Need an opinion.

[rawpromises]

I recently went on a wonderful colon cleanse for 7 days with the intention to go on a juice fast right after for 3 days or much more. When I was doing my cleanse my ears were giving me problems from day one. Not like just itching, or hurting, I mean all out an out problems. I keep chalking it up to detox which I'm sure some of it may be. I now have major temporary hearing loss in both ears, they are oozing yellow stuff, and itch and hurt severly. All the signs that I have a double ear infection. It is keeping me up at night. Still I go on feeling great but with this issue. I have been using warm olive oil, garlic, tea tree oil as welll as comsuming garlic in my juices and still it gets worse. No matter what I seem to be doing at this point it is not working. I have never had an ear infection in my entire life. This afternoon it took a turn for the worse. My lymph nodes behind the ear are swelling which is a good thing ( it shows I'm fighting it) but my neck hurts and it feels hot to the touch.. So I called my doctor. I like her a lot but I know she is going to give me antibiotics. Anyway I went just a few hours ago and I have an acute double ear infection( one she said she has never seen this bad) I told her all the stuff I had been doing and she gave me the script but said it was up to me to take it but in her opinion it isn't going to get better without it and may get worse possible needing to go to a specialist. It's very very advanced she said. As I'm writing this I can't hear, I"m in a fog and I couldn't even stick my finger in my ear if I tried it's that closed up.

This is what I need an opinion on. How much damage am I going to do by taking the antibiotics. I am so irritated that I am working so hard to get a wonderful body with lovely heathly cells to have to go and wreck it with the antibiotics. Plus my juice fast. I have been fasting all day and feel great other than from my neck up.LOL. The meds she gave me have to be taken with food which would be a lovely raw salad but still I feel so counterproductive. I know I should listen to my body and do what I feel is right. Right now I just want to cave and take the meds and be able to function again. I am not one to take even an asprin. I have never taken any meds other than 4 times maybe in my life when I was not raw. I had three natural child births with no drugs for this reason and here I am about to cave. In my heart I don't think it's going to get better without it. I guess intutitivly that is my answer and what is meant by listing to your body.

If you have an opinon feel free to share. Maybe I just needed to vent some of this and if you took the time to read it thanks. If I do take the antiboiotics, What more can I do to aid this process beside continuing raw with more probotics.
Thanks.

[DawnD]

So sorry you are having such a miserable time. I see that you are using tea tree oil, garlic and other things. Are you taking any natural remedy orally other than garlic? I would be using grapefruit seed extract about 15 drops in orange juice every 2-4 hours. Oreganol can be used under the tongue plus you can massage the lymph nodes with it. A hydrotherapy technique is to alternate hot and cold compresses. Soak a cloth in hot water and put to your ear and cover with a towel to hold in the heat for about 15 minutes. Then apply a cold cloth for about 15 minutes. Do this three times with each ear ending with cold. I used this with my mother and had good results.

I understand the desire to go without antibiotics but do what you feel is right. You will know how to get your body back to normal even if you do choose antibiotics. This sounds like a lame reply but I just want you to come thru this without hearing loss. Visit you health food store and see if they have any recommendations. We love the GSE and oreganol at our house.
Again, I wish you a very quick recovery.

[rawpromises]

DawnD- Thanks so much. I took the meds. I had to. I just couldn't take it any longer. I had been putting hot and cold compresses on as well as taking nice steam baths and showers. I reallly needed to vent to bring me some clarity tonight.. I just feel like it's so far gone at this point. I should have started some kind of natual solution earlier but I really never had an ear infection before and put it all off as detox. So thank for the reply and helpful hints. I will be using them in the future for sure.

[DebB]

This is just my humble opinion, but I would definitely take the meds. Nothing to fool with. I've had a ruptured ear drum and it wasn't any fun.

This is how my holistic MD recommends taking antibiotics and probiotics. Just sharing the info - not trying to sway you to do this. I follow his recommendation though if ever I have to take antibiotics.

Half way between antibiotic (ab.) dose - say you take an ab. at 6AM and another at 6PM - then at noon, take a probiotic (pb.) and at midnight, take another pb.

When you're done with the ab. continue taking the pb. for 3 more days. Maybe this will make you feel better about killin' of all our good little beasties! I know it makes me feel better when I do ;)*Ü*

[RawKnitster]

I'd say you did the right thing. It may take a little time and care to overcome the effects of the antibiotics, which is a lot better than the downside of not taking the pills.

To avoid getting a yeast infection while taking antibiotics, drink lots of water!!!!!! I would have said drink a pint of water when taking each pill, but since these meds need to be taken with food, I'm not so sure water with food would be good. A compromise would be to take each pill with a pint of green smoothie, and a probiotic.

[rawpromises]

Thanks everyone. I just put in the eardrops she gave me as well and now I can't hear a thing. I can't even get comfortable. i lay down for 10 min and then up again and come to the computer. I will take the advice on the probotics DebD. Sounds like a very good method.
Rawkinster- I will be taking it with green smoothies. Thanks for the idea. That is a great compromise.

[RawKnitster]

Get Well SOON!!! You should feel some relief in a couple days. :)

[rawpromises]

Feeling the love and support from my family as well as my Raw Family here. Thanks everyone for letting me vent.

[Raw Angel Mom]

You need to do what is right for you. There is blessings with anti-biotic when it serves its purspose. I am not a doctor but it seems appropriate that you take antibiotic unless you find another natural way. Take probiotic now. With the colon cleans, you need probiotic anyway. It could be your problem, your good bacteria are gone and now you are infected with the bad one. I take trinity and it seems to work perfectly for me.

I hope you feel well soon

[Aleesha Sattva]

(((hugs)))

[Mnbordergirl]

I think you did the right thing (taking the meds). Ear infections and healing loss arent something to be messed with.

The problem arises when people and MDs abuse antibiotics such as prescribing them for viral infections and not taking the full course of antibiotics.

Sometimes people take parmaceuticals to treat symptoms rather than the underlying problem.

Clearly, your doc recognizes this as a bacterial infection. You take the meds, for the full course, they fix the problem (i.e. kill the pathogenic bacteria), and you are done.

Easy Peazy.

And remember, when swimming to use a drop or two of isopropyl alcohol afterward to dry out any water or use a blowdryer on warm or cool settings to dry out any standing water

[DawnD]

How are you feeling today? Hope you are making a speedy recovery!

[rawpromises]

Just wanted to say Hi, and to tell everyone I'm on the mend. This is the first day I am able to actully move around and feel like myself. After I took the meds the first night things took a turn for the worse. I really watied way to long to get some help.I think if I would have waited one more day my eardrums would have exploded. I took all the antibiotics they told me to take ( last one being today) I still can't hear very well and I still have puss coming out my ears but the pain has gone down. 80%. My face and neck and lymph nodes are doing better. There was a point two days ago I couldn't even open my mouth because it hurt my ears to talk. Talk about a doozie of an ear infection. Hope to be fasting in a week or so. I just am staying raw and trying to feed my body the best I can to get this ear infection over with. Never in my life have I experienced such pain as I have been though this weekend. I told my hubby it was almost as bad as labor and almost as bad as the kidney stone I had the one time. Now that is bad. Thanks again everyone.

[ArcturusXIV]

I recommend the warm towel treatment, but add some epsom salt to the water! it draws out infection.

[Aleesha Sattva]

raw... I'm so glad to read you are on the mend... come on body... heal thyself the rest of the way!!!