Fungal Ear Infection

I have had this problem for 3 years now.  I moved from a cold country to a hot humid one - Australia.  It started off with itchy ears on and off then became infected.  I saw 2 or 3 doctors who prescribed drops none of which worked for very long.  I eventually got a referral to the ENT specialist who said it was a chronic ear infection and put antibiotic cream in my ears which made me deaf for about 2 wks!!  I went back a month later and the inf was still there.  I got more drops which cleared them up but she said I had developed a fungal infection also!  She prescribed Locacorten Vioform drops which are antibacterial and antifungal.  This seems to have helped but it keeps coming back.  I have now used the drops again and managed to get it under control but I am going to try olive oil infused with garlic.  I have used an empty ear drop bottle.  I also just tried putting 2 slices of garlic into my ears and it stung but seems to have helped. I put some balm on the outsides it also got rid of the sting. This forum is great - i'm going to try all the natural remedies until I get one to work.  Swimmers ear drops also help to dry the moisture up but no use if infection is still there as they sting!  I also use ear plugs when I wash my hair and wash it over the bath rather than the shower. I have also cut down wash hair amount to every 2nd or 3rd day and bought a dry shampoo for inbetween!  Hope this helps as it's the biggest pain in the butt or should i say ear - will let you all know how I go with the oil/garlic!

[OkiePC]

I have always been susceptible to fungal ear infections.  One of my best doctors explained that the shape of my ear canal had been the root cause, allowing a puddle of moisture near the drum for a common fungus to grow in, and my ear wax didn't have the right antibodies to kill it well enough.

I was working in a factory wearing custom molded ear plugs for twelve hours at a time, so I had to revert to foam disposable ones, since he said that boiling my earplugs at least every day or two would be required to kill the fungus.  Alcohol, and other cleaners wouldn't do it.

One severe instance in my early 20s sent me to the e.r. crying like a little girl as if being stabbed in the ear with an ice pick randomly five or six times and the a slow pressure would build.

The E.R. Dr. there asked me to hold my mouth and nose closed and blow into my eustachian, and other passages to force the snot out from behind the ear drum.  This act was extremely painful the first time but provided a great relief as well as a preventive measure to keep dry air available to keep the fungus from growing.  He gave me vicoden, but told me only to blow out my ears when I was on no pain killers of any kind, but to do it after showering, swiming, etc.  I also use a hair dryer to dry the outer ear at a safe distance while pulling on my ears in the "install earplugs" motion.

If you do this "blow it out your ears exercise" three or four times an hour at first sign of snot in the ears, and you can get your ear to "pop" and air to go out, through your eyes, ears, and throat, you can do two things: 1) spread infection through the normal path to the digestive system, (which may lead to a new discomfort for a few days) 2) prevent severe painful infections from getting started in the future.

DON'T block the fungus from dry air with any non-evaporating liquid.  Don't use the pain drops and then blow the snot out  You might rip a big hole in your ear drum and not even feel it.  I am speaking as a patient, not a professional.