After going through a nasty bout of swimmer’s ear with my son, I thought it would be helpful to pass on some information that I have learned about it. Swimmer’s ear can be quite painful and lead to nights of not sleeping plus bleeding and ugly discharge. So it’s best to keep on top of swimmer’s ear and treat it as soon as you see symptoms.
Swimmer’s ear is an infection of the inner ear down to the eardrum. It is caused by water that is left in the ear that grows bacteria or fungus. This causes the infection. A severe infection, like the one my son had, can actually puncture your eardrum. When this happens, the infection spreads into the middle lower ear. When it gets in there, it can grow all kinds of nasty stuff that causes swelling and extreme pain for your child.
You should know that each time your child is exposed to water, some of it can get in their ear. Usually, this water just runs out and the canal dries just fine. But sometimes it doesn’t and it’s hard to know when there is a problem.
One way to prevent swimmer’s ear is to create a homemade solution of one part vinegar to one part rubbing alcohol. Put a couple drops of the solution in your child’s ear before and after swimming. The vinegar and alcohol are very acidic and will quickly kill bacteria and dry up the ear. If you are missing the vinegar, you can substitute super acidic ionized water (the strongest setting on your water ionizer). Or, if you don’t have either alcohol or vinegar, a few drops of acidic ionized water will also kill bacteria. It’s not as strong as vinegar, however.
This homemade solution of alcohol and vinegar is also effective in treating swimmer’s ear after your child starts to show symptoms. But if it is already a severe infection that has punctured the eardrum, this solution may actually make things worse. So go see a doctor!
Another way to prevent swimmer’s ear is to have your child wear swimmer’s ear plugs. The earplugs will prevent the water from getting inside the ear and you won’t have to worry about anything.
Once you are suspicious that your child has swimmer’s ear, it is best to go see a doctor. The doctor will prescribe antibiotics, usually amoxicillin, that your child will twice a day. Usually, within a couple days the infection will be gone.
In my son’s case, amoxicillin was not effective and they had to give him a stronger antibiotic plus a special ear drop that is safe for punctured eardrums.
In conclusion, swimmer’s ear is a very preventable condition that is worth the time and effort to prevent it. Ear drops and ear plugs are your best defense. Hopefully you can prevent it before it becomes severe. A severe infection like the one that my son got kept him awake for three nights with a lot of whimpering and crying. I hope this information saves you from going through that!
