Why is my daughter having ear pain? Any advice?

A week or so ago, my daughter woke up in the middle of the night crying and saying that her ear hurt really bad. My first thought was "uh-oh, she has an ear infection." So the first thing I did was take her temperature, and to my surprise she was not running a fever. She has had several ear infections in the past, but they have all been accompanied by a fever. So I gave her some Tylenol to ease th
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e pain so she could at least sleep through the night, and then we could better deal with it in the morning. So then morning comes around and she says her ear does not hurt anymore, it is all better! So a week or so goes by, and then last night the same thing happened . . . except with the other ear. She woke up crying that her ear hurt, but was not running a fever. I comforted her the best I could, but since it was in the middle of the night there was not a lot I could do other than give her some over the counter pain medicine and tell her that everything would be OK. She ended up sleeping in our bed last night, and this morning again she said she felt fine other than being sleepy (She and I both, she kicks in her sleep!) So I am perplexed. If it were an ear infection, it would not come and go like that and she would be running a fever. Besides that, the pain was in different ears both nights and a week apart. Many people reading this may be thinking that she was faking just to be able to sleep in mommy and Mikey's bed, but you know as a mother when your child is faking or genuinely in pain, and believe me, both night she was no happy camper. Even the site of medicine makes her run away, and both nights she actually asked for it. There is nothing worse than knowing that your child is in pain and not being able to do anything about it. I cuddled her and talked to her softly, got her a glass of water and all that good stuff, but could not make the pain go away. So what is going on? I don't know if I should take her in and have her ear looked at or if I should just hope that it is over . . . it's hard to know what to do when this has never happened before. Any advice?
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tags: child, ear, pain, advice + add tags
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posted on Tue, Apr 28, 2009 10:32 AM
take her in bytkddiva2603 April 29, 2009 (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
I just returned from yet another Doctor’s visit with child number two for ear infection. We battle these constantly. I am guessing that your daughter does have an ear infection. I have taken the kids in with no more evidence than a cranky child who's out of sorts. Sometimes, it's just a tug on the ear that gives it away. Ear infection doesn't have to come with a fever. A lot of times, my kids develop earaches at night. It is a proven fact the pain seems to be worse at night. It may have to do with the fact they are laying down and it causes more pressure on the eardrum, whereas in the daytime they are upright.

You have a child who is old enough to communicate with you, which is really helpful. If she is saying she has an earache get her in. If you stand behind her and talk, does she hear you? Have you seen any seepage from the affected ear? Many times the eardrum bursts in the middle of the night, and the pain stops because the pressure is relieved.

If the doctor doesn't give you any, ask for some A.B. otic. It is a little bottle of heaven. A few drops in each ear will temporarily stop the pain, and that with some Motrin or Ibuprofen will allow you to get through the night until you can get her to the doctor. I keep some on hand at all times, and don't go out of town without it.

Also I have read, although it's never been the case with my kids, sometimes ear infections may resolve themselves with no antibiotics. Some parents choose not to build up immunity to them by not having ear infections treated. I have hearing loss from repeated ear infections, and burst ear drums, as a kid (Tubes 3 separate times) and I know from personal experience the pain can be excruciating. I can't just ignore it when my children hurt, so I usually run them in and get them checked. I think I have only missed pegging an ear infection a couple of times. Hope this helps.
love those otic drops too byEmily April 29, 2009 (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Anne Marie has had ear infections without fever before, so I would definitely go in. I also love those AB Drops. They have saved us lots of sleepless nights.
Thanks! byJenny Wixom April 29, 2009 (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
Thanks for the advice everybody! She has not had any pain since then, and she has been hearing fine, but I am going to call the clinic and see if we can be seen just to be safe. I also bought some of those ear drops just in case. Thanks and I will let you know how it goes.
Ear Pain byTrudy8 months ago (0 votes) (report abuse) (reply)
My daughter is having ear pain and pressure. The doctor started her on Zpac but she is still in pain. What are AB drops? Are they an RX or can you get them over the counter? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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