How do you relieve pressure sores in someones ear if they will not sleep in different positions?

For those using the gel cushions for headsets, how are you keeping them on at night? I have a special needs child that is having this issue.

You can order it from places on line - Ones that carry essential oils should have it.

I am 45 and used to be a 100% back-sleeper but recently mostly do to some back stiffness I sleep on my side for a bit each night. Problem is, ow, my ear throbs/numbs. Bought and tried a bunch of contoured pillows - they're too big at the neck and impossible to sleep on when I turn to my back. On a whim, I tried an airline pillow with a velour side (against my face). I use it with the snap holding the ends together on top of my regular pillow. It cushions my face and head and allows my ear to be free! Velour is a plus. Love it. I just push it to the side when I sleep on my back. Cheap solution to preventing any sores if it works for you. Look at other responses for healing existing ones.

The Womfy Pillow changed the way I sleep. Not because of pressure sores in ears but because I have significant hearing loss and having my ear pressed against a pillow is uncomfortable for me.
The Womfy pillow has ear cut-outs in it. It's pricey but awesome.

Also sold as an anti-wrinkle pillow. LOL



This is a wonderful

You can buy pillows with a hole in them. They are designed to treat pressure sores and such. You can Google it or if links are allowed this is their website: www.thepillowwithahole

eBay has the gel cushion (designed for aviator headsets) at $18 a pair...free shipping. It's oval with oval opening for ear.

I had a severe ear abrasion issue. It even affected the cartilage in my ear. It came from sleeping on the same side all of the time. If I try to sleep on my right side or my back, even with a CPAP device, I have breathing issues. So I sleep on my right side.

I read up on the internet what my problem stems from, it was pillow abrasion. So I make an "ear foil" out of an 8" X 9" X 1" medium hardness foam rubber, which I purchased on the internet. I drew a shape in ear fashion (larger than my ear) and cut it out with an Exacto Knife. I did two of them and placed them on top of each other for head/ear suspension from the pillow. With this, my ear does not touch the pillow. After about a month and using some Cortisone cream it has cleared up and does not hurt or is the cartilage damaged any longer. Using two replaced not using a 2" thick foam as it is more difficult to cut.

Egg crate works better for eggs than humans - the little peaks compress down too much - ask for GeoMatt or T-Foam instead :-)

Maybe try a soft foam type of cushioning. Look for a egg crate foam.

Gel or very soft T-foam are about the only two things that will reduce pressure enough to allow sufficient blood flow to prevent breakdown to an area someone is laying on. A pillow with a hole or key-hole shape would work too as long as the pressure area stayed over the hole. The reason to ask if you're sure its a pressure area is that pressure areas in the ear would tend to be on the pinna, or outer ear, rather than "inside" if you mean inside the ear canal.

Hi,

There are pillows available that can help with this kind of thing. I can't remember the website but I bought one for my mum a year or so ago. It was basically a hand made pillow with a hole. It did the trick anyway.

tincture of benzoin, according to their website, Walgreens carries tincture of benzoin. Have you tried there? You can also find it on Amazon.

DouDerm has worked well for my dad, I have cut this to size. We have not tried it on his ear but I would give it a try.

Amazon and Ebay have it. CVS and Walmart have it. Google it

LT, thanks for the suggestion re tincture of benzoin. I'd like to try it, but I can't find it in the nearby drug stores or pharmacies. Can you tell me where to look for it?

Because I sleep primarily on one side, I have contended for years with very painful ulcers on my right ear. I've tried various foam cushions and sponges to protect my ears during sleep, but none were very comfortable. On a whim, I ordered a pair of gel seals for aviation headsets ($25 on Amazon) in hopes that they would provide a soft, donut-shaped cushion for my tormented ear. I am happy to report that they work great, providing enough support so that my ear does not touch the pillow, but soft and flexible enough to be comfortable. Because the gel filling tends to make the cushion a bit cold, I "pre-heat it" by putting it under the blankets with my mattress-warmer before I go to bed. Also, because I only need one cushion(gel seal), the pair should last me quite awhile.

If you paint the area with tincture of benzoin and let it dry a few times it makes a healing protection and prevents the break down. It is better if you can do this while the area is just starting to show redness. I am an old nurse and we used it in the hospitals all the time to prevent bed sores.

Maybe if you wrapped one of the fleece bed pads around her pillow and covered it with a soft pillowcase it would cushion the area enough to prevent a constant/unvariable pressure build. My Mom doesn't move when in bed so I have had to use imagination to turn and keep her in a position for a set amount of time. She has bad rotor cuffs making it impossible for me to just shift her on either side. I took a pair of her pajama bottoms (zebra print),and rolled foam cushion material the length of the legs. For the lower torso part (waist/bottom area of pjs),I place her pillow in there for her head. It helps to alleviate her shoulder area from unnecessary pain and discomfort and helps to keep her corraled when she is rotated. Keeps her snug, comfy, and in place to avoid the developement of bedsores. And of course the zebra print keeps her happy..

I know this is not a very pleasant reply, but my dad had a very bad sore on his backside. He is not bed-bound, but is in his bed about 89% of the time. He was mostly laying in a position that created the sore. It was right near his tailbone. I used the technique that they use for wart removal on feet. I made a little doughnuts out of five band aids that would allow the sore to have a cushion around it, then covered it with small peices of surgical tape to keep it in place. If her sore is small you could use the little round band aids that come in round shapes, and just cut the centers out. I would build up as many as you need to make a thick cushion that would rise sufficiently higher than the sore. The hole in the little doughnut I made did not touch the sore when there was any pressure put on it. I dressed the sore prior to doing this with betadine and neosporin to prevent any infection, then used tape to keep in place. In your case you would need tiny peices of surgical tape. Make sure the healthy area you tape is good and dry so the tape sticks well. I did applied my betadine and small bit of neosporin with a q-tip, and was very careful to keep it only on the wound. It is a bit tedious, but worth it. You will not have to re-dress this everyday. I did it about every few days to allow healing. It worked like a charm!!! Just make sure the entire sore is in the hole, and only tape to healthy skin. Hope this will maybe be of help. We have to get creative with these problems, and I am an artist and inventor so my crazy little brain works good for these things! If anyone else who reads this needs any other suggestions on anything, please feel free to ask. I am the queen of tricks for the sick!!!!!!!

Wow! Same problem - at least mom does change positions during the night so they have a chance to dry and scab, she Must start in the same position on her right side and Must have her pillow (a hard one) arranged just so, she gets a little scab in the inside and one on the upper edge. I use Neosporin, but it keeps coming back. I will try peroxide too. Incidentally she had a "bedsore" on her hip for awhile, we went to the wound clinic who treated it with some medicated adhesive pads called DuoDerm - I do not know what they are medicated with but they cleared up the wound well (too big for the ear, about 5 or 6 inches square). If the spots get worse I may try and cut little patches - they would be hard to apply.

I know little about pressure sores, but might it help if she slept in a soft cap? My Mom had a variety of very soft ones she loved and usualy wore in bed. It made her happy to chose the color she would wear each day and helped keep her warm - and she moved so little in her sleep that it stayed on her head. Good luck with this.

She sleeps in the same position at night. Her nurse has seen it and confirmed it is a pressure sore. I finally used a little peroxide, and rinsed it off and it started to heal. At night I make a guaze cushion. It is finally starting to scab. I let the air get to it in the day. So far it looks like it has turned the corner:) Thank you for asking more about my Mom's problem.

Are you sure it's a pressure sore?

Interesting question. Many people sleep in the same position each night. I wonder why more of us don't get pressure sores, if that is all it takes. My mother sleeps on the same side every night and the only consequence is that she tends to need wax buildup on that side removed periodically.

You say that your mom is not bed bound. How many hours a day does she spend in bed? Are you sure the sore in her ear is a pressure sore? Has a doctor looked at it?