Ear Infections - Again!

RosieLKH

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I don't get (as yet) many other complications associated with having type 2 diabetes, but I do keep getting very painful ear infections and have done for 3 years.

My current ones are really getting me down. I had a painful. swollen outer ear canal 3 weeks ago at the start of my holiday (coupled with a painful bruise and black eye from falling over, now i think possibly related to loss of balance). It takes over a week for these infections to go.

On Saturday I woke up to infection in my other ear. This was even more painful, so for once I actually went to the GP and have got antibiotic ear drops. Now I have the infection coming back in the first ear, so am feeling down and miserable.

I know there's little I can do except take painkillers and use the ear drops, but I am so p'd off with this, especially since this is a particularly busy week for me and I could do without it.

Sorry for the rant. I think I might just go back to bed now!
 

noblehead

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Has your Dr said why you are prone to all these ear infections?
 

RosieLKH

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The child who saw me said diabetics are prone to infection - that's all. I do get itchy in my ears, but I do try not to scratch them as I know from reading stuff on the internet that that is a sure-fire way to introduce infection. If I do not have good sugar control I do get yeast infections, but my blood sugar has been so much lower since May, so I'm not sure why I'm getting these ear infections.

The first time I got them in 2011 was after 2 weeks on holiday swimming lots of times every day in the pool at our villa. I know this type of infection is often called swimmer's ear, so I assumed it was to do with that, but I don't swim regularly and yet still get repeated infections.
 

noblehead

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It's true that diabetics are more prone to infections and this is particularly so if bg levels are uncontrolled. I would maybe ask if you can see a ENT Specialist and see if they can help, being on antibiotics all the time isn't good in the long-term.
 

RosieLKH

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This is the first time I've had any form of antibiotic for about 20 years and it's a local, external antibiotic. In a way I wish the GP had given me something to just flush this infection out of my system, as I'm not sure these ear drops will do much. I guess I'll have to go down the ENT route if the infections keep coming back. It's annoying now as I am controlling my bg levels, and have been since May. Before that they were way out of control at times, but I've been so much better since admitting I had diabetes and getting to grips with a low carb lifestyle.
 

noblehead

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Just see how you get on with the antibiotic drops, if it clears it up and you don't have a repeat episode then all well and good, if your infection does comes back then I would ask for a referral to the ENT clinic. Good luck and hope matters improve for you Rosie.
 

Bluetit1802

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Hi Rosie,

I suffered with itchy ears for many years, often leading to infections. It isn't pleasant, I know. However, my GP at the time prescribed hydrocortisone cream for them. This always got rid of the itchiness very quickly, and thereby the infections. It is now years since I had any problems. The GP said it was likely exzema inside the ear, but whatever, the hydrocortisone cream sorted it.
 
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AndBreathe

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Rosie - That must be incredibly painful!

My OH also has troublesome ears that he has to look after in a particular way. In his case, his physiology was damaged in an accident many moons ago, rendering him already quite deaf in one ear. I can't tell you how frustrating that then becomes when he gets an infection and goes very, very deaf!! We regularly spend a few days almost yelling at each other and I feel like I suffer damage due to the TV volume!!

Over the years he has worked out a maintenance programme that works for him, which includes using "Swim Ear" drops, after,......... er,............. swimming and diving, and always having steroid based drops and antibiotics to hand. He is even more anti-meds than me, so the infection needs to be well established before he resorts to treatment. These strategies are supported by his GP who is happy to provide his "laid in" supplies. Obviously, that's particularly helpful, bearing in mind our travelling lifestyle.

Do your ears actually discharge at all, onto your pillow?

As this has been happening rather regularly, I would be inclined to ask for a more in depth look than you appear to be getting, or failing that, try to agree with your GP that you should keep some sealed drops at home, so that if necessary you can crack on with that treatment whilst you wait to see him.

A further frustration is that the style of steroid based drops my OH has always seem to be having manufacturing issues which often result in prescriptions having to be re-issued when we go to have it dispensed. My OH hasn't been able to find anything over the counter to touch the prescription drugs he swears by.
 
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RosieLKH

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What prescription drugs does he use for his ear infections? I've got drops with antibiotics in, but no pain relief, so I'm stuffing down Ibuprofen! I haven't got any discharge although the GP could see stuff right inside the ears. I do have swelling which is painful and stops me closing my back teeth properly.

I think the itching is possibly related to sweating, but I'm not sure on that one.
 

AndBreathe

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What prescription drugs does he use for his ear infections? I've got drops with antibiotics in, but no pain relief, so I'm stuffing down Ibuprofen! I haven't got any discharge although the GP could see stuff right inside the ears. I do have swelling which is painful and stops me closing my back teeth properly.

I think the itching is possibly related to sweating, but I'm not sure on that one.

I can't look right now, and I'm just about to go out, but I think I might have posted on an earlier thread you started?
 

AndBreathe

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@RosieLKH - Apologies for not getting back to you sooner.

Going back through things, he appears to have had Gentisone HC, Predsol and Betnesol, as well as Ciprodex; all drops. For oral antibiotics, it's usually a good old broad spectrum penicillin. As I sad yesterday, the drops always see to have supply issues, so we usually get a prescrition for one, then have to come back from the pharmacy requesting an alternative. Irritating, but worth it.

As I say, we always have a seal bottle of drops and a course of antibiotics with us.
 
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Helsin

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Just seen this thread. I have a lot of experience with middle ear infections - long before I got diabetes. Doctor said it was eczema and used to give me Losarten Vioform drops. I got very fed up of them and eventually came up with a maintenance programme that helps me a lot. Never let your ears get wet and then dry in the air without cream. Even better, make sure that you have put a little cream in them before showering, bathing or swimming. I use either hydrocortisone or Sudocrem. Either works. I imagine that the skin flakes if the cream is not used and that the flakes fall further into the ear canal and become a source of infection. I think it is at least a couple of years since I last had a problem with them.