Anyone Know About Ear Infections?

You are not being paranoid. With that high of a fever, there is some sort of bacterial infection going on. Now, whether it is the ears or not, she needs to be on an antibiotic. I highly recommend that you take her to visit another doctor. You need a second opinion.

Hi J., sounds like you got some good advice and I just want to throw out my own experience and info I have heard. My understanding is that they cannot tell 100% if an ear is actually infected - it 'looks' infected if it's bulging and red. My daughter has had numerous ear infections and we ended up getting her tubes (no ear infections last year at all!).

Although I understand not doing antibiotics all the time and affecting the immune system, I would not want to risk her hearing for an infection that is treatable (my opinion as another mom only). Best of luck with the amox and drops!

S.

I'd call that doctor back! At least to make him aware of the reddish brown stuff. They can make mistakes too.

Hi J. -
Trust yourself - if you think your baby is having enough symptoms to constitute treatment, then she probably is! It isn't always "just a cold", a child with a temporarily weakened immune system is very prone to all types of illnesses.
Remember, your pediatrician works for YOU. Insist on a course of antibiotics -- if you don't overdo it and follow the medication instructions, the occasional prescription can't hurt!! Good Luck!

J.,

The balance thing makes me wonder about an inner ear infection. I'd push your doc to see her again. Ear infections can come up quick, and it's possible she didn't have one the last time she was seen, but could have one now. My doc always says that just because my daughter's ears are clear in that moment doesn't mean she won't have an infection an hour later!

If you doc won't see you or brushes you off - get a second opinion!

C.

My son has had several ear infections in his 2 1/2 year life. He has never had any crusty stuff in his ears. All of his infections have been the result of a cold. He never ran a fever with any of them, although most children do. His main symptom, especially when he was younger, was he would cry or get irritable when you would lay him down to change his diaper. The dr. said it's the pressure built up from the fluid. My advice to you is that you know your child best. If you think there is something wrong, there probably is. I would insist on the dr. seeing her again just to make sure it's not a problem. I would hate to see you doughter suffer from permanent ear damage bacuse the dr. missed an infection! Good luck!

J.,
Both my kids have had ear infections. My son however has had them the most, at 2 1/2 he has had them 3 times. He is actually still finishing his antibiotic from just having one last week. Everytime, it starts with a cold, runny nose (not stuffy) and sometimes a wet cough that just persists about 5-7 days and doesn't get worse or better. then the high fevers start and as soon as they start I know he is getting an ear infection. Sometimes it is hard to see because their little ear canals are very small, my doc has this particular tool that has a part that puffs a little air into the canal for them to see a bit better, I think. Its much like the the thing they squeeze when taking your blood pressure. anyway, I'm not a doctor but it sounds like she has fluid build up in her ears with can cause the discomfort, but its not quite an ear infection yet. However, if she is having consistent high fevers then something is going on, fevers fight an infection. So she is cooking something poor little thing. I would not feel bad about being so persistent about the ear problem, they'll give you Amoxicillin, most pharmacies will ask you what flavor you want, I highly recommend the bubblegum, its very yummy. I actually remember it from when I was a kid. In the mean time, if you honestly believe that her ears are hurting two things you can do, first my mom (a nurse) taught me this...if you find the spot behind her ear lobe, like where you would get your ear pierced and follow it down just under that part of the lobe but on her head at the toip of her jaw bone you'll feel like a little apot in between the bones, its kind of like a little hole, push on there slightly on the ear that is bothering her. If she pulls away or seems bothered by it then she has fluid build up and it is very likely that she will start an ear infection any day now. The other thing is that there are drops you can buy over the counter, I get mine at Walmart and they are actually in the aisle where the contact solution and eye drops are. Anyway, they have childrens pain drops for ear aches. Its helps with any pain, better than tylenol, at least in my experience. The one I use is Similasan Childrens earache relief. And you can use it along with an antibiotic, if you end up getting one. I come from a very long line of ear infections in my family so we seem pretty knowledged on the subject. And with the fevers, when they are consistent switching Tylenol and Motrin works so much better than just one or the other. So say you give Tylenol, then when she is ready for another does in 4 hours give Mortin instead. And vice versa...I would at least get the drops and keep them in the house all the time so that if this happens again you have something to give relief until you can get to the doctor. My luck it always happens on the weekends at night and we can't get to the doctor right away. Also you may find that she seems more bothered by it at night or after a nap, especially if she sleeps on the side that is bothering her, the fluid runs to that side and starts to irratate it, that is usually the first sign of pain for my son. He wake up crying from nap or in the middle of the night and I know its an earache. Good luck and feel free to email me if you would like to ask any more questions, I totally understand where you are at, ____@____.com
I have been to the doctor one day and they said my son didn't have an ear infection (this was the first time he had one) and then within 2 days I was back again swearing something was wrong and sure enough by then he had the beginning signs (redness) of an ear infection! So be persistent and always trust your momy instinct! Good Luck Jennifer

My son has had ear infections. Ended up with tubes. The reddish brown crust IS an ear infection. The ear drum has ruptured letting out the infection. Usually they feel a little better after that because the pressure isn't as bad. I suggest you get another doctor. Also, don't let them give you Zithromax. My sons ENT dr doesn't reccomend that for ear infections. Your daughter has classic ear infection symptoms. Drs say to never use ear drops unless they recommend them. Why would some parents not give there kids antibiotics when they are very sick and in pain?? You are not giving it to them every day. It amazes me how some parents can sit back and watch there children suffer just so they don't get medicine twice a year.

go to another doctor if this one is not doing anything for your daughter. try to see if there is an urgent care center near you also that you could try if she is not feeling well. if she has a bad fever to me that sounds like some kind of infection.

Get her rechecked. Or insist on another Dr. Sometimes they can't see an infection past the wax build-up. My son got tubes a year ago and has not had an infection since - it was well worth it.
Don't give up! Ears hurt very badly!
S., Pittsburgh

J....if an ear hurts, it hurts whether it has 'signs' or not. For myself (and every other person who has discomfort/congestion in the ears/head), I swab (Q tip) the ears with Listerine. (I use the yellow variety because it is not sticky sweet.) If there is much congestion (nose, throat, etc.) elsewhere, I treat them the same way.

One must be careful not to put the swabs deeply in ears or nose; just wipe them as in general cleaning. Put a little of the Listerine in a small dish for dipping the swabs; and use a new tip for each ear. Do not return a used swab to the solution, so that you don't contaminate it. Repeat as congestion rebuilds.

Many friends and family (adults included) have tried this, and found that it works. One of my toddler granddaughters had an ear ache while I was babysitting her. We did the ear-cleaning process. When her parents returned, she picked up my quart size bottle of Listerine; hugged it to herself, and declared: "THIS is MINE! I'm taking it home with me!" Years later she brought some cousins who had earaches/colds to my house for 'treatment'.

It will shorten the duration of your own colds/congestion.

KayMarie

Take her back to the pediatrician. If your ped has several docs in one office- take her to see a different one. I have 3 children and we've had many colds. I've never seen a child lose their balance from a cold. Or not eat.

Ear Infections usually clear up on their own without medication, and I recommend skipping antibiotics as often as possible. Instead opting for feeding them infection fighting foods (garlic is a great one if you can sneak it to them! I'm no doctor by the way, but have a great instinct when it comes to healing) For major infections, though, you'll want to go the antibiotic route. Too risky not to. BUT only a doc who is looking at the patient can make that call.

If she is not peeing regularly- or doesn't pee all day she's dehydrated and needs to go to the ER. With that diarhea, not drinking, and fever...dehydration can happen quickly. Keep watch for signs and make a note everytime she pees so you can monitor that closely. But it really sounds to me like more than a common cold going on here. Many of her symptoms are not common cold in my book.

Back to the Pediatrician.

Awww, poor little girl. My suggestion is to keep her well hydrated even if she is not eating. My grandmother was a nurse and she used to recommend a hot salt sock. Take a men's dress sock, fill it with salt, and tie a knot in the end. Wrap it in tin foil, but it in the oven for 20 minutes at 250. Take it out, unwrap it, and place the warm sock (not if it is too hot) on the afflicted ear.

I suffered relentlessly from ear infections as a kid. This relieved the pain, and helped me heal quick. Concept: water follows salt in basic chemistry. The salt socks helps to move the fluid in the ear, and the heat provides comfort...

As a mom, you need to follow your gut. Call the doc again, have her looked at again, and if you are not happy, get a new doc!

All the best...

Hi J.,

If there is something I have learned about being a mother it is trust yourself. If you feel that there is something wrong with your daughter, there probably is. After all, you are the one with her all the time. The doctor only sees her about 1 time every couple months. Trust yourself and call the dr. back. And if they won't give you an appointment, call another doctor or go to the ER. It's a horrible feeling to have your child sick and there is nothing you can do about it. I hope your daughter feels better soon. Make sure to update us.

Okay, well, maybe I should have checked that you already had updated us. LOL Oh well...

My grandson turned 2 in Dec. He has had several ear infections already. Unfortunately he doesn't complain when ill. He is just always a happy little guy. The last time he had a cold (same symptoms as your daughter) the doctor said not to worry - just another cold. Well, the fever never really went away and his head behind his ear began to swell, pushing his ear out. Daughter took him to an ENT who immediately hospitalized him. Here he had an ear infection (missed by the pediatrician) that brewed for a while and developed into mastoiditis. Needless to say, he ended up at Children's Hospital where they performed surgery to clean out the infection. They also inserted tubes in both ears for drainage. The tubes stay in for about 8 months, then fall out on their own. He has been doing real well since then, and his speech has improved tremendously. I don't want to scare you, but please have your doctor (or another) recheck the ears. If there is a lot of wax buildup your doctor may have not seen the infection. Hopefully it is just a cold, but you can't be too careful. Sounds to me like an ear infection.

Fluid behind the ear tympanic membrane will be very uncomfortable. Did the Dr. recommend any kind of decongestant? Of course, go back to the doctor. Does anyone smoke in your home? Even residue on clothes will cause sinus inflammations. Keep in mind, that Doctors try to be conservative. They will prescribe medication IF you "bug" them enough...however, my firstborn-now 26 acted similarly to yours. Her infections did not show at first either. Hers came on very suddenly with fever spikes, blood on her pillow etc. but no complaints. Tough little kid...still is. :) Still, decongestants may help with the pressure and discomfort of fluid in the ear. Hope this helps. Its very hard to watch our children suffer.

My children have actually never been diagnosed with an ear infection from a doctor, but if I suspect an ear ache or possible ear infectiond developing, I use garlic drops. Garlic is amazing, clears up infection and soothes the ear. You can purchase garlic ear oil at Giant in their organic section. It is made by "Herbs for kids." Give it a try and see if it helps. I am a definite fan of alternative methods rather than putting my children on antibiotics.

When my son was about 6 months old, he had a check-up on a Monday and they said that his ears just had a wax build up and that's why he was tugging at his years. The following day, his fever spiked to almost 104 and I took him back to the pediatrician right away. We saw another doctor in the practice who informed me that both of his ears were "seriously infected". I don't know if ear infections can come that easily, but I can tell you that we found a new pediatricianafter that. I say trust your gut and get a second opinion!!

My daughter had her first ear infection this past January. Since then, she's had two more, one that she's on antibiotic for now. Most pediatricians will use antibiotic if there's fluid involved on top of the redness and soreness that comes along with EI's. After six, most send you to an ENT. Anyway, the first time she had an EI, I didn't even know it except she was super fussy and crying constantly, very different from her normal personality. The second and third times started with high fevers and fussiness. Often, we have had her to the dr. and nothing has shown up, but a day or two later its worse and we take her to be rechecked and the infection has reared its ugly head, so don't be afraid to insist on being rechecked. Chances are, you know your child better than anyone and you need to trust your instincts. Its a lesson I've lived by. The crusty stuff you talk about is not something I've seen, but I do know if the eardrum bursts its painful and can cause fluid to leak out. All in all, don't be afraid to call back and insist on being seen again. You know your child better than anyone!!

My son had a bad cold and i took him to the doctors one day and they said the same thing. Next day he went back to the doctors and he had an ear infection. Doctor said that sometimes it shows up nothing one day and then next day he just got it. Also, my son sometimes pulled his ears but it could be part of his teething since its related to the ears. Take her to the doctors one more time and see. Give her some motrin if the ears is still hurting and see what happens. Could be teething??? Hope this helps.

Luckily my first 2 didn't have many ear infections at 3 and 4 they have both maybe had 3. My youngest is 10 months and is struggling this winter - really the past month with them. She is on her 3rd round of meds to try to wipe it out. Originally it was in one ear and now it's in both. My kids have had different sorts of complaints when they had ear infections. Strangely enough most of the times they've been diagnosed, I took them in suspecting another problem. The biggest thing with mine seems to be eye drainage. I've guessed we had pink eye several times when it was an ear infection. Since my youngest has had so many now, I've come to know that if she is waking at night, has a minor runny nose, struggles with her pacifier, and develops yucky eyes, it's an ear infection - usually in the opposite ear from the yucky eye if only one bad eye. She doesn't get a fever.

My son tends to have a lot of wax in his ears normally, but I have noticed an increase with an infection. His one ear is the normal yellow/light color, but the other ear is always a darker brown kind of color - even when he's healthy. I don't quite understand why.

My friend's daughter had an illness with off and on fever and some cold symptoms and was diagnosed with the flu.

It is so hard to see them sick. A couple other thoughts on comfort - you mentioned tylonol. What about Motrin? It tends to last longer - more like 8 hours so I like it especially at night. Sometimes it can be more effective on pain too. I also started using Similsan (sp?) ear drops with my daughter. They are safe with oral pain meds and antibiotics - all homeopathic. They act as a topical numbing agent. My ped said they are fine to use. A little pricy - but they last a while and I used them myself and they do help quite a bit. Finally, have you ever used a chiropractor? We go regularly, but getting adjusted when you are fighting a cold/illness can be really helpful. It really opens up your sinuses and lets things flow out that need to do so. It's perfectly safe for babies to get adjusted - mine were all adjusted within a week of birth. Usually kids don't need adjusted frequently but when sick they will check them more often. I took my daughter over yesterday and she's going again tomorrow. I'd be happy to share the info on mine if you are interested - he's over in the east side of Pgh.

I've always found www.webmd.com a great source for medical information of any kind.

Ok, so I know that you have a diagnosis and I read through a bunch of the responses to see if this is redundant, and I didn't see anything, so here goes....

As a mother of three beautiful kids, 12,10, and 7 that spent a lot of time dealing with ear infections and ear tubes, take this info for future reference. Not all peds will take the time to sit down and explain ear infections to you. Mine did.

Kids get lots of ear infections because their eustastion tubes are more horizontal than an adults and therefore don't drain properly. Because they don't always drain properly, and some kids have naturally narrow tubes, they tend to get infections more readily. Allergies, such as to dairy and other allergens can complicate matters because they cause mucus to build up. Since your daughter had a cold, most likely she was off balance because her tubes were blocked up and it was throwing her off balance. It probably wasn't infected at the time, but they DO come on really quickly.

Of course you want to treat ruptured and infected eardrums with antibiotics. Don't even think twice about it, and be aware in the future that when your daughter gets the sniffles, you may consider giving her an over-the-counter decongestant and push fluids (not as easy as it sounds, I know) to prevent any more infections as it sounds as though she could prove to be susceptible....

That's my 2 cents...good luck!! :)

J.,
My son has only had one ear infection and it sounds similar to your daugther's symptoms. My doctor actually recommended several anitbiotics, but my son does not tolerate perscription medication well AT ALL!! After trying two antibiotics, my son was doing much worse and was covered in hives. So, I went natural which is what I should have done at the beginning. I got some garlic drops at out local natural food store. All you do is warm the bottle in a glass of hot water and use the dropper in each ear several times a day. He was a new child after about a day. I continued using the drops until he was symptom free. I also used a product called Flora Baby - it's a probiotic. The antibiotic kills all bacteria including the good stuff so this replaces the good bacteria that fights against the bad stuff. Sometimes the natural products take longer to work, but this was very quick and I know the warmth felt good on his painful ears. The drops also contain willow bark which decreases pain. Finally, one more suggestion. If you have a good chiropractor in your area, they are good about adjusting sinues and ears, even in infants and toddlers. I've had that done before, wow!! My sinuses were clear in an hour. I felt like I was floating!! So now, if my son is conjested, I have him adjusted including the sinuses and ears.
I hope this helps.
M.

J., find another doc. My dd had ear infections from the time she was 5 weeks till 3 yrs old. reddish brown in ears probably means her ear drums have burst. take her back to the doc and tell them about the ear discharge. if they still say her ears are fine, I would insist on another opinion.
Good luck.
jenn

Hi J.,
I know way too much about ear infections. I have three daughters, a three year old and twin 11 month olds. My twin girls just had tubes put in their ears on March 13th and my 3 yr.old had them when she was one.

That reddish-brown wax is a key sign. The pediatrician told me that when you have an ear infection, your ear is like a volcano and the wax is the lava...hence the wax coming out of the ear. I would take her back to the doctor. Ear infections can come over night even if they were just seen. Go with your instincts. Who cares if you were just there. Your child is much more important. Ear infections do affect their balance as well as their hearing. Don't delay. Email me back if you have any questions!
R.

Hi J.,
When I read your situation, I felt I had to respond. As the mother, TRUST your instincts. You know your child better than the doctor. Doctors can be right but they can be wrong. It had happened to my child, the first day the Doctor said no infection. However, I took him the next day so sure that it was infection and it was.
The best option if you are able, is to take your child to an ENT (Ear Nose Throat) Doctor. Case in point, I suspected my daughter was having problems with her ears. The pediatrician said everyting was fine and she was hearing fine. After a Speech Therapist thought something was wrong, I took her to an ENT. My daughter couldn't hear! Her ears were plugged up and she had needed tubes. MY peditrician was not able or not willing to suggest that, but a specialist was able to take care of it right away.

http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/aomqa.htm

Not sure if this will be any consellation, but the American Academy of Pediatrics amongst others is calling to hold off on treating ear infections -- saying that ear infections resolve themselves. They'd rather not give antibiotics to treat at the first sign of an EI due to antibiiotic resistance.
We are at the other end of the spectrum with our son. I didn't think his ear infections were that serious after reading into it; however, at his last appointment, our pediatrician said we were going to try this other medicine and, if that didn't clear it up, then we'd have to go see an ENT possibly for tubes. My son has (only) had 5 EI that were in his chart at the Ped's. However, I know of at least one other EI as I took him to Urgent Care while we were in Virginia b/c of a 104 fever and him being lethargic. He was diagnosed with an EI then that caused his spiked fever.

Just to go over the tx my son has had...... it starts with Amoxicillin (buble gum medicine), then he had Augmentin and now he's taking Cefdinir (our last resort).

His father and I really don't want him to have tubes put in his ears..... We'd like to keep options like scubadiving and jetpilot open - We'd like to get him into the military academy or SEAL training someday:)

If you're still concerned after researching it a bit, try another pediatrician. We go to Pediatric Medical Associates (PMAdocs.com) and they have an office in Norristown and one in Doylestown. All the docs are certified and licenced in Pediatrics etc.... they're very good and always will find you an appointment.

I would trust your instinct.....I have had ear infections gone undiagnosed, so if possible I would suggest that you ask to have her checked again. Go with your motherly intuition!

hi J.,
i have dealt with tons of ear infections with my 2 kids.. to me it sounds like a ear infection..please get another advice cause they did that to mine before and when i finally took them to another doctor and she had it...if you let it set for long period of time it can mess the ear drum up

Hi! I know you've found solutions already, but i wanted to recommend Baby Echinacea drops. If you found ear drops, they may be in the same section. Our Wegmans carries them if you are near one. It's like a tincture without the alcohol. Our son's ear infection cleared up in just a few days with that. The garlic drops we never even got a chance to use.

Also something i've heard: Watch the amount of dairy she is eating. They say a good portion of ear infections are triggered by overconsumption of dairy. Our son has only had one infection, and lo, it was just after we increased the quantity of dairy in his diet. Coincidence, perhaps, but something to consider!

Good luck, hope your baby heals well!

give her the antibiotics and also tylenol and you'll see a difference in 24 hours.

The thing about antibiotics is you don't want them on it each month, but couple times a year is fine.

Relax and give her and yourself a break.

Hi J.,

My dauughter who is 3 had the same symptoms as your duaghter except for the falling down. She had the high fevers, coughing, sneezing and all and when I took her to the pediatrician they diagnosed her with an ear infection. They started her on amoxicillan for 10 days. She has been on it for a few days and her symptoms have disappeared almost completely except for the occasional cough. She says her ears don't hurt anymore. If I were you I would have them check your daughter again. I hope this helps and you get some answers.

B.

Hi,
Both my boys have had ear infections. One Never complains about them, so I only found out because something else was going on and the Dr was shocked that he wasn't complaining about his ear. The other one just got over one. The only symptom he had was that his ear hurt really badly. He ended up with a slight fever by the time we got him into the Dr.
I don't think there are too many symptoms with ear infections except the hurting and possibly a fever. Drainage isn't one, I do know that. I would ask to be seen by another Dr if you can. Colds in little ones can be so rough, since we can't really treat them. But by all means take her back if it will make you feel better.

Waiting it out, in my opinion is the best option. By giving anitbiotics you are actually weakening your body's natural immunities. The best ways to fight infection is allowing your body to cure itself. Allow the fever to kill the bacteria Don't treat the fever- fevers caused by illness will very rarely get high enough to cause any harm, and the pain relievers that are used have lots of side effects.
I also recommend a chiropractor that is used to working with children. My children would go at the first sign of illness and be better in no time without any meds. And while under consistent care, none of my 4 had even one ear infection.

Gosh J., the whole entire situation sounds miserable...blech. Hang in there. We used to use Vaporub on their chests to help air out the sinus' - and I had a scope to use on their ears - I took it to the Dr's just to show him I knew how to use it. It was great - eliminated alot of worry and concern - He showed me what to look for with pictures - plus you scope them when their ears are clear and then you have a good reference. Did the baby have the reddish brown crust yesterday when you were there? That sounds more like a cut of some kind ... I would definitely take her to the emergency room if you still have concern and frustration. The wobbly walking doesn't sound good either ... And ear infection feels like a tack being shoved into the ear canal and it bothers them more at night because they aren't distracted then but, sleeping peacefully hence the piercing screams from the pain. My kids never pulled on their ears really. You know how we instinctively open our mouths real big to make our ears pop from sinus pressure well, she may be trying to do the same thing ...

I'll pray for her and you!

Bundle her up and take her out for a walk in the stroller if you can - it's so lovely out. 58 degrees. She'll enjoy the change of scenery.

god bless.

I would bring her to a specialist. My son just had tubes put in for the second time because he could not hear. His ped said it was not that bad, even though he failed four hearing test. The ear specialist had a very diffent opion.

I would call the doc back and take her in. My son had an ear infection for about 3 months, it was so bad his ear drum ruptured 2 time the seconed time the day of his appt with the ear nose and throat doc. He had been checked one day didn't have one then the next day he did. If you arent sure I would just call, if she doesn't have one then you will feel better. One thing that i tried was to put a warm wash cloth on the ear, if she will let you. Good Luck

I have had similar experiances with ear infections. My 2 year old went through a bought in the Fall/Winter of 2006 with numerous ear infections multiple antibiotics ntohing seemed to work. I would definitely reccommend getting the ears re-checked. I had him in one day for a well visit where everything was fine and then the next day we were back and diagnosed with an ear infection. It can happen very quickly. I've also been told that if they are teething they will pull at there ears from the pressure of the teeth trying to come through.

J.
My daughter had 5 ear infections the first year after she came home from the hospital (she was a preemie) She never tugged at her ears so I never knew that was the problem until I took her to the doctor. Yes everything you mentioned is a sign and please be careful if the fever gets above 105 which my daughters did she went into a fibrel seizure. That was the result of a double ear infection. Please get her on antibiotics ASAP. The antibotics sometimes didnt work so we had to go to a stronger kind and yes from there would take 7-10 days after giving the antibotics.Please go back and have them re-check or ask for an antibotic I wouldnt leave this continue. Took her to the emergency room one time and they completely missed her ears and then too her to the Ped and he found out she had an ear infection. Sometimes they misdiagnose for sure.

J. B,
I'm so sorry to hear about you child's ear infections and cold symptoms. I'm a mother of 4 girls, one of whom had many ear infections, so I can relate to your worries. I also have 6 grandchildren and one great grandaughter and am a retired nurse. I would suggest that you take your child to a specialist, such as an ENT doctor, which stands for Ear, Nose and Throat. Your child's symptoms sounds to me like a pretty good inner ear infection. Don't wait any longer or it could get much more serious..
Sincerely,
N. C.

I have 4 children and went through a lot of ear infections. They can be checked one day and be fine and the next have an infection. I'd personally go back to the doctor and if you didn't clean the reddish brown stuff out of her ears... don't. I've found that when they don't want to eat or drink anything, freeze pops will still keep them hydrated. It's not exactly what the doctors would tell you to do but it works. Children need to stay hydrated, especially if ther is diarreah. My son used to get ear infections all the time and most of the time, I had already had him to the doctor for symptoms and them had to return. If the doctor doesn't work, take your child straight to the emergency room.

J.,

How long has she had this problem. Since she is little, I would call the doctor's office back and tell them to get a clue. Brown and reddish stuff in her ears sounds like her ears have been cogested w/mucous. Sounds like the doctor didn't seem to care about your concerns very much, not to mention that a fever that high after several days could be a bacterial infection and will need an antibiotic.

Yes she could have fluid build up in her ears, but that normally isn't the color that your daughter has in her ears. The doctor's use a special tool when they can't see into the ear drums clearly. Doesn't sound like the doctor did his job.

Get them on the phone pronto and ask for another appt or possbily another ped in the practice. If not go find yourself a new ped that has your daugher's best ____@____.com luck and God Bless.

A. C.

I would say that you have nothing to lose by going back for a re-check. When you had her checked, did they mention if they saw fluid in her ears? She could have fluid without it being infected, but it can change to get infected very quickly. My son got ear tubes put in in January because he'd had SO many ear infections....they can change very quickly - one morning he had an ear check and they said no infection, that evening he had a fever and vomited - i took him back the next day and a diff. ped said it was now infected. Good luck!

Hi, I have a 4yr. old son who will be 5 in June. This is the first time I am dealing with an ear infection. Just had him at the doctors on Monday. He had a high temp 104.1 chills, aches of legs, arms, head. He never complained about his ears or didn't play with his ears. The doctor said he had the flu and an ear infection. so he is on Augmentim for 10 days and now has the diarrhea. So I don't know what to tell you besides what I already have, this is the only ear infection I ever dealt with. But I would definitely think something is going on. My son isn't eating or drinking and his temp is fluctuating. I just keep using tylenol every four hours. Good luck I would definitely get a second opinion.

My daughter had recurrent ear infections at around that age. She ended up with tubes in her ears. While your daughter may end up with an ear infection, if they were clear yesterday, chances are pretty good it is just a cold. "Just" that doesn't quite capture how miserable a cold can make a child.

When your child is congested, the congestion puts pressure on the tubes in your child's ears. This causes ear pain and can cause imbalance and can eventually lead to an ear infection due to the fluid being trapped there. It sounds like you are doing a pretty good job with consoling her and trying to make her comfortable. Here are some things I do to try to help with the congestion when my kids are sick.

Run a humidifier. Both at night and during the day in the room your child will be in. If your humidifier is on a second floor and you are on the first floor with your child (and so is the kitchen), you can put a big pot of water on the stove on low heat. It will act like a vaporizer and put the steam into the air.

Our family has a family "remedy" for congestion. Peel an onion and put it into a large pot filled with water. Boil the onion until it is soft all the way through. Turn off the water and let it cool. Serve the water/broth with a little sugar in a sippy cup/bottle to your little one. The onion helps to break up congestion and the fluid helps to thin out the congestion. If your child won't take the onion broth (which they usually do since it is sweet), still make sure that she drinks plenty of clear fluids to help thin out the congestion so that it can drain.

Homemade chicken soup is another wonderful home remedy. Make sure to include onions in the broth as that is one of the main reasons it works so well. If you need a recipe or two, let me know. I have one I got from a parents magazine that is for Chicken Vegetable soup. It was sent in by a doctor as his family's cold remedy and then I have a chicken noodle soup recipe of my own.

Vicks Baby Rub or Johnson and Johnson Vapor Rub both help a lot with the congestion as well.

A warm bath in a steamy bathroom can also help with the congestion.

Before trying to suction out the nose, get some Little Noses Saline Nose Drops. Drop them in according to the directions and then wait a few minutes before suctions. They help to thin out the congestion so you can get more out when you do suction.

Also, if she is in pain don't hesitate to give her Tylenol or Ibuprofen. And don't wait 7-10 to call back. Here is my doctor's guidelines. If she is getting worse or not getting better after another day or two, then call back. The symptoms of an ear infection are pretty much the same as a cold. Sometimes with an ear infection the congestion will have cleared up but they will still have the ear pain and the loss of balance and still be tired.

I know it is really frustrating when our little ones are in pain. My whole family has been sick for the past 10 days. My littlest guy (7 months on Wednesday) is still fighting it and teething at the same time. Sometimes it depends on the bug they are fighting and it might never develop into an infection. Other times, it might become an infection fairly quickly. If you just saw the doctor, give it a day or two but don't wait a week.

Good luck with your little girl. I hope she is feeling better soon.