Does the EarCheck ear infection detector really work? My 8 month old is just getting over an ear infection, but I didn't know she had an infection until we went to the Dr. for another issue & the doc just happened to look in her ears. My daughter never pulled at her ears, they weren't red & she didn't fuss if I touched her ears. I just want to how I can tell if she has an ear infection when she doesn't show any signs of one that I can see. Any advice?
Thanks!
Yes, children and adults can have ear infections without symptoms. Also, if you're like me, wax builds up (I started off with sore throat, then couldn't hear for several days before I finally went to the doctor. The wax was built up bad in left ear, starting in right ear (I saw wax so I knoow).
I've never head of such a thing. But I will tell you this, the normal 'signs' of an ear infection aren't the signs of an ear infection! What you discribed of how your child showed no signs is how an ear infection works! Not what you wanted to here I know/ Just another guessing game rule for us mommies. For an ear infection, here is what you can look for-child has a cold/allergies, when the sinuses get backed up, it runs into the ears. This is also a good reason not to give your child cold meds because it can cause the sinues to back up instead of get rid of the snot. Has fever with no other real signs of illness, not throwing up or anything. Slow progression of loss of appitete and will become more irratiable and cranky. In other words, it can be a week before you think, hum, I think something is wrong. Will act more sick but still nothing that stands out. By this point, you can susspect an ear infection. You may also notice your child get off balance when the walk. This is the only real sign of an ear infection!
Good luck!
S.
I don't know if it works, but I have several friends who've had the same thing happen-- they had no idea there was an infection until the Dr. told them. But more and more, doctors aren't prescribing anything for ear infections-- they've found that often they last just as long without antibiotics as they do when they're treated. So, really, why bother finding out? If your child shows symptoms, then you might want to give her something for pain, but if you can't tell, she's probably not suffering much, and there's no point in giving her medicine that may or may not be effective.
Ear infections can be tough to figure out. Sometimes all you get is a slightly fussy child. With my daughter I noticed she would tend to wake up more during the night when she had an ear infection. You'll figure it out with your daughter!
We have one, and I think it is a good indicator of when to go to the doctor. I bought it for my son, who never has pain with his ear infections. He just starts running a high fever. I agree with the other comment that if your daughter is not showing symptoms, you probably don't need to see a doctor. However, if she is fussy and you can't figure out why, the EarCheck would be a good way to see if it's her ear that's bothering her. Now, I have to admit, I used it on myself when I had a sinus infection and my ear hurt really bad. It said I had an ear infection, but when I went to the doctor, it wasn't an ear infection just fluid in my ear. However, young children are likely to get ear infections when they have fluid in their ear. I don't regret the purchase of the EarCheck at all!
well, that did happen to my baby daughter back in the day and a doctor told me that you could very much tell if the ears are smelly. hope that helps
I don't know if those things work but an ear infection is inside the ear behind the ear drum, so it won't be visably red.
sometimes there are no symptoms. but fussiness in general trouble sleeping , loss of appetite , or fever can be signs of an ear infection , here's the list from webmd.com
Ear Infections - Symptoms
Symptoms of a middle ear infection (acute otitis media) often start 2 to 7 days after a cold or other upper respiratory infection. Symptoms of an ear infection may include:
* Ear pain (mild to severe). Babies often pull or tug at their ears when they have an earache.
* Fever.
* Drainage from the ear that is thick and yellow or bloody. If this occurs, the eardrum has probably burst (ruptured). The hole in the eardrum often heals by itself in a few weeks.
* Loss of appetite, vomiting, and grumpy behavior.
* Trouble sleeping.
* Trouble hearing.
Symptoms of fluid buildup may include:
* Popping, ringing, or a feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear. Children often have trouble describing this feeling. Children may rub their ears trying to relieve pressure.
* Loss of hearing. Children with hearing loss may seem dreamy or inattentive, or they may appear grumpy or cranky.
* Balance problems and dizziness.
Some children don't have any symptoms with this condition.
Hi B.
I bought the EarCheck monitor:
http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100350&a...#
I ended up returning it. The results weren't accurate. I tried it on myself and the device indicated that I had an ear infection?
