Most middle ear infections (otitis media) clear up within three to five days and don't need any specific treatment. You can relieve any pain and a high temperature using over the counter painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen. Make sure any painkillers you give to your child are appropriate for their age.
A warm, moist cloth placed over the ear may also help. Usually the fluid goes away in 2 to 3 months, and hearing returns to normal.
Does middle ear fluid drain on its own? Most of the time, fluid will drain from the middle ear naturally.
What are the symptoms of otorrhea? The main symptom of otorrhea is drainage from your ear. This drainage may be odorless or it may smell foul. It can be thin or thick in consistency and clear, yellowish or green in color.
Symptoms of Ear Infections
Complication: In 5% to 10% of children, the eardrum will develop a small tear. This is from the pressure in the middle ear. The ear then drains cloudy fluid or pus. This small hole most often heals over in 2 or 3 days.
You might see lots of white, yellow or green fluid draining from the ear without any pain. An outer ear infection, also called otitis externa or swimmer's ear, occurs when the skin inside the ear canal swells and becomes infected. Discharge can build up in the ear canal and drain from the ear.
Most of the time the fluid in ears drains within a couple of weeks, but sometimes it sticks around longer.
Sudden drainage of yellow or green fluid from the ear may mean the eardrum has ruptured. All acute ear infections involve fluid behind the eardrum.
In most cases, the fluid clears up within a few months without treatment. You may need more tests if the fluid does not clear up after 3 months. For adults, decongestants that you take by mouth or spray into your nose may be helpful.
The Eustachian tube connects the inside of the ear to the back of the throat. This tube helps drain fluid to prevent it from building up in the ear. The fluid drains from the tube and is swallowed.
Middle ear infections (otitis media) will usually clear up within a few days, with or without treatment. But antibiotics can speed up recovery in children under two years of age who have an infection in both ears. They may also help if the infected ears are leaking fluid.
The ear has a space behind the ear drum called the middle ear. The lining of this space makes a fluid to keep the tissues moist. This fluid drains through a little tube (eustachian tube) that runs to the back of the nose.
Eustachian tube massage
Using firm, steady pressure, slide your finger down until you feel a groove between your ear lobe and jaw. Trace that groove all the way down your neck to your collarbone using the same firm pressure. Repeat this process three times on each side, three times a day.
As the infection starts to clear up, your child might feel a "popping" in the ears. This is a normal sign of healing. Children with ear infections don't need to stay home if they are feeling well, as long as a child care provider or someone at school can give them their medicine properly, if needed.
Ear drainage that is cloudy, whitish-yellow, or pus-like can indicate an ear infection or ruptured ear drum. Pus due to an infection may also have a foul smell. A chronic ear infection can cause pus or a pus-like drainage to drain from the ear.
Sometimes fluid stays in the middle ear even after you take antibiotics, and the infection goes away. In this case, your health care provider may suggest placing a small tube at the opening of the eardrum to keep fluid from building up. It can also help you hear.
Sometimes the fluid in the middle ear doesn't drain, blocking the eardrum and causing temporary hearing loss, or otitis media with effusion. Again, this is not uncommon, and in many cases another round of amoxicillin or another type of antibiotic will do the trick.
It treats bacterial infections in both kids and adults. Amoxicillin begins to fight your infection soon after you start taking it, and you should start to feel better after about 2 to 3 days. But even if you feel better before your prescription runs out, make sure to keep taking it for as many doses as prescribed.
Massaging your eustachian tubes is a great way to combat ear infection pain. Using a gentle amount of pressure, press lightly on the area along the back of the ear that meets your jawbone, continuously push and release this flap of skin several times to open the eustachian tubes up.
Steam from a humidifier, shower, or bath can have the same effect as a warm compress. It helps to open and relax airways, thus reducing ear pressure and easing pain.
When the ears are infected, it is important to avoid any water getting in to them. Water from baths, showers and swimming pools is often contaminated with bacteria and chemicals (including soap and shampoo) which further irritate the ears and slow recovery.