hello everyone and thank you. i have been suffering with itching ear canals for over 2 years now with no relief in sight. i mean itching until they bleed sometimes. a few times my ears have devoloped outer ear infections which are very painful. the last time i had an infection a doctor at patient first told me i had eczema in my ears which was the first time anyone had said that. he refered me to an ear nose and throat doctor who i thought was going to be my savior. i waited for over a month so he could tell me i have eczema in my ears and gave me more ear drops that just soothe the symptoms. i have to use the messy drops everyday and they are not even very effective anymore. the ent doctor didnt have any answers to my questions as to how i got this or can it ever be cured. i left his office feeling more discouraged and still suffering. i am tired of explaining this to doctors just to get a prescription for ear drops that temporarily help. it is extremely frustrating! does anyone else have any experience with this or know of a remedy i could try? there is not a day that goes by that im not aware of my ears. i do not have eczema anywhere else on my body and have never experienced it until this started. if anyone has any advice please let me know and thank you for taking the time=)
Eczema is an itch that rashes. It is a chronic condition that is either a) hereditary; b) stress related; c) allergy related; d) diet related or e) undetermined, although I tend to think it has something to do with weakened immune system. I suffered from chronic eczema from childhood until adulthood. I needed steroid injections, steroid creams as well as Benadryl (or other antihistamines) and still my skin fell off and bled! It covered my arms and legs! Awful stuff. Anyway, over the years, I experimented with my diet. By cutting back on processed sugar, foods, and sodas, that eliminated most of the flareups. When seasons change, I take Claritin. I try to keep my skin hydrated using natural products like olive oil, vaseline, nothing w/fragrance. Make sure you're not stressing about anything in particular. If you are, find a positive release. Did Dr. prescribe ointment? If he gave you a cream, request an ointment which absorbs slowly into the body and heals a little better. When my children had flareups as babies, one ped. recommended Eucerin cream. Really heavy paste that helped my daughter. My son responded better to olive oil (I stopped using Johnson baby products, though I loved the smell), and neither had problems with full-blown eczema though they do suffer from allergies and asthma! I also switched, for one month, to no sugar (corn syrup, processed, etc.) and used only raw sugar, maple syrup or honey to sweeten foods. No caffeine or soda. So, check your diet and see if there has been an increase in anything in particular. If you've done all of this already, let me know offline and I'll be happy to see if we can find out what's happening. I had to add that I noticed that it's around your ears. Check any changes to shampoo, jewelry or detergent used in your shirts. I have to use Dreft for my children. You might need Woolite. I met one person who suffered so severely he could only use Dove dish liquid to wash his clothes. Also, Dove soap is great for folks who have chronic eczema.
There is some anecdotal evidence that there is a link between dairy consumption and eczema. You might try an elimination diet and see what works for you. You need to stay off the food for at least one month. Be careful to read food labels to make sure you are eliminating all sources. If that is not the culprit, try citrus, or other top allergens. Each for at least one month.
Good luck. Sounds awful.
Melina
I'm answering this from my holistic healing background and viewpoint. Your Dr.'s have treated the symptoms because that is all they know to do. You are asking a multilayered questions. There are ways to treat the symptoms holistically and get to the root cause. There are natural eczema treatments, either herbal or homeopathic. Also diet does play a major role in causing more flare ups etc. Dairy is a big contibutor as is processed sugar and caffeine. The root cause is that the liver is not processing in the most efficient way. If you would like a referral to a naturpathic practitioner I'm happy to give you some referrals. Please feel free to contact me.
Laura M
Have you thought about some type of food allergy? My daughter has had eczema for several years, and more symptoms have been popping up last few months, I am taking her in tomorrow for allergy testing...hopefully to find what foods I can leave out of her diet to relieve her! I have read online that eczema can be a symptom of a food allergy...I know dairy is one that can cause it. Maybe do a bit of searching to see what else pops up about it. I hope I helped some.
Kari
This may sound crazy, but I saw a chiropractor for eczema. She wasn't a typical chiro, and she also did muscle testing and told me which supplements would work for me specifically. It seemed crazy at the time because she would hold a vial by my head and then tell me to try to avoid certain foods. However, I have to say that I've taking the supplements (all natural) for three years and done my best not to overdo it on some particular foods and I've been eczema free for almost 3 years. I had been to many dermatologists, and they only treated the symptoms, not the cause. By the way, mine was not related to dairy at all. My food sensitivities are certain fruits and veggies. Good luck.
poor jane, what a nightmare! first off, i'd try olive oil. your poor ears need something soothing, healing, natural and gentle. food allergies are a definite possibility. get thee to a good homeopath. are you close enough to west virginia for that to be an option? if so, lemme know and i'll give you the info for a good one.
khairete
suz
I'm not usually quick to second guess doctors, but it's possible that he's misdiagnosed a yeast infection. Or that it's eczema exacerbated by yeast overgrowth. [I edited this response after rereading your message. Since the itching has been INSIDE your ear canals primarily, I'm really thinking yeast.] Yes, we have yeast living in our ears; they love ALL our dark, moist places. :( If you also have a vaginal yeast infection right now, or if you have systemic Candida (or symptoms thereof), then this increases the likelihood that the ear problem is yeast.
There are a few things you can do with the yeast theory: 1) Ask your doctor if yeast overgrowth is a possibility and if he'll prescribe Diflucan;
2) get a second opinion;
3) find someone who performs ear candling to draw out the excess yeast (with the alternative community present in VA Beach, you'll certainly find somebody).
4) Take a probiotic to increase the levels of good bacteria that will fight the yeast. Here's what I take: http://www.shaklee.net/zenquility/product/Optiflora. Shaklee has a reputation for high-quality, all-natural supplements. Taking a probiotic will also help with digestion and other issues at the same time.
5) Adjust your diet to be more alkaline. Drink lots of lemon water (1/2 fresh lemon squeezed into 8 oz. water) and eat more vegetables and certain fruits. An alkaline food chart is available at http://www.thewolfeclinic.com/acidalkfoods.html.
Good luck!
Have you tried going to an alergist? Eczema can be caused by allergies. That's what we did for our son, he has food allergies and we stopped giving him those foods and he no longer has eczema. Good luck!
Dear Jane,
So sorry for your health dilemna! :( I know how painful and itchy eczema can be. I actually suffered from it in my feet for a long time, but no longer, praise God! :)
I have a wonderful doctor who diagnosed the problem (gluten allergy)and who, subsequently, desensitized me to it (gluten)! He told me there was no guarantee his therapy would work, but it did!
I still eat gluten sparingly, but all of my eczema went away (after being on my feet for more than a year)!
If you live in or near the Richmond, VA area (or are willing to travel to see him), I'd be more than happy to offer his phone number. Let me know if you want it.
Blessings!
Jennifer F.
Good luck, sweetie, this sounds terribly uncomfortable.
I would go see a dermatologist, ask for her to do a skin scrape and send it out. It could be bacterial which could be remedied- or a fungus. Who knows how it would get there, but you are your own best advocate. Go and go and go to other docs til you get an answer.
But I would try a dermatologist. They can give you a definite by skin scrape to rule out somethings.
My doctor mentioned one time that I have dry ear canals, and to try putting a little baby oil on a q-tip and put it just inside the ear (don't push too deep!). This seems to work for me (I actually use the baby oil gel). However, this will only soothe the symptoms. It probably couldn't hurt to check for allergies or cut back on some of the foods suggested in the other posts to see if it can be cured.
I had eczema as a very small child and didn't know it. When i began having children it came back becaue of stress and fluctuating hormones. It is a geneticthing, you don't catch it like a disease. Keep soap and shampoo out of your ears. Use ear plugs anytime you are showering, bathing, or in the pool or submerged in water. Keep your ears moisturized with olive oil. Start including as much Omega-3 and flax seed oil or ground flax seed (not whole, it passes right through you) in your food as often as possible.
Don't have any advice accept this: keep seeking out doctors until you find one who will listen to you and work wiht you to find out what is wrong, it is obviously something more ththat drops proabbley can't take care of. I would suggest my daughter's ENT. His name is Dr. Doroffi (I think I spelled that rihgt) and has several offices in Chesapeake, VA Beach and Norfolk. He did tubes and adnoid surgery for my daughter in MArch and is GREAT! I don't know if he does adults, however, I know that he can probably refer you if he only does kids, if nothing else, maybe you cna ask to just disscuss your ears wiht hikm and find a better course of action. Dr Doroffi is part of Ear, Nose and Throat LImited. He is wonderful. Just got to ENT limited on the web and you should find it. If you ahve any questions just e-amil me :[email protected]
I would recommend getting an allergy test done. This was my sons problem. He had chronic eczema and it was due to a grass allergy. Most of the time eczema is the result of an allergy. It could be your shampoo or conditioner.
You might have a food allergy. I just read that eczema is often linked to an allergy to wheat (gluten) or dairy. You might want to try eliminating some things from your diet and see if that helps. Also, a natural remedy to is to use warm, non-iodized salt water (not sure if that will work in your ears, but you could try!). Good luck!
I have so been there! Oh my goodness I know exactly how bad they itch and how awful it can get. My ears are all clear now! Here's what I did....after doctors and creams and drops (which I still have to use once in a blue moon) I found a lotion that works! My ears were once bleeding, oozing and VERY gross to say the least. It was in my ear and all around the folds of my ears. It was so bad at night that I would wake up digging my ears with blood everywhere. Then it would finally scab over and itch worse, if that is even possible, until I scratched the scabs off and was back to square one. Please email me and I will gladly give you all the info of what I've done to change it completely! No more suffering, yeah!!!! My direct email: [email protected]
Take Care,
Norma :) SAHM homeschooling 3 boys and married to my Mr. Wonderful for 15yrs.
I, too, suffer with chronic itching in my ears. However, it is not eczema it is psoriasis. I have an ointment to use that has been providing relief for several years. Have you considered seeing a dermatologist to have this checked out?
Hi, sorry to hear you are so uncomfortable. Eczema is a pain literally! I have had it my whole life and it is very tough to deal with especially during the dry winter months. I recommend visiting an allergist b/c as you have already noted ENT, gen. pract. dr. and even derm. treat symptoms only. My own research, dr. visits and life long experience = eczema is an allergic condition. Eczema has many triggers though and once you have it usually sticks around.
Best remedy is moisturize like crazy, id the triggers that set it off and use prescription strength hydrocort or similar natural anti-itch products to head off the worst outbreaks. As for products: trial and error for moisturizer b/c you need to find what suits you (shea butter, olive oil, coconut oil based are all thick) Natralia (eczema and psoriasis cream) is a natural product from Australia. I found it in the natural/organic section of local grocery store. Website for it: www.natralia.com.au
Since it is mainly your ears, you could be allergic to dust mites. My son has this issue and often experiences itchy ears,scratching until he bleeds. Dust mites are everywhere and feed off of human debris, they are found in huge quantities in our beds, carpets and upholstered furniture. Everyone has them in their homes no matter how clean. For bedding preventative steps that may be helpful to you are to encase your pillows and mattress and box spring with allergy coverings (zip up kind), wash linens in super hot weekly. I found allergy coverings at Target but they are widely available in most department stores and big retailers.
As a resource for additional help and support see:
Hope you find relief soon!
Unusual stories like this have often had a happy ending when you research any allergy reactions you may be having. Although I'm sure antihistamines were the first solution given to you when you first sought a remedy, but try an allergist. I see Dr. Talal Nsouli and he might help... check out www.DrNsouli.com