Hi folks,
Thought I'd put this here for a bit more advice maybe.
I'm currently in Düsseldorf, halfway through a month-long German course.
Yesterday, when I got back from a cycle ride, I found my left ear was a bit painful. At night it was really painful and I didn't want to lie on it.
This morning it's not as painful but still gives twinges. If I pull the earlobe I feel a bit of pain, and my jaw feels slightly odd. Occasionally it gives a bit of a sharp twinge, particularly if I yawn.
I'm a bit of an ear scratcher and two weeks ago got back into my 'itchy ears cycle' where I keep scratching 'em. I have also used cotton buds to clean 'em out (which I believe is a complete no-no) although not since I came to Düsseldorf.
I popped into an Apotheke (Chemist) and asked for advice. She sold me some ear drops, Otalgan, but said if it's no better tomorrow then I should go to a doctor. Now this will be extremely complex as I'll have to find an ear doctor (they don't have GPs in Germany) and, presumably, pay and then claim it back. Excessively complex.
Presumably if I were in the UK my doctor would either give me eardrops or antibiotics. Does anyone have any recommendations? Wikipedia and NHS Direct suggest these things often clear up on their own after a few days; is it OK for me to leave it a few days (using the drops) to see if it clears up before the complexity of a doctor's appointment in German?
When I get home I will dispose of the cotton buds, of course.
Thanks for any suggestions!
Oh, and 3 years ago I had itchy ears for 9 months and the nurse at my GP practice suggested various things to sort 'em out which eventually helped (dripping olive oil in there!) and so I imagine I am a bit prone to this kind of thing.