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Q: treating an inner ear infection?
The last inner ear infect I had was when I was like 8 years old. I have no idea how I would go about treating it back home, no less in China...
Do I have to go to the hospital or can the local pharmacy help me? Obviously the less pain in the ass this process is, the better.
Update: Thanks for the recommendations everyone. I ended up going to a "foreign-friendly" hospital in the area. Bit expensive, but at least I can rest easier at night this way. Cheers!
11 years 32 weeks ago in Health & Safety - China
You can go to just about any Chinese hospital. They will probably prescribe an antibiotic IV drip. No guarantees on the pain level you'll experience for your ass though.
In the past my doctor here has advised me to take a 500 mg of the following over a ten-day period.
Erythromycin is a macrolide antibiotic that has an antimicrobial spectrum similar to or slightly wider than that of penicillin, and is often used for people who have an allergy to penicillins. For respiratory tract infections, it has better coverage of atypical organisms, including Mycoplasma and legionellosis. It was first marketed by Eli Lilly and Company, and it is today commonly known as EES (erythromycin ethylsuccinate, an ester prodrug that is commonly administered).
In structure, this macrocyclic compound contains a 14-membered lactone ring with ten asymmetric centers and two sugars (L-cladinose and D-desosamine), making it a compound very difficult to produce via synthetic methods.
Erythromycin is produced from a strain of the actinomycete Saccharopolyspora erythraea.
In one another instance where I suffered an inner ear infection, he prescribed the following:
Ciprofloxacin (INN) is a second generation fluoroquinoline antibiotic.[2][3] Its spectrum of activity includes most strains of bacterial pathogens responsible for respiratory, urinary tract, gastrointestinal, and abdominal infections, including Gram-(-) (Escherichia coli, Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophila, Moraxella catarrhalis, Proteus mirabilis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), and Gram-(+) (methicillin-sensitive but not methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterococcus faecalis, and Streptococcus pyogenes) bacterial pathogens. Ciprofloxacin and other fluoroquinolones are valued for this broad spectrum of activity, excellent tissue penetration, and for their availability in both oral and intravenous formulations.[4] (Many antibacterials used in serious infections must be dosed intravenously.)
Ciprofloxacin is used alone or in combination with other antibacterial drugs in the empiric treatment of infections for which the bacterial pathogen has not been identified, including urinary tract infections[5][6] and abdominal infections[7] among others. It is also used for the treatment of infections caused by specific pathogens known to be sensitive. In 2010 over 20 million outpatient prescriptions were written for ciprofloxacin, making it the 35th most commonly prescribed drug, and the 5th most commonly prescribed antibacterial, in the US.[8
Then again, that was in my own case alone. The first one worked better than the second one, at least for me.]
If possible get advice from a doctor back home. The last time I had an inner ear infection was before moving to China, the drugs prescribed was getable at the pharmacy and I know there is a copy of that available here. As I am not a doctor I will deliberately not tell the name of the drug. (antibiotics obviously)
Depending on the drug I would advise checking with a doctor back home, the Chinese doctors that prescribe antibiotics are sloppy with it and do not give proper instructions as to how much time you need to continue taking the drug to not risk promoting bacteria becoming resistant to the drug. (I know the same sloppiness exist many other places in the world)
Scandinavian:
oh, as always, the body is always more happy to fight off infections if it has plenty of liquid, drink some extra water (at your preferred temperature) or tea, or milk, or juice but probably not anything with alcohol or caffeine.
and a really good advice, do not take medical advice from strangers on the internet. always consult a doctor. I do believe that what 981977405 writes, and what I write is sound advice, when it comes to health include a professional.
if you are not running a high fever (38,5C or above) you could also wait it out, but knowing the discomfort such an infection can cause I would probably not do that myself, but try as much as possible to get it over with.
if you can reach the infected part safely with a q-tip , dip the q-tip in alcohol (rubbing) and clean the area inside. try to pop the infected part. then use hydro peroxide . do this for 2 o3 days.
Scandinavian:
q-tips should never be used in the ears. for everyday cleaning the little finger has the right size for reaching the parts that need cleaning, deeper in should not be cleaned. the body has ear-wax for a reason, using q-tips will stamp the earwax deeper in and end up in an ear infection.
If there is a clog of wax then a doctor/nurse can flush it out, or over the counter wax-dissolvers exist (do not have the name of that kind of product right now, do have a bottle of the same product but for the dog) where you put in a few drops, wait and then flush out with temperate water.
q-tips are great for applying glue to stuff as opposed to using the fingers
I would exercise extreme caution in treating any kind of an inner infection. Please consult an ENT specialist in the city where you live -- try the local No. 1 People's Hospital or whatever equivalent. Mistreatment or ill treatment could result in serious results, just IMHO.
Last time I found out I had an ear infection I went to the military hospital and the ear doctor that checked my ear used a suction device to take out a wax ball that was in my ear.
Chinese pharamacy would probably give you something that won't work. I'd see a doctor if it was something that wasn't clearing up on its own after a couple of days. This is advice from a guy that breaks bones and puts off seeing a doctor.
