Endlessly itchy wet ears

[SimplyMe2007]

Since I was a child I have had ear problems but over the past few years I have had increasingly maddening ear problems.  I have used drops and anti biotics.  I sense relief then the symptoms return.  Most days I can hear but am constantly aware that my ears are itchy.  The challenge is to not itch.  If I itch, I usually get flaky stuff that I literally can lift off my inner ear.If I itch too much it becomes wet and begins draining a wet clear fluid.  Then at night, whatever side I lay on clogs shut.  In the morning there is thick crusty crud that again I try not to pick at.  Im obviously in continual circle of symptoms here.  Dr's seem to think I cause this problem by itching which causes infection which causes itchiness. HELP please?  I am open to homeopathic suggestions as mainstream medicine just seems to temporarily relieve the symptoms and not cure the cause.  Thanks in advance

[stopitching]

I have had itchy ears for 20 years.  I have been stuck in tan endless cycle of itch, scratch, react, crust, pick, react, itch, scratch, react, and so...
I have travelled the world with this awful complaint and have seen many doctors, ENT specialists, homeopathist doctors, professors and they all shrug it off with dermatitis.   Every cream I have tried has not worked.  I also tried the new Metascan and Nuruetrepan medication but again no luck.  
The best was Eumovate (UK, over the counter at Boots pharmacy) which stopped the itch for 4 months but then it came back and the cream doesn't work any more.

My story gets worse.  I now have constant Tinnitus and have been diagnosed with Menieres Syndrome.  My situation is now that I have severe itching in my ears, maddening high pitched white noise filling my head and feel like i've stepped off a roundabout every once in a while.
I also have problems now with changes with changes in altitude and lifts.

In my experience I would recommend the following:

1.  Avoid vaseline as it dries out the ears and makes them worse.
2.  Avoid sticking anything in your ear to scratch and pick.  Rolled up pieces of paper, cotten buds and finger nails will result in nerve damage and possibly Menieres Syndrome like me.
3.  Putting your head under the water.


If anyone can help I can be contacted at ***@****

Thanks.

(Scratch, Rub, Scratch, Fall Over...)

[LaLa181818]

My doctor also said to use alcohol.  This nuisance is new to me... only a year or two of this misery.
It was like I was allergic to my own ear wax.

Then I went to a different doctor because I had a bad rash on my chest that also itched and wouldn't do away.  I told her about my ears.  She suggested using the cortizone treatment in the ears too.  It did offer temporary relief.  Now I can't hear properly out of one side... funny thing though... that ear no longer itches... but it does ring constantly and I feel like I'm under water.  

The other ear is still driving me nuts from itching.

Looking in here for help make me know that I have to make my doctor take these symptoms more seriously.

[carrie45]

I thought I was alone.  I've been battling ear infections all my life.  I got a really bad one two months ago.  My ear drum ruptured and I've been in agony ever since.  My ear drum is healing but my left ear itches like crazy.  I keep resisting the urge to shove something in it but I have fantasies that one of these days I'm going to lose it in public.  It's driving me insane.  I see an ENT twice a week to have my ear suctioned.  Yesterday my ear canal was so swollen it closed.  I've had an ice pack on my head for 36 hours.  My jaw is swollen.  I spend all my time at work, in class or at the doctor's office.  Even worse, I live in Taiwan and my doctor speaks a minimal amount of English which makes my problem even more frustrating.  I've spent hours looking for help or others like me who might have alternate suggestions for relief.  I don't want to deal with this for the rest of my life.

[Gwynhwyfyr]

I just wanted to add a postscript to my experience with the dermotic oil drops. They worked miraculously for me, but my symptoms came back after I stopped using them. I talked to my doctor yesterday and he advised me to do another course of the drops, but to taper them off instead of stopping them abruptly. So, two weeks of the drops twice a day, then once a day for a week, then every other day for a week, etc. He believes I had a rebound reaction to the steroid and that my ears need more time to fully heal.
Just thought I would share that, in case anyone else is having a similar problem.

[cymrujg]

i started suffering with itchy ears quite a few months ago and like the rest of you it would drive me insane especially in the morning....doc just said looked pretty normal.....anyway i also had mentioned it to my naturopath and she said that when the oils in our body were out of wack.....that the ears could be affected....whatever i bumped up my intake of fish oil on a daily basis and this definitely has made it much better......i take a spectrum brand capsule 360mg EPA/240DHA per serving which is 2 capsules...although somedays i just take 1 even though the recommended dose is 2 caps...anyway thought this might help

[rjana]

I have had the ithcy ear thing for 4 years now - - starting in one ear and recently moving into the other ear (i believe after scratching the ear with a bamboo chopstick - works great by the way - that i had used on the itchy ear).  The itching gets intense after eating sweet fruit or honey  or when my blood suger drops (my family and i eat only raw food no refined suger or the like now). I have had severe candida in the past, poor digestion, and weakend immune system worsened by Juvinile Rhuematoid Arthritis and 7 years of steroid use.  With all this in mind, i believe strongly the itchy ear, crusty problem is YEAST INFECTION in the ear (but not for all cases).  What the doctors say concern me not (i have had serveral okay ear checks since the problem began).  Look, your health is in your own hands -  take what the docs say with a grain of salt and backup their talk with your own research - you can be as "smart" as they are and you definately know your body better they do.  i feel for all of you deeply (several times my ears have swollen shut and lymph nodes been blocked up into hard rocks for weeks non stop - i understand:)).  tea tree oil (not staight oil in the ear though dilute first!!!), paud'arco, garlic, olive leaf extract (seagate is a good company), olive oil,  gse, PROBIOTICS, digestive enzymes, wild oregano oil, NO REFINED SUGAR, chlorophyll, and no antibiotics are a start.  however, i understand the bind.  I have 4 young kiddos as well and one is lovingly sqeezing my nanas right now wanting to nurse hence the bad typing & such.  Hope this helps - it has encougaged me to be MOTIVATED, MOTIVATED, MOTIVATED SIR to take charge of my own health.  with empathy, rjana.