random, semi ridiculous question...

[RachelRain]

I have earaches and ear infections a lot - I always have. a loud noise can seriously set off an ear infection in me, so I have to watch the volume on headphones and things like a hawk.

my question is, because of this, I use a heating pad almost constantly. my hair doesn't *seem* like it's in bad shape because of this, but the parts that are touching the pad are being damaged, right? because it's one of those click it and leave it and it stays on, and I leave it on all.night.long on high to stave off the worst of the pain.

I don't really want to stop using it, because it feels better than most other things, but at the same time, I don't want to damage my hair, either... so now I'm worried.

[bunnii]

How hot does it get? I should imagine that if it's ok for your ear it'll be ok for your hair. Maybe it could double up as a deep treatment heat source? :D

P.S I love your avatar :)

[RachelRain]

Thank you :)

Um... very hot. I fell asleep with it on my back once and burned myself through the cloth casing it uses, I still have a pretty big scar from it. But I've never burned my face with it.

[dropinthebucket]

oh, rachel, i know how hard that is! i'm sorry this happens to you. my mom has extremely sensitive hearing and ears, and has the same issue. she always wore cotton balls in her ears, and kept her hair down over her ears so people wouldn't see the cotton in them. she could everyone perfectly well through the cotton, but it helped prevent the earaches she'd get with wind and noise. hth.

[countryhopper]

could you try wrapping your hair in a towel turban as you would after washing it? That way you could still lay on the hating pad but your hair wouldn't be on the direct heat

[RachelRain]

oh, rachel, i know how hard that is! i'm sorry this happens to you. my mom has extremely sensitive hearing and ears, and has the same issue. she always wore cotton balls in her ears, and kept her hair down over her ears so people wouldn't see the cotton in them. she could everyone perfectly well through the cotton, but it helped prevent the earaches she'd get with wind and noise. hth.

I've tried that, but even with my hair down I always felt self conscious, so I try to orient myself to avoid a full direct-ear-onslaught of the noise lol.

Sorry about your mom... though in a weird way, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who has that!

[RachelRain]

could you try wrapping your hair in a towel turban as you would after washing it? That way you could still lay on the hating pad but your hair wouldn't be on the direct heat

That's a good idea, I hadn't thought of that... I'll have to try that and see if it works. thank you :)

[FrannyG]

Your question is neither random nor ridiculous. If the heating pad is cool enough that your skin can sustain contact with it overnight, then it is likely not hot enough to do damage to your hair.

Besides, taking care of your ear is really important.

I wouldn't worry about it. As Bunnii said, just give your hair a little extra TLC if you are still concerned.

[triumphator!]

I think warm hair is okay... if the pad were hot enough to boil the water inside your ear, I think it would burn the skin on your ear too, right?

[Ravenne]

That's really awful. :( I'm sorry you have to put up with that. I know what it's like to have constant ear troubles, though I don't have your issue (I'm partially deaf and have to watch to make sure I don't have buildup behind my eardrum. Underdeveloped eustachian tubes).

RachelRain mentioned wrapping your hair in a towel; that's a great idea. Maybe you could get some of those turbie twist things so it's not all bulky. I absolutely love mine.

[klcqtee]

If you go the trubie twist route: I found mine at a dollar store!

I'm sorry you're having ear troubles. When I used to have problems (as a child), Mom'd heat up some damp cotton balls in the microwave, and I put them gently in my ears. Just be sure they aren't too warm, or it hurts really bad!

[RachelRain]

Yeah, my dad used to use sweet oil and cotton balls, but I haven't been able to find that anywhere. And every pharmacist I ask looks at me like I've grown two heads. Drives me nuts.

I think there's a dollar store near my mom, so there's an excuse to go check it out :) lol.

The last time I went in I was told that I should be deaf... apparently ear infections leave scars, which I didn't know, and I'm full of 'em. So I guess I'm glad I can hear, but seriously... this drives me crazy.

I will definitely check out the turbie twist thing, and I'll try microwaving some damp cotton balls and seeing if that helps too - dunno why I never thought of trying that! lol.

Thanks everyone! I'm so glad I don't have to give up my heating pad, lol.

[GRU]

I know it's called "Herbs for Kids" but this stuff is THE BOMB when it comes to middle-ear infections:

http://www.drugstore.com/qxp34614_333181_sespider/herbs_for_kids/willow__garlic_ear_oil.htm

DS started getting EIs when he started going to daycare at 15mo, and it was every single month, one after another. I discovered the Willow Garlic Oil when he was 2yo, and this stuff worked like magic for him! Whenever he saw me with the bottle, he would RUN to the couch and lie down and "assume the position" (on his tummy with his head turned to the side so I could put it in his ear) -- he knew how good it was going to feel, so he was always excited to see the bottle.

I kept the bottle in the fridge, and then put it in a plastic baggie and soaked it in a glass of hot tap water to warm it. Shake well and test on inner wrist (like for a baby bottle). Neutral to semi-warm is okay, hot or cold will be painful. Put some drops in each ear several times a day and watch the pain go away!

You'll smell a litlte like a Caesar salad, but you'll feel so much better you won't even care!

[RachelRain]

I'll have to pick some of that up, thank you :)

there are worse things to smell like than a salad lol. I'll take that any day!

[Anniekins]

I haven't had a earache in years thank goodness. I don't think you need to worry about your hair but I am concerned about your skin! Have you tried rice bags? Just fill a tube sock with rice and tie off the end then nuke for 1-2 minutes. It wont take long to find out how long to nuke for the temp that you need. I have found that a mix of rice and split peas hold the heat a lot longer. I have chronic pain and use a bunch of rice bags and even use an insulated bag to hold a supply of hot ones so I wont need to get out of bed for a new one. I hope you can find a way to put an end to your ear infections, I know how excruciating they are. I use heat on my neck all the time and I have not noticed it damaging my hair at all.

Anne

[kwaniesiam]

The heat of a heating pad isn't high enough to damage your hair, you're fine :)

Blow dryers, flat irons, and curling irons typically need to reach at least 200 degrees F. Most flat irons and curling irons heat up to 450. Your skin would burn long before you'd burn your hair.

[RachelRain]

I just wanted to make sure :) I really do sleep on it all night... and I don't stick it in my pillow, it rests on top of it. It's probably not wise but it works and that's all I really care about.

I have one of those corn bags, filled with those giant mutant corn kernels, a buckwheat bag and a clay bag - they work great for sprained ankles or whatever, but I think it's the fact that this *stays* hot like that that I like so much, because I can wake up and even though my face will feel reeeeally really hot, my ear feels better than if I were asleep on my regular pillow or something like that. I didn't even know rice and split peas could be used, that's kind of cool.

Oh my god, that was the biggest run on sentence I think I've ever written...

[missfortune9335]

oh I'm sorry to hear that, personally I think if the heating pad works and helps you sleep at night without being in pain then that's the most important thing.

I'd just do as others have suggested and wrap your hair in something if you're really worried about it (although if you haven't noticed any damage yet it's probably just fine) :flower:

[pennyroyal]

Unfortunately i can't really answer your question but do you mind if i ask what kind of ear infections you get & do you know why you are so prone to them?
I ask because i went like 10 years at least without getting one & now i have had 3 in the past year. :confused: The dr said it could be that a fungus has grown in there (ew, i know!) but i get it in both ears. I was just curious if maybe we have the same thing?

[RachelRain]

honestly, I have no idea. I just know that my mom says when I was about about a year and a half old I'd suddenly be up all night screaming in pain from them. I kind of feel bad, because she says it was constant, and... yeah. poor woman. lol.

I had a copy of my medical info a few years ago, but it didn't say anything besides 'excessive scarring in ears' and 'prone to ear infections' - I'll have to ask next time I go in and see if they have a theory! :)

I have to say I doubt it's a fungus for me though - if it was I think it'd be growing out of my ears by now lol. the extra heat from the pad and all, I'm willing to bet it'd have exploded out of control.

that sucks if that's what it is, but they can probably give you a quick round of antibiotics to fix that, and then you'd probably just have to be really good about making sure water doesn't get stuck in there and all that. :)

by the way, check your other thread - apparently, astigmatisms CAN be fixed! which is good! lol.

[pennyroyal]

honestly, I have no idea. I just know that my mom says when I was about about a year and a half old I'd suddenly be up all night screaming in pain from them. I kind of feel bad, because she says it was constant, and... yeah. poor woman. lol.

I had a copy of my medical info a few years ago, but it didn't say anything besides 'excessive scarring in ears' and 'prone to ear infections' - I'll have to ask next time I go in and see if they have a theory! :)

I have to say I doubt it's a fungus for me though - if it was I think it'd be growing out of my ears by now lol. the extra heat from the pad and all, I'm willing to bet it'd have exploded out of control.

that sucks if that's what it is, but they can probably give you a quick round of antibiotics to fix that, and then you'd probably just have to be really good about making sure water doesn't get stuck in there and all that. :)

by the way, check your other thread - apparently, astigmatisms CAN be fixed! which is good! lol.
You poor thing! That is awful! I hope they get better. :( Ear infections are so painful!
Yea if the infections come back the dr said she'll put me on something to clear out the fungus (ew...) & hopefully that'll be it. It's so strange to go so many years without & now i get em all the time. :confused:
If they could find the root cause of yours maybe you could finally be done with them!

[RachelRain]

yeah but then I'd have no reason to use my beloved heat pad :) lol

[princessp]

I don't know about the heat, but have you ever tried Wally's ear oil? I am prone to ear troubles too and I find it is really good at preventing infections.

[RachelRain]

I don't believe I have, so I'll keep my eye out for it :)

I'm glad I asked, I've gotten a couple different oil things to try for it now. thank you.

[melikai]

Yeah, my dad used to use sweet oil and cotton balls, but I haven't been able to find that anywhere. And every pharmacist I ask looks at me like I've grown two heads. Drives me nuts.

Is there any chance that your father meant that he used Sweet Almond oil? I know that it is used for many medicinal uses, including very successfully for earache.

[teela1978]

Ever tried dilute vinegar? If you have any open sores in your ears its a bad idea... but whenever I feel like I'm getting an infection, if I start putting 50/50 vinegar/water into my ears a couple times a day things clear up real quick.

[Darkhorse1]

Have you seen an ears/nose/throat doctor? chronic ear infections can be stopped by a tube put into your inner ear.

I used to have chronic ear infections as a child, so they removed my tonsils (what they did back then).

There's another option to try--when I had an earache (I was 2 when the tonsils came out), my mom put a towel over a hot water bottle. It drew out the fluid and was safer than a heating pad. Just a thought.

Best of luck!

[RachelRain]

Is there any chance that your father meant that he used Sweet Almond oil? I know that it is used for many medicinal uses, including very successfully for earache.

I don't think so. My mom had an empty bottle of it and it just said sweet oil. That's what I was bringing with me when I'd go to pharmacies for a while, but they just looked at me like I'm nuts.

Edit - I googled it just now, cuz you made me think, and it's either made from olive or almond oil. Does that mean I can just put a few drops of either in my ear? I know it was thick, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't as thick as regular olive oil.

http://www.ehow.com/about_5509043_sweet-oil-ear-infections.html

And that raises another question... if I can google sweet oil and find it, why don't pharmacists know what it is?! grr. Darn schools only focusing on the stupid drugs... :mutter:

So ty for making me think! I don't know what I thought it was but I definitely didn't think it was a quickie little household oil. Hmm.

[RachelRain]

Have you seen an ears/nose/throat doctor? chronic ear infections can be stopped by a tube put into your inner ear.

I used to have chronic ear infections as a child, so they removed my tonsils (what they did back then).

There's another option to try--when I had an earache (I was 2 when the tonsils came out), my mom put a towel over a hot water bottle. It drew out the fluid and was safer than a heating pad. Just a thought.

Best of luck!

Yeah, I actually have a specialist solely because of my ear infections, I just dislike going to see him. Nothing against him, it's doctors in general.

I did ask about tubes when I was 18 - I ended up making myself REALLY sick my first year of college - a simple earache turned into a sinus infection, double ear infection, and pneumonia. And I was allergic to the antibiotic they gave me when I finally went in, so that just made it worse. It was super fun - and he told me they only do that to kids, so it wasn't an option for me. He didn't mention removing adenoids or tonsils, though. Maybe I'll look into that. Thank you.


Ever tried dilute vinegar? If you have any open sores in your ears its a bad idea... but whenever I feel like I'm getting an infection, if I start putting 50/50 vinegar/water into my ears a couple times a day things clear up real quick.

I haven't tried vinegar at all... Honestly never thought about that, actually. I love all the ideas I'm getting here, thank you :) I'll definitely have to try that. Does it matter what kind of vinegar it is? I think all I have is white, because it's a huge bottle and I don't use it often (or ever, I think...), so I haven't gone to get anything else.

[GRU]

I started getting chronic EIs in high school, starting when my gym class was in the swimming session. When I got the middle-of-the-night-OMG-I-can't-take-it-anymore pain, my mother would warm Sweet Oil and put in a few drops. It didn't "fix" anything from an infection standpoint, but it did dampen the pain enough that I could make it through until morning. It was sold in a little bottle with a dropper, like merthiolate (anyone else remember putting that nasty stuff on cuts?).

For about the next decade, I put a few drops of regular isopropyl alcohol in each ear canal after every shower or any situation where I may have gotten water in my ears (swimming, etc.). The alcohol helps to displace the trapped water, allowing it to then drain from the ear, and then the alcohol dries quickly on its own without harboring bacteria or fungus.

The Willow Garlic Oil is purported to work in two ways: willow contains salicin, the ingredient from which aspirin was developed (Native Americans used to chew willow bark for pain relief), and garlic has healing properties.

[RachelRain]

I have a list of all the stuff mentioned here - I plan on picking all of it up and stuffing it in my 'ear' section of the bathroom cabinet :)

I know I definitely don't have rubbing alcohol here - my boyfriend uses it to clean cuts because he's sick and likes the burn, so I got rid of it the day he decided to pour that (instead of peroxide) on a bad knife cut. I wonder if I could use witch hazel the same way?

[GRU]

You could also use peroxide in your ears... some people don't like the noise from the bubbles, is all.....

[RachelRain]

oh, then I'll try that. I actually kind of think the fizzy sound is cool. I just wasn't sure if that would do the same, since peroxide is supposed to fizz away germies and such...

thank you GRU :)

[GRU]

You're welcome RR!

Peroxide has been used for years to dissolve and wash away excess ear wax, and it's much safer and gentler on the ears than jamming a cotton swab around in there. It's just that when the bubbles are literally on your eardrum that they are quite loud/annoying to some folks.

I just hope you find something soon that helps.... nobody should have to deal with constant earaches like that!