Nasal

I have been living in South Korea for the last five months. Soon after arriving in the country I contracted a respiratory infection that quickly moved into my ear. I developed a severe infection that has continued for 4 months. I have received treatment from Korean doctors all this time and they continue to prescribe medication, but to no avail. The medication stops the pain while I am taking it, but doesn't clear up the problem. I had a surgical procedure to insert a tube in my ear which helped my hearing loss, but did not solve the problem. This infection has cost me over $1000 in treatment out of pocket, and still the doctors continue to say it is only a mild inner ear infection. Wouldn't a mild infection have some resolve within a week or two rather than four months? I need some advice so I can begin to develop a game plan for getting proper treatment here in Korea. Thanks.

Sincerely, Wayne Bottiger

[National Jewish]

You stated "the medication stops the pain while I am taking it, but doesn't clear up the problem".  So it seems that the medication is working.  It may simply need to be prescribed for a longer period of time to clear up your mild inner ear infection.  If there is any drainage from your ear, a culture and sensitivity may be done.  This would identify the germ that is causing the infection and the antibiotic that would fight it the best.  Without being able to see your ear this is the advice that we can offer.  An otolaryngologist or ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor would be the type of specialist to see for this type of problem.