I have had problems with my right ear for about 4 months now. It itches and peels in the canal and a watery clear fluid is always present. :confused:

I saw a general practitioner about it and she didn't seem to think anything was wrong! This is definately not normal and quite annoying because when it itches, I end up scratching and then it gets infected. Is this familiar to anyone?

Hi,
I'm no doc, but it sure sounds like you've got a case of "otitis externa" or infection of the outer ear canal to me. How do I know? Cuz I had TWO bouts of this myself recently.

The clues are: itching, flaking and fluid. You're right. This is not normal.

I'd recommend you go to an ENT doc (not a GP, since your doc said everything is fine!) and see if you need to have a swab sample taken of the ear fluid coming out. You could have a bacterial or fungal situation going on. Your doc may treat this with medicated eardrops that can clear it up in just 5-7 days.

In the interim, keep the ear dry. Don't swim, and you may want to put a sterilized earplug in while showering (if you tend to get moisture in the ear). Do not self-treat or medicate! And more important, don't scrape around in the ear with Qtips or fingers. You may end up irritating the canal which will cause the infection to grow out of control.

GOOD LUCK getting this cleared up! I went NUTS when I had my ottitis externa. It lasted about 3 mos altogether.

You may even have to take a course of antibiotics if it's a stubborn bug.