Kelly, I have a ten year old son with the same problem. He usually sleeps with wet/cold washcloths on his ears. Our ENT said he HAD heard of this condition. I don't remember what it was called, but he said it actually had to do with the cartilage or tendons in the ears becoming inflamed-not blood vessels like everyone assumes. The only relief is steroids, and since they can only be used temporarily, it's not really a solution. He also said it may never get worse, or it may be an indicator of some sort of tendon/cartilage disease he may get when he becomes an adult. Hope this clears up the mystery. My son also has ADHD, but I don't think it has anything to do with it. I have another child with ADHD and he does not have this inflamed ear burning problem. Linda
I would be very interested in this. My 11 year old son has suffered from red hot ears for several years. He has had a bad episode these past few weeks. His ears get so hot that he cannot sleep. He puts ice packs on his ears in order to get some relief. He wakes up during the night when the ice packs wear off. I have been making several trips a night to the freezer. I have mentioned this to my pediatrician in the past and they just say they have never heard of this. We went to an ENT once and he acted like I was crazy. We need help.
Comment
Kelly,
I have a ten year old son with the same problem. He usually sleeps with wet/cold washcloths on his ears. Our ENT said he HAD heard of this condition. I don't remember what it was called, but he said it actually had to do with the cartilage or tendons in the ears becoming inflamed-not blood vessels like everyone assumes. The only relief is steroids, and since they can only be used temporarily, it's not really a solution. He also said it may never get worse, or it may be an indicator of some sort of tendon/cartilage disease he may get when he becomes an adult.
Hope this clears up the mystery. My son also has ADHD, but I don't think it has anything to do with it. I have another child with ADHD and he does not have this inflamed ear burning problem.
Linda
Parent comment
I would be very interested in this. My 11 year old son has suffered from red hot ears for several years. He has had a bad episode these past few weeks. His ears get so hot that he cannot sleep. He puts ice packs on his ears in order to get some relief. He wakes up during the night when the ice packs wear off. I have been making several trips a night to the freezer. I have mentioned this to my pediatrician in the past and they just say they have never heard of this. We went to an ENT once and he acted like I was crazy. We need help.