i know this topic hasn't been commented on for a few weeks, but i wanted to share my experience. My ear started aching last night, and by 2 am I was in so much pain that I knew I needed to go to the ER. I tried everything to ease it, olive oil, peroxide, etc, nothing worked. We went to the ER this morning, and it turns out that not only do I have an ear infection, but also a perforated ear drum. Blood and fluid keep coming out of my ear, but now i'm taking antibiotics and high strength tylenol and its getting a little bit better.
All I can say is-- get to the hospital when you start to feel pain in your ear! You can't sleep through the night anyway and it might be something more serious like in my case.