Handy Earache Relief

Hubby, my pillar of strength and manly man, has had a horrible ear infection lately. (Yes, adults can get these, too! I have had several this year myself.) He never gets sick or gets even so much as a headache, so this has really thrown him for a loop. The pain has been nearly unbearable for him (the doctor said he'd caught it just in time; his eardrum was about to burst). He feels as though he had been hit in the side of his head with a baseball bat. The pain kept him awake at night, but one thing that brought a little relief was moist heat. I wet a washcloth, wrung it out and zapped it in the microwave for 20 seconds, and it was just right.

As well as this worked, by the time I performed all these steps I was wide awake. I came up with a solution to keep warm washcloths handy - the Crock Pot! Put the washcloths in with just enough water to saturate, then cover and put on the lowest setting. The "keep warm" setting is ideal, but be careful, as they will still be very hot! If your only choice is "low" or "high", put it on low and keep some tongs handy. You can get one out with the tongs and shake it until it is cool enough to handle. An empty bowl can be placed next to the bed for the used washcloths (or, if you're not a germ freak, you can just toss the washcloths back in the Crock Pot to reheat them).

I think it might be even more soothing to add some lavender essential oil to the washcloths, but I didn't try it.

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For more great tips, head over to Shannon's blog!