I've been blessed with pretty healthy kids. My oldest had a run of ear infections between age 2 and 3, but really only had 3 or 4 total in his life. My second and third have never had them.
Right now my second son (4 years old) has been battling viruses for a few weeks. It started with a green runny nose on March 17, and progressed through cold symptoms into fever, lower intestinal problems and now a bad cough and this morning he is complaining of an ear that hurts.
I took him in the first time around March 21 for a strep test because I knew kids in his preschool class had had it recently. That was negative. Then, on Wednesda this week (March 30) I took him in again because he was so miserable and sick. The doctor checked his ears and everything then and said he looked like he just got slammed with a nasty virus and to take him home to push fluids, and get plenty of rest. Well this morning he is complaining of an ear ache. Is it possible to develop an ear infection in two days (when 2 days ago his ears looked "perfect" according to the doc?)
Would you take him in again? Because I have limited experience with ear infections, I'm not sure if I should take him in and try to get some antibiotics (the poor kid has been sick for 2 weeks at this point) or just wait it out. Is there something else I can do for him (other than ibuprofin)? Has anyone else out there been through this long drawn out virus?
I'm only hesitating to take him because 1) I have to bring all 3 kids with (never fun), 2) I've already spent $50 + on co-pays and doctors visits for this illness only to have the doctor tell me that he just needs to rest.
**Thanks for the reponses so far - he has been running a low grade fever this week (including the day we took him in) but is not currently running a fever. He did have one at bedtime last night. Never over 101.
What would you do??
J.
Thanks for your help ladies.
I opted to wait till tomorrow. He was eating better today, and was actually playing some (after almost a week of lethargic behavior) so I know he is feeling a bit better. We do have an open clinic on Saturday at our doctors office, so I'll see how he's doing in the morning. He said his ear felt better by lunch time, but his nose is running green again... :(
If he isn't better in the morning, I'll take him in.
Thanks again,
jessica
I would take him in. it's friday, if it is really an ear infection, the weekend is going to be miserable for you all.
We have used Ear Ache before. It's a homepathic option for ear aches rather than antibiotics. You can pair it with ibuprofen and that might help.
Okay, I see your point and the point I am about to make is something a doctor told me. A fever is the bodys response to fighting off an infection. In a normal healthy person, your bodies anibioties are fighting for you. Sometimes the less so called medicines we put in the human body the better off our imune system works. Dont get me wrong, some medicines are needed in some problems. I myself grew up with earaches.. I still get them. The least little wind can trigger one in me. Sneezing, coughing or teething, can trigger one. Earaches are common. The best cure that cost only about 60 cents and works and is painless, wait for it.... wait for it... okay... Hydrogen Peroxide... yes good old fashion Peroxide! This is what you do. equal parts peroxide and warm water about 3 caps full, lay your child on his side, stay with him so he does not move, have a towel handy, use a dropper (make sure it is clean or new) keep it for later uses. ear side up and drop in a dropper full of the mixture until you can see the liquid almost running out of his or her ear. This will not hurt the least bit, in fact it tickles and bubbles in their ear. Have them lay still for about 2 minutes, put the towel over thier ear and roll them over after the 2 minutes to drain, do the other ear too. This process should be done twice, one of them being before bed time. You may only have to do it just the one day, if it is pretty bad maybe 2 days. But I have never had to do it more than one day. My brother in law had a bad earache one day and I told him about this too and I did it for him and he could not believe that his earache was gone in the morning. You can google the benefits of Hydrogen peroxide if you dont believe me. Just remember to tell your child it is not going to hurt and it will feel like bubbles popping inside and will make you giggle. Try it on yourself first just experience it and so you can tell them what takes place. Trust me when i tell you this works. Unless your child needs tubes, this is a great solutions. Also this is a great way to keep ear wax done to a min.. Good luck.
Yes it is very possible, even over night, to go from a health ear to an ear infection. I would take him in again if it does not seem to clear up by the afternoon, you could also wait till tomorrow morning but if it still hurts take him in. The doc told me to give my daughter Motrin (or similar) at nap/bedtime or according to the bottle if she is complaining of constant pain and put my daughter on antibiotics.
I just took my daughter in yesterday because she had an ear infection, woke up with a slightly hurting ear Wed, I picked her up early from school because it got worse, and then Thursday afternoon I took her in because she seemed to be getting worse... about the same time line as your son bad cold, cough, now ear infection. My daughter has been running a low grade fever of 101 but it is off and on depending on how active she is being.
If your doc office does not have hours on Saturday I would take your son in if he is still says his ear hurts.
ADDED: Yes you can cure simple earaches yourself... but it does not always work and if it is truely an ear INFECTION morethenlikely it will not go away after a day or two of self medicating. The ear is very delicate and over two days of an ear infection one can start to suffer from sever pain, loss of hearing, not able to walk well due to off balanced inner ear so an ear infection is serious, while an ear ache if treated right away is not.
I'd take him in. He can get an ear infection overnight.
I remember one winter my kid had Tuesday-itis. Every Tues she was in for over a month. Every time they said same thing.....still just a cold, no ear infection. Then I stopped taking her in. Two weeks later I took her back and it was a double ear infection. So bad the doc said she's surprised my child was not screaming in pain.
Hi there J. :) Our peditirician always tells us that she guarentees the statement "no ear infection" until we leave the parking lot of the clinic. Ear infections can come on very fast and not always with fevers. They develop ear infections when fluid collects in the ear drum and doesent drain back out. You can imagine how small a 4 year olds ear drum is....it doesn't take much fluid to fill it up. My oldest is in first grade now (with his 4th set of tubes) used to get ear infections everytime he was cutting a new tooth never with a fever.
Hope your kiddos is feeling better soon!
C.
I haven't read all the responses so I apologize if this is a repeat. My understanding of ear infections is that most are viral and do not respond to antibiotics. IF it is a bacterial infection then the antibiotics will work. I was once told that you'll know if it is bacterial because the child will develop a fever...I'm not sure if that is true or not. It would be something to ask your doctor. Best of luck.
My kids have allergy problems all the time and sometimes, just all the pressure bothers them and they will complain of their ears hurting and it isn't an infection necessarily. so before I take mine in, i use the homeopathic ear drops from simlinson or something like that. You can get them OTC at walmart for like $3-5 and it helps my daughter a lot from being uncomfortable, but also helps ears from developing into an infection. So i would do that first and if he still complains after a couple days, then i would go back in for the antibiotics. It pays to get a Dr. who can work with you too. If my Dr. had seen my child with congestion and etc.. and then I texted her that I'd been using ear drops for 2-3 days and still hurting and running fever, she would call a script in without me going back in. Took me 3 years to find her though. =~) Best of luck.
Go back to the Doctor. Ear infections can come on in a day. Try not to worry about the money. We all spend money on less important things than our kids health. I would get a second opinion as well. Many doctors miss ear infections.
If your child has been sick for 2 weeks it is likely the virus has developed into infection now.
I understand why you aren't sure, but yes, ear infections can come fast, and did many times with my eldest child.
Is there any fever? If yes, don't hesitate. Since it is friday I would probably go in as an ear infection out of control could turn into an ugly night and even a burst ear drum. If your doc has sat. morn hours you could monitor him today, and even decide after lunch.
Probiotics may be able to help prevent ear infections in the future, and if your child has to go on antibiotics will help protect his tummy. Daily probiotics are a good idea in my book.
I feel your pain with all those expenses - co-pays add up and it's really frustrating when kids get sick repeatedly. It's so hard to know whether to go in or not. If you feel antibiotics is the best course, I would think it would be really nice and very sensible of your doctor to call in a prescription without you having to make another office visit - he just saw the child, after all. And, today is Friday, which means that, if anything gets worse over the weekend, you're looking at a walk-in clinic or even an ER if that's all the on-call pediatrician can recommend.
So yes, it's possible to develop an ear infection in a few days - viruses travel around the body pretty quickly. It sounds like your child is either nursing a long and drawn-out virus, or he's being reinfected by different things (partly from being in a doctor's office with other sick kids and partly from being out & about and hanging out with siblings). His immunity is already low, so he's a target for everything that's out there.
I work with a lot of families to help them build up their immune systems so that these annoying illnesses (and their expenses) are a thing of the past. I would be happy to help you as well. You do not have to go through this agony for the rest of their childhood!
My pediatrician gave me a great homeopathic treatment for my infant son when he had an ear infection - really helped with the pain without having to give more ibuprofen/acetaminophen. Dip a cotton ball into some olive oil. Tilt his head and spqueeze the cotton ball above his ear so drops of the olive oil go into his ear. Sounds crazy, I know...but my son stopped wailing soon after I did it so I'm assuming it worked. Good luck!
BTW - I don't ever hesitate about a trip to the dr. (even when I have to bring everyone along). The copays are annoying but it's better than the infection progressing and just gives me peace of mind.
Yes it's possible to develop one that fast but if he has a lot of head congestion he could just be feeling pain in his ears, he is 4 he could be getting his 6 year molars my older got his between 4-5 that can cause ear pain. If he isn't running a fever I'd probably wait and see how he does after the weekend.
My daughter developed an ear infection in 1 day! Went to the doc for a re-check in the morning and by afternoon her inner ear was red and bulging. Yes, it CAN happen. Also, my son has only had 2 ear infections and he never runs a high fever with them (unlike my daughter who runs in the 103s). I would say if it is keeping him from sleeping, I would take him. If he is able to rest, I would wait it out a bit longer. By the way, my hubby recently had strep and a symptom was his ears hurt (he thought he had an ear infection himself)-- doc said sometimes with kids the only symptom is ears hurting not throat so I would make sure if you do take him in that they do a thorough check.
Yes it is possible to develop an ear infection that quickly. Is here running a fever? Another indicator that it could be an ear infection. Also, if he is very congested that can cause ear pain and make it seem that it could be one.
See if he complains about it over the next few hours. If he does call the doctor. This has happened so many times between my three.
I hope he feels better soon.
J.,
My one year old son has had two ear infections and a few colds this season. My daughter who is 5 has only had one ear infection her whole life. I took my little one to the doctor last week because he had a low grade fever and had trouble sleeping the previous night. The doctor said his ears looked perfect and that the low grade fever was related to teething. I asked a few questions related to ear infections and his doctor did say that his ears could be fine in the AM and I could bring him back in the evening and he could have an ear infection. That's how quickly it can happen.
I know it sucks having to pay copays but better he get treated before it gets worse.
my sons changed in two days.
I agree with Lola...take him in..its been 2 weeks...I would ask for antibiotics.
I'd go in. One of my daughters, Piper, developed an ear infection virtually overnight this week (her first ever). She had been sick with a cold and cough the week before and seemed to be getting better, but woke up this Tuesday extra whiny and with no appetite. By 10am she was complaining about her ear so I took her in at 2pm and the doctor said she actually had a double ear infection. Ear infections are most common as a child is recovering from a viral infection, according to our pediatrician. So it sounds like your son really might have one. Good luck!
I would take him back
