Ear Pain and Ear Infection | What To Do

I experienced one time an ear pain and stuffiness and was scared that I might lose my hearing. I got difficulty hearing and wondering what’s the cause of the pain.

I checked it with my stepmom doctor and here’s what I learned about ear pain. Ear pain is caused by a buildup of fluid and pressure in the middle ear, it’s the portion of the ear behind the eardrum. Under normal circumstances, the middle ear is drained by a short by narrow tube, which they call Eustachian tube into the nasal passages. Often, during a cold or allergy, the Eustachian tube will become swollen shut; this occurs most easily in small children because their tube is smaller. When the tube closes, the normal flow of fluid from the middle ear is prevented and the fluid begins to accumulate, thus, this causes the stuffiness and decreased hearing.
So, what do need to watch out when we have ear pain and stuffiness? Don’t you know that if the fluid begins to accumulate, bacterial infection starts? And that bacterial infection usually results in pain, fever, and decreased hearing.

What are the symptoms of an ear infection?

The symptoms of an ear infection in children may include fever, ear pain, fussiness, increased crying, irritability, or pulling at the ears. Since infants cannot tell you that their ears hurt, increased irritability and ear pulling should make parents suspect of ear pain.

Ear pain and ear stuffiness can alo result from high altitudes as when descending airplane. In this instance, the same mechanism starts when you the plane begins to drop altitude, the Eustachian tube is obstructed. Simple swallowing will frequently relieve this pressure. Closing the mouth and holding the nose closed while pretending to blow one’s nose is another method of opening the Eustachian tube.

Some simple home treatment

Moisture and humidity are important inkeeping the mucus thin. Use a vaporizer if you have one. Curious maneuvers, such as hopping up and down while swallowing can sometimes very successful in clearing the mucus.

Aspirin or acetaminophen will provide partial pain relief to ear pain and ear stuffiness. Antihistamines, decongestants, and nose drops are used to decrease the amount of nasal secretion and shrink the mucus membrane in order to open the Eustachian tube.

If symptoms persists, consult your doctor.