Carrie, I went public but made a big fuss about the sort of care I wanted. The secret, I think, is to make yourself heard Loud & Clear without being aggro.
Gemma has an ear infection too...she woke up on tuesday with a perforated ear drum, which I felt terrible about. She seemed to be in some pain but I put it down to teething, which was also going on. She never pulled at her ear or did any of the classic things. It is really hard.