Treating Developing Cauli Ear ...

**Nihonto** · Posted On: 4/20/2008 8:46pm

Originally Posted by studbolt

Head gear is way under rated. If you dont wanna be drainin your ears every few weeks pick some up.

Might try it. But most of the one I have seen look like the would get in the way.

**studbolt** · Posted On: 4/20/2008 8:48pm

Originally Posted by Nihonto

Might try it. But most of the one I have seen look like the would get in the way.

They actually fit pretty snug. I dont wear mine as often as i should but when i do it never gets hung up or anything.

**Nihonto** · Posted On: 4/20/2008 9:10pm

Originally Posted by studbolt

They actually fit pretty snug. I dont wear mine as often as i should but when i do it never gets hung up or anything.

I will probably pick up a set. If this is happening this early on in my BJJ career I might not have a choice.

**Roidie McDouchebag** · Posted On: 4/21/2008 2:10am

I really don't care but my wife will.

My advice? Don't be a bitch. Wear headgear if the pain is distracting you.

**Engel** · Posted On: 4/23/2008 3:55pm

I have been training on and off since February '08 and I started to develop some on my right ear. It kept growing and growing and then it just got too big and was affecting my hearing. Also I couldn't use my ipod headphones anymore :( I tried the "do-it-yourself" method. A bunch drained out but not as much as I had hoped for. I didn't put a very good compress on it that night and the next day it was freakin' huge. I went to the docs and they cut it open in two places with a scalpel. That got it all out and what a relief. The next day they put a compression tie in it and I am getting it taken out this friday. It's pretty much like the button concept mentioned earlier in this thread but they used hard, tampon like cotton instead. Also I just got my headgear in the mail today. I would reccommend going to the docs.

**Ryno** · Posted On: 4/23/2008 4:33pm

From all that I've heard from people who have gotten cauliflower ear, your doctor is full of ****. Get a second opinion. Quickly. If you have a lot of fluid in there still, it can harden within days to a few weeks, then you're stuck. Bubblegum ears for life.

**Vorpal** · Posted On: 4/23/2008 5:13pm

Originally Posted by Nihonto

Well the small amount I was able to drain had little effect.

I went to see a doctor today and let me just say this:

Doctors can be fucking stupid! Even though I have a good sized fluid bubble. He was convinced that it would all be "re-absorbed". And he refused to drain it. He said you can only get cauli ear if the ear was torn/ripped open repeatedly. I told him I did it in a Jiu-jitsu class. He immediately went into how he used to do Kempo. And get this ... how he used to be in the special forces and CIA (yes CIA) and learned d3adly single strike kills, and how it was far superior to these "sport martial arts" that I do. But I would never be able to learn it because I was a civilian.

I **** you not. This really happened, I thought I was in a Twilight Zone episode.

On the good side, he did issue me antibiotics. I will try and find another doc.

So I'm getting close to saying **** it - I will have imperfect ears and just leave it alone.
Only thing is I'm a data systems engineer that has to dress up in a suit occasionally and interact with customers. They will just have to get used to the new thug look I guess.

Hilarious, but you have to realize that the chances that he's a real doctor are about zero.

**Nihonto** · Posted On: 4/24/2008 10:41am

Update:

I found a real ENS clinic that sees a lot of "people like us". As an added bonus the nurse there is an attractive blond female. She looked at my ear and immediattly said "wrestler?". I said: "no Jiujitsu". Her reply: "same sort of thing", as she was reaching for the needle and alcohol swab. It drained nicely - I was worried because it had been 5 days. She told me it will probably come back and it did, although to a lesser extent. I am going in for a second draining.

Talked to one of our black belts about it and he just drains them himself regularly. Everyone seemed to frown on headgear as something that gets in the way.

I got my Cliff Klean "Tornado" headgear in the mail. It is comfortable. But I do think it will make guillotine and triangle escapes much more difficult. I will give it a try, but if it interferes I will ditch it and just visit the pretty nurse every once in a while ...

**Engel** · Posted On: 4/24/2008 11:52am

I haven't trained with my headgear yet but it would seem like it would make it easier to get out of stuff since the headgear would have some give to it. Who knows.

**ronaldk** · Posted On: 6/27/2008 2:17am

been BJJ'ing since january, have had a bit of pain in my right ear for the past few days, so i asked my instructor today after a bit of a collision with another student while rolling and the pain stepped up a notch.

he looked at it, asked me if it hurts 'here' and lightly tapped the exact spot. told me to ice the **** out of it as soon as it got home to make sure it didn't develop. i looked in the mirror and noticed i actually have a bruise in a spot of my ear.

iced it as soon as i got home, now i feel a bump where the bruise is. do i need to get this drained? it's only perceptible to touch, not sight, aside from the purplish color. will icing bring it down? it really is just a small bump. is this cauliflower ear yet?

and experiences/recommendations for headgear?

**** this. i said it, i don't mind black eyes, getting KTFO'd, choked out, and hell, if i tap late on some random day, maybe even a snap. but i NEVER wanna have cauli ears.

might help to say i've gotten tagged pretty hard boxing/kickboxing in this ear in the past (throughout the last 2 years or so). not a lot, not often, but every now and then. my last instrucor was a southpaw, perhaps that adds to it, and we sparred a lot. i got KO'd nicely once, and a nice bruise formed over my ear, but pain was gone in about a week and i didn't feel bumps of any kind.