I need an advice from you swimmers,
My left ear started to ache 10 days ago. Since I had to go on a trip for few days, I decided not to take care of it assuming it would heal by itself. Well, it didn't. The doctor prescribed me with antibiotics. Both pills and ear drops for a week and recommended to avoid swimming. A friend of mine who also swims had a similar problem a while ago but hos doctor said that swimming would not worsen the inflammation.
Do you think that swimming with the inflammation would be a good idea? Should I try and use ear plugs for a while?
Doncha think that the oral antibiotics are because there is most likely a middle ear infection, as well as ear canal (swimmers ear) inflammation? We don't prescribe antibiotics for simple swimmers ear. Why did you pay the doctor for his advice if you don't plan on following it?
Why would he have both a swimmer's ear (otitis externa) and a middle ear infection unless the TM ruptured and the canal subsequently became inflamed? And to be honest, even in those cases, I tend to only prescribe topical antibiotics because they get into the middle ear through the hole.
As for your comment 'we don't prescribe antibiotics for swimmers ear"; simply go to your local urgent care and there is a 90% chance you will leave there with a prescription for an oral antibiotic whether you need it or not. They can code higher by doing so. I can't tell you how many times I get the next-day report of some kid who goes there with a complaint of cough and runny nose, gets a rapid strep test which is negative, and is put on antibiotics anyways. They don't even send a backup throat culture. It's like "why the hell did you run the rapid strep test with no sore throat, and then why are you giving antibiotics anyways even though the rapid strep test is negative?"
The answer to the original question is this; if your ear infection is a swimmer's ear (inflammation of the skin in your ear canal), you should not swim for a week or so. Macerating the area makes it fertile ground for bacteria and the infection may get worse. If you have a middle ear infection (this area is shielded from the outside water by the ear drum) you can swim to your heart's content, you won't make it worse. If you have a middle ear infection that burst through the ear drum and drained into the canal, causing inflammation there too, you shouldn't swim fir a while also. Here's how you can usually tell if your eardrum ruptured. You felt ear pain at one point and suddenly the pain was relieved when the bulging eardrum ruptured and pus drained out.
Doncha think that the oral antibiotics are because there is most likely a middle ear infection, as well as ear canal (swimmers ear) inflammation? We don't prescribe antibiotics for simple swimmers ear. Why did you pay the doctor for his advice if you don't plan on following it?
Why would he have both a swimmer's ear (otitis externa) and a middle ear infection unless the TM ruptured and the canal subsequently became inflamed? And to be honest, even in those cases, I tend to only prescribe topical antibiotics because they get into the middle ear through the hole.
As for your comment 'we don't prescribe antibiotics for swimmers ear"; simply go to your local urgent care and there is a 90% chance you will leave there with a prescription for an oral antibiotic whether you need it or not. They can code higher by doing so. I can't tell you how many times I get the next-day report of some kid who goes there with a complaint of cough and runny nose, gets a rapid strep test which is negative, and is put on antibiotics anyways. They don't even send a backup throat culture. It's like "why the hell did you run the rapid strep test with no sore throat, and then why are you giving antibiotics anyways even though the rapid strep test is negative?"
The answer to the original question is this; if your ear infection is a swimmer's ear (inflammation of the skin in your ear canal), you should not swim for a week or so. Macerating the area makes it fertile ground for bacteria and the infection may get worse. If you have a middle ear infection (this area is shielded from the outside water by the ear drum) you can swim to your heart's content, you won't make it worse. If you have a middle ear infection that burst through the ear drum and drained into the canal, causing inflammation there too, you shouldn't swim fir a while also. Here's how you can usually tell if your eardrum ruptured. You felt ear pain at one point and suddenly the pain was relieved when the bulging eardrum ruptured and pus drained out.
