swimmer's ear

[frasermom]

hey all...just a quick question.
two of my four kids have just been diagnosed with swimmer's ear.
am i doing something wrong witht he water? of is this just something
that happens with kids. the pediatrician said that it shouldn't be a problem
with the water...just that they don't get all the water out of their ears when
they get out.
anyone else having this problem?

don't have current numbers but i test frequently and my ph and fc levels are right
on the money...

 

[chrisa]

I believe this topic was discussed awhile back
but, since I read the old messages I started using the swimmer's ear medicine for me and kiddos...so far so good (my daughter has super sensitive ears) so I wanted to make sure all that water was coming out of her ears.

the medicine is about $4 and i get it at walmart and now the kids are trained to come get their ear drops after swimming


chris

 

[branchop]

I had swimmer's ear every year of my life until I was 25. Now it is just every other year My two brothers never had it, and they swam in the same ocean, lakes and pools that I did.

It just happens with kids, and not all kids. If they get it again, and you know they are suceptible, just try to be preventive about it. The swimmer's ear drops at the store help some.

It is extremely painful. And there is nothing much you can do about it. When I was older a little alcohol, numbed the pain, but it has to be ingested orally for that to work :-D

 

[Anemone]

Sorry to hear about the kid's ears. Swimmers ear can be miserable.

Well, in my case, it can just happen. I used to get it from just showering. Ear plugs are the best preventative but I personally hate them.

Necessary Caution: I am not an MD and I don't even play one on T.V. Always check with your doctor first before putting anything into the ears and never use the following on ears with perforated ear drums or those with tubes!

That said, my favorite preventative is to tip my head to the side and put a squirt of rubbing alcohol into my ear. I pull on the ear lobe to get it to run way in, hold it for a few seconds then tip my head over to let it run out onto a towel. Repeat with other ear.

Some people use vinegar, others use a mixture of half vinegar and half rubbing alcohol, but I like plain old rubbing alcohol best. It dries up the water and the moisture is what the the little bugs need to grow. Vinegar is mildly acidic so it changes the pH and makes it hard for the bugs to grow too.

I used to get horrible swimmers ear but I have been doing this for 40 years and now I never have a problem. If I forget and my ear starts to become uncomfortable, I start doing it several times a day and it goes away. I also do it to my son and he has never had a problem with his ears.

Good luck. Hope the kids feel better soon!

 

[sks23cu]

Ben Powell's old PoolForum.com used to have a page on swimmers ear. I can't bring it up directly any more, but here's a Google cached page.

 

[revstriker]

My daughter got swimmers ear last year (she was 5 year old). Very painful. Dr. reccommended the swimmers ear drops that you can get from the drug store. It worked great for her (and still does).

 

[brandynva]

FYI -- Those drops you buy at Walmart for swimmers ear is just plain old rubbing alcohol. Check the label and you could save about $3.00.

 

[Anemone]

FYI -- Those drops you buy at Walmart for swimmers ear is just plain old rubbing alcohol. Check the label and you could save about $3.00.

Yep! I think almost all the brands contain either alcohol or a mixture of alcohol and acetic acid (vinegar) and they charge you big $$$.

 

[chrisa]

Active Ingredients: contains: Isopropyl Alcohol (95%) (Ear drying aid)

Inactive Ingredients: Anhydrous Glycerin (5%) (base)


this is whats in swim ear products....yes, the isopropyl alcohol is rubbing alcohol but, its the glycerin thats in it that helps not to over dry your ear drum....i read somewhere that if you used 100% rubbing alchohol you would damage you ear drum.

i will keep to the store bought products for our family.

chris

 

[Anemone]

Active Ingredients: contains: Isopropyl Alcohol (95%) (Ear drying aid)

Inactive Ingredients: Anhydrous Glycerin (5%) (base)


this is whats in swim ear products....yes, the isopropyl alcohol is rubbing alcohol but, its the glycerin thats in it that helps not to over dry your ear drum....i read somewhere that if you used 100% rubbing alchohol you would damage you ear drum.

i will keep to the store bought products for our family.

chris

What did you say? I can't hear you...... :-D

All joking aside, alcohol will not hurt a normal ear. Many doctors recommend its use as a preventative against swimmer's ear. The glycerin that is put into the OTC drops is actually mildly irritating and hygroscopic. It has three hydrophilic alcoholic hydroxyl groups which attract water from the surrounding environment, so it actually drying the ear along with the alcohol. It is fine to use, it just costs more than plain old isopropyl alcohol.

Now, if the ear is infected, then you need antibiotic drops, not alcohol. It is also important that alcohol never be used in an ear with a ruptured eardrum.

The main thing is to keep ourselves and our families healthy so we can enjoy our pools!