Perichondritis (cartilage swelling) T___T Need urgent help!

[Killu Killaya]

Proud to be a polite Duremite...

So I got my rook done last Friday and it was healing beautifully - up until Saturday. My ear now is swollen, and constantly throbbs so much that I can hardly think. I think it may have been irritation from wearing a head set at my job, but that couldn't be avoided (even though I put the ear piece on the other ear, the battery box sits right over the ear with the piercing and puts pressure on it.) because I've been cleaning my ear 4-6 times daily with H2Ocean spray and making sure I didn't sleep on it, etc. 6 sounds like a lot to me, but the bottle said that was the absolute max I could do. should I cut down to 4 times?

What can I do to help this heal... I've been taking Ibuprofen, Vitamin C drops to keep myself healthy, and cleaning the piercing every 3 hours, including soaking a q-tip in the H2Ocean to wipe off the crusties. Should I go back to my piercer and ask for help, or a doctor? BME wasn't very clear on the issue and a google search didn't turn up anything useful.

Thanks so much for any help I get, my ear hurts so bad.

...Because who can resist Moira and Natasha? <3

 

[Artimus_Twitch]

holy over cleaning!

Its probably just very very irritated.
When I get my cartalegde peirced it swells quite a bit too though. Enless there is really weird colored puss comeing out I wouldnot be too worried.

I would just try leaveing it alone for awhile, just whipe the crusties off in the morning, try not to sleep on that ear,put the battery box for the headset behind your ear when you wear it, dont play it or touch it at all.

I am almost thinking its how often you are cleaning it.The only reason you need to 'clean' a peirceing isto get the crusties off the jewelry so they dont get pulled into the hole and cause problems. <- quouted by an APP peircer.
The best healings I have ever had for peirceing is when I just leave it alone, and let my body do its thing. I just whipe crusties off after I shower and thats it.

Just leave it alone and take some advil for the swelling.
Going back to your peircer might not be a bad idea eather, too small of jewelry can cause that too.  

[April_Ethereal]

6 times a day is way too much cleaning.

I just got my outer conch punched at a 4G, I use H2Ocean, But I only use it 2 times a day. Once in the morning, and once at night.

As the post above mine states, It's prob. Just irritation from all the cleaning. Cut your cleaning back to 3 times a day at most.

The great thing about H2ocean is that it's in a nice little spray can, SO if you feel the need to spray it in the middle of the day, Go for it, but don't use a q-tip so much. If you feel the need, Just pray the area with it.  

[Killu Killaya]

Proud to be a polite Duremite...

Alright that's what I thought about the cleaning. I did end up going to the doctor however and he gave me antibiotics, as the infection is spreading rapidly. -_- It looks better today, I can see more of the barbell than I could yesterday and it's not a constant throbbing pain.

Thanks a lot, I guess I freaked out when it started getting red and started cleaning more in hopes of heading off the infection >_>

...Because who can resist Moira and Natasha? <3