Otitis media

Two days ago, my daughter woke up and was complaining of earache,
it was 1:30 in the morning and had a hard time going back to sleep.
She kept on crying and I was worried.
I still let her went to school that day so that she won't miss an exam and felt guilty upon hearing that she spewed at school and had a terrible headache .....

My daughter has OTITIS MEDIA.
That was the doctor's findings.
I can't believe it at first and I asked her again..
"Are you really sure, Doc?"
"Yes, without batting an eyelash" she said
I was scared.. so I asked her to explain to me Otitis Media.

Otitis media is inflammation of the middle ear, or middle ear infection (the word otitis is Greek and it means “inflammation of the ear”, and media means middle)
Otitis media occurs in the area between the ear drum (the end of the outer ear) and the inner ear, including a duct known as the Eustachian tube. It is one of the two categories of ear inflammation that can underly what is commonly called an earache, the other being otitis externa. Diseases other than ear infections can also cause ear pain, including cancers of any structure that shares nerve supply with the ear.

Otitis media is very common in childhood, with the average toddler having two to three episodes a year, almost always accompanied by a viral upper respiratory infection (URI), mostly the common cold. The rhinoviruses (nose viruses) that cause the common cold infect the Eustachian tube that goes from the back of the nose to the middle ear, causing swelling and compromise of pressure equalization, which is the normal function of the tube. In general, the more severe and prolonged the compromise of Eustachian tube function, the more severe the consequences are to the middle ear and its delicate structures. If a person is born with poor Eustachian tube function, this greatly increases the likelihood of more frequent and severe episodes of otitis media. Progression to chronic otitis media is much more common in this group of people, who often have a family history of middle ear disease.

She told me it can be cured, of course..
So , she prescribed antibiotics , pain reliever and otic drops for her that I have to religiously monitor to make sure she'll take it on time to avoid complications and worsen her condition.

Fortunately , it has been two days now since she started the medication and she is getting better.
She plans to go ice skating on Sunday, by the way.^^