Otitis

[saxy_jag]

I've just been diagnosed with this, in the outer ear, and have antibiotics by way of treatment. It's very sore and swollen, hence I have tablets rather than eardrops.

How long before I can go swimming again?

[coccinelle]

I'd wait a while but when I was a kid I often had otitis and wasn't allowed to opt out of swimming (which I hated) so had to put cotton wool in my ears under of course the obligatory swimhat. This kept the inside of my ear dry.

[sqad617]

Not until the pain and swelling has gone down. Depending upon the organism causing the otitis it could vary between 2 weeks and 2 months.

[saxy_jag]

Oh God, yes, the swimhats. For the boys too, if they had long hair. :-D

The official advice from the Guardian BMJ site is around ten days, so I'll give it a couple of weeks off. If it's all gone down by then, I'll use earplugs for a few sessions.

Believe me, I have no wish to suffer again what I've been through this weekend.