I don't often ask for help.....red ear.....

[Carys]

I've had my TJD really badly all week, so have been doing warm compresses and so on. That is MUCH better, but yesterday my ear was really itchy all over the pina. I scratched pretty darned hard in various places and then used a warm compress.....my ear (outside upper part) came out hot feeling, red and quite inflammed looking nearly instantly and carried on getting a bit worse through the evening. I ahve been massaging my ear a lot and pulling it around.

The trouble is, although it has got a weeny bit better and not so hot....I'm in a major stress. Of course I'm jumping to cellulitis (or similar) - well, thats not strictly true, I've reassured myself for a day but have never had anything like this. It doesn't feel tender, no glands are up, no fluid coming off it and no temperature and no skin break that I can see etc.Its certainly not getting worse/spread, but it also isn't better. Its not even been 24 hours yet....I know, I know....but some words of wisdom would be appreciated as I'm not usually prone to HA issues nowadays, but am struggling with this one....can you scratch your ear to the point of making it red and swollen looking?

[LouiseAndy]

A mixture of scratching/the warm compression can defo cause the area to be red! Like I used a heating pad of the side of my face (after a tooth was removed), it covered my ear also. It was red for like 2/3 days afterwards! I also go through days that no matter HOW hard to scratched/dig at my ear it won't stop being itchy.

Also when I was younger, I used a shampoo that made my ears feel strange. The constant rubbing at them, made them so red and swollen! It's like if you keep scratching at your arm. The skin will be very red and tender for a day or so!

Sorry for that ramble of words!

[Carys]

Gosh, thanks everso. So, I can expect kind of swollenness along with the red? I scratched kind of in the fold along the outter edge and that seems pretty inflammed.

[Buster70]

Carys , ears are so sensitive I trapped mine in crocodile clip once ( stupid bet ) it swelled up straight away and was throbbing for days , it doesn't take much to make them sore even a bit of sunburn, maybe put some ice in a flannel to take the swelling down but best thing and I know it's hard just leave it alone stop touching it .
Take care .

[Carys]

Ah its the ear expert !!!!! LOL Sorry, a errr,,,,,crocodible clip !?! lol Thanks Buster

---------- Post added at 17:40 ---------- Previous post was at 16:04 ----------

I only had some frozen french beans, and that didn't work very well.....so went for very cold water instead. Derrr, haven't occurred to me to do that even !

[Carnation]

Carys, I've made my ear red and hot and even swollen by probing, pulling and rubbing. As others have said, they are very sensitive. Be careful with too cold a compress though, always wrap in a t.towel. Ears pretty much settle down of their own accord and very quickly. They are odd things really, we don't really pay much attention to them, just as well because they sort of look after themselves.

[Carys]

Thanks guys, much appreciated. I don't usually let things get to me like this, I'm usually pretty astute nowadays at casting ideas aside. HA isn't something I feel that bothers me at all usually....but when faced with something rather odd and then it not resolving..and getting anxious about an appointment next week for something else I got myself into a stew. So, no change here yet in the pinna sense, the cold water thing was ok, and calmed things, but now I've stopped it it looks the same. Hoping tomorrow brings a change. I'm trying to hang onto your words, but because I generally don't struggle with HA ever nowadays, when it does happen it makes me think that this time I 'must' be right lol Damn it.

[Buster70]

That's the trouble with anxiety we find the tiniest change in our bodies or mind and can't think of anything else until it's resolved Ive done it so many times but we don't bloody learn . I do try to keep my medical credentials under wraps for fear of being swamped with questions but let's just say I walked through ear nose and throat ten times to see my mother in hospital the other week so I am qualified , I even asked an ENT Doctor for directions several times so I'm pretty much over qualified.
As for the ear just sleep on it or even better don't .

[pulisa]

I hope the ear is settling down this morning. I'm sure you have a lot on your mind and it doesn't take a lot for HA to creep in..You've helped a lot of people on here and sometimes HA can be a bit "contagious"... Get the ear checked out by a pharmacist for starters if you would feel better having someone look at it?

[Carys]

Hiyer P....thanks....just off to doc actually...Will update shortly. Pretty bad this am.

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---------- Post added at 11:33 ---------- Previous post was at 08:42 ----------

Well.....she isn't sure whats going on. It is even redder today and swollen, but she said there are no markers for infection and more for trauma - however, she couldn't be sure it wasn't an infection. So, I have a script for antibiotics but can hold off taking them and see if I can get it to resolve over the next day or so.