Would you go to the ER for an ear ache?
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
United States
June 4, 2009 5:40pm CST
My 12 year old is crying because he has an ear ache. Earlier he mentioned that it hurt, and it seemed to have just gotten worse as the night wore on.
The last time someone in my house had an earache was my daughter, just a few months ago. I did take her to the ER, because it was a Friday and I didn't want to wait until Monday. As it turns out, it was just a lot of wax built up.
My husband won't be home until after 9pm tonight, and I certainly don't want to take all of my kids to go sit around the ER for hours and hours for an ear ache.
I'm going to see if my son can wait. If he can't sleep or it's not gone by morning, we'll go see a doctor.
2 people like this
8 responses
@lilybug (21107)
• United States
6 Jun 09
I would probably try to wait until in the morning when a regular doctor could see him just because of the cost. IF he was able to sleep. If he was having trouble sleeping I would take him as soon as your hubby got home to stay home with the other kids.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
6 Jun 09
As it turns out he's just fine. He slept without a problem, and I didn't even give him aspirin or anything. When he woke up this morning he said he was fine, and never complained again all day. Thank goodness for that.
@additional001 (213)
• United States
6 Jun 09
Odd to say what it could have been. LOL you know kids maybe he stuck something in there and scratched or stretched something. Ear aches and infections terrified me when it came to the kids... I was always affraid the ear drums would rupture. I agree about the pain thresholds too... I would have been far more worried about Angel (super high threshold for pain) than Austin (super low threshold)
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
26 Jun 09
I'm sure he's better since it has been a month ago.
I'd say if anything if you could try to go to an urgent care or wait til you can go to your regular ped. I know with our insurance it now costs the same to go to ER or Urgent Care witch to me is BS! But they do have lil urgent cares here though set up in Walgreens & by one of the local hospitals in malls ect that charge cheaper fees than an actual "urgent care"
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
26 Jun 09
We usually did attempt to go to the urgent care first because it was quicker and cheaper, but then we racked up a bill, because like the ER, they can't deny you if you don't have money for your copay or your bill... then after it got to be about $200 then they started making a stink about wanting their money before being seen. So now I'm slowly working on paying that down, but can't go back until it's paid off.
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
26 Jun 09
Isn't it awful. It seems that hypocratic oath is a pile of BS the way things work isn't it???? If someone is dying you don't ask if they can pay before you care for them?!?! But that's the way the hospitals are getting. As it is I'm going to raise a lil stink in the Dr's office when DS goes to have his wound looked @ since it cost me $200 (co-pay) for the ER to superglue/dermabond it instead of $6 that an office visit would of cost me but the office doesn't do stitches 
but they can certainly take them out! And it's not like it was a big gash or anything, it just needed a lil help closing tightly & on his eye it's hard to butterfly there. 
but they can certainly take them out! And it's not like it was a big gash or anything, it just needed a lil help closing tightly & on his eye it's hard to butterfly there. 
@ravinskye (8237)
• United States
5 Jun 09
I guess it depends on how easily your son complains of pain. My daughter wouldn't complain about her ear till it hurt really bad and then when I took her in it was infected so bad it was about to rupture. She had one that did rupture but it healed up on it's on. I would say if he is still in pain tomorrow then take him to the doctor. I had an ear infection last year and felt my kids pain when they have one.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
5 Jun 09
I think he has a low tolerance for pain, and he tries to get attention. He is fine this morning, so it's not an infection. Thank goodness for that.
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
5 Jun 09
I probably would not go to the er for an earache, I would just keep them dosed up with painkillers and then get them to the doctors as soon as I could. I think earache has to be the worse pain ever, I had an infection in my ear once and it was awful!
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
5 Jun 09
This morning he said he was fine, so for now I'm going to assume it was just an odd ache for no reason, or maybe he bumped it or something. If he comes back complaining about it later or something I will have to take him to the ER because the doctors won't be open again until Monday. Hopefully it was just a bump or odd ache though.
@MysticTomatoes (1053)
• United States
26 Jun 09
No. I wouldn't. My husband is a nurse and used to do trauma triage in the ED at a big hospital. He said it used to make him so mad that parents would be bringing in their children to the EDs for hangnails, the coughs or something that is clearly NOT an emergency. That's the reason that so many people wait hours and hours to be seen. There are too many non emergent cases waiting in the ED and the real emergency cases are the ones that have to suffer while an ED doc tells a worried mother that her child does not have swine flu.
@jayrene (2708)
• Philippines
26 Jun 09
i have never experienced ear ache with my kids, and i know how bad it hurts because i have experienced it already. but i wont take them to the ER, i will first give them pain reliever, then first thing in the morning will bring them to the doctor for a check up.
@sweetcakes (3504)
• United States
5 Jun 09
Yes i would go to the ER for a ear ache something my be wrong like and ear infection or something like that so it's best to get it look at to be on the safe side.
I hope he feel better!
@Jae2619 (1483)
• United States
5 Jun 09
I would have to say it depended totally on my child. My little girl, 20 months, who has been ill from birth, yes we'd take her to the ER because usually when she get's an ear ache, something worse is on it's way. My son, who's 6, I would just try to give him tylenol, put sweet oil in his ear, and give warm wash cloth to go lay down with.
