Ear Infections+Flu+Pregnancy=Death by Torture

I can see why people really can die from this.  I thought I was going to die the past couple of days.  I jinxed myself a couple of weeks ago when I told someone that I don't ever remember having the flu...just a bad cold once in a while.  I know now not to ever say anything remotely close to that again.  So as you know, I went to the clinic on Friday.  I wanted them to look at my ears since they had started to hurt a little and when my ears bother me, I can't stand it.  So the doc said they looked "normal" for someone who had the flu...a little fluid, but not bad.  He told me to go get some earache drops and they'd feel better.  I got the drops, used them once, and they worked for about 5 or 10 minutes.  Then BAM.  Pain again and worse this time.  I used some more.  Same thing.  So I filled my poor ears up almost with the drops, let them sit there for a minute.  And more pain.  I decided that they just weren't gonna work and by then, I was starting to have short dizzy spells.  That can't be a good thing right?  I thought, "Hmm, I'll just take some MORE Tylenol and they'll probably feel better in the morning.  Not a chance.  I was up the entire night watching TV waiting and hoping that the pain would go away.  It just got worse and worse.  I wanted to CRY (and I DON'T CRY!!) because I really thought my head was going to explode.  Then came the weird leakage from both ears.  Nice.  I started to think, "There have been some serious things happen to people with these types of symptoms."  Ears hurting along with a contraction or two, and mix in a few body aches and a serious hacking cough will really make you wonder why you are still alive.  Ha!  I watched the clock all night then watched the sun come up and waited for the clinic to open at 9am.  I went as soon as it was open.  The doc took a look at my right ear and said, "Oh, that's not good..."  Then took a look at the other one, "OHH, that's NOT good either!"  He said that I had some serious negative pressure on both of them.  Duh.  Now here's the problem.  Since I'm like 38 weeks pregnant, what kinds of meds can they give me?  Almost nothing of course.  The doc said I really needed steriods but they were on the "only in emergencies" list, there aren't many pain killers I can have that aren't in the same catergory either.  So he gave me a shot in my butt and called in an antibiotic and some $50 nose spray to help with the pain.  I am feeling better as long as I pump my system full of meds.  It sucks because this poor boy without a name that could be here any day now has been medicated from the beginning.  He's probably going to have to go into a detox program after he's born.  

For those of you who have ear problems all the time, DUDE, how do you do it?  I've never had anything wrong with my ears, even as a kid, and it's got to be the worst thing ever.