<p>Actually Costa Rica’s healthcare system is quite excellent. But if she’s in the jungle somewhere, that might not help.</p>
<p>This thread is on steroids!</p>
<p>And what did your d do to her ear to cause the infection? Keep in mind, even though she might be feeling pain in her ear, its location may be somewhere else like the jaw.</p>
<p>I have heard that about their health care Teriwtt, but did not want to make that jump. Hopefully she will be close to someone that can help.</p>
<p>She is in the jungle @ a research station, kilometers away from any Dr, & they just got there. ( she has already been in the jungle for 2 & 1/2 weeks, however last weekend they were at a university)
However- she at least not out there by herself & maybe one of the other students has a parent that foresaw things like this?</p>
<p>She should definitely ask around. Someone might have antibiotics. I always try to send me son with antibiotics when he goes away…“Just in case” That said, it IS possible that it is viral, in which case it will run it’s course and go away. If it’s an infection in the canal (swimmer’s ear) she can try vinegar or rubbing alcohol. I agree that the bigger issue is that if it doesn’t clear, it may be very painful to fly.</p>
<p>Localorfarway
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 9
This thread is on steroids!</p>
<p>And what did your d do to her ear to cause the infection? Keep in mind, even though she might be feeling pain in her ear, its location may be somewhere else like the jaw.</p>
<p>EK: best wishes to your D on getting this treated… but I’m sure someone there has the antibiotics she needs. She should ask around. Keep us posted.</p>
<p>Last summer my S came down with terrible ear pain while in Africa. When he got home he went to the health center at his university and they gave him antibiotics. (S like your D has an extremely high pain tolerance and if he says it was bothering him it was severe. He had numerous terrible ear infections as a kid that he would barely mention they hurt.) The ear did not get better. He went back to the health center and they sent him off campus to an ENT Dr. The ENT right away said it was a fungal infection and the flushing that the health center did and the antibiotics were making it worse. We figure my S picked something up in his ear swimming in a river. The Dr gave him the equivalent of an antifungal athletes foot cream for the ear. When he still was having issues he gave him what I think was iodine for his ear (the stuff that is orange).
Hopefully your D will get some help. Just wanted to put it out there that antibiotics can sometimes do harm.</p>
<p>Ask your daughter if her ear hurts when she wiggles it with her finger (I mean moving the back to the ear back and forth gently) or pushing on the fleshy part just in front of the ear canal (called the tragus). If either of those two are tender, chances are it is otitis externa (swimmers ear, jungle ear, whatever) dilute vinegar works ok (the prescription form is called vosol). If it hurts when she swallows or if her ear is popping or clicking it could be either a middle ear infection (otitis media) or just dysfunction of the eustachian tube due to allergies or a cold. In that case, seeking medical attention is reasonable, but whether antibiotics are always necessary is a matter of controversy. Alternatives in that case could be: try an antihistamine/decongestant combination or try an OTC nose spray like afrin for no more than 5 days. In the case of E-tube dysfunction this could help especially if she has to fly. The risk of eardrum rupture is low but not zero. Its always reasonable to seek medical attention if there is any doubt and this is a basic problem that any medical professional in any country can manage.</p>
<p>Omg i was just in costa rica with an ear infection. My ear is still messed up but doesnt hurt prob going to doctor soon. Have her go to the doctor as soon as she gets back.</p>
<p>The family doctor site looks like a good one.
The prof emailed me back already- I told him that she had high pain tolerance so if it bothers her, it could be bad. He responded that " explains her toughness, she took me down in a soccer game yesterday" ( & he is a big guy)
She apparently is currently playing poker w the other students for money- so at least she is able to distract herself. He also said that there is a bush plane she can take out of there if it is really bad.
But I will send both of them the chart to get a better idea of what type of pain she is having. She wouldn’t want to make it worse.</p>
<p>( & to answer the question- " what did she do to get an ear infection" - although I don’t remember asking that of a 3yr old, she is traveling in the tropics in remote jungle where you have to ford rivers to get to where you are going. She also has been swimming & surfing & I expect with her ear canals it was only a matter of time before they acted up)</p>
<p>“Seek medical attention if there is any doubt” - excellent advice.</p>
<p>Several years ago, one of my kids had some sort of ear infection. Not much pain, but his ear felt ‘full,’ like it was plugged. We had a lot going on then, one of the other kids was really sick, got overwhelmed, did nothing about it since the pain went away (or maybe because he didn’t complain). Several months later, finally took him in. By that time it had evolved into permanent hearing loss. No one can really tell, as it’s just one ear and only a certain range, but he can tell. I really messed up on that one.</p>
<p>Since she’ll be home soon, you might check with her own md.</p>
<p>A strange folk type remedy that I’ve used with my kids is hot salt. A friend told me about it, and it does provide some relief. I heat up plain table salt in a dry skillet, put it in a tightly knit sock or other piece of fabric and have my kids hold the bundle against their ear while lying on the couch. Of course it’s important to make sure the salt isn’t so hot it burns. It seems to work best if it’s hot enough to be almost uncomfortable, but not quite. If it is barely warm it doesn’t do anything. I hope she feels better soon.</p>
<p>Soon to me isn’t 2 & 1/2 weeks from now, plus she would’nt want to fly with an ear infection.
She going to try a compress & vinegar rinse & if it is still bothering her she can see a dr in San Jose after she leaves the jungle, during her home stay.
Poor kid- when she was younger she hated " the pink stuff" so bad she would cry until she threw up. Every single time. At least now she is more willing to try remedies.
Thanks for all the tips!</p>
<p>I am glad that you got through to them.
AAAA The Pink Stuff! It worked sooo good back then.</p>
<p>Jungle ear?!! :eek:</p>
<p>Hope your daughter is feeling better.</p>
<p>Got an update from D. She saw a Dr. ( without having to get a bush plane-), because she also scratched her cornea putting her contacts in. ( or falling off a deck, not really sure what happened)
So she had her ears looked at as well & is on antibiotics & anti inflammatories.
She will be there another week for her home stay in San Jose, so it should be easy to get another check before she flies home.
Can’t wait to see her!</p>
<p>I was wondering how this turned out. Glad she was seen and on meds. Poor thing, can’t hear or see! LOL</p>
<p>She is in good spirits though according to her prof- Anytime she is thousands of miles away from her parents she is happy!
( however, I spoke to her Saturday, I think she will also be happy to be home)</p>