Otitis Externa and Otinova: A Practical, No-Nonsense Guide If your ear suddenly feels itchy, sore, blocked, or painful after swimming or showering, you may be dealing with otitis externa —often called “swimmer’s ear.” The good news: most cases are very treatable with the right early steps. This guide explains what otitis externa is, why it happens, where Otinova fits in, and when to escalate quickly. What is otitis externa? Otitis externa is inflammation (and sometimes infection) of the skin lining the external ear canal. It commonly presents with: Ear pain (often worse when touching or pulling the outer ear) Itching Fullness/blockage Reduced hearing from swelling/debris Sometimes watery discharge Otinova’s own instruction documents describe it as treatment for ear canal inflammation/eczema (swimmer’s ear). Why does it happen? The ear canal is protected by a mildly acidic environment and a skin barrier. Otitis externa tends to flare ...
What to do if your child has a neck lump? Neck lumps can be due to enlarged lymph nodes, birth cysts or lumps or (only 10%) malignancy. When you notice a neck lump in a child, consider the presentation's age. Is the child getting associated B symptoms, i.e. night sweats, fever, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, loss of appetite, trouble breathing, itching or painful swelling in their belly? Note down any recent exposure to a person with flu-like symptoms, a young cat or any change in size or neck lumps becoming multiple. What happens when you visit an ENT surgeon with your child? The ENT surgeon will take a detailed history and perform a clinical examination of the tummy, ear, nose and throat. The ENT surgeon will request special blood tests, a chest X-Ray and an Ultrasound scan of the neck. Depending on the results, it may be required to do a sample surgical biopsy of the lymph node in a few cases. Which lymph node neck lumps in children are ENT surgeons more concerned ab...