My daughter did the same thing at 6-7m and I thought it was teething. We took her in just to check for an ear infection, the doc said it was teething. Well, 10.5 months she is just now getting her first tooth. I cannot digest soy, gluten or dairy. For kicks, I gave my daughter some gluten and each time I gave it to her, she pulled her ears and banged her head side to side. She is not suppose to have gluten until she gets tested at one years of age, but wanted to at least expose her to it 6-8m, since they say too for exposure. So it could be teething, could be food allergies, check what you are feeding to her. Take it out of her diet for 5 days, then give her the same thing, if you notice her pulling her ears, then it is a sign of food allergies. Adults have the same thing, but will have major itching in their ears after they eat a food they are allergic too. Good luck.

I think it's teeth. Emma pulled on her ears with every new tooth, and I think they still hurt pushing up through the gums even if they're nowhere near the surface yet cutting through. I don't think doctors can see that sort of movement. I found with Emma that pain like that would come and go - it was like the teeth moved and then would take a break. If the ears are clean, then you have nothing to worry about. This pain is dificult because they don't really get relief biting on cold, but I think it still helps to bite, so we'd offer teething rings and ice cubes in those little food traps. Have you seen those? They have them at BRU and we thought they were a lifesaver. It's a little net with a handle on the end so they can hold onto it and feed themselves - we'd put frozen fruit or ice cubes in there and Emma still loves it when needed at 20 months. Motrin helped her at night - that lasts 8 hours instead of 4 like Tylenol, so that helped her to sleep through the whole night.

Good luck!
K.

It could totally be teething pain, despite your doctor not seeing anything - my son's teeth just kind of popped through really fast. We never saw any signs of teeth until they were in his mouth. He didn't struggle with pain at all, so maybe we just weren't looking for it? My daughter HAS had pain and always pulls on her ear when she's teething, and I rarely see any signs of a tooth popping through until I see the tooth itself. Hang in there! But if you feel like there is an underlying ear infection, maybe have another doctor check her just in case? Good luck!