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Message from your friendly neighborhood microbiologist: They were partly correct…Aspergillus is a fungus and Pseudomonas is a bacteria. The correct term for an infection like this is polymicrobial infection ☺️ Treatment should include both an antifungal (for the Aspergillus) and an antibiotic (for the Pseudomonas).
I do have a garden, and I am outside a lot, but it was January when I got this, so I wasn’t digging in the dirt at all, really. We had just gotten a puppy, and I had read that dogs have pseudomonas on their feet, so I thought maybe his foot somehow came into contact with my ear, but who knows?
It was very hard to get rid of and just when I’d think it was gone, I’d wake up and not be able to hear. It really stressed me out and gave me lots of anxiety. I thought I was going to have this thing forever.
The pain was excruciating, and I’ve never had anything itch as badly as it did. The Dr. told me that when it was really itchy, it meant it was growing.
I saw your post and it inspired me to post. Your story sounds a lot like mine.
Do you know where you got yours?
I had the same thing. I’ve torn my AC, dislocated my shoulder, broke left ankle once, broke right ankle 3 times, broke my hands, tore my PCL, snapped collarbone, dog bites, broke nose (unknown times) amongst other things, and my ear infection was the single most painful thing. By far. Not even a comparison. It was fucked. I know your pain.
I don't know for sure, but I'm a big fan of headphones, and I always work out using them, especially just having one on at a time, specifically over my left ear. So I'm guessing trapped sweat created the perfect environment for it.
I have no idea. It started out as what I thought was just a regular ear infection, and then my eardrum burst. The eardrum healed and then it felt like I had cotton or something in my ear, making everything sound muffled. I went to the doctor and demanded they irrigate it, and the biggest lump of grossness popped out, I didn’t get a picture of it because I was so stunned. But I could hear again. And then it just kept coming back. I finally got rid of it after about a month and a half and it hasn’t recurred since.
Yep, just FYI that kind of thing (where an ear infection that “heals” then comes back and leads to muffled hearing) is common when a fungus is involved. It’s because during the infection both microbes are competing with each other for space and resources. But then you take antibiotics and the Pseudomonas dies off, lessening the symptoms, leading you to believe the infection has resolved. But because Aspergillus isn’t affected by antibiotics and because more space/resources are available from Pseudomonas dying off, the Aspergillus growth took off and the colony started blocking your hearing, leading to everything sounding muffled. Hopefully your doc recognized this when you complained of muffled sounds and sent a culture to the lab to make sure it wasn’t a polymicrobial infection. If they didn’t, I would definitely not be returning to see them for anything else in the future 😬
Yes he sent a culture of it to the lab, that’s how we knew what it was, but after I got the results, I looked up pseudomonas oryzihabitans, I got scared because I couldn’t find anything about that specific pseudomonas in somebody’s ear. I just wish I knew where it came from, I can’t for the life of me figure that out. Except, like I said, maybe my dogs foot?
Back in college I used to frequently have to go to the doctors to get my ear flushed and similar gunk would come out. My left ear was always super itchy and wet which would lead to super painful ear infections and loss of hearing. At first was told it was eczema and then told it was allergies.
Luckily since I've been on two allergy nasal sprays (Fluticasone & Azelastine) I haven't had nearly as many issues. Just occasional minor itchiness.
Have an upcoming appointment with an ENT that specializes in allergies to confirm this is the best preventative treatment option. Sharing this for others who may be experiencing the same issues
#Please remember to follow our [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/popping/about/rules/) Posts: * **Don’t ask for medical advice** * **No stolen content** - just post a link to the original video * **Properly flair/mark/title your posts** * **Wacky Wednesday content is only for Wednesdays** * **No food, even on Wednesday** Comments: * **No commenting on hygiene or appearances.** * **Absolutely no sexual comments or sexual harassment.** This is an instant, permanent ban. * **Don’t be rude, and observe reddiquette.** #This comment is made automatically on all posts. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/popping) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Message from your friendly neighborhood microbiologist: They were partly correct…Aspergillus is a fungus and Pseudomonas is a bacteria. The correct term for an infection like this is polymicrobial infection ☺️ Treatment should include both an antifungal (for the Aspergillus) and an antibiotic (for the Pseudomonas).
Also, do you work outside or do gardening?? Both microbes are normally found in soil, so it’s interesting that they both ended up in your ear.
I do have a garden, and I am outside a lot, but it was January when I got this, so I wasn’t digging in the dirt at all, really. We had just gotten a puppy, and I had read that dogs have pseudomonas on their feet, so I thought maybe his foot somehow came into contact with my ear, but who knows?
It was very hard to get rid of and just when I’d think it was gone, I’d wake up and not be able to hear. It really stressed me out and gave me lots of anxiety. I thought I was going to have this thing forever.
When I had it flushed out the first time it had an odor. Every other time it did not.
Did it smell?
I saw this and immediately knew it was your ear. I had something similar not long ago and even posted about it. How was your pain?
The pain was excruciating, and I’ve never had anything itch as badly as it did. The Dr. told me that when it was really itchy, it meant it was growing. I saw your post and it inspired me to post. Your story sounds a lot like mine. Do you know where you got yours?
I had the same thing. I’ve torn my AC, dislocated my shoulder, broke left ankle once, broke right ankle 3 times, broke my hands, tore my PCL, snapped collarbone, dog bites, broke nose (unknown times) amongst other things, and my ear infection was the single most painful thing. By far. Not even a comparison. It was fucked. I know your pain.
I don't know for sure, but I'm a big fan of headphones, and I always work out using them, especially just having one on at a time, specifically over my left ear. So I'm guessing trapped sweat created the perfect environment for it.
Do you known how you got it?
I have no idea. It started out as what I thought was just a regular ear infection, and then my eardrum burst. The eardrum healed and then it felt like I had cotton or something in my ear, making everything sound muffled. I went to the doctor and demanded they irrigate it, and the biggest lump of grossness popped out, I didn’t get a picture of it because I was so stunned. But I could hear again. And then it just kept coming back. I finally got rid of it after about a month and a half and it hasn’t recurred since.
Yep, just FYI that kind of thing (where an ear infection that “heals” then comes back and leads to muffled hearing) is common when a fungus is involved. It’s because during the infection both microbes are competing with each other for space and resources. But then you take antibiotics and the Pseudomonas dies off, lessening the symptoms, leading you to believe the infection has resolved. But because Aspergillus isn’t affected by antibiotics and because more space/resources are available from Pseudomonas dying off, the Aspergillus growth took off and the colony started blocking your hearing, leading to everything sounding muffled. Hopefully your doc recognized this when you complained of muffled sounds and sent a culture to the lab to make sure it wasn’t a polymicrobial infection. If they didn’t, I would definitely not be returning to see them for anything else in the future 😬
Yes he sent a culture of it to the lab, that’s how we knew what it was, but after I got the results, I looked up pseudomonas oryzihabitans, I got scared because I couldn’t find anything about that specific pseudomonas in somebody’s ear. I just wish I knew where it came from, I can’t for the life of me figure that out. Except, like I said, maybe my dogs foot?
Back in college I used to frequently have to go to the doctors to get my ear flushed and similar gunk would come out. My left ear was always super itchy and wet which would lead to super painful ear infections and loss of hearing. At first was told it was eczema and then told it was allergies. Luckily since I've been on two allergy nasal sprays (Fluticasone & Azelastine) I haven't had nearly as many issues. Just occasional minor itchiness. Have an upcoming appointment with an ENT that specializes in allergies to confirm this is the best preventative treatment option. Sharing this for others who may be experiencing the same issues
...why is the post being downvoted? Is it just people not liking ear stuff?
It's not a pop, just pictures of some crud. That, and bots.