It’s all relative, of course. A double ear infection isn’t the worst thing ever, but Anders, at best, is on the needier side of the spectrum, so when faced with some sore ears and a sniffly nose? It’s not pretty. He’s been underfoot and screaming out, “Mama!” almost 87 times a day (maybe more) and said “Mama” is at the very, very end of her rope–hanging on by a mere frazzled, tiny, frayed thread to be honest. On the (very) bright side: our neighbor is a nurse who happens to dislike the whole copay system (me too, nurse friend! Especially since ours doubled last year!). She comes over daily with her otoscope to check him out. I wish that’s how medicine was still practiced. Sick kids should stay home! Keep them germs contained. When the doorbell rings, it’s like a chorus of angels. In waltzes Florence Nightingale with a smile on her face to check the ears, deliver the news. We socialize a bit too. Best of both worlds. The unfortunate: so far, the ears haven’t cleared on their own. I am doing everything in my power (cotton balls with eo in the ears! foot reflexology! fluids! garlic oil! tribal dancing around the bed while child sleeps! vitamin c!) to avoid antibiotics. My resolve is slowly dissipating.
But soup! I had the lovely foresight to take a whole chicken out of the freezer the night before and let it sit in a big silver bowl on our counter until the next morning. Friend, do you, like me, appreciate the beauty in a whole chicken? It’s like the gift that keeps on giving. Like the loaves and fishes! (Exaggeration.) So much delicious meat–white and dark–and then the deepest golden broth (a few days) afterwards. I put it in the crockpot filled about half way with water the next morning and let it cook all day. The water it cooks in goes into the pot, along with all the meat, pulled off the bone and into small chunks. Then, the skin and bones go back into the crockpot for a few days–keep refilling so the water level always covers everything–and 24, 48, 72 hours (sky’s the limit, my friends!)–you’ve got yourself the most nutritious broth ever. (Bone broth in greater detail.) I usually make more soup or chili. We haven’t yet begun sipping the broth straight out of mugs, though I’d like to be hardcore enough for that. Maybe then I’ll also move to Portland (Oregon).
Is it necessary to have another chicken noodle soup recipe out there? Is mine any different than the million others? No, and probably not. But I will say: add spinach! It’s the perfect thing to do with that box of baby spinach in your fridge that you can’t figure out how to finish. Just throw it in (and way more than you think–it cooks down to nothing). And egg noodles, of course. Oh and some flaky salt. I like my soups on the salty side. And, for the love of God, make more than you think you should. A lot more.
We love our soup around here too! I also love how you can get so many uses out of a chicken. It’s like getting two for the price of one. I usually have homemade chicken stock saved up in my freezer and pull it out for regular recipes too and it seems like something my grandmother would have done, and that makes me happy 🙂 Hope your little one feels better soon.
I have the same exact pot of soup going on my stove at the moment! Ours is a slight temp- not an ear infection. Feel your pain and hope Anders is well soon!
Love your blog! We also do all the natural remedies. Try colloidal silver in the ears 4x a day…while nursing is best and also the homeopathic med Pulsatilla…they both work really well. I learned them from our homeopathic doctor.
man! i should’ve tried pulsatilla – i think i even have some! thank you for the tips.
lemon oil behind the ear and down to where the lymphs are…has always worked for us. apply all day (like every 15 min) for a couple of days. i dilute it with a carrier oil and rub it on.
lemon! i didn’t know that. i did use some eucalyptus (i eventually succumbed to abx after a miserable 7 days!).
🙁 So sorry that you have a sick little one. I’ve read and heard from my sisters that breast milk helps with an ear infection. I was blessed enough to not have to deal with ear infections (yet..). I love a whole chicken as well!! You can’t beat bone broth!
yum, chicken noodle soup! we’ve got chili in the crockpot today- sweet potato + black bean for halloween!
hope your little bub feels better soon.
xo, brittany
i’ve got fall sweaters on the blog today- almost all under $50
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We, also, succumbed to antibiotics for both kids with ear infections and then we dealt with mooooood swings and constipation. Boo-est of boos. Sending well wishes your way and wishes that you avoid the side effects as much as possible!
Hi, Been reading your blog for a while and enjoy it. Hope your Anders feels better soon!
Here’s a natural antibiotic. Works like a charm.. The one sick does need to swallow a capsule, though.
Antibiotic Bomb:
12 drops Thieves
6 drops Oregano
2 drops Frankincense
Place in capsule and take 1 every 4 hours for 3 days. Then 1 every 8 hours for 4 days.
Alternate Antibiotic Bomb:
10 drops Lemon
8 drops Mountain Savory
3 drops Oregano
Place in capsule and take 1 every 4 hours for 3 days. Then 1 every 8 hours for 4 days.
I have used the first recipe without the frankincense, and it works. Haven’t tried the second. Half dose for children.
~Stefanie
getting him to swallow would be so hard! (but i haaaate antibiotics so i may try it when times get desperate next time around…)
We have had nothing but ear infections, it seems, for about a month. Even I came down with one last week for the first time in over twenty years!! How crazy is that?! And let me tell you, it was awful. I still can’t hear my left ear. And I’m trying to navigate healthcare in Korea, where he only Korean I speak is “Hello” and “Thank you”. I’m a bit envious of you, though I have been messaging my pharmacist and nurse practitioner friends stateside, which is kind of the same… 😉
Hope you (we) all get to feeling better soon! 🙂
oh! being abroad! that only complicates sickness. best of luck to you!!!
What an awesome neighbor. Have you tried hydrogen peroxide in his ears? We did that when our daughter was little and had sore ears. It feels a little funny, but our chiropractor swears by it.
Several pediatricians in our area have become wise to kid germs. They offer 2 separate entrances. One for the sickly minis and one for the healthy ones, containing as many germs as possible.
Come to Portland! Life is good here! My morning tea gets replaced with a heavily-gingered and other-spiced cup of broth during the winter months. It is a delightful way to start the morning!
(If you want to get realllllly portland about it…. go to your butcher and ask for some pig feet. they’re usually frozen and the butcher can use his saw to cut them in quarters. bake them first, then cook for days in broth. when the broth cools, there will be that gelatinous goo on top which always makes me a little uneasy… but gosh if the flavor (and collagen) isn’t amazing). It took me a few rounds to get over the whole foot thing… but it truly transforms the whole broth!
I always throw in a bunch of chopped spinach. The kids think it’s “spices” 🙂 so incredible of your nurse neighbor! I swear kids just get something additional after a trip to the doctor’s.
a comment from a different perspective, as i recently listened to an NPR program on involving children in their own medical decisions (though i do realize that your child is very young). they brought up an interesting point about a parent being able to make themselves a martyr but not their kids. antibiotics can suck, i know, and i agree they can be over used (my husband wants antibiotics every time someone has the sniffles– not necessary. but men think they and or everyone else who has a cold is DYING). but bridget, ear infections are PAINFUL….i went through a period as an adult where i was having them constantly and i was always on antibiotics. i ended up having a ‘nose job’ where an ENT widened the inside of my nasal passages to allow things to drain properly, and i haven’t had an ear infection since. going through them constantly as an adult made me realize how painful they are…..and to be honest i’m struggling with this post because i don’t understand why you wouldn’t just have gotten the antibiotics for your son. (i have 2 of my own, under 2)
hi jenna. i understand that point npr was making (a good one, really) but antibiotics feel like a short term gain, long term loss (that many don’t take seriously enough). the host of other things you’re making yourself more susceptible to by losing all of the (good) gut bacteria is staggering. with my NP friend coming over every day to check his ears (which were never terribly inflamed to begin with) made me confident with my decision at the time. in the end, we’re doing antibiotics after all! i wrote this post before we made that decision, though.