Swimmer's Ear? - Conroe,TX

An ear infection is an ear infection. You may want to keep him out of the pool while he has his ear infection. Anytime there is infection in the ear it is a serious situtation and a doctor should be consulted. Children loose their hearing from ear infections. My daughter lost 70% of her hearing because I didn't recognize her ear was infected. She was too young to let me know and I took her cries for something else. It wasn't until I was washing her hair on my lap and was sitting on the edge of the tub that when I went to rinse her hair a huge lump of infection came out of her ear and went down the drain. I took her to the doctor and had them suction her sinus passages and when I tell you the amount of infection that they pulled out of her head, it was very serious.

I have a 3 year old and he has had 4 sets of tubes and has had his adnoids taken out. As far as swimmers ear, I would have a new ENT look at him. I have a great doctor if you need a recomendation. My son started having ear infections at 3 months and until the last set of tubes, even with antibiotics the infection never went away. Now that the adnoids have been taken out I have had much better luck and he has been ear infection free for about a year now.

The difference between swimmers ear and a regular ear infection is where the infection is. Swimmers ear is an infection of the ear canal, regular ear infections are infections of the middle or inner ear. So your son may still need antibiotics, but your pedicatrician would be able to clearly see the difference. It sounds like you are not 100% confident in your pediatrician. Maybe it's time to see a new one, or find a ENT that can assist you with your sons problem. He may need tubes again if his ears are not draining properly, swimming can definitely make it worse!

http://kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/aches/swimmers_ear.html

I just wanted to second the people who said not to use any drops without the doctor's approval since the tubes are still in. My daughter's swim teacher did not realize she had tubes, and she put the alcohol / vinegar solution in her ears. I have never seen my daughter in that much pain. I felt terrible for letting it happen. Hope your son feels better soon!

I know you are getting requests from one end of the spectrum to the other but every doctor is a little different. My son went through 2 full sets of tubes, a 3rd tube on one side, adenoids out, and tonsils out. I'm not sure if he outgrew the ear stuff or not but he's been great for years ever since the tonsils came out. He's 9 now.
Anyway, his ENT always said that he didn't believe the whole issue of covering their ears when exposed to water. I had friends that had to cover their kids ears in the tub even. Our doctor always said bath water was fine, pool water was fine, even ocean water was fine...no covering for the ears at all even with the tubes. He did say NO LAKE WATER whatsoever and that the ears must be covered with plugs for that. My son had 1 ear infection while having a tube in and we were given amoxicillin (very very mild antibiotic after tons of ear infections and strong antibiotics to get rid of them). They said that you just don't need anything strong if the ear drum is open so it can drain. So...that was my doctor's take and it always worked for us. I'm not sure where you are located but our new ENT (our old one relocatd his practice) is Dr. Albright through TX Children's on Fallbrook (Cypress, TX)next to Cy-Fair Hospital on 1960. He is great. Our medical procedures were always with the other doctor, Dr. Poole, but I've used Dr. Albright for follow-ups, etc. after the other ENT left and I know several other people who use him as well.
I hope this helps.

First of all, let me discuss tubes with you...

You claim your son had tubes put in at 7 months. Are you positive they are still there? The reason I ask this, is because tubes are placed by cutting a small hole in the ear drum and the tube placed in it. This allows for easier draining of the fluid that builds up behind the drum(mucus from sinuses is the fluid). They, however are designed in such a way that they fall out as the ear drum hole closes up.

Having said that, there are cases where they fall out and lay in the ear canal, or do not come out at all and can be removed with a simple procedure later. When they fall out, depends entirely on the individual, it can be anywhere from a couple of months to a couple of years later. In my oldest she had them placed at 15 months. One came out but sat in the ear canal and the other never came out...At three she end up needing to have her tonsils/adnoids removed so they took the tubes out at the same time.

Now...Having explained what an ear infection is in the above, Swimmers ear is the water that becomes trapped in the canal by the individual's wax. It usually becomes painful if not removed (dried out, removal of wax, etc) prior to wax sealing around it and thus causing a pocket of standing water infections can brew in.

Now. Swimmer's ear is usually treated with a type of ear drop that dries out the water. Ear infections are usually treated with antibiotics (and sometimes eardrops) due to the fact that the infection is already apparent (hence the redness in the ear canal). Ear drops rarely are effective in the case of ear infections other than to help you clean out excess wax that the infections has caused or any drainage (puss or mucus leaking from the drum itself)...

Swimmers ear can have a discharge, but it's mostly crusted wax from the ear canal that the water is pushing forward.

The best way to prevent swimmer's ear is to have your child wear ear plugs (the silicon one's are highly effective and easy to follow directions on use)when they are swimming.

If it is an ear infection it could be complicated by swimmer's ear or just taking longer to heal if you are allowing your child to swim while getting over the infection.

Also, there are several different antibiotics out there used to treat this. You child may have used one enough times that it is no longer effective in your son, or the infections itself can be resistant to the antibiotic.

When my odlest was a baby she had sooo many ear infections in a row that they no longer responded to the antibiotics and her ear drums began bursting from the pressure.

THIS is how an ear infection can cause hearing loss. The bursting of the ear drum from the pressure created. If there is scarring ont he drum from this it will cause hearing loss.

However, if your child is in need of tubes it may be because his ears have an issue appropraitely draining the fluid build up. This would make everything they hear sound like it does when you are under water. (this specific problem cause speech delays in my now 4 yo son - at 2 he was 1 year behind in speech because he had constant "fluid in his ear" and could not hear sounds like you and I could. He was given tubes and placed in speech therapy, he caught up to his peers in speech in under 1 year with therapy)

So...In conclusion, I hope I have answered your request and I would highly suggest having your son seen by a doctor to determine 1) are the tubes still in his ears, 2) is it an ear infection for sure or maybe is is swimmer's ear, and if it is the infection, 3) does he need another set of tubes.

After a certain age his ear canal should have developed to a size sufficient with fluid drainage and you should not see very many if any ear infections. However, some canals do not get very big and it remains an issue and he made need a new set of tubes.

If your son does still have his tubes he should never be in the water without earplugs as it aggravates the fluid drainage problem.

Good Luck... ;-)

WOW- have we done ear infections. One kid had tubes, too. All 3 of my boys are high school swimmers and water polo players. Swimmer's ear is the pooling/ remaining water in the outer ear that helps bacteria to grow in there. Usually no drainage with the run of the mill swimmers ear. It hurts when you gently touch or tug on the ear lobe.
The middle ear infections are the ones kids need tubes for. My "tube kid" had lots of drainage sometimes (when colds or allergies bothered him) for about a year after tubes.
You have heard a lot of suggestions for it once it is diagnosed. Here is a way to prevent it. Dry the ears after swimming. If water doesn't stay in the outer ear, there is a lot less risk of infection. My kids tip their heads to the side and dry the ear (from underneath) with the lowest, coolest setting of a hair dryer for about 20-30 seconds. Then switch. We do NOT use the drying solution for ears after swimming. One of the boys coaches believes the vinegar-alcohol solution dries the ear canal too much and makes it easier for the bacteria to get it.
BUT, kids with tubes have extra precautions to take when swimming. And I don't remember them all---we last did tubes 16 years ago. If your former ENT is no longer practicing, you need to get another so the tube situation can be followed.

Make sure kiddos who swim in the evening dry ears before laying down for the night. I see lots of kids in our neighborhood leave the pool on a hot afternoon and mom takes them home for a nap. (yikes---with the pool water still in their ears.)
Lakes and streams are more likely to contain bacteria that cause infection than chlorinated pools.

Hope that helps.

Swimmer's ear is caused when water gets trapped in the ear canal, causes it to swell (like wrinkled fingers/toes in bathtub) and can cause an infection. Swimmer's ear is almost a misnomer because anyone can get it anytime water gets in the ear (bath, sprinkler, water gun/balloon fights etc) and not just from the pool. There are drops available across the counter that can be used after baths, pool visits etc to prevent swimmers ear by helping the water drain from the ear. You can also buy wax plugs across the counter to help keep the water out of the ears.
The yellow crust you're seeing indicates that the infection is still there and may need another round of antibiotics but, if it's swimmer's ear, antibiotic drops should be prescribed. (Swimmer's ear = infection in ear canal whereas most "general" ear infections are behind the ear drum...hence the tubes to promote drainage.) My kids never had the high fever with swimmer's ear that can accompany a regular inner ear infection. The affected ear just hurt.
If it's an inner ear infection and the problem persists, don't be surprised if they want to put tubes in again. Also, since it's been almost a year and a half since the tubes were put in, they should have fallen out by now. If one of the tubes does not come out on it's own, that can cause an infection also and it would need to be removed surgically to prevent the buildup of scar tissue around the tube. (happened with my daughter's last set of tubes.)

You already have a lot of advice but I thought Id tell you our story...an ear infection is behind the ear drum and swimmers ear is in the outer ear canal. I think swimmers ear has hurt my kids more than an ear infection. Anyways, about 5 years ago my daughter had an ear infection and was put on antibiotics for a week. After 3 days I noticed behind her ear was red and hot. Well the minute our familly Dr. saw that he had us go straight to a ENT DR. The minute we walked in we were sent to the Hospital ...the infection had gone into the bone behind her ear. This is very dangerous because it can move into the brain. She was put on IV atibiotics at the hospital for 5 days until they got it under control. Thank goodness she was fine and had no hearing loss.
Just be carefull...the infections you think are common can turn uncommon!!

well, my son he had sort of the same problem he had the swimmer's ear ache and he had it for almost 4 days and i done all i could for his ear. so i had took him to see his dr. and she check him out and she told me that it was the swimmer's ear so she written him a antibiotic otic solution instill four drops in ear four times a day for 5-7 days . but he can't go swimming to its all clear up. the dr also told me when he is allow back into our pool to swim to make sure i put the auro-dri into his ears after he gets done swimming for that day. well i hope this well help u thanks C. tx

When my daughter was that age she got ALOT of ear infections and she had swimmers ear it only means the ear is not resistant to water the water comes and stays in the ear and causes the infection and here we come with meds again. So my ENT and doctor told us to have special ear plugs made by a hearing doctor at 50 a pop. And I did. And it is very easy, he squeezes this foam application in the ear and it hardens very quickly and makes it forms to the ear and makes an ear plug, now I have found a secret, if you use the ones he makes right then and there they are cheaper if he sends them off to be made with colors ect.you pay more. So everytime my daughter was in the water and that was alot she wore the plugs and the ear finally had time the heal itself. Good Luck!!! Go to a hearing aid doctor and ask for him to make you some ear plugs so your child can swim.

You definitely need a new treatment. I also developed swimmers ear a few years back and used a prescription drop for 1 week - the symptoms started to disappear after a few days and were gone within 7 days.

We are dealing with swimmers ear with my 6 yr. old. She had a minor ear infection (we get a LOT of them, she has had two sets of tubes and her abdoinds removed) and it didnt clear up. She had whiteish puss that would kinda foam out of her ear and she had terrible pain. We went back to the doctor and she had swimmer's ear. From what I understand it is an infection on the outside of the eardrum. She has and oral antibiotic and ear drops that she has to take for 10 days. Our ENT said she could still swim as long as we used the over the counter drops to remove water and then let her ears dry by using a blow dryer on cool-set for 30 seconds on each ear.

My daughter just got over swimmers ear. She was in pain alot. She would cry and cry decause it hurt so much. Her doctor gave her an antibiotic plus some drops and told me to give her Motrin and use a heating pad. Her symptoms were just the pain. She didn't have fever or anything else.

Are you sure the tubes are still in his ears? My daughter lost one of her tubes just 6 months after her first surgery (had to have another one put it), but the other tube is still in a year later. Since it's been 17 months since your son had the tubes put it, they may very well have fallen out by now, so using the drops would no longer be an option. (The doctor should be able to tell you if the tubes are in or not--our doctor always comments on the blue tubes in our daughter's ears.) If the tubes ARE still in, the drops that you would use to treat an ear infection are still antibiotic drops--not drops for pain or swimmer's ear that you can pick up at the store. If the tubes are NOT in, it could very well be that it will take several rounds of antibiotics to clear up an ear infection--as I know it did for my daughter numerous times. I hope your litle guy is feeling better soon.

Do NOT use ANY drops without a physician's approval if your child has tubes. Also, he should not be going into the pool without ear plugs. You need to take your son to the doctor to see if his tubes are still in, and if so, find out the appropriate way to handle the pool and swimmer's ear.

Do you put plugs in his ears when he is swimming? Those are a must for kids with tubes. Once my youngest (my only one with tubes) got his tubes, the ear infections stopped until the tubes fell out and he needed another set.

I think swimmers ear is an outer ear infection which is sometimes treated by drops.

If you don't like this Dr, try a different one.

Good Luck.

My son has tubes since 10 months he is now 1 1/2 yrs old. We always put plugs in his ears at bath time and water play time. ALWAYS. I was told not to put any other kind of drop or let any water get in his ears. The only and only drops to put in his ears comes in a very tiny bottle and costs about 100.00 per bottle. its called Ciprodex otic suspension. Your new doctor dose not sound like he knows what he is doing. Everyone I have ever talked to says you can only put one type of ear drop in a kids ears that has tubes. Call your pharmacy and ask them. Get a new doctor. Please dont put those swimmers ear drops in it will only hurt his ears and make it worse. Sorry your having to deal with this!!!

You may want to talk with your doctor before you use the over the counter drops. When my son received his tubes, I was told that the over the counter stuff was not to be used. The yellow stuff could be a sign of infection or it could be ear wax.
Hope this information has been of some help to your situation and best of luck!
J.

Hi M. S.
When my children were little we spent a lot of time at the pool in the summer- in fact I even had one for them in the yard- they spent much of their young lives with ear aches and infections and stopped up noses- as they got older it did not go away- no matter how much medicine the drs. gave them- come to discover- they all had allergies to the chlorine in the pools- when they stopped attending public and private pools that used the cholorine all their symptoms go away- today- we use non cholorine products every where in our household and even the pool. no more sysmptoms. I suspect that is the problem with your little ones.
good luck and blessings

I would get a second opinion from another doctor. When my daughter had stuff coming out of her ear, it wound up being a bursted ear drum. So I would take your son back to another doctor.