I am hoping someone can help...one week ago, my 16year old daughter was hospitalized for right side matoiditis along with bilateral otitis media. Three days of IV antibiotics and pain meds and then sent home. She has been on an oral antibiotic since discharge. Went to see and ENT two days ago and he stated that she never really had mastoiditis and that her problem was swimmer's ear. He put a wick in the left ear (which had just started hurting) and gave us baby oil drops to put in twice a day along with ear plugs wo wear in the shower and pool. The problem is that she is still experiencing excruiciating pain, can't sleep, crying during the night until I finally give her a Vicodin to help her sleep. Has anyone experienced this pain for so long and do you all have any suggestions as to what I can do to help her? I thought of ice or heat, but being so close to her head, I wasn't sure if that would be safe?

Thanks!

I was recently diagnosed with mastoiditis also. I was hospitalized for 9 days on IV antibiotics before being sent home. Everything started with an inner ear infection, I was given drops and sent home. After using the drops for about a week I noticed that the pain was becoming more severe. One day I woke up to find that the whole left side of my head and my left ear was swollen. Thats when I went in to the hospital. I wanted to tell you about this because the pain could be an indicator that it is mastoiditis. Did they do a CT scan on her head? That is how they know for sure if the mastoid bone is infected. After being released from the hospital I have been on 2 types of antibiotics plus drops but after seeing my doctor yesterday he told me I will need to have a mastoidectomy to remove the infected bone from my head. SCARY! So, my advice is look out for swelling, but the pain you describe would worry me, thats exactly how mine started.