Should I go back to the Doctor?

Factual Questions
1

I want to say this first: I am not one of those people that go to the Doctor for every damn sniffle or scrape. I am not scared of Doctors, I just don’t particularely like to go. I keep wondering if I am one of those people that needlessly drain healthcare…

ANYHOW…

Last weekend I came down with a cold or something. A Doozy. Came down with it Friday night and was bedridden. My left ear started to feel plugged up. Right ear was fine. Monday morning I woke up at about 3AM with my left ear in terrible pain. In desperation, I did a search on the SDMB (my medical reference journal!) for “Plugged Ear Help!”. The search came up with a few hits. I tried one of the methods that there seemed to be a bit on a consensus on and I doubled over in pain on the floor.

Thats it. I went to the hospital. Turns out my left ear had a middle/outer infection. I was given some antibiotics and a perscription and sent on my way (in less than an hour I may add). I was fine after that.

Until this AM. My right ear is now plugged and starting to appear to get sore. Its only been 2 days since I went to the hospital, but it wasn’t sore before. Should I go back (or see my doctor) or just wait and see if my medication takes care of both? I am unsure if it is working as it is still plugged (my left one) but not really in pain anymore… although it only has been 2 days.

2

I’d wait, the meds should cover both. I would be very surprised if your right ear developed some other wierd infection that couldn’t be treated by the same meds, and I doubt that you doc would up your perscription.

I would only return to the doctor if it really started bothering you, more than the left ear did originally.

Quadgop will probably share some advice that you should heed.

3

Sounds like you have a cold virus which also blocked your eustacian tubes, and caused a secondary bacterial infection in your left ear. Antibiotics are generally the treatment of choice for this. However, the antibiotics will not do a damn thing for the cold virus. So you’ll still have ears that tend to plug, click and pop, and may ache a little as a result. But I would think it unlikely that one would develop a resistant strain of bacterial ear infection in the other ear while on antibiotics. Unlikely, but not impossible.

Now I’ve not examined you, nor have I discussed these issues with you, but I would tell a patient in a similar situation to take tylenol or ibuprofen, steamy showers, push fluids, and get the ear checked if it becomes markedly more painful.

Qadgop, MD

4

I am not a doctor. However, I’ve had my share of ear infections. I usually do just as Qadgop has suggested, plus I take an antihistamine, to help unblock my head. The steamy showers help a LOT, don’t discount them.

5

I love those hot steamy showers. I’ll see if I can’t get the wife to join me :wink:

Thanks for the help.