Piercing advice- *Update

If your ear is HOT then you are fighting an infection. An infection doesn't have to have puss to be infected.

Its not hot..

It could very well be an infection, but I don't have the "common" symptoms. But maybe my doctor can take a better look at it and tell me.

Definitely think you should go see the doc...

It is very possible it has nothing to do with the piercing, sounds like you have an ear infection with possible mastoiditis (the bone behind your ear). If you have been swimming or had an "allergy" flare up recently it is very possible you have an infection. It could also be a virus, in which case you may have a low grade fever.

Please see the doctor soon!!!

After 4 years it's odd that it's started to hurt. I looked up piercing pain and most of them were about initial pain of piercing it, not pain 4 years after the fact. One recommendation was to mix 2 tsps of sea salt in 1 cup of water and soak the piercing for a couple minutes everyday. (I guess with a cotton ball soaked in the mixture.) You could try that, I know salt water gargles help with sore throats.

Does the pain seem to be radiating from the piercing site? or just the entire general area?

my piercer reccomended dabbing tea tree oil when my piercings get swollen and hurts at the touch. but if the whole ear hurts (without touching) i would def go see a doctor..

A friend of mine had her nose pierced and after several years, one day for no reason at all, she started having a weird reaction. I don't remember the details of what the doctor said, but in her situation there was just a spontaneous infection even though the wound is supposed to be "healed" after so much time. Hopefully you get an answer - good luck!

It sounds like you have an ear infection... I'd go see your doctor because it must be bad to not be able to touch it

I agree with the salt water mixture. That's what always cleared up the infections I used to get from my belly piercing (sometimes long after it was healed). My FH also had his rook pierced but hasn't worn it in years, but occasionally it pusses up out of nowhere. Not sure if he gets pain with it, but it's unprovoked.

Definitely sounds like an ear infection to me, and nothing to do with the piercing. I get super bad ear infections this time of year, and it's just what you described. I go to the doctor and they give you an antibiotic and ear drops, and it clears up in a few days.

I had a terrible infection on my piercing it had even grown over the stud for awhile. It was terrible! i used tea tree oil daily, i think as often as possible and it went away! it's a natural antibiotic.

Kk - please let us know what the doc said. I have my belly button pierced for about 9 years now. And usually I have no problem with it but from time to time I feel a little pain "under the piercing", but it usually goes away in couple hours...

Update:

Apparently I had severe cellulitis at the top of my ear. She said it isn't necessarily the piercing that is infected, but the way its positioned in my ear (and where it is) could've been the reason for the cellulitis, because it harbored bacteria up there. I clean it, but not daily or anything, mainly because when I DO it irritates it from messing with it so much. Its hurting REALLY bad right now. Where I THOUGHT was infected, isn't. And that's where I had FS and my mom looking. Its actually in a place hard to see, she had a flashlight to see it. She said its very swollen and red in that area, but its just hard to see if you aren't looking for it. Anyway.. I'm on an antibiotic and I'm supposed to be gently cleaning it with alcohol for a little while. Hopefully it'll go away. The location and the way it was spreading worried here, because its somewhat close to my mastoid bone which lines the brain.. And she said it isn't worth messing around with. So if it doesn't get (cont)

Any better in a week I have to go to an ENT to get it checked out some more.

Glad I didn't wait! Thanks for the help guys

Wowza! Glad you went and got it checked out! Better safe than sorry.

Glad you got it checked out. Cellulitis can be bad. My son would get it from mosquito bites. He would get bitten in the hair line and his eye would swell shut - or bit on the foot and his ankle swell up. The swelling was not always right at the site of the bite. Apparently it's just a way for the infection to get into the blood stream and set up camp, lol! They said it was good I brought him in the first time (w/eye swelling) because he could have had permanent eye damge from it! Kepp up w/your antibiotics!!

Strange... why dont you just take it out?

Good you went to the doc! Hope it will heal soon. Did you take the piercing out?

Sounds like you may have cellulitis.

Oh DUH. Sorry I didn't see your update. I had cellulitis in my foot before. Extremely painful!

Ive had cellulitis in the back of my leg.. it reallllllly hurts. glad you got it figured out