I have swimmers ear.

Swimmers Ear (Otitis externa)

This condition can be a severely painful acute condition and a nuisanceful chronic recurring problem. Whatever, careful attention should be taken to aural hygeine advice http://www.myentsurgeon.com/ear-care-advice.html

It is imperative to contact your general practitioner to commence early treatment in addtion to the ear care advice. If the ear canal is not too swollen then the instillation of antibiotic and steroid drops can help reduce the symptoms of the condition rapidly. Unfortunateley, some patients rapidly develop a swollen ear canal or alternativeley have a predisposition to the condition because of narrow ear canals and as a result require intervention by an ENT surgeon in the form of splinting the ear canal open with a ‘wick’. This keeps the ear canal open whilst allowing for the delivery of the antibiotic and steroid drops.

Despite all medical intervention the strict adherence to the advice on aural hygeine is the key to success in the management of this condition and occasionally people will require regular follow up in the clinic just to maintain patency of the ear canal.