Have Had Ear Infection. Temporary Relief From Antibiotic. Proper Diagnosis And Cure?

Posted on Tue, 5 Mar 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Tue, 5 Mar 2013 Answered on

Sat, 30 Mar 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I have had an ear infection one year ago; that comes and goes; i feel it is getting worse as time went by. i initially felt more in the outer ear and now its getting deeper. I have consulted doctors and ent's and had ear vacuumed (once and damaged my tissue), given antibiotic drops as well as antibiotic oral capsules. HOWEVER; This has not terminated my onsets and discomfort at all. I feel i need thorough ct scanning of my side of my head to see what is going on but my general doctor refused. What is this and what can i do to terminate for good ; as i cannot have even drop of water; as this had initiate to cause pain...HELP

Answered by Dr. Sumit Bhatti (2 hours later)

Hi,

Thank you for your query.

1. An ear examination is required to confirm whether this is an ear infection (which may be fungal) and whether there is any underlying ear problem. Is this one sided or both?

2. If you can upload any endoscopic images of your ear drums, I will be able to give you an accurate assessment. Your clinical ear examination notes will be helpful.

3. I also need to know if your PTA (Pure Tone Audiogram) and I/A (Impedance Audiogram) is within normal limits. If these two investigations and ear examination are normal, then there is no problem with flying. Also in this situation a CT is not required.

4. If all is normal with the ear, then there is always the possibility of a referred pain or neuralgia.

5. If you can share the above test reports, further treatment options may be discussed.

I hope that I have answered your query. If you have any further questions, I will be available to answer them.

Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar