Adventure with Iodine

[rain_gryphon]

So, as I previously related, I was ill Thursday and Friday. By Sunday I felt pretty good, except that before I went to bed Sunday night, I had a bit of tenderness in the canal of my right ear. It was like what's often called "swimmer's ear", probably just an opportunistic fungus or bacterial infection that had taken hold while I was sick and my immunity was depressed.

I reviewed my options:

I could just let it go, and it would clear up by itself in a few days, as it always does. That's surrendering to circumstance like a Frenchman would, though.

I could treat it with Neosporin, and if it was some particularly feeble strain of bacteria, it might succumb. Not much better than option #1.

I could put tincture of iodine in my ear! That'll kill anything! What a great idea!

My decision tree had reached its end. I put in the first drop of iodine. It's cold, then warms up as I feel it spead through my ear. That's actually pretty pleasant. I put in a second, just to be sure I've coated everything. I can hear the hissing, roaring sound of the fluid in my ear as the iodine works in. The warmth builds, and starts to prickle just a bit, like the dry heat from a fire. Then suddenly ZOMG! HOT! ACK! My entire ear is on fire, and I can feel the ominous warmth spreading down my Eustachian tube. I blotted out what I could with a square of toilet paper, but it was too late for that. Suddenly I could taste and smell iodine too, like the smell of the ocean with a sharp, biting edge. Sensations and thoughts of iodine filled my world. I recall wondering how I was going to explain this if I had to go to the emergency room.

Tonight my ear is still sore, perhaps a bit worse than yesterday, but it's the even, surface soreness of irritation. There's no infection left. There's a qualitative difference in the pain that makes that apparent. I can take grim satisfaction in that, and in the fact that I'm probably not ever going to have a goiter. I wonder sometimes how I lived to middle age.

Comments

[mejeep.livejournal.com]

Ummm, what about Hydrogen Peroxide or alcohol? At least those evaporate.

[xolo.livejournal.com]

Like I said, once I thought of iodine, the decision process was ended :)

[maxgoof.livejournal.com]

So, how do you think the iodine got inside? Osmosis, or punctured ear drum?

I'd get that ear checked, if I were you.

[xolo.livejournal.com]

I've had it checked before, but nothing's obviously wrong. That same eardrum was perforated several times in my childhood. I had repeated ear infections, and I'm guessing there's some sort of way through or around the eardrum as a result. My hearing's no different in either ear, so it can't be a large opening. Osmosis never ocurred to me...

[pyesetz]

Me too.  Apparently my right eardrum has a "flap" which allows passage of air (and sometimes germs) but doesn't look like anything when viewed with an otoscope.

[xolo.livejournal.com]

You had ear infections too? I pity you.

[haystack.livejournal.com]

Yikes! The Eustachian tube's opening is on the other side of your eardrum from the outside. I'm wondering, along with Max, just how that iodine got in there!

[xolo.livejournal.com]

Like I pointed out to the Goof, I've had so many infections in that ear, I'd not be surprised that there's some minor opening where liquids could slowly migrate through.

[ben-mouse.livejournal.com]

Yup, Hydrogen peroxide, diluted, is the way to go. I used to have a job where we were in the water -often- and we'd get swimmer's ear every other month or more.

Just lay on your side, drip the diluted peroxide in your ear from the peroxide cap and let it bubble away. When the bubbling subsides, roll over (with a tissue under the first ear) and repeat the process with the other ear.

Alcohol and anything that contains it is right out. It dries out the ear and could make things worse.

[xolo.livejournal.com]

I've done that in the past, yeah. I'm prone to giving in to the temptation to hit the tack with a sledgehammer, though.