Dealing with the Discomfort: Tips for Managing Ear Infections in Adults

HEADLINE: Hark, now hear, how you can save your hearing ear!

That feeling of fullness inside the ear can be very irritating. And it’s also very painful at times! Besides that, it sometimes hinders your ability to hear sounds clearly, which can be quite annoying to the extent of being embarrassing. What we are referring to here is what is known as Otitis Media in the medical parlance, and ear infection in the common man’s language.

ARTICLE: The human ear is one of the five sense organs bequeathed on man by God. Eyes that can see and witness the surroundings, a nose that can breathe, a tongue that can taste different flavours and talk, and a skin that can feel, are the other most important sensory organs.

Imagine waking up one morning, only to find that you are unable to hear the voices of your loved ones! Would that not be terrible? It is tough to imagine the predicament of clinically deaf people. Only a person, who has lost his hearing for some reason knows how hard it is to endure this pain daily. Consider yourself blessed if you have perfect hearing in your ears.

If you want to maintain it, you better take proper care of your precious shell likes, or else you might catch an ear infection that could restrict your ability to hear properly. An ear infection may sound like something trivial, but when it strikes it can be utterly painful. If that happens, you might have to take ear infection treatment.

The human ear comprises: 

• The inner ear
• The middle ear
• The outer ear.

Here we are discussing the middle ear or the space at the back of the eardrum. These infections constitute ear disease, which can be debilitating if not treated properly. Ear infection causes immense pain to the sufferer. It typically refers to ‘Otitis Media, or the infection of the middle ear, which can make an occurrence per the following severities:

• Acute Otitis Media: A sudden occurrence or onset characterizes the middle ear infection. And, in most cases, it’s accompanied by redness, swelling, fever, and earache. The trapping of mucus inside the ear is responsible for this condition.
• Otitis Media with effusion: This ear infection is all about a feeling of fullness in the middle ear caused by a build-up of fluid (effusion). It is often a prolonged one and takes up to several months to heal. Ear infection patients experience a feeling of fullness of the ear, which may or may not be accompanied by pain.
• Chronic Otitis Media with effusion: An ear infection of this kind is beyond remedy. It damages the eardrum, causing a hole to form in it. The patient loses his hearing as a result of this damage.

Let’s explore: 

• Ear infection symptoms
• Causes of ear infection
• The onset of otitis media
• how it affects adults.

Middle Ear Infection Symptoms In Adults

Middle ear infection symptoms in adults

broadly include the following:

• Feeling of fullness
• Ear ache
• Loss of hearing
• Drainage of fluid from the infected ear
• Vertigo
• Balance-related issues
• Sore throat

Signs Of Ear Infection

What are the signs of an ear infection?’ you may ask. Your query is welcome and justified because a majority of people suffer from ear infections, the world over. The answer to this question lies in the symptoms of the problem. While we have already outlined some of these above, let us take a quick recap.

A feeling of fullness, blockage, loss of hearing for no apparent reason, a sore throat, and vertigo, are the tell-tale signs of an ear infection. Fever, and inability to maintain one’s balance while walking, and standing upright, are some of the other signs. Nevertheless, early intervention of a qualified ENT specialist can prevent the situation from getting worse.

Ear Infection Causes

Ear infection causes could range from the most comprehensible medical ones to the quite inexplicable quirks of human nature. The latter is attributable to the imprudence of most people that makes them put things inside their ears that cause injury and pain.

Ear infections can also recur due to an injury caused by an accident, surgery, or some other medical condition. However, more often than not, the silly acts of poking fingers, sticks, and sharp objects are the causes in a majority of cases of ear infections. A common cold or a sore throat is also one of the causes of ear infections. People should try and boost their immunity to avoid such seasonal occurrences, while also making it a point to take good care of their ears.

Overview Of Ear Infection Causes

Now let’s explore how a common cold causes an ear infection. A cold can often act as a conduit for the bacteria to travel to the middle ear through the eustachian tube that connects the middle ear to the throat. Consequently, the tube swells, becoming blocked, which results in fluid build-up in the middle ear. The accumulated fluid gets infected by bacteria resulting in the infection, which is a prime cause of ear pain in adults.

A Word Of Sincere Advice

We acknowledge the fact that our readers are erudite folks and are proud of them. We also realize that a nagging concern about their ears has brought them to this page, and we welcome them to it. So, we expect them to be rational about their ear health, and take good care of their aural organs. Still, we would like to share a word of advice. Your ears are God’s gift to you. Thank Him for it by taking good care of them. Do not play with your ears as this can yield disastrous results.

Ear Pain Causes

An adult, who catches an ear infection quite often experiences pain in his ear. The pus that forms inside the ear pushes against the eardrum and causes pain. It is also one of the main, though not the only, ear pain causes in the case of adults suffering from ear infections. Ear pain and infections can also occur due to various other causes already discussed above. Ear pain symptoms arising out of infections caused by pus include:

• A feeling of fullness
• Loss of hearing
• Sore throat
• Drainage of fluid from the ear
• balance-related issues

Viral Ear Infection

Ear pain occurs when pus caused by a bacterial infestation infects an ear. A viral ear infection is an infection of the ear caused by a virus. Such infections infect the middle ear and they clear up within a few days.

Ear Infection Treatment

Being one of the most sensitive organs, the ear requires utmost care. Only an expert doctor should treat a viral ear infection.

Advice: Avoid going to the roadside quacks even if it is just for saving money or ear wax extraction as this could damage your ear. The instruments they use to clean your ears are not sterilized and can often worsen your pain than alleviate it. Visiting a quack may make you regret your decision in the long run, if not immediately. So, avoid it altogether!

Ear Infection Treatment For Adults

Children suffering from an ear infection are often very fussy about popping pills, and it is difficult to administer these to infants and toddlers. Besides, it is also often quite hard to give them steam inhalation. That is why doctors usually prescribe eardrops for them. However, that is hardly the case with adults, who can easily gulp antibiotics, besides following other remedies. Hence, ear infection treatment for adults often includes the following:

• Administration of antibiotics

Doctors prescribe antibiotics for ear infections to treat ear infections in people of every age group. Smaller children are often prescribed ear drops, with orally administered antibiotic drops. Doctors may recommend these for adult patients too if the need arises, besides the oral pills.

• Steam inhalation

Steam inhalation is an effective remedy for ear infection treatment in adults.

• Decongestants, antihistamines

Doctors may prescribe decongestants, antihistamines, nasal steroids. That depends on the condition of the patient.

• Pain killers

Immense pain is one of the usual markers of severe ear infections in people of all ages. Ear infection treatment in adults may cause doctors to prescribe oral painkillers if required.

Conclusion: Your precious shell-likes are a real treasure. They help you hear the loving voices of your dear ones. It is up to you to care for them properly. Failure to do this could add jarring notes to your life.

Whatever it is, your ears work sincerely by helping you hear, the things that you should hear for your good. An organ as useful as an ear deserves due care. Make sure that you see your doctor when you sense fullness in it.

Create a schedule of your regular medical check-ups. Visit Amandeep Hospital or your ENT doctor, while you are at it. Taking care of your ears is as important as caring for all your other vital organs. Being unable to hear, is as bad as not being able to talk, as hearing is an important part of a fruitful conversation. The sooner you realize this, the better it will be for you!