Saturday, March 23, 2024

When To Go To Urgent Care For Ear Infection

Must read

Can You Go To Urgent Care For An Ear Infection

595 – Urgent ENT Referral Required due to Serious Ear Infection

Most urgent care clinics and emergency rooms prefer ear infection patients to go to their primary care provider first. However, if symptoms are severe, urgent care may be a better option.

Most ear infections do not have serious complications. However, studies show that some patients can develop dangerous symptoms. In these cases, patients require rapid medical attention to prevent symptoms from worsening and permanent damage to the structures of the ears.

How To Prevent An Earache

Taking precautionary measures can help to reduce the risk of earaches, especially in children. Proper hygiene habits, such as frequent hand washing and limiting contact with others who may be sick can help. Also, try to limit exposure to cigarette smoke, as this may increase the risk for ear infections. In addition, use earplugs while swimming, or over-the-counter products to dry the ear out after swimming.

When an earache or ear infection does strike, rest assured that you can get the care you need, any day of the week, at your local FastMed. Our qualified medical professionals are here for you, including holidays, with no appointment necessary. Use our online check-in for convenience. Get the fast, affordable, quality care to help you or your child return to normal as quickly as possible.

* The content presented on this page is not intended to diagnose health problems or take the place of professional medical care.

When To Go To Urgent Care For Ear Infection

When to go to Urgent Care for Ear Infection

If your child is uncomfortable or has severe ear pain, a trip to urgent care might be in order. In other words, if you notice anything different about their usual behavior , a fever and painful ears, its time to take action. These symptoms can all be signs of an ear infection. An otolaryngologist can help diagnose your childs condition and start treatment right away. At least six out of 10 children will get at least one ear infection before they turn 3 years old, so its very common for parents to recognize these symptoms during doctor visits.

Many common symptoms of ear infection, such as pain and fever, are also common with allergic reactions. Therefore, it is important to tell your physician about any allergies you have when being treated for an ear infection. If you have severe allergies that can cause severe reactions and complications, especially if they are airborne , then it may be a good idea to visit urgent care instead of your primary care physicians office or a hospital emergency room. Allergies, while not an emergency in general situations, can cause severe reactions that could require treatment at urgent care facilities since they deal with more common illnesses/injuries than doctors offices or hospitals.

Read Also: Does Urgent Care Test For Yeast Infections

How To Choose The Right Urgent Care Clinic

There are a lot of choices in thePhoenix area for health care and medical services. When you need care fast, howdo you know which local urgent care is best for you and your family? Thisdecision is based on several factors including location and services provided.Here are some key qualities to look for in an urgent care medical center:

  • LocalUrgent Care: Most find it convenient to visit an urgent care clinic closeto their home or work.
  • HoursOpen: Find a local urgent care with extended hours so that you can utilize medicalservices during early mornings, evenings, and even weekends as needed. Someurgent care clinics are also open on holidays.
  • AcceptedInsurance: Utilize an urgent care medical center that accepts your currenthealth insurance. This will help minimize your out-of-pocket health relatedexpenses as well as streamline the medical billing process.
  • ChildrensUrgent Care: If you are seeking urgent care services for children, call orview the urgent cares website to ensure they are a pediatric urgent care andcan treat common children illnesses.
  • Walk-InClinic: It may be important to you to utilize a walk in urgent care. A walk-inclinic means that an appointment is not needed and as such, the clinic usually strivesto keep wait times low. Some urgent care centers also have online check-incapabilities that further reduce wait times.

To learn more about urgent care and the medical servicesthey provide, go to www.westvalleyurgentcare.com.

When To Go To Urgent Care For Ear Pain

Should I Go To Urgent Care For An Ear Infection

When to go to Urgent Care for Ear Pain

If youre having ear pain that comes on suddenly, its a good idea to visit an urgent care clinic. Tinnitus and vertigo are also likely reasons for which you should head over immediately. Depending on your symptoms, your doctor might recommend antibiotics or even an MRI scan. When in doubt, always check with a medical professional before deciding when to visit urgent care for ear pain.

If your ear pain has lasted more than three days and you are having a hard time hearing, or if you have a fever of 102 degrees or more, its time to call an ambulance. The same applies if there is drainage from your ear . If youre feeling lightheaded or experiencing nausea, especially when coupled with tinnitus , take a break from work and make an appointment with your doctorthey can decide whether you need urgent care.

Acute ear pain is usually due to an infection in your middle or outer ear. There are several ways you can treat it yourself at home. However, if you have had acute ear pain that hasnt gone away within a few days, or if it gets worse with time, then you should visit urgent care. Also visit an urgent care center when your symptoms include facial paralysis, pus coming out of your ear, dizziness and ringing in your ears. If left untreated, these symptoms could be dangerous. Call a local urgent care clinic today!

Recommended Reading: Can Your Period Get Rid Of A Yeast Infection

What Is An Earache

Earaches may affect one or both ears, although most often they impact only one. The pain can take many forms, from dull to throbbing, and from sharp to burning. Pain may also vary in intensity, ranging from mild to severe.

Fortunately, most earaches are short-lived. Chronic ear infections, however, can cause irreparable damage to the middle and/or inner ear. For this reason, it is important to have an earache or possible infection evaluated by a medical professional.

Consider contacting your local FastMed clinic or seek immediate medical attention if you or your child experiences vomiting, headaches, high fever, or pain inside or behind the ear.

The Different Causes Of Earaches

Earaches arent always due to underlying disease. There are two leading causes of earaches in young children: middle ear infections and swimmers ear. Nonetheless, there are still a variety of reasons that produce ear problems, including:

  • Ear Infection: The most common cause of earaches is a middle ear infection which is the space behind the eardrum. A virus or bacteria generally causes them.
  • Swimmers Ear: An outer ear canal infection that runs from the eardrum to the outside of the head is usually caused by water remaining in the ear after swimming.
  • Earwax: Large pieces of earwax stuck in your ear can cause mild ear pain, especially if the wax has been pushed in by cotton swabs.
  • Airplane Ear: Airplanes can cause eardrums to stretch due to the sudden increases in air pressure. It usually begins when the airplane is landing however, it can also occur during mountain driving.
  • Pierced Ear Infection: These are very common and must be treated early or become very painful.
  • Ear Canal Problems:
  • Injury: A cotton swab or fingernail can potentially cause a scrape in the canal.
  • Abscess: A hair follicle infection on the ear canal could start as a red bump and then turn into a pimple.
  • Foreign Object: Young children love to play with objects however, if the product is sharp and placed inside their ear, that can cause an earache.

Don’t Miss: Where To Go For Bladder Infection

When Should You Go To The Doctor For An Ear Infection

By Getwell Urgent Care

I used to suffer from ear infections perhaps every two months as a kid, and if theres one thing I dont want to experience again, its an ear infection.

Whilst they are numerous remedies to help ease sore throats, colds, and coughs, ear infections are a different matter.

Five out of six children will have had at least one by their third birthday, but when should you do to the doctor for an ear infection?

Ear Aches & Infections

URGENT CARE for double ear infection!

Denver Urgent Care Treatment For Ear Aches.Is it Cold or Ear Infection?

  • Loss of appetite

AFC Urgent Care Denver Cherry CreekWalk-In Ear Pain TreatmentOur AFC Urgent Care Denver Location Is

  • Walk-in friendly
  • Staffed by doctors and nurses

AFC Urgent Care Denver Leetsdale:

850 S Monaco Pkwy, Suite 10Denver, CO 80224

AFC Urgent Care Denver Speer:

777 E Speer Blvd.

You May Like: How To Get Over An Ear Infection

You May Like: Do Yeast Infections Get Worse Before They Get Better

What You Can Do For An Earache

The most important thing you can do for your earache is take anti-inflammatories such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen and take the highest dosage you can while youre experiencing discomfort. You should not use leftover antibiotic drops from a previous ear infection these drops can cause damage to your inner ear if youre using them for the wrong type of infection.

Untreated ear pain may lead to complications. If you need to see a doctor for that earache, MedHelp urgent care is open seven days a week with a convenient location near you.

Treatment For Ear Pain

For ear pain that is caused by an infection, the doctors at an urgent care center may prescribe antibiotics. These antibiotics most often come in the form of ear drops. It is essential to complete the entire course of antibiotics for an ear infection, even after the ear pain has disappeared. The bacteria that caused the infection may cause the ear infection to return if the entire prescription of antibiotics has not been completed.

A doctor at an urgent care center may also recommend that the child use over-the-counter pain relievers for ears. These may include OTC pain relievers such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen. A doctor can recommend the right dose, depending on the child’s age and the amount of pain.

Don’t Miss: How Does One Get An Ear Infection

Should I Go To Urgent Care For A Sinus Infection

by Velocity Urgent Care | Jan 16, 2020 | Blog

Should I Go to Urgent Care for a Sinus Infection?

Everyone has had a sinus infection at some point. They come with plenty of facial pain, nasal drainage, headaches. However, most people dont know what they should do when they come down with one. Should I go to urgent care? Should I tough it out at home? Do I need to see an ear, nose, and throat specialist?

Answering those questions isnt as difficult as it sounds. In fact, you can almost surely cross seeing a specialist off your list. Though it might not feel like it at the time, a sinus infection is a fairly common illness that affects tens of millions of adults each year. With that being said, some sinus infections can be treated effectively at home while others might need to be treated by a professional.

How to Tell if You Have a Sinus Infection

Inside your skull, there are several pockets of air. These are called your sinuses and help with a variety of things in daily life. For example, they keep your head from being too heavy. However, they are also prone to infection when fluid backs up into them and allows germs to take over. This leads to sinuses that are clogged by thick mucus that causes the various symptoms of a sinus infection.

How to Treat a Sinus Infection at Home

When to Seek Medical Care for a Sinus Infection

Not everyone who has a sinus infection will need to seek medical care. However, there are some times when home remedies simply arent enough.

From Hospitals To Your Community Superbugs Are Everywhere

Pin by Dev Verma on Urgent Care

Shereen Lehman, MS, is a healthcare journalist and fact checker. She has co-authored two books for the popular Dummies Series .

No discussion of patient safety would be complete without covering the growth of superbugs, infectious organisms that make patients sick and may even cause death. They are called superbugs because its very difficult to kill them with existing drugs, which limits treatment options.

Recommended Reading: What Is Used To Treat Ear Infections

About Author: Laura Nightengale

Laura Nightengale was a writing coordinator for OSF HealthCare. She has a bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Kansas and worked as a reporter at a daily newspaper for five years before joining OSF HealthCare. When shes not working, Laura loves to travel, read, and spend time with her family, including her sweet and ornery dog.

Should I Go To The Doctor For An Ear Infection 5 Tips To Help You Decide

Should I go to the doctor for an ear infection? The answer to this common question is maybe. Here are 5 tips to help you decide if you need medical attention

Should I go to the doctor for an ear infection?

In most cases, you probably wont have to worry about it. A middle ear infection, also called otitis media, bring about pain, a clogged or full feeling in the ear, and difficulty hearing.

But all these things are normal.

You can probably wait out an ear infection on your own at home. If the pain goes away after a few days then theres no reason to worry.

However, there are several things that should make you visit the doctor for your ear infection. These symptoms or circumstances mean the ear infection is worse or riskier than others, and you should get medical help.

So lets look at these five reasons you should head to the doctor for an ear infection.

You May Like: Adverse Effects Of Antiretroviral Therapy For Hiv Infection

Surfaces Like Bed Rails And Hospital Elevator Buttons Need To Be Kept Clean Too

Your doctor probably wont tell you to wipe down surfaces in the hospital room with bleach or alcohol wipes. Yet high-touch areas like bed rails and elevator buttons can harbor the pathogens that cause infections.

Karen Curtiss, whose father contracted several HAIs in the hospital following a lung transplant, including MRSA and C. difficile, spent weeks in the hospital with her dad. She was never told to wipe down any surfaces with bleach or alcohol, or even to wash her own hands. We had no idea how easy it is to bring germs into the patients room, says Curtiss. Her father died at the age of 71 from these untreatable infections without ever leaving the hospital.

RELATED: Just Bad Luck? One Familys Tragic Story of Preventable Medical Error

What Causes An Ear Infection

ASMR Doctor | Urgent Care Ear Infection/Ear Exam

Ear infections can be caused by several different things. Firstly, bacteria or a virus in the middle ear is a common culprit. Ear infections can also be caused by allergies, colds, sinus infections, and other illnesses that cause congestion. Congestion can lead to a buildup of fluid in the ear, which can become infected.

Recommended Reading: Do You Have To Go To Doctor For Ear Infection

What Your Urgent Care Doctor Can Do For An Earache

When you see your urgent care doctor for an earache, the first thing your doctor will do is examine your ear using an otoscope. Your doctor will examine the membrane while also looking for fluid or wax buildup.

Sometimes, in the case of impacted wax, your doctor can help clean your ear and immediately resolve your ear pain. In the case of fever or swollen lymph nodes, your doctor may order blood work to determine if antibiotics are needed to treat your ear infection. In the case of severe infections, we also offer injectable antibiotics to help you avoid a ruptured eardrum. Not all earaches will require treatment.

Urgent Care Is For Minornot Majormedical Issues

The difference between urgent and emergency care boils down to what constitutes a medical emergency. Urgent care is a form of medical care that focuses on conditions that are not potentially life- or limb-threatening emergencies, but still require prompt care within 24 hours or less, Timothy Tan, M.D., M.P.H., an assistant professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and an attending physician at Mount Sinai Urgent Care, tells SELF.

At urgent care centers, youll typically find both doctors and physician assistants who usually have training in emergency or family medicine, Dr. Tan explains. They have a broad range of medical knowledge and skills that allow them to diagnose and treat a wide variety of illnesses in patients of all ages, Dr. Tan says. also identify when a specialist is needed or when there is a potential emergency medical condition requiring an emergency room visit.

Urgent care centers usually have X-ray machines, basic lab testing , and equipment for minor procedures such as splinting a broken bone, stitching a wound, or draining an abscess, Dr. Tan explains. If what youre dealing with requires a more intense level of care, going to an emergency room makes more sense.

Emergency departments will have more in-depth diagnostic testing, a wide range of medications, and access to specialists such as cardiologists for heart attacks, or orthopedic surgeons for complex fractures, Dr. Tan says.

deeper look, yeast infection

Read Also: Urinary Tract Infection Without Antibiotics

Seek Help From Virtual Urgent Care

If you believe you need urgent care for an ear infection, you can get it virtually at DrHouse. Our service connects you with a qualified online doctor in 15 minutes or less. The virtual doctor can assess your symptoms, recommend a course of treatment, and even prescribe medication if needed. Get started today!

More articles

Popular Articles