Do ear infections always hurt?

[girlsmamma2]

My 4 yo has had a high fever since sunday, around 102, and I just cannot figure out if it's his ears. In the spring he had a non typeable HIB ear/eye combo thing that led to fluid in his ears for a few months. We took him to our ENT (who took my oldest dd's VERY large tonsils and adenoids out) and she said he was clear but to watch for signs of the adenoids being larger. But thought the ear fluid could have been a fluke, although was concerned about him have difficulty with some of his speech sounds, and his nasal voice (so maybe he has had fluid in the past without me knowing), we don't know?.

Now he has had this fever, my other 3 are fine, had a cold, some ear pain and then fine. The ear pain is what makes me think it's his ears but he isn't screaming in pain like my dd does when hers hurt. We have had little or no experience with ear pain so I don't know what is going on. It can't be a virus because my 7,6 and 2 yo's are all fine. So I assume it's a bacteria he can't get rid of? He says his ears hurt but he's not in total pain (mostly because he's been on ibruprophen so I can keep him eating and drinking). When it wears off he heats up to 102, feels sick all that. I'm a fan of avoiding dehydration but I know he'd be ALOT worse if I were letting the fever ride out. Also strange is when I medicate him his temp comes right back down to normal, his bloodshot eyes go away, his flushed look disappears and he's like normal. In the past when my kids have had viruses I've led the fever ride in, when i did medicate them it only took the edge off, they'd still be miserable. He's up and around and normal on iburprophen. like night and day. what the heck is going on?

Friday i have a doc appt I can change to it being for him if it goes on that long. but should I wait that long if it's his ears? I also made an appt with our ENT next friday to get a clearer picture if this is his adenoids messing with his ears and I want an x ray (and I'm very much opposed to doing even occasional x0rays) but i want to avoid the antibiotic train if I can. Maybe it runs in families if things like adenoids, tonsils are larger. So I guess I'm wondering wouldn't he be in severe pain (I remember my one and only ear infection when I was 6 VERY well and it HURT!) if it was his ears? He's never complained about them unless I ask and I don't know how much he can actually tell me the real deal? Maybe he just deals with the pain? What would it be like if it was his ears?

thanks!

[momto4plus4]

How is he doing? I didn't see this until today. My kids do NOT complain about ear pain nor do they get fevers. DD1 will typically complain once, that's it, and I've learned (she's 9) that within 24 hrs her eardrum will rupture-it's like clockwork. Thankfully she rarely gets them anymore.

DS1 had one last month after not having any for a year or 2 (2nd set of tubes came out over the winter & he had his adnoids out at age 3 because they were triple the normal size) and the only reason I took him in was because he screamed when I washed his hair.

DD2 (she's 3) will just get fussy, not eat as well, irritable, etc but she'll only complain if I happen to wash her hair.

And, seriously, they can have horrible bulging eardrums and not complain.

I hope he's doing better. I had been opposed to tubes until I had my son and then I realized that it was the only way to keep him from being on antibiotics over and over. I had lots of upper resp/ear inf as a child and was on way TOO many antibiotics. I figure 1 surgery is better for his body overall.

[tylerdylan]

My DS1 used to get really bad ear infections all the time. We eventually discovered his adenoids were massive and preventing his ears from draining and allowing the fluid to stay in his ears too long and get infected. He had his adenoids out and hasn't had an ear infection since. I would guess he had about 15 bad infections. Most were in both ears. And aside from a fever and feeling sluggish he never complained that his ears hurt (or rubbed them or any other sign). So, no, they don't always hurt.

[Crafty]

Only once during the two or three ear infections my ds had, did he complain about pain. And one of the ones he didn't complain about, his ear was full of pus and fluid. *gag*

I've had one ear infection my entire life, swimmer's ear, and it was so unbelievably painful. I was up all night crying.

[sbgrace]

My son had a number of pretty significant ear infections and only showed he was in pain once. I had no idea he has Hib ear infection for example except for the fever and his eye. That once he showed pain was when he had mastoiditis--which adults need strong narcotics for and I've been told is extremely excruciating.



So, yes, I think some kids can have ear infections with a high tolerance for pain or at least without communicating pain.

[girlsmamma2]

hey, thanks everyone so much. Well, he ended up having a fever of 102 for 4 days. I got uneasy because I was constantly medicating him (something I never do) in case he had pain. So I decided one day when our schedule eased up and we could stay home to let it burn a bit. I did that and that evening it broke. He got up to 102 that day and was uncomfortable but was still eating and drinking.

Interesting about the washing the hair. He got upset a couple nights that his ears hurt when I was drying his head after his shower. So I do think it was his ears. He came out of that only 2 days later to catch yet another cold and has a horrible, horrible junky cough. My 6 and 2 year old have it also but just the sniffles. He's got this usual cough he gets worse than my other kids and hangs on a long time. He is also saying "what?" every 2 minutes. I think it may be his adenoids. It seems everything he is getting affects his ears. So we have another appt. with our ENT on Friday and I am going to push for an x-ray, also unlike me! I want to know once and for all if they are big and causing some of his issues (speech, nasal voice but no mouth breathing really unless he's sick, restless sleep and daytime meltdowns that just don't fit). I hope she sees that is enough for an x-ray to get a look at how big they are. I agree that I'd rather have one time surgery (especially because my oldest dd had her tonsils and adenoids out with her so I trust her) than get on the antibiotic train or even if I can avoid that, mess with his hearing or even just being on 4 days of ibruprophen frequently. I want answers before I have to get on that antibiotic train, I'm nervous most docs only do that after countless infections but I want to know what is going on with him.

So thanks, it's really good to know other kids don't experience pain, because I too remember to this day my only ear infection when I was 6 and it hurt like crazy. So it doesn't make sense it doesn't hurt him. And he also had the HIB eye/ear thing and if it wasn't for his eyes I would have never taken him in because he wasn't in pain. But had gooey, thick ear fluid and a flat tympanogram a few weeks later. But, no pain. I wonder how many times he had that because we don't always run to the doc but i never knew because he didn't complain. just starting to put the puzzle together.

thanks again!

[Happyfacetracy]

I have had a ear infection for 3 years. 2 times I thought I would die. I have had a low grade fever and slept more and more as infection grew. Most of all alot of mucus. 1st time a pus pocket in my mouth. I'am so glad I lied and told Dr. it hurt because Dr. finally did find. Body is miraculious had 1 ear infection that hurt real bad. This is only my 2nd ear infection. Its been a long and hard sickness and all it was a ear infection ! I say WOW.