Swimmer's Ear

Swimmer's ear?

Water trapped in the ear canal can cause infection of the outer ear called swimmer's ear.

Pharmacist

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Persistent moisture in the ear canal from let's say frequent swimming can lead to loss of earwax and ultimately a breakdown of the defense system against ear infection.

Bacteria grow in the presence of this moist conditions and infect the child's ear.

Let's see how you can go about taking care of this.

girl experiencing swimmers ear

Swimmer's ear

Is it swimmer's ear?

Let's see if this is a swimmer's ear infection to start with.

Pharmacist

Then you will see how bad it is and figure out what to do from there.

Hold the ear lobe or outer ear and wiggle it.

Does the child feel any pain or does the pain already present get worse?

Pharmacist

Yes?

Push on the little "bump" in front of the child's ear.

Any pain or does the pain he or she already has get worse?

Pharmacist

No?
This is supposed to cause some pain.

Pharmacist

Swimmer's ear is infection of the external ear and pushing on this area should give your child some kind of discomfort.

Is he or she experiencing itching in the ear canal?

Pharmacist

No?
Swimmer's ear symptoms usually include itching in the ear canal.

Pharmacist

What about feeling of fullness inside the ear?

Pharmacist

No?
Accumulated debris gives a feeling of fullness in the ear.

Pharmacist

This is especially so when they trap water inside the ear, hence the name swimmer's ear.

If you think it is swimmer's ear, then let's Continue.

Those were signs of a swimmer's ear infection.

Pharmacist

If you've answered "Yes" to most of the questions so far, then your child is more than likely looking at swimmer's ear infection.

If you are thinking swimmer's ear, you will have to take the child to a pediatrician.

He or she will need some kind of antibiotic, steroidal or acetic acid ear drops and even removal of the debris in the ear.

Let's see how bad it is and determine the best course of action to take.

Swimmer's ear

How bad is it?

Is there a foul-smelling discharge coming from the ear?

Pharmacist

Seek urgent care or pediatrician.

Pharmacist

Here is why:

Looking at an ear infection.
No over-the-counter medication would take care of this.
Moreover, with discharge coming from the ear canal, it might be due to a ruptured eardrum or something more serious. So you must have the child see a pediatrician.

Does the ear appear red or swollen inside?

Pharmacist

Seek urgent care or call the pediatrician.

Pharmacist

Here is why:

Looking at an infection.
Over the counter medications won't take care of any infection or inflammation going on in the ear.

Does the child have fever with this ear pain?

Pharmacist

Seek urgent care or call the pediatrician.

Pharmacist

Here is why:

May be looking at an ear infection.

What about severe pain that goes to the face and neck?

Or side of the head?

Pharmacist

Seek urgent care or call the pediatrician.

Pharmacist

Here is why:

Looking at a serious inflammation and infection

Is he or she experiencing swelling in the lymph nodes in the neck?

Pharmacist

Seek urgent care or call the pediatrician.

Pharmacist

Here is why:

Possibility of a serious infection.
Serious inflammation.

Would you say the ear canal is completely blocked?

Pharmacist

Seek urgent care or call the pediatrician.

Pharmacist

Here is why:

Will need to have debris removed
Risk of ear infection is high

Those were to eliminate the advanced stages of swimmer's ear infection.

Pharmacist

Doctors usually classify swimmer's ear infection into:
mild, moderate and advanced.

If you answered "No" to the questions so far, then your child does not have the advanced stage of progression. At least not yet.

Let's see if you are looking at the moderate stage of swimmer's ear infection.

Swimmer's ear

Moderate stage?

Any drainage from the ear that is yellow, yellow - green, pus-like?

Or foul smelling?

Pharmacist

Yes?
This is a symptom of a moderate case of swimmer's ear infection.

Pharmacist

Is the child experiencing a muffled or reduced hearing?

Pharmacist

Yes?

What about partial blockage of the ear canal by swelling or fluid.

Pharmacist

Yes?
This is a sign of a moderate case of swimmer's ear infection.

Pharmacist

Would your child say the itching is increasing in intensity?

Pharmacist

Yes?

Would he or she say the pain is increasing in intensity?

Pharmacist

Yes?
In a moderate case, the pain will be increasing until you get treatment.

Pharmacist

Symptoms of a moderate case include:

Drainage that is yellow, yellow-green, pus-like, or foul smelling.
Muffled and reduced hearing.
Partial blockage of the ear canal by swelling or fluid.
Increasing intense itching?.
Increasing pain more than before.

Alright.
Those were symptoms of a moderate case of swimmer's ear infection.

Pharmacist

If this is what your child is experiencing, you should seek urgent care or call the pediatrician.

We are talking about an infection here, and it will become worse the more your child delay treatment.

Nothing over the counter will take care of this. The child will need antibiotics and ear pain relief medications.

Would you like to see the nearest children's urgent care clinic to you or Continue to see what a mild case looks like?

Urgent Care Continue

Swimmer's ear

Mild stage?

Is there drainage from the ear that is clear and odorless?

Pharmacist

What about just a slight redness in the ear canal?

Pharmacist

Yes?

Try pulling on the ear lobe

Is there a mild pain made worse by doing this?

Pharmacist

Yes?

Those were signs of a mild case of swimmer's ear infection.

Pharmacist

If you think it is a swimmer's ear infection, we strongly recommend your child see a pediatrician as soon as possible to avoid further damage to the ear.

Would you like to visit the nearest children's urgent care facility?

Or see what a pharmacist recommend you do for swimmer's ear until your child can see the pediatrician?

Urgent Care Pharmacist