Suggest Remedy For Ear Problem

Hi there, I have suffered intermittently with a very itchy left inner ear. This is usually accompanied with a dripping type sensation inside my ear or a squelching sound if I move my jaw. (There's never really any discharge but it does feel wet). This evening the itching sensation got bad and I also had some sort of hearing loss in that ear. When I was going to bed I noticed a large bit of dark brown sticky discharge. Could this be an infection?Many thanks,Sinead