Quick! I need help with an ear infection please! UPDATED - need advice again!

[Desert Rose]

Ds had nasty ear infection about 3 weeks ago. He took Omnicef and you ladies were wonderful in recommending Culturelle as well (to counteract the side effects of the antibiotic)! :tu
Today I found out he has a second infection, in the other ear. :td The old one is, of course, gone, but now there's this new one! It is not as bad as the other one was, and except for last night, he is not affected by it. The doc wrote a prescription for antibiotics again, but he also gave me an "alternative." He said the newest suggestion is to treat the symptoms (fever, pain, etc.) and let the body take care of the infection. Sounds good to me. He said that if the infection really starts affecting ds, I should fill the 'script.
Anyway, my question is, for the next few days, what can I do for ds to help his body "take care of the infection"? :think

[Mothering by Heart]

We don't normally do abx for ear infections either. I will take the script, but rarely fill it. I give lots of fluids, usually OJ mixed with emergen-c and motrin or tylenol if they complain of pain. I will also heat up a sock filled with rice and they can lay their head on that.

[ArmsOfLove]

get some Mulein Garlic Ear Oil (Herbs for Kids has a good ear oil and I know they have it at Whole Foods :tu) and put it in every few hours. According to my doctor "ear infections" honestly just come and go--he said that a child can have one today and not tomorrow and vice versa. I didn't treat the one ds was dx with except with ear oil and it was fine less than a week later :shrug I've only treated for them when they go on for over a week with no letup :cry

You can also use breastmilk and just squirt it into the ear :grin

[UltraMother]

Garlic oil is nothing short of amazing for ear problems! :tu

[Desert Rose]

Thanks ladies! I will try the breastmilk tonight and I will go to the store tomorrow for the garlic oil stuff. :tu

[cobluegirl]

you can also make your own garlic oil.

[PurpleButterfly]

Also, don't forget an immune-boosting supplement that contains Vita's A, Vita C w/bioflavanoids (anti-inflammatory), and Zinc. Children's echinacea is also wonderful and can be given in conjunction with everything else mentioned, for ten consecutive days. :tu

[Desert Rose]

Yesterday I gave him Hyland's earache remedy and I also gave him some of the Willow/Garlic Ear Oil in both ears as directed.
Last night he woke up with a fever and in pain pulling at his right ear. That's the ear that was infected last month, it was his left that was infected on Tuesday. In the morning his right ear had a small amount of clear fluid on it, which could have been sweat from the fever or could have come out of his ear. Today he has slept most of the day, has a fever of 101 and won't eat anything at all. I still have the script for antibiotics.
What would you do?

[cobluegirl]

Well I personally would wait it out. There is a lot of controversy as to whether or not Antibiotics works on earinfections. I would keep treating with the garlic oil/mullien oil and the hylands. But that is me personally.
If he continues to get infections you might look into allegies. A chiropractor adjustment might be great for him too.

[Desert Rose]

He never had an infection until about 4 weeks ago. :shrug

I am afraid that maybe he had a bursted ear drum last time and I didn't know about it and now I put the oil in his ear. Maybe that's why he may have had the fluid there? What would happen if that's the case?

[cobluegirl]

I am not sure about what happens if you get oil in there after the drum as ruptured..but I have done it before..lol
If his ear drum you would know it. It would be oozing gross pussy/oily looking fluid and it would smell like sour socks (at least that is what we have experienced here) He would have also been in quite a bit of pain. You might go to walmart and invest in an otoscope (the tool used to look into the ear) to see what you see.

[ArmsOfLove]

from what I've been told it's pretty obvious when there's a ruptured eardrum :think

I would put garlic oil in both ears if they are both hurting . . . is he teething???

the issue is whether an ear infection is from virus or bacteria (or allergy or teething) because only bacterial ear infections will need (and that's arguable) antibiotics. From what I've read viral ear infections are reported to feel better sooner but heal just as fast.