Piercing Question

[Dannie Bennington-Heaton]

Okay, so I have 5 holes total in my ears, two lobe piercings on each ear and a cartilage piercing on my left ear. I got the first lobe piercing 5 years ago, second 3 years ago, and the cartilage in the beginning of May. Obviously, the lobe piercings are healed and healthy, and the cartilage is healing up quite nicely, thank you very much. =]

This morning, I woke up and I was laying on my left side so my left ear was being pressed into the pillow. When I sat up, my lobe hurt super bad. My cartilage was fine, didn't hurt at all, wasn't irritated, or anything. Then Just to see if maybe it was only that ear, I felt my other lobe and those two holes hurt kind of bad, too.

I got in the shower, washed everything, and hoped that afterward it wouldn't hurt anymore. But it did. So I took out all 4 earrings, leaving the cartilage intact. The first hole in both ears produced a green, slimy, gross earring. The second holes both produced the same thing though on a significantly lesser degree. I cleaned out both ears thoroughly, even taking a q-tip to the inside of my ear, and used the cleaner I have for my cartilage piercing on the lobe piercings. Then I threw out the slimy earrings and replaced them with fresh earrings that I have never worn before which I also cleaned with the piercing cleaner just to ensure they didn't ave any bacteria or anything on them.

My question is this: why did they hurt? Was it from the green slimy stuff? What was the green slimy stuff? and! Should I maybe leave the earrings out for a day to let the piercings rest? I usually always have something in each hole.

 

[Nicolas King]

Wow.
Well, I know nothing about piercings but it definitely sounds like an infection to me. Might want to go to a clinic, get some sort of antibiotics, make sure the earrings are sterile before you put them back in - if you can letting the infection pass before you put anything foreign back in your ears.
Like I said, I'm not any sort of expert, but that's what common sense would seem to dictate.

 

[Katalina Harker]

I would say leave the earrings out...I doubt that the holes will close up since they've pierced for a fairly decent amount of time. It sounds like they are infected especially if they are producing what sounds like pus. I'd suggest going to the doctor and getting an antibiotic and they might even give you some sort of antibiotic cream to put on it.

 

[Dannie Bennington-Heaton]

Hokay, well I think the green stuff was just shampoo that's built up over a long period of time because I never take my earrings out unless one gets stuck in my hair and falls out on its own. I think it was slimy because I had just gotten out of the shower about 2 minutes before taking them out and my ears weren't exactly dry.

Anyway, I kept the clean earrings in for most of the day but took them out when I got home from dance, at about 19:30. They're starting to feel way better now. The right side doesn't hurt at all and the left side's only a little sore. I'm going to clean it tonight before i go to bed then in the morning and tomorrow night, and then thursday morning maybe put earrings in. If it still hurts then i'll call the doctor then. I think they're alright, though. =]

Thanks for your help!

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

well from piercing my own ears a number of times over the years, I can tell you it was only a mild infection. Just keep the ears clean and clean your ear-rings regularly too.
Never leave your ear-rings in at night while the ear is sore. It does them no good what so ever, don't know why this is -it just is =-/

anyhows, keep them all clean and you should be fine