So I went to the walkin clinic at lunch. My lovely cold has nothing to do with my very sore ear. Apparently I have a bad case of swimmers ear in my left ear. It has been bugging me for a while which is why I use an ear plug in it. The cold just made it feel worse. Apparently I have had it for a while and let it go way to long. So I have some strong ear drop antibiotics and NO SWIMMING FOR A WEEK. Then once back in the pool I am to use an ear plug.
I am soooooooooooo disapointed :violin:. My ear is very sore, I am not feeling well with the cold and I am just in a whiny cranky pathetic mood. I feel bad for missing a week of swimming. What will I do with all that extra sleep?
Has anyone else had a bad case of swimmers ear?:sad:
Katie
Former Member
Katie don't you think you could pop the ear plug in and kick in the pool--head above the water? That's what people on my team do when they have swimmer's ear.
I agree with everyone on the drops - they will definitely help. Also, some individuals are apparently just more prone to getting swimmer's ear than others...
For great ear plugs, check out Doc's Pro Plugs (www.proplugs.com) - I used them faithfully when I surfed a lot as a kid, and they were a big help.
I used to get it really bad when I was a kid... practiced in the morning at the summer pool then stayed at the pool all day (either playing or lifeguarding when I was a little older). I think between the humidity and being in and out of the water all day, my ears just never dried out. Definitely definitely stay out the water as the doctor says and get rid of it completely.
Knock on wood, no problems as an adult, but I am a neurotic head shaker. Not only do I jump up and down in the locker room ridiculously after practice, but during practice, at the end of nearly every repeat, I shake the water out of my ears before taking off for the next set. I didn't realize I did it quite so often until yesterday morning. I was swimming on my own on the far side of the pool and a friend was teaching water aerobics on the other side. After I finished up, she said, "I was wondering who that was swimming over there, until I saw you shake your head..." :)
I am probably killing vast numbers of brain cells. Perhaps my frequent key loss is connected?
I've never had swimmers ear but did get barootitis about 15 years ago from flying, which is probably similar. You can definitely tell the difference between irritation (which I get sometimes), and an acute case which will send you to the doctor.
Recently I've had some mild irritation which the alcohol/glycerin over-the-counter drops help with. Also I used the silicone ear plugs which help too but you have to fiddle with them a lot and more than once they've wound up at the bottom of the pool. After a week of using the plugs things have calmed down and I'm back to normal (no plugs).
I got it once as a young adult and it was excruciating. This year, twice, and swam with it for about a month before finally giving in and taking the week out of the water, etc. (I should have taken the opportunity to get a tattoo.)
For the record, I believe auro-dri is great. Since I started using it religiously, I've had no problems. I expect the homemade solutions might work just as well, but I'm lazy.
Like blainesapprentice, I also wonder whether you could wear plugs and kick with a board or head up vertically?
Yep, I finally got ear aches around 6-7 years ago. I tried drops (both commercial and homemade) but they didn't keep it from re-occurring. Sometimes everything would be fine for 6 months or a year but it would happen again. The only thing that seems to help is wearing the hateful earplugs. If it makes any difference, I kept swimming even through the ear aches, just kept using the plugs. Now, wearing them is just part of the routine of swimming; kind of like goggles.
Now, if you want something truely bad, about 2 years ago, I started developing an allergy to chlorine and now I have to wear nose plugs also!!
Goggles, earplugs and nose plugs, soon I'll need a full body suit!
Anyway, should you decide to keep swimming (even against Dr's orders), try the silicone earplugs (i.e., Macks); just make sure that you have a good seal before getting into the water!
Best of luck,
Swan
Thanks everyone for their stories of swimmers ear.
I guess my question of whether I should swim was mute LOL. I can barely breathe as my cold is so wicked and my ear is killing me ( though not related to one another, I am just a lucky girl). So swimming is out of the question. I will head back Monday and hope that I am not to far behind. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
It is hard to believe how sore swimmers ear is. YIKES. I will buy the auro-dri and I will use earplugs ( it is just the one ear)
Thanks again from a very cranky Katie:(
Hey Katie, you are obviously very upset with not being able to swim. I totally relate, as I'm sure everyone else here does. Have you tried taking aspirin or tylenol for ear pain? That helps a lot. I use the white vinegar solution. My ear doc told me to stay away from ear plugs because, unles they are custom fitted, water can get in anyway and then it's basically trapped in the ear by the tight plug. :shakeshead: He said the vinegar/alcohol solution was sufficient. And he could've easiily sold me custom plugs for $200! Also, be careful with your ears. I suffered a whole year from severe vertigo attacks due to a viral infection in the ear called labrynthitis. I was so miserable, I felt imbalanced all the time, and basically sea sick whenever I would swim. Staying out of the water right now is a very wise decision, no matter how awful you miss it. Get well soon!
