Who else has ever gotten "swimmers ear"

Thanks Swan It does feel good to be back in the pool. I hate getting up but once I am up I am fine. Shark I agree probably the drops not the cookies. Unless they were really really good cookies LOL Mac if you get swimmers ear don't you go to the Dr for drops or do you just treat it on your own? Intersting. I hope to be able to clear this up and not have to use an earplug. I HATE THEM Katie

I have been told by my physician and my kids pediatrician that Swimmer's Ear is the drying out of the skin in the ear canal. The skin dries out and cracks. Creating excrutiating pain. It is not an infection of the inner ear, something completely different. It comes from when the chemicals in a pool get out of whack. 50/50 alchohol and vinegar as some have said is what prevents it. The alcohol kills all bacteria and the vinegar keeps the ear moist....quote] Hi Shark! We got three different Doctors with 2 different causes. Yours says no infection, mine says infection, so I went to Wiki at: en.wikipedia.org/.../Otitis_externa and what do you know: There are multiple causes: one with critters and one without! Here's a partial excerpt: Otitis externa From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia • Find out more about navigating Wikipedia and finding information • Otitis externa ("swimmer's ear") is an inflammation of the outer ear and ear canal. Along with otitis media, external otitis is one of the two human conditions commonly called "earache". It also occurs in many other species. Inflammation of the skin of the ear canal is the essence of this disorder. The inflammation can be secondary to dermatitis (eczema) only, with no microbial infection, or it can be caused by active bacterial or fungal infection. In either case, but more often with infection, the ear canal skin swells and may become painful and/or tender to touch. Chronic otitis externa is a low-grade disease, usually non-microbial and purely on the basis of chronic dermatitis or irritation from "cleaning" the canal, often with cotton swabs. It can be thought of as chronic dermatitis of the ear canal skin and may or may not be painful. There may only be seepage, mild swelling, or itching. In contrast to the chronic otitis externa, acute otitis externa is predominantly a microbial infection, occurs rather suddenly, rapidly worsens, and becomes very painful and alarming. The ear canal has an abundant nerve supply, so the pain is often severe enough to interfere with sleep. Wax in the ear can combine with the swelling of the canal skin and any associated pus to block the canal and dampen hearing to varying degrees, creating a temporary conductive hearing loss. In more severe or untreated cases, the infection can spread to the soft tissues of the face that surround the adjacent parotid gland and the jaw joint, making chewing painful. In its mildest forms, external otitis is so common that some ear nose and throat physicians have suggested that most people will have at least a brief episode at some point in life. While a small percentage of people seem to have an innate tendency toward chronic external otitis, most people can avoid external otitis altogether once they understand the mechanisms of the disease. The skin of the bony ear canal is unique, in that it is not movable but is closely attached to the bone, and it is almost paper thin. For these reasons it is easily abraded or torn by even minimal physical force. Inflammation of the ear canal skin typically begins with a physical insult, most often from injury caused by attempts at self-cleaning or scratching with cotton swabs, finger nails, hair pins, keys, or other small implements. Another causative factor for acute infection is prolonged water exposure in the forms of swimming or exposure to extreme humidity, which can compromise the protective barrier function of the canal skin, allowing bacteria to flourish; hence the name, "swimmer's ear". Densely impacted wax, usually caused by enthusiastic use of cotton swabs, can put enough pressure on the ear canal skin to injure it and initiate infection. A sensation of blockage or itching can prompt attempts to clean, scratch, or open the ear canal, which potentially worsens and perpetuates the condition. The cotton fibers of a swab are abrasive to the thin, fixed canal skin. Self-manipulative measures to improve the condition often make it worse and are to be discouraged, since it is a blind exercise that can result in significant injury to the ear. Production of wax by glands in the canal may be hindered by external otitis. The exact function(s) of cerumen (earwax) is a subject that is open to speculation, since there is very little research regarding its function. Some caretakers feel strongly that earwax has a protective function with respect to infection and that a little earwax in the ear canal is a good thing. A natural question is, "How can I clean my ears, then?" It is well established that in most people the top layer of the ear canal skin normally migrates toward the ear opening, essentially sweeping the canal on a continuing basis. In other words, a normal ear canal is self-cleaning. This self-cleaning physiologic feature fails in some patients, especially in late life, and periodic cleaning by a physician can be necessary. The most controlled and least painful means of cleaning impacted wax or dead skin from the ear canal is by using a binocular surgical microscope, which frees the examiner's hands to instrument the ear and provides the magnification and depth perception needed to avoid traumatizing the delicate canal skin and eardrum. There is an uncommon and serious form of external otitis called malignant or necrotizing external otitis, in which the infection extends beyond the confines of the ear canal and can involve the bone of the skull. Although the name of this condition contains the words "external otitis" it tends to follow a more severe and chronic clinical course and can lead to skull base osteomyelitis. Instead of being a condition that most people are subject to, necrotizing external otitis (also called malignant otitis externa) is a life-threatening disorder that only affects older individuals with diabetes and patients with major disorders of the immune system. There's more if you care to read it! Confused, Swan

In college, after every workout, we had some Little Sisters that were always there to administer drops. (and give us cookies) Noone ever got The Ear. I'm gonna guess it was the drops and not the cookies. 50/50 alcohol and vinegar. I don't know about that. Don't underestimate the effects of really good cookies -- especially chocolate chip cookies. :banana:

I used to get a bad ear infection (not sure if connected to swimmer's ear) every year once the heater got turned off where we swim. After this happening several times, one doctor gave me advice that works best for me--after swimming/showering, I put my head under the blow dryer, and make sure to get my ears nice and dry. Ever since I've made a conscious effort to do this, no more ear infections. Yeah, this helps.

Swan I will be interested to know if this works for you. I just dont want to spend the 100$ but if it really works then it is worth it. Keep me posted Katie

Swan I will be interested to know if this works for you. I just dont want to spend the 100$ but if it really works then it is worth it. Keep me posted Katie Will do! BTW, how goes the return to swimming? Cold and earaches gone? Swan

WOW thanks I headed back to the pool on Tuesday and went Thursday.Well Thursday night I had the most brutal headache that had been brewing all day. My ear was killing me and I felt awful. Though the cold was gone. So back to the Dr. He took one look and said and I quote " ouch" hmmmmmmmm. So this time I am on very strong antibiotics orally ( the drops did not work) and naproxin for the pain. I feel much better today as the headache is almost gone. GEESH I tell ya I just want to be in the pool and healthy Katie

WOW thanks I headed back to the pool on Tuesday and went Thursday.Well Thursday night I had the most brutal headache that had been brewing all day. My ear was killing me and I felt awful. Though the cold was gone. So back to the Dr. He took one look and said and I quote " ouch" hmmmmmmmm. So this time I am on very strong antibiotics orally ( the drops did not work) and naproxin for the pain. I feel much better today as the headache is almost gone. GEESH I tell ya I just want to be in the pool and healthy Katie Having used earplugs for the last 7 years, I would ask the following: Are you using your earplugs when swimming and showering? When you put them in, are you making sure that the seal is perfect? Replacing them whenever they lose their stickiness (every 4 days for me).Also, make sure that you don't put anything down the ear canal (i.e., Q-Tips). I also make sure that the earplug always goes back into the same ear, not switching ears. I remember when I got my first earache, the infection traveled down into my jaw and I couldn't get my teeth to close. Oh the pain. And yes, I swam anyway, but I don't ever miss days. Feel better, Swan

Hey, When I first started swimming last year I immediately got swimmer's ear. I was out of the water for 2 weeks, on medicated drops and then tried the vinegar/alcohol drops, but got swimmer's ear AGAIN! I'm not a patient person and I don't like to mess around, so I shelled out money for a nifty widget called the Sahara Ear Dry. I feel like a total nerd with my special ear dryer, but I have never had swimmer's ear again. I love that thing! Willow Based on Willow’s post, I immediately got one. Now for my initial reaction to it! I bought the unit off of eBay for $69.99 from a company in Hawaii. Took about 2 weeks to finally arrive. Today was my first swim with it. First a description of the unit (the product website is http://www.dryear.net/). The thing is an air blower that weighs about 7 ounces and uses a wall wart to power the rechargeable battery. The manufacturers site says that the charge is good for 50 uses at 90 seconds per use (or 25 if doing both ears) before needing a recharge. It also comes with 5 different color earpiece thingies so if you have multiple members of the family using it, they all get their own color earpiece. The earpiece just snaps right off. I used a different color earpiece for each ear. The unit also folds in half (like a clamshell) when not in use to make a nice little package (and also cover the earpiece. Next up, using the dryer. After swimming and the ubiquitous shower, I opened the clamshell, pushed the on button and held the thing up to my right ear. According to the directions: “Gently place the DryEar earpiece directly into the ear. It is not necessary to push the earpiece into the ear, just comfortably seat on the outside of the ear canal and adjust the dryer angle until you feel the maximized airflow into your ear canal.” Once the right ear was done, I changed the earpiece and repeated on the left ear. The directions also say that the earpieces need to be cleaned after each use. My thoughts. Well, it seemed to work. No sensation of water in either of my ears. No pain, no fuss, no muss. Strangely, the company’s literature says that the dryer automatically shuts off after 90 seconds however I timed it at 66 seconds. Believe me that even 66 seconds seems like a fairly long time holding something to your ear! The real PIA came when both the earpieces need had to be cleaned after use. This feels like the one real downside (except the initial cost) to this thing. By the way, after I washed the earpieces, I put them in one of the empty Mack’s earplug containers for storage (I got a bunch of them lying around). Economics. I’ve been using 1 pair of the Mack’s silicone earplugs every 6 days and a 12 pack (6 pairs) costs me $4.69 ($4.38 plus tax at Wally World) or $0.130278 per swim. Ignoring the cleaning (hot water/soap), recharging and travel to Wal-Mart costs, payback is 538 days (roughly) or 1 year 5 months 22 days. Call it a year and a half. This assumes that the earpieces last almost indefinitely. If they don’t, a 20 pack of them is available for $11.99 plus shipping. Other thoughts The economics only work if I don’t lose the unit and the earplugs. Cleaning the earplugs is a pain but I see three possibilities: 1. Don’t clean them after each use. They aren’t doing into the ear canal. 2. Buy the 20 pack and after each use put the used pair in a container and use a new pair the next time. After 12 times, clean all 24 at once. Faster, more efficient, less of a PIA. I’ll check with the manufacturer and see if they can go in the dishwasher. 3. Clean them when I shower after swimming and, while they are drying, use the other pair). I’ll probably do number 3 for a few months until I’m comfortable that it is working then buy another 20 and go to number 2. This would make the payback just under 2 years. Final thoughts. Oh what a pleasure to swim without earplugs after some 6-7 years. It’s like I was reborn. Now, if only it works. Katie, thanks for starting this thread and Willow, thanks for pointing out this product. I’ll give an update every so often. Swimmingly, Swan

I have swimmers ear it but its been several years past. You can tell it if it hurts when you pull on the ear It will make you scream if you do this suddenly. I am surprised the silicon ear plugs like the Macks only last 6 days or so. I dont use earplugs as they are a hassle to keep up with, clean ect. As its been pointed out if water gets behind them it stays and thats when trouble starts. I double cap. A silicon cap first pulled low over the ears then a strapped bubble cap. Dry hair and no ear troubles. If I do detect a leak I stop and pull up the caps a bit to drain the small amout of leakage out and thats it. The trick is getting the inner cap pulled low. If it wont pull down low cut a small hole in the crown and it will. The bubble caps also come in head sizes for a snug fit. Bubble caps with a inner swim band for dry hair same idea , but do the above for dry ears. www.geocities.com/.../swimband.html