Advice needed, ASAP (kid = sick)

[Kathryn]

Alright, here's the scoop... It's 11:50pm over here. DS, 5yo, was earlier
complaining that his ear hurt, around 730-8pm.
He was even holding his ear and crying while we walked home from the store
(5 min max walk from home)
After telling him there's nothing I can do about it until we got home, hurry
up and we can get home and see about it, he has a bath, some cough syrup (he
does have a pretty yucky cough) and also some children's Tylenol, he went to
sleep. He wasn't crying about it, but he did say his ear hurt inside.
He had a fantastic ear infection about a month ago. He was given some
antibiotics for it (that time, it was 2am when I hauled him in the car to go
to the hospital out of the city due to it being a Friday night and city
hospitals with a wait time of hours and hours, out of city hospital had NO
wait at all) I left DD sleeping while DH was at home sleeping as well, and
off we went.
He took the medication as directed - 1tsp 3 times a day until finished.

Now, again this evening, it seems to be the same case. I'm assuming another
ear infection, and of course, it's almost midnight, AND it just happens to
be another Friday night - busy hospitals at midnight on Fridays...
The problem now is, I am home alone with the kids. It's midnight, and I
don't think I'm too keen on packing the sleeping kids up (and one who has
ear pain) at this hour to drive the highway half an hour out of the city.

I called my mom, who lives on the far opposite side of the city, and asking
her to come all the way here to stay with a sleeping baby at this hour is
stupid. She told me to put a hot face cloth in a plastic bag and get him to
sleep on that bag on his huring ear. He is back asleep now - actually, in
the time that it took me to walk downstairs, do a few things and check the
time on if I can give him some more Tylenol, I went back upstairs and he was
sleeping... I would assume this is a temporary fix, if anything...

Now I'm stuck on what to do. I tried calling BIL's, where DH is supposed to
be right now, but BIL said he's still waiting for DH to get there - expected
him around 8 or 9pm, and now it's midnight. DH did NOT show up at his
brother's house, yet disappearing is nothing new. Not gonna lie about that.
As is the case almost always, I am assuming alien abduction. At this point,
I'm hoping and praying for alien abduction complete with anal probe and
never returning him... Should I just hope that this hot face cloth in a bag
holds DS off until morning?? Should I just be prepared to be up every hour
or two when he wakes up crying his face off because his ear hurts? Should I
pack all the sleeping babies up to take him to the hospital if he wakes up
again or continues to wake up? I'm doubting someone's been in this
situation as feeling helpless and stranded, but what would you suggest?
Anything I could do at home?
Tomorrow morning, we have a wedding... I don't think taking a child with an
ear infection (or just a general pain that wakes him up at night crying) is
a wise idea, although this wedding for SIL is a family gathering... I also
would have to miss the wedding if I'm sitting around a hospital tomorrow
morning with this, or end up being dead tired come tomorrow...
Kind of in a jam here.. If I call the 24h health line, they'll just tell me
to take the kid to see a doctor... They really won't care about what
situation I'm in... What's the lesser of evil? Taking the kid in (and
waking the baby up to do so and carting her around the area) or not take him
in and pretty much let him deal with it...

Any ideas?? I'm so tired right now as it is... And tomorrow, no matter what
now, will be a very long day...

[stasya]

Kathryn wrote:
> Alright, here's the scoop... It's 11:50pm over here. DS, 5yo, was earlier
> complaining that his ear hurt, around 730-8pm.
> He was even holding his ear and crying while we walked home from the store
> (5 min max walk from home)
> Any ideas?? I'm so tired right now as it is... And tomorrow, no matter what
> now, will be a very long day...

You have my absolute sympathy. If I were you, I would hope for the best
with not taking him in....dose him up with Tylenol if he wakes up and
do the hot cloth thing, maybe sleep in his room with him so you can get
to him as quick as you can. Then get up early to take him to the
hospital if it's still painful so you can take care of that before your
wedding committment. I hope that all goes as well as it possibly can,
it's so hard to be stuck in these sorts of situations.

Stasya

[Me Myself and I]

Ohh I sympathise too. My DD2 has had an ear infection for 4 weeks now and
the antibiotics are slowly starting to work. I think if DS is sleeping then
leave him, dose him with Pamol/Tynol every 4 hours and tomorrow or Sunday if
he shows no sign of improvement then take him in. The last time I rushed
DD2 over to our nearest A&E (it was a Sunday so here in NZ we have to do
this) and the doctor there said that they are starting to encourage people
to wait 3 days with a suspected ear infection because more and more often it
seems they can sort themselves out. For me personally I tend to take my
children in because they have temps of 39 or 40 that I cannot lower, and not
so much because they have sore ears. Obviously I don't want them to be in
pain and I want to treat the infection but temperature tends to be first on
the list for me. If they are still miserable after a day or so then I take
them back in.

Take care

--
Pip

My girls :
DD1 Jasmine - 5 weeks early - 21 March 02 -
"I'm a big girl cause I go to school kindy"

DD2 Abby - 8 weeks early - 3 Feb 05 -
Took her first steps on her 1st Birthday.

"Yes you can drive me insane just by talking to me!"


--
"Kathryn" > wrote in message
news:fA4ng.88712$771.20898@edtnps89...
> Alright, here's the scoop... It's 11:50pm over here. DS, 5yo, was earlier
> complaining that his ear hurt, around 730-8pm.
> He was even holding his ear and crying while we walked home from the store
> (5 min max walk from home)
> After telling him there's nothing I can do about it until we got home,
> hurry up and we can get home and see about it, he has a bath, some cough
> syrup (he does have a pretty yucky cough) and also some children's
> Tylenol, he went to sleep. He wasn't crying about it, but he did say his
> ear hurt inside.
> He had a fantastic ear infection about a month ago. He was given some
> antibiotics for it (that time, it was 2am when I hauled him in the car to
> go to the hospital out of the city due to it being a Friday night and city
> hospitals with a wait time of hours and hours, out of city hospital had NO
> wait at all) I left DD sleeping while DH was at home sleeping as well,
> and off we went.
> He took the medication as directed - 1tsp 3 times a day until finished.
>
> Now, again this evening, it seems to be the same case. I'm assuming
> another ear infection, and of course, it's almost midnight, AND it just
> happens to be another Friday night - busy hospitals at midnight on
> Fridays...
> The problem now is, I am home alone with the kids. It's midnight, and I
> don't think I'm too keen on packing the sleeping kids up (and one who has
> ear pain) at this hour to drive the highway half an hour out of the city.
>
> I called my mom, who lives on the far opposite side of the city, and
> asking her to come all the way here to stay with a sleeping baby at this
> hour is stupid. She told me to put a hot face cloth in a plastic bag and
> get him to sleep on that bag on his huring ear. He is back asleep now -
> actually, in the time that it took me to walk downstairs, do a few things
> and check the time on if I can give him some more Tylenol, I went back
> upstairs and he was sleeping... I would assume this is a temporary fix, if
> anything...
>
> Now I'm stuck on what to do. I tried calling BIL's, where DH is supposed
> to be right now, but BIL said he's still waiting for DH to get there -
> expected him around 8 or 9pm, and now it's midnight. DH did NOT show up
> at his brother's house, yet disappearing is nothing new. Not gonna lie
> about that. As is the case almost always, I am assuming alien abduction.
> At this point, I'm hoping and praying for alien abduction complete with
> anal probe and never returning him... Should I just hope that this hot
> face cloth in a bag holds DS off until morning?? Should I just be
> prepared to be up every hour or two when he wakes up crying his face off
> because his ear hurts? Should I pack all the sleeping babies up to take
> him to the hospital if he wakes up again or continues to wake up? I'm
> doubting someone's been in this situation as feeling helpless and
> stranded, but what would you suggest? Anything I could do at home?
> Tomorrow morning, we have a wedding... I don't think taking a child with
> an ear infection (or just a general pain that wakes him up at night
> crying) is a wise idea, although this wedding for SIL is a family
> gathering... I also would have to miss the wedding if I'm sitting around a
> hospital tomorrow morning with this, or end up being dead tired come
> tomorrow...
> Kind of in a jam here.. If I call the 24h health line, they'll just tell
> me to take the kid to see a doctor... They really won't care about what
> situation I'm in... What's the lesser of evil? Taking the kid in (and
> waking the baby up to do so and carting her around the area) or not take
> him in and pretty much let him deal with it...
>
> Any ideas?? I'm so tired right now as it is... And tomorrow, no matter
> what now, will be a very long day...
>

[L.]

Kathryn wrote:
> Alright, here's the scoop... It's 11:50pm over here. DS, 5yo, was earlier
> complaining that his ear hurt, around 730-8pm.

Dose him with motrin and a decongestant so that the eustachian tube can
drain. Take him to a clinic in the morning. Screw the wedding -
alleviating his suffering and saving his hearing is more important.

-L.

[happy2bmom]

I agree. I would also suggest that if he has had frequent ear
infections that you consider taking him to a specialist. My son wound
up with hearing loss (fortunately it was corrected when he had tubes
placed in his ears for drainage - had adnoids removed at same time).
Also, I have found that Ibuprofen/Motrin/Advil works better (stronger
pain/fever relief for a longer period of time) than Tylenol on ear pain
and on fever. Let us know how he is.

T

L. wrote:
Screw the wedding - alleviating his suffering and saving his hearing is
more important.

-L.

[A & L Lane]

"Me Myself and I" > wrote in message
news:1151138712.590328@ftpsrv1...
> Ohh I sympathise too. My DD2 has had an ear infection for 4 weeks now and
> the antibiotics are slowly starting to work. I think if DS is sleeping
then
> leave him, dose him with Pamol/Tynol every 4 hours and tomorrow or Sunday
if
> he shows no sign of improvement then take him in. The last time I rushed
> DD2 over to our nearest A&E (it was a Sunday so here in NZ we have to do
> this) and the doctor there said that they are starting to encourage people
> to wait 3 days with a suspected ear infection because more and more often
it
> seems they can sort themselves out. For me personally I tend to take my
> children in because they have temps of 39 or 40 that I cannot lower, and
not
> so much because they have sore ears. Obviously I don't want them to be in
> pain and I want to treat the infection but temperature tends to be first
on
> the list for me. If they are still miserable after a day or so then I
take
> them back in.
>
> Take care
>
> --
> Pip
>
> My girls :
> DD1 Jasmine - 5 weeks early - 21 March 02 -
> "I'm a big girl cause I go to school kindy"
>
> DD2 Abby - 8 weeks early - 3 Feb 05 -
> Took her first steps on her 1st Birthday.
>
> "Yes you can drive me insane just by talking to me!"
>
>
Hope the OP can sort this one out but I would forget the wedding and
concentrate on the sick kid. However, in regard to waiting 3 days to see if
it would go away by itself, the one time I did this for DS1 who suffered
from frequent infections, he ended up in extreme pain with some blood coming
from the ear. To see him scream in pain like that was heart wrenching and he
only got some sleep after the eardrum ruptured and relieved the pressure. I
only decided to wait after reading this information also and having
experienced little sympathy from the hospital A&E staff in the past because
none of our local doctors work after hours or on weekends, I figured it
would be ok to wait until Monday morning when I could see our own doctor.
Bad idea in this particular case although each one is different - he did
have other infections which were handled ok with Panadol and we would manage
to cope until our own doctor was available. Thank God, he has grown out of
ear infections because they are no fun for anyone.

Good luck to the OP - hope you manage all right. Back to lurking :-)

cheers
Leah
(lurker and Mum to two boys 9 and 4)

[Jeff]

"L." > wrote in message
ups.com...
>
> Kathryn wrote:
>> Alright, here's the scoop... It's 11:50pm over here. DS, 5yo, was
>> earlier
>> complaining that his ear hurt, around 730-8pm.
>
> Dose him with motrin and a decongestant so that the eustachian tube can
> drain. Take him to a clinic in the morning. Screw the wedding -
> alleviating his suffering and saving his hearing is more important.

If he is feeling well before the wedding, I would take him. But explain the
situation to the hosts and family members. If he starts to hurt, say goodbye
and leave.

Jeff

> -L.
>

[Ericka Kammerer]

Kathryn wrote:
> Alright, here's the scoop... It's 11:50pm over here. DS, 5yo, was earlier
> complaining that his ear hurt, around 730-8pm.
> He was even holding his ear and crying while we walked home from the store
> (5 min max walk from home)
> After telling him there's nothing I can do about it until we got home, hurry
> up and we can get home and see about it, he has a bath, some cough syrup (he
> does have a pretty yucky cough) and also some children's Tylenol, he went to
> sleep. He wasn't crying about it, but he did say his ear hurt inside.
> He had a fantastic ear infection about a month ago. He was given some
> antibiotics for it (that time, it was 2am when I hauled him in the car to go
> to the hospital out of the city due to it being a Friday night and city
> hospitals with a wait time of hours and hours, out of city hospital had NO
> wait at all) I left DD sleeping while DH was at home sleeping as well, and
> off we went.
> He took the medication as directed - 1tsp 3 times a day until finished.
>
> Now, again this evening, it seems to be the same case. I'm assuming another
> ear infection, and of course, it's almost midnight, AND it just happens to
> be another Friday night - busy hospitals at midnight on Fridays...
> The problem now is, I am home alone with the kids. It's midnight, and I
> don't think I'm too keen on packing the sleeping kids up (and one who has
> ear pain) at this hour to drive the highway half an hour out of the city.

This won't help now, but if he is prone to this
sort of thing, you might ask the doctor for analgesic
ear drops to have on hand. That plus some Motrin or Tylenol
will usually get you through the night.

Best wishes,
Ericka

[Nan]

On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 09:38:46 -0400, Ericka Kammerer >
wrote:

> This won't help now, but if he is prone to this
>sort of thing, you might ask the doctor for analgesic
>ear drops to have on hand. That plus some Motrin or Tylenol
>will usually get you through the night.

I heartily second this recommendation. My ds was prone to earaches at
nighttime. Having the ear drops on hand saved my sanity.

Nan

[Jeff]

"Nan" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 09:38:46 -0400, Ericka Kammerer >
> wrote:
>
>> This won't help now, but if he is prone to this
>>sort of thing, you might ask the doctor for analgesic
>>ear drops to have on hand. That plus some Motrin or Tylenol
>>will usually get you through the night.
>
> I heartily second this recommendation. My ds was prone to earaches at
> nighttime. Having the ear drops on hand saved my sanity.

In some countries they don't even give antibiotics. The infections usually
get better on their own. There is a slight dnager that the infection will
spread to the bone or even brain. Both are to be avoided, however.

Jeff

> Nan

[Kathryn]

"A & L Lane" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Me Myself and I" > wrote in message
> news:1151138712.590328@ftpsrv1...
>> Ohh I sympathise too. My DD2 has had an ear infection for 4 weeks now
>> and
>> the antibiotics are slowly starting to work. I think if DS is sleeping
> then
>> leave him, dose him with Pamol/Tynol every 4 hours and tomorrow or Sunday
> if
>> he shows no sign of improvement then take him in. The last time I rushed
>> DD2 over to our nearest A&E (it was a Sunday so here in NZ we have to do
>> this) and the doctor there said that they are starting to encourage
>> people
>> to wait 3 days with a suspected ear infection because more and more often
> it
>> seems they can sort themselves out. For me personally I tend to take my
>> children in because they have temps of 39 or 40 that I cannot lower, and
> not
>> so much because they have sore ears. Obviously I don't want them to be
>> in
>> pain and I want to treat the infection but temperature tends to be first
> on
>> the list for me. If they are still miserable after a day or so then I
> take
>> them back in.
>>
>> Take care
>>
>> --
>> Pip
>>
>> My girls :
>> DD1 Jasmine - 5 weeks early - 21 March 02 -
>> "I'm a big girl cause I go to school kindy"
>>
>> DD2 Abby - 8 weeks early - 3 Feb 05 -
>> Took her first steps on her 1st Birthday.
>>
>> "Yes you can drive me insane just by talking to me!"
>>
>>
> Hope the OP can sort this one out but I would forget the wedding and
> concentrate on the sick kid.

I would like to take you home with me... ;) lol Just one person on my side
would be nice.
I don't even want to go to this wedding anymore (reasons unrelated) but DS
slept the night through - he woke up and came in my room, and when I looked
at the clock, it was like 415am - he did not complain of pain at all, just
came to ask if it was time to get up!
Went back to bed on his own, then at about 730ish, I heard him rummaging
around and then the TV turns on, and so I went back to sleep with half an
ear open until DD woke up around 830.
He has yet to complain, but I just might call MIL and say sorry, we're not
going to make it to the hillbilly shakedown as I have a sick kid to deal
with and don't want to risk him not feeling good far out of the city.

> However, in regard to waiting 3 days to see if
> it would go away by itself, the one time I did this for DS1 who suffered
> from frequent infections, he ended up in extreme pain with some blood
> coming
> from the ear. To see him scream in pain like that was heart wrenching and
> he
> only got some sleep after the eardrum ruptured and relieved the pressure.
> I
> only decided to wait after reading this information also and having
> experienced little sympathy from the hospital A&E staff in the past
> because
> none of our local doctors work after hours or on weekends, I figured it
> would be ok to wait until Monday morning when I could see our own doctor.
> Bad idea in this particular case although each one is different - he did
> have other infections which were handled ok with Panadol and we would
> manage
> to cope until our own doctor was available. Thank God, he has grown out
> of
> ear infections because they are no fun for anyone.
>
> Good luck to the OP - hope you manage all right. Back to lurking :-)
>
> cheers
> Leah
> (lurker and Mum to two boys 9 and 4)
>
>

[Jeff]

"Kathryn" > wrote in message
news:5Ccng.96420$771.46666@edtnps89...

(...)

> He has yet to complain, but I just might call MIL and say sorry, we're not
> going to make it to the hillbilly shakedown as I have a sick kid to deal
> with and don't want to risk him not feeling good far out of the city.

The plot thickens. You didn't say you live far from the wedding.

In that case, I would lean towards you respectfully declining, because you
have a sick kid.

Although I am sorry he was not feeling well, it could have ruined something
important that you wanted to do. ;-)

Jeff

[C Thompson]

"Nan" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 09:38:46 -0400, Ericka Kammerer >
> wrote:
>
>> This won't help now, but if he is prone to this
>>sort of thing, you might ask the doctor for analgesic
>>ear drops to have on hand. That plus some Motrin or Tylenol
>>will usually get you through the night.
>
> I heartily second this recommendation. My ds was prone to earaches at
> nighttime. Having the ear drops on hand saved my sanity.
>
> Nan

I will have to respectfully disagree about the eardrops and that is from my
own experience. When I had a horrendous ear infection about a year ago I was
referred to the specialist after being given antibiotics and drops. My
otolaryngologist stopped the drops immediately because the more research
that is done the more they find the drops can actually contribute to fluid
buildup, increased pressure, and therefore more pain. This is especially
true if the eardrum is already ruptured and since you can only know if there
is a rupture if they have been examined and diagnosed then just giving drops
before the ear is looked at can make things worse rather than better.

Of course everyone's experience may vary but I can say that the drops
contributed to me being without part of my hearing for several months.

Cindi

[Nan]

On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 21:01:38 GMT, "C Thompson"
> wrote:

>I will have to respectfully disagree about the eardrops and that is from my
>own experience. When I had a horrendous ear infection about a year ago I was
>referred to the specialist after being given antibiotics and drops. My
>otolaryngologist stopped the drops immediately because the more research
>that is done the more they find the drops can actually contribute to fluid
>buildup, increased pressure, and therefore more pain. This is especially
>true if the eardrum is already ruptured and since you can only know if there
>is a rupture if they have been examined and diagnosed then just giving drops
>before the ear is looked at can make things worse rather than better.
>
>Of course everyone's experience may vary but I can say that the drops
>contributed to me being without part of my hearing for several months.

That's pretty bad. Of course, I always took my ds to the doctor the
very next day to be examined, but the drops did help him (and me)
sleep. This was quite some time ago and we haven't had a lot of
earaches in the girls, so I don't know if our doctor would recommend
them now, or not.

Nan

[Ericka Kammerer]

C Thompson wrote:
> "Nan" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 09:38:46 -0400, Ericka Kammerer >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> This won't help now, but if he is prone to this
>>> sort of thing, you might ask the doctor for analgesic
>>> ear drops to have on hand. That plus some Motrin or Tylenol
>>> will usually get you through the night.
>> I heartily second this recommendation. My ds was prone to earaches at
>> nighttime. Having the ear drops on hand saved my sanity.
>>
>> Nan
>
> I will have to respectfully disagree about the eardrops and that is from my
> own experience. When I had a horrendous ear infection about a year ago I was
> referred to the specialist after being given antibiotics and drops. My
> otolaryngologist stopped the drops immediately because the more research
> that is done the more they find the drops can actually contribute to fluid
> buildup, increased pressure, and therefore more pain. This is especially
> true if the eardrum is already ruptured and since you can only know if there
> is a rupture if they have been examined and diagnosed then just giving drops
> before the ear is looked at can make things worse rather than better.
>
> Of course everyone's experience may vary but I can say that the drops
> contributed to me being without part of my hearing for several months.

The drops don't *substitute* for going to the doctor.
They just help manage the pain so that you can get through
the night before going to the doctor. They may increase pain
for some (in which case, obviously, don't use them), but
they were tremendously helpful to my kids. Some drops and
some Motrin and they'd sleep peacefully until morning when
we could get an appointment with their regular doctor, rather
than going to urgent care and waiting an eternity to be seen
with a minor problem.

Best wishes,
Ericka

[toto]

On Sat, 24 Jun 2006 19:50:10 -0400, Ericka Kammerer >
wrote:

>The drops don't *substitute* for going to the doctor.
>They just help manage the pain so that you can get through
>the night before going to the doctor. They may increase pain
>for some (in which case, obviously, don't use them), but
>they were tremendously helpful to my kids. Some drops and
>some Motrin and they'd sleep peacefully until morning when
>we could get an appointment with their regular doctor, rather
>than going to urgent care and waiting an eternity to be seen
>with a minor problem.

A couple of things that can help without the drops:

The pain of an earache is caused by pressure as the congested middle
ear pushes on the eardrum. To promote drainage, prop your child at a
30-degree angle.

If your child cannot tolerate ear drops, apply a warm compress. We
used to put a towel around a heating pad on a very low setting and
keep that on the affected ear. You could also try a hot water bottle
wrapped in a towel, or just a towel heated up to a nice cozy
temperature. Don't leave the heat on for longer than 20 minutes
though.






--
Dorothy

There is no sound, no cry in all the world
that can be heard unless someone listens ..

The Outer Limits

[shinypenny]

Kathryn wrote:
> Alright, here's the scoop... It's 11:50pm over here. DS, 5yo, was earlier
> complaining that his ear hurt, around 730-8pm.
> He was even holding his ear and crying while we walked home from the store
> (5 min max walk from home)

By 5 yo, when the kid tells you his ear hurts, you can pretty much
guarantee it is an ear infection. My DD got them all the time and by
that age, could tell me. The doctor would prescribe over the phone on
weekends without the need to see her; it was enough that she was
complaining. So you could try calling the doctor. Worth a shot!

> After telling him there's nothing I can do about it until we got home, hurry
> up and we can get home and see about it, he has a bath, some cough syrup (he
> does have a pretty yucky cough) and also some children's Tylenol, he went to
> sleep. He wasn't crying about it, but he did say his ear hurt inside.

It does sound like an inner ear infection. For those, the best medicine
is a decongestant to help relieve the pressure in the ear. Plus tylenol
alternated with ibuprofen.


> I called my mom, who lives on the far opposite side of the city, and asking
> her to come all the way here to stay with a sleeping baby at this hour is
> stupid. She told me to put a hot face cloth in a plastic bag and get him to
> sleep on that bag on his huring ear.

That's not a bad idea either - it will help until the meds kick in.


> Now I'm stuck on what to do. I tried calling BIL's, where DH is supposed to
> be right now, but BIL said he's still waiting for DH to get there - expected
> him around 8 or 9pm, and now it's midnight. DH did NOT show up at his
> brother's house, yet disappearing is nothing new. Not gonna lie about that.
> As is the case almost always, I am assuming alien abduction. At this point,
> I'm hoping and praying for alien abduction complete with anal probe and
> never returning him... Should I just hope that this hot face cloth in a bag
> holds DS off until morning??

Plus decongestant, tylenol, ibuprofen... tylenol every four hours;
ibuprofen every 6 to 8. The ibuprofen will get him through the night.


> Tomorrow morning, we have a wedding... I don't think taking a child with an
> ear infection (or just a general pain that wakes him up at night crying) is
> a wise idea, although this wedding for SIL is a family gathering... I also
> would have to miss the wedding if I'm sitting around a hospital tomorrow
> morning with this, or end up being dead tired come tomorrow...

I think SIL would greatly appreciate it if you were considerate enough
to keep a sick, miserable, cranky child away from her wedding. Don't
spoil her wedding.

> Kind of in a jam here.. If I call the 24h health line, they'll just tell me
> to take the kid to see a doctor... They really won't care about what
> situation I'm in... What's the lesser of evil? Taking the kid in (and
> waking the baby up to do so and carting her around the area) or not take him
> in and pretty much let him deal with it...

Even if they could prescribe over the phone, you have no way of picking
up the meds. And they will take at least a day to kick in, so no matter
how you cut it, DS is going to be too miserable tomorrow to attend this
wedding. So get through tonight, and tomorrow when you are rested pack
up the kids and get to the hospital.

Then next week buy yourself your own ear scope and learn how to use it.
If you have one of those, the doctor may also be more inclined in the
future to trust your over-the-phone diagnosis and just prescribe
something instead of going into the office.


> Any ideas?? I'm so tired right now as it is... And tomorrow, no matter what
> now, will be a very long day...

Heh, it could be worse! Once I was all alone with two preschool kids
who had a stomach flu that made them barf every 15 minutes. First one
got it, then the other. I sat for 12 hours with one or the other kid in
the kitchen, holding them while they barfed over my shoulder and on to
the floor where I'd spread a sheet. I stopped bothering to clean up
between pukes at some point in the evening. This went on all night,
then when the second child finally stopped barfing and fell asleep
around 5 AM, as I was cleaning up, I started to barf. Now *that* was a
long day. :-(

jen

[stasya]

shinypenny wrote:
> Heh, it could be worse! Once I was all alone with two preschool kids
> who had a stomach flu that made them barf every 15 minutes. First one
> got it, then the other. I sat for 12 hours with one or the other kid in
> the kitchen, holding them while they barfed over my shoulder and on to
> the floor where I'd spread a sheet. I stopped bothering to clean up
> between pukes at some point in the evening. This went on all night,
> then when the second child finally stopped barfing and fell asleep
> around 5 AM, as I was cleaning up, I started to barf. Now *that* was a
> long day. :-(
>
> jen

BTDT. Actually, it was my 4 yo dd and I who had the stomach flu at the
same time. At 11 pm at night. With one toilet. At one point I was
actually holding her puking head at the right angle so that *I* could
puke into the toilet as well. Ugh! But at least, that only lasted
through the night, and although we were weak and sick the next day, no
more.

Can't wait for the unimaginable day when I and all 3 kids get sick....

Stasya

[Catherine Woodgold]

"shinypenny" ) writes:
> Heh, it could be worse! Once I was all alone with two preschool kids
> who had a stomach flu that made them barf every 15 minutes. First one
> got it, then the other. I sat for 12 hours with one or the other kid in
> the kitchen, holding them while they barfed over my shoulder and on to
> the floor where I'd spread a sheet. I stopped bothering to clean up
> between pukes at some point in the evening. This went on all night,
> then when the second child finally stopped barfing and fell asleep
> around 5 AM, as I was cleaning up, I started to barf. Now *that* was a
> long day. :-(
>
> jen

LOL! Poor you. I might start to barf just from the sight
of all that barf and having to clean it up.

[Catherine Woodgold]

I suggest making sure he gets plenty of vitamin C.
Also vitamin A. The immune system needs these to
fight infection. Vitamin C sometimes leads to quick
relief of symptoms (because the immune system gets
the upper hand). Consumed regularly it also reduces
the chance of getting sick in the first place.
Different people need different amounts, and people
generally need more when sick, often a lot more.

I think it helps to lie down with the affected ear
on top. That way gravity can gradually help drain it.
If you know enough about anatomy you can prop the child
at just the right angle so that the drainage channel
(Eustacian tube?) is exactly vertical. I don't know
anatomy that well but can guess and try to get it
about right. It's possible to put a hot cloth or
hot-water-bottle on top of the ear, though maybe not
practical or safe while sleeping.

I think it helps to encourage the child to make
ear-clicking motions. This is the motion of the
Eustacian tube that people tend to do while yawning,
while swallowing, or (if they know how) in response
to changes of air pressure when in an elevator
or airplane. It may be a good idea to teach how
to do this when the child isn't sick. The child
can be encouraged to make a number of swallowing motions
and/or to yawn several times -- that might lead to
the right motion.

Even if the child normally knows
how, if the ear is clogged it may not click. I
think it helps to try multiple times (even if
no click actually occurs), and to do it with the
drainage tube in a vertical position, i.e.
with the affected ear up and I suppose also
while propped at a 30 degree angle as someone
else suggested.

Sometimes ears get clogged when a person blows
their nose too hard, or blows their nose lying
down. Children can be told to always blow their nose
gently.

[Catherine Woodgold]

There's a theory that when children complain of earaches,
it's often actually a migraine headache on one side
of the head.

[shinypenny]

Catherine Woodgold wrote:
> There's a theory that when children complain of earaches,
> it's often actually a migraine headache on one side
> of the head.

Never heard of that one. When I had migraines, they were always top of
my head, dead center, never only on one side.

I figured the OP's child was more likely to have an inner ear infection
given he sounds like he was recovering from a previous illness with the
cough and everything. Another common reason for ear pain this time of
year is swimmer's ear. You know it's swimmer's ear (outer ear
infection) if placing your hand and pressing on the ear hurts.

jen

[Catherine Woodgold]

"shinypenny" ) writes:
> Never heard of that one. When I had migraines, they were always top of
> my head, dead center, never only on one side.

Sometimes migraines are symmetrical; sometimes they're
on one side of the head. The word "migraine" comes from
root words like "demi crania". I.e. it originally meant
half the head.

[[email protected]]

Swimmer's ear (otitis externa) is an inflammation and infection of the
ear canal. It occurs when the protective film that covers the ear
canal (lipid layer) is removed. This causes the ear canal to look red
and swollen; it may be narrower than normal and is tender when the
outside of the ear is gently pulled up and back.

Swimmer's ear may develop when water, sand, dirt, or other debris gets
into the ear canal. Since it often occurs when excess water enters the
ear canal, a common name for this inflammation is "swimmer's ear."

I found this information from
http://www.medical-health-care-information.com/articles/ear-problem.html
They seem to have detail about the topic. let me know if it is helpful





Catherine Woodgold wrote:
> "shinypenny" ) writes:
> > Never heard of that one. When I had migraines, they were always top of
> > my head, dead center, never only on one side.
>
> Sometimes migraines are symmetrical; sometimes they're
> on one side of the head. The word "migraine" comes from
> root words like "demi crania". I.e. it originally meant
> half the head.