Preventing swimmer’s ear

During these hot days, a lot of kids are spending long hours in the water, and inevitably, the next day some of them will complain about an earache.

It is called swimmer’s ear, and it is preventable.

Five-year-old Steven Sattler went swimming, and 12 hours later, his ear began to hurt.

The pain got worse, and worse.

Steven’s mother Sydney Sattler said, “We were waiting for the doctor to come in, he screamed, I’m talking at the top of his lungs screaming, crying, even with ear infections he’s had the past, it was never like that.”

Steven had swimmer’s ear — A bacterial infection of the outer ear. The ear becomes red and swollen, and may also drain fluid. And then there’s the pain.

Swimmer’s ear is caused when water breaks down the natural PH of the ear, making it less acidic and easier for bacteria to grow.

The best medicine is antibiotic ear drops.

“We’ve been on drops about 4 times a day, he’s been on oral antibiotics, and he’s been taking Tylenol at night in order to help him sleep,” said Sattler.

Experts say you can routinely prevent swimmers ear by using drops of a drying solution, like rubbing alcohol or white vinegar, in the ear after a day in the pool. There are also over the counter medications that can be used.

But a word of caution — don’t use a drying solution if the child has ear tubes, or the infection is already visible.

Steven’s ear is getting better, but for now, the pool is off limits.

Experts advise against using cotton swabs to clean ears, because it removes ear wax that protects against swimmer’s ear and other infections.