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Why is my ear infection not healing?

Hey! So this all started about two months ago when I decided it would be a good idea to self-irrigate my ear after experiencing a lot of wax. I got a syringe and some warm water and just started blasting into my right ear canal. It didn't end up being successful as the wax never actually did come out, but I then started having earaches that have never fully healed. I've been to the doctor 4 times since then. First time the doc said I had some outer ear inflammation and that he suspected swimmer's ear. He prescribed me ciprodex ear drops for 7 days. I applied the drops twice a day, but whenever I put the drops in, there was this weird crackling noise that occurred while I was laying on my side. My symptoms did not improve so I went back. The second time I saw the doc I actually had some new symptoms. I was having daily headaches just above my right ear (I think my temple). It's not necessarily painful but it feels like there is a lot of pressure in my head. I also noticed that my ear makes this popping noise whenever I yawn, sneeze, or even swallow. It feels exactly like how your ears pop when you're on an airplane. The doc said there was still inflammation so he gave me 7 more days of ciprodex. Still no improvement. The third time the doc suspected it might be a fungal infection, so he prescribed me 7 days of oral fluconazole, 50mg tablets x3 a day (he actually prescribed me fungal ear drops initially but they were backordered). This one seemed to improve my headaches a bit but I still experience the crackling noises daily. So I went back to the doctor for the 4th time today. To my surprise, she said she didn't see anything wrong in my ear. I also have no fever and my blood pressure is normal. To be honest my ear doesn't even really hurt anymore. It is just the headaches and the crackling that are driving me crazy. The doc said that since I just finished the fluconazole and that there is no signs of inflammation that it is worth while to wait a week to see if the headaches start to go away. And if that doesn't work I come back in a week and she will refer me to an ENT doctor. Any thoughts as to why my infection is not healing? Or could there be another reason for my symptoms?
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20803600 tn?1546262537
COMMUNITY LEADER
You may have ruptured/punctured a membrane or injured the ear drum when you flushed your ear. If I were you, I would see an ENT for follow up at this point just to ensure that there is no residual damage.
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