It says they are ear nose and throat head and neck surgeons and they seem to be the only ENT people around me. Are these the people I should see if I have an ear infection? It seems like their specialty isoverkill
Otolarongology
- Thread starter Exterous
- Start date
Like tm said, for an simple ear infection, ENT is overkill. Plus it is unlikely that you could get an appointment in a reasonably short time period. Look for a good Family Practictioner, Internist or local Urgent Care. Ultimately if it gets bad you can always come in to the ER. However if the ear has been bothering you for some time ENT may be a good idea.
If it gets bad half his hearing could be permanently gone. You don't want something like this to get bad.
The particular side. The inflammation as a result of the infection damages the ganglion neurons if it reaches the inner ear.
Bad is a relative term, if he feels that he can't wait for the appointment only physician, certainly he should come into the ER. However permanent hearing loss from otitis media (middle ear infection) is extremely rare. One possible bad outcome is a spontaneous rupture of his tympanic membrane (ear drum), many of these heal spontaneously, some require repair, tympanoplasty.
That said please don't exagerate in what is clearly an attempt to dramatize. I see many people in my ER that come in for Otitis media, this can be a very expensive and time consuming means of treating this disease. If as a reasonable layperson you feel it necessary to come into the ER please don't hesitate but understand that if you do you are not high on the priority list. Consider what your options are. Contact your primary physician and investigate if there are any facilities in your area for urgent or same day visits.
Lastly remember that your urgency will be prioritized to compare with the other patients in the facility that you go to. I once had a woman present to my ER for a minor injury and when told that I was with a critically ill man, she stated that I should "let him die", simply because she was in a hurry. Luckily my nurses were smart enough not to let me know that she said this until after I had evaluated her and discharged her, or else I am not sure that I could have treated her without bias.
Nanostuff, what BS med school did you go to. You are so full of misinformation that you are dangerous.
I see... Only 25% of the total hearing is at stake then ! Either he will have to get 25% closer to people he's listening from or ask them to speak 25% louder. No big deal.
Yes it is extremely rare, but I don't recall him saying he has otitis media. He has an unkown ear infection which could be anywhere given the information given.
It's just a generalization, it could be much worse or nothing at all. Most people won't even notice a fairly mild loss. Losing substantial hearing from an ear infection isn't all that common, but it's common enough, it largely depends where the infection is.
Exterious, we haven't heard back from you. I assume that you do not have a primary physician for you to be looking around for who to see. Have you tried calling the ENT yet? Don't be confused by the "surgeon" moniker, all ENT's are surgeons. There is no non-surgical branch to this specialty. They are certainly the "experts" in disease of the ear but you are not yet sure that you need the expert. If you are lucky enough to get a timely appointment with and ENT keep it. His fee will be significantly higher than a general practice office (FP or IM, as stated earlier). Most importantly don't wait for the ENT if you have to wait more than a week, seek out a sooner evaluation by a generalist.
Sorry. I do have a GP but I also have a history with an ENT office around here. I had an ear infection so bad that my ear drum ruptured and my ear swelled shut. The swelling got so bad that it pinched the nerve so much I lost all feeling around my ear. I do have alot of ear problems - I have something akin to 'swimmer's ear'. I have gone to the GP before for these infections and also the ENT. I can get the same medication from either - however the ENT guys like to suction out my ear and that always seems to make recovery take less time.
However, for this time - so far - progress seems good. I had some ear drops left over (The ENT guy last time said - literally - "Do you think 2 refills is enough" I looked at him "Hmmm, given your history we'll make it 5"). The swelling around my ear has gone down and my lymph node has almost returned to normal size
Edit: This shiznit always happens to me on the weekend - no one was open. We'll see how i feel come monday
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