Aa
Blocked eustachian tube, no infection, facial and arm nerve trouble
For the last month, I've had a pain in the middle left of my head. It feels like it is at the top of the back of my nose....if that makes sense. After the first week, it seemed to migrate down a bit and I felt like I had a deep ear infection in my left ear. Simulataneously, I noticed problems with a numbness/tinglyness/warmness or weird feeling in my left arm. It seems weakened.
I'm no stranger to ear infections, as I had them occasionally as a child (I never had tubes, though) and I get them as an adult usually at the tail end of a cold/flu. So this seemed out of place because I have not had any cold or flu.
I went to the ER back in the middle of October and was shocked when they told me my ear was NOT red. It hurt so bad and felt so much like an ear infection, I was convinced it was. They gave me Roxicet for the pain and sent me on my way.
After 4 days, the intenseness pretty much went away, but I still felt a "sensation" in the middle left of my head. I had an MRI for my arm numbness and blurry vision (to rule out MS) and although they found asymmetry of a gyrus in front of the right occipital lobe and under the corpus callosum, two neurologists agreed that it is normal "anatomical variation" like if you have one foot slightly bigger than the other.
Well, that sensation has intensified in the last week in my head and ear and added was a slightly painful sensation under my left eye to the side of my nose. It feels like compression of the nerve in my face. I am still having trouble with left arm feeling strange.
It occured to me that maybe my eustachian tube was blocked. I noticed I could not get my left ear to pop.
I went and got Sudafed and had a lot of relief for about 12 hours. I took the maximum dosage and quickly noticed that although the medication was being taken regularly, all the symptoms returned and failed to be alleviated again.
It seems to me that I have more trouble with the symptoms the later in the day it gets. I feel best in the morning. (I do have an anxiety issue and wonder how much of this is actually physical and how much is psychological.).
I can finally pop my left ear on occasion by plugging, blowing, and wiggling my jaw. But it seems to close right back up and I feel the ear squeeze pain. I still have that weird sensation in my head and my arm. I can also still feel it under my eye, but that symptom is better.
I can't find anything anywhere about a blocked eustachian tube causing nerve problems other than the nerves in the face. It just seems to me that after a month of dealing with these symptoms, that my arm issue is directly related to the pain in the middle of my head/ear.
What could all of this be???
I hope someone can help me.
I'm no stranger to ear infections, as I had them occasionally as a child (I never had tubes, though) and I get them as an adult usually at the tail end of a cold/flu. So this seemed out of place because I have not had any cold or flu.
I went to the ER back in the middle of October and was shocked when they told me my ear was NOT red. It hurt so bad and felt so much like an ear infection, I was convinced it was. They gave me Roxicet for the pain and sent me on my way.
After 4 days, the intenseness pretty much went away, but I still felt a "sensation" in the middle left of my head. I had an MRI for my arm numbness and blurry vision (to rule out MS) and although they found asymmetry of a gyrus in front of the right occipital lobe and under the corpus callosum, two neurologists agreed that it is normal "anatomical variation" like if you have one foot slightly bigger than the other.
Well, that sensation has intensified in the last week in my head and ear and added was a slightly painful sensation under my left eye to the side of my nose. It feels like compression of the nerve in my face. I am still having trouble with left arm feeling strange.
It occured to me that maybe my eustachian tube was blocked. I noticed I could not get my left ear to pop.
I went and got Sudafed and had a lot of relief for about 12 hours. I took the maximum dosage and quickly noticed that although the medication was being taken regularly, all the symptoms returned and failed to be alleviated again.
It seems to me that I have more trouble with the symptoms the later in the day it gets. I feel best in the morning. (I do have an anxiety issue and wonder how much of this is actually physical and how much is psychological.).
I can finally pop my left ear on occasion by plugging, blowing, and wiggling my jaw. But it seems to close right back up and I feel the ear squeeze pain. I still have that weird sensation in my head and my arm. I can also still feel it under my eye, but that symptom is better.
I can't find anything anywhere about a blocked eustachian tube causing nerve problems other than the nerves in the face. It just seems to me that after a month of dealing with these symptoms, that my arm issue is directly related to the pain in the middle of my head/ear.
What could all of this be???
I hope someone can help me.
Sorry, one thing I forgot to mention -- the last ENT had additional training and was called an Otologist.
The thing you might ask about is called a cholesteatoma. Please remember that unless actively infected, cholesteatoma is usually missed on examining the ear, but the pressure alone can cause many of the symptoms you are describing. You can find a good overview here -- http://www.entassociates.com/cholesteatoma.htm
Cholesteatoma is very difficult to diagnose in early stage, even for ENTs. General Practitioners probably won't be able to diagnose this condition. A diagnosis usually comes after many years when an ENT uses a special operating microscope and looking in the RIGHT place. Cholesteatoma cannot be diagnosed without seeing the whole of the eardrum in close-up detail. Most cholesteatomas start in the attic - the upper part of the eardrum. The problem is that this "attic" is not in view when the speculum is lined up in more commonly used ways, like say, to fit a grommet. The physician has to actually be looking for cholesteatoma and it's the rarity of it can lead to someone overlooking this examination unless an active infection is present to lead the doctor in that diagnostic direction. The reason for this is because the opening into the cholesteatoma sac is tiny - a millimetre wide. So, if a cholesteatoma is not actively infected, it will not be obvious. The only way to know for sure is if the surgeon makes a point of looking for it in the ear attic. Here's some information about different imaging for this evaluation -- not all MRIs are the same, so look this over if they are having you do an MRI. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/860080-workup
The condition can be found and treated in adults. Most times, as out-patients. The proceedure is called microsuction. Microsuction examines and in away treatments the ear using a high powered binocular operating microscope. The treatment would utilize a miniature vacuum cleaner. Microsuction on a schedule is a typical treatment alternative for people with the condition, as it clears out the debris that cause the pressure/symptoms with out invasive surgery.
However, if an active infection does occur, and the bone were to become infected, the condition becomes much more serious and removal as well as unrecoverable hearing loss or nerve damage could result. So, you see, you're really fortunate if you DON'T have the infection, however on the down side, the infection gets the diagnosis faster, and thus treatment. However, the infection causes the most damage, so you can see the benefits of having them check for this before that occurs.
I had the same symptoms, and they had the same concerns for MS. I had to pay for 2 very expensive MRIs. A lot of nerves run through by the ear/neck, and so sometimes it takes two or three GOOD doctors to get this kind of thing diagnosed. I started with a primary care doc, was referred to an eye doctor and an ENT. The eye doctor and ENT upon ROUTINE exams eye doctor could document weakness in eye muscles, but not explain it. ENT found no sigificant issues other that the mild hearing changes and eustacian tube malfunction. They said let's wait and see - six months later, problems were still existing and actually had become worse. So, upon second visit, ophalmologist referred me to an neuro-opthalmologist, (which took months to get into and after which I had more symptoms) so that doctor, (who also confirmed symptoms via test/exam) referred me to the Neurologist (check for MS they said). After which, I finally ended up back at A DIFFERENT ENT (the first guy was just a complete jerk. He wasn't incompetent, per se, but he was definitely a JERK -- he kept asking me if I was depressed or something. I know that sometimes people just enjoy the attention of a doctor, but I am not one of those people -- I actually hate going to a doctor. I do understand that by nature of their position in the profession, doctors see an inordinate number of people with what many refer to as hypochondria, but seriously, if I were depressed I'd go to counselor or a psychiatrist, not an ENT. I'm a professional, and I don't have the time to devote to medical appointments with a doctor who has an inadequate patient screening techniques and a meager bed-side manner. I also don't think it's justified for a medical professional to assume that I somehow "enjoy" paying the doctor my HARD EARNED MONEY just so that he can belittle me when I actually have a medical issue just because he can't FIGURE IT OUT). I told him that too. Right to his face. Best $260 bucks I ever wasted. (Sorry, I know sarcasm doesn't come over well in type.)
Basically, the reason I am even putting all this out there is so that you can understand, you really do have to find and vet your doctors well. When you make the appointment, take the time to ask some questions from the receptionist, ask them if they have nurses call people back, or what kind of follow up they offer. Hopefully, you will find answers faster than I did. For me, this took 5 years of appointments, many waiting room hours, lost time at work, two MRIs, and one CAT scan. That's a lot of money I could have used for a vacation or toward a new car.
Perhaps you can benefit from what I have learned, and save some of these expenses. I suggest you refer your primary doctor to the following links on imaging for evaluation of this condition
http://bjr.birjournals.org/content/75/898/847.full
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/384879-overview
Best of luck.
Cholesteatoma is very difficult to diagnose in early stage, even for ENTs. General Practitioners probably won't be able to diagnose this condition. A diagnosis usually comes after many years when an ENT uses a special operating microscope and looking in the RIGHT place. Cholesteatoma cannot be diagnosed without seeing the whole of the eardrum in close-up detail. Most cholesteatomas start in the attic - the upper part of the eardrum. The problem is that this "attic" is not in view when the speculum is lined up in more commonly used ways, like say, to fit a grommet. The physician has to actually be looking for cholesteatoma and it's the rarity of it can lead to someone overlooking this examination unless an active infection is present to lead the doctor in that diagnostic direction. The reason for this is because the opening into the cholesteatoma sac is tiny - a millimetre wide. So, if a cholesteatoma is not actively infected, it will not be obvious. The only way to know for sure is if the surgeon makes a point of looking for it in the ear attic. Here's some information about different imaging for this evaluation -- not all MRIs are the same, so look this over if they are having you do an MRI. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/860080-workup
The condition can be found and treated in adults. Most times, as out-patients. The proceedure is called microsuction. Microsuction examines and in away treatments the ear using a high powered binocular operating microscope. The treatment would utilize a miniature vacuum cleaner. Microsuction on a schedule is a typical treatment alternative for people with the condition, as it clears out the debris that cause the pressure/symptoms with out invasive surgery.
However, if an active infection does occur, and the bone were to become infected, the condition becomes much more serious and removal as well as unrecoverable hearing loss or nerve damage could result. So, you see, you're really fortunate if you DON'T have the infection, however on the down side, the infection gets the diagnosis faster, and thus treatment. However, the infection causes the most damage, so you can see the benefits of having them check for this before that occurs.
I had the same symptoms, and they had the same concerns for MS. I had to pay for 2 very expensive MRIs. A lot of nerves run through by the ear/neck, and so sometimes it takes two or three GOOD doctors to get this kind of thing diagnosed. I started with a primary care doc, was referred to an eye doctor and an ENT. The eye doctor and ENT upon ROUTINE exams eye doctor could document weakness in eye muscles, but not explain it. ENT found no sigificant issues other that the mild hearing changes and eustacian tube malfunction. They said let's wait and see - six months later, problems were still existing and actually had become worse. So, upon second visit, ophalmologist referred me to an neuro-opthalmologist, (which took months to get into and after which I had more symptoms) so that doctor, (who also confirmed symptoms via test/exam) referred me to the Neurologist (check for MS they said). After which, I finally ended up back at A DIFFERENT ENT (the first guy was just a complete jerk. He wasn't incompetent, per se, but he was definitely a JERK -- he kept asking me if I was depressed or something. I know that sometimes people just enjoy the attention of a doctor, but I am not one of those people -- I actually hate going to a doctor. I do understand that by nature of their position in the profession, doctors see an inordinate number of people with what many refer to as hypochondria, but seriously, if I were depressed I'd go to counselor or a psychiatrist, not an ENT. I'm a professional, and I don't have the time to devote to medical appointments with a doctor who has an inadequate patient screening techniques and a meager bed-side manner. I also don't think it's justified for a medical professional to assume that I somehow "enjoy" paying the doctor my HARD EARNED MONEY just so that he can belittle me when I actually have a medical issue just because he can't FIGURE IT OUT). I told him that too. Right to his face. Best $260 bucks I ever wasted. (Sorry, I know sarcasm doesn't come over well in type.)
Basically, the reason I am even putting all this out there is so that you can understand, you really do have to find and vet your doctors well. When you make the appointment, take the time to ask some questions from the receptionist, ask them if they have nurses call people back, or what kind of follow up they offer. Hopefully, you will find answers faster than I did. For me, this took 5 years of appointments, many waiting room hours, lost time at work, two MRIs, and one CAT scan. That's a lot of money I could have used for a vacation or toward a new car.
Perhaps you can benefit from what I have learned, and save some of these expenses. I suggest you refer your primary doctor to the following links on imaging for evaluation of this condition
http://bjr.birjournals.org/content/75/898/847.full
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/384879-overview
Best of luck.
The thing you might ask about is called a cholesteatoma. Please remember that unless actively infected, cholesteatoma is usually missed on examining the ear, but the pressure alone can cause many of the symptoms you are describing. You can find a good overview here -- http://www.entassociates.com/cholesteatoma.htm
Cholesteatoma is very difficult to diagnose in early stage, even for ENTs. General Practitioners probably won't be able to diagnose this condition. A diagnosis usually comes after many years when an ENT uses a special operating microscope and looking in the RIGHT place. Cholesteatoma cannot be diagnosed without seeing the whole of the eardrum in close-up detail. Most cholesteatomas start in the attic - the upper part of the eardrum. The problem is that this "attic" is not in view when the speculum is lined up in more commonly used ways, like say, to fit a grommet. The physician has to actually be looking for cholesteatoma and it's the rarity of it can lead to someone overlooking this examination unless an active infection is present to lead the doctor in that diagnostic direction. The reason for this is because the opening into the cholesteatoma sac is tiny - a millimetre wide. So, if a cholesteatoma is not actively infected, it will not be obvious. The only way to know for sure is if the surgeon makes a point of looking for it in the ear attic. Here's some information about different imaging for this evaluation -- not all MRIs are the same, so look this over if they are having you do an MRI. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/860080-workup
The condition can be found and treated in adults. Most times, as out-patients. The proceedure is called microsuction. Microsuction examines and in away treatments the ear using a high powered binocular operating microscope. The treatment would utilize a miniature vacuum cleaner. Microsuction on a schedule is a typical treatment alternative for people with the condition, as it clears out the debris that cause the pressure/symptoms with out invasive surgery.
However, if an active infection does occur, and the bone were to become infected, the condition becomes much more serious and removal as well as unrecoverable hearing loss or nerve damage could result. So, you see, you're really fortunate if you DON'T have the infection, however on the down side, the infection gets the diagnosis faster, and thus treatment. However, the infection causes the most damage, so you can see the benefits of having them check for this before that occurs.
I had the same symptoms, and they had the same concerns for MS. I had to pay for 2 very expensive MRIs. A lot of nerves run through by the ear/neck, and so sometimes it takes two or three GOOD doctors to get this kind of thing diagnosed. I started with a primary care doc, was referred to an eye doctor and an ENT. The eye doctor and ENT upon ROUTINE exams eye doctor could document weakness in eye muscles, but not explain it. ENT found no sigificant issues other that the mild hearing changes and eustacian tube malfunction. They said let's wait and see - six months later, problems were still existing and actually had become worse. So, upon second visit, ophalmologist referred me to an neuro-opthalmologist, (which took months to get into and after which I had more symptoms) so that doctor, (who also confirmed symptoms via test/exam) referred me to the Neurologist (check for MS they said). After which, I finally ended up back at A DIFFERENT ENT (the first guy was just a complete jerk. He wasn't incompetent, per se, but he was definitely a JERK -- he kept asking me if I was depressed or something. I know that sometimes people just enjoy the attention of a doctor, but I am not one of those people -- I actually hate going to a doctor. I do understand that by nature of their position in the profession, doctors see an inordinate number of people with what many refer to as hypochondria, but seriously, if I were depressed I'd go to counselor or a psychiatrist, not an ENT. I'm a professional, and I don't have the time to devote to medical appointments with a doctor who has an inadequate patient screening techniques and a meager bed-side manner. I also don't think it's justified for a medical professional to assume that I somehow "enjoy" paying the doctor my HARD EARNED MONEY just so that he can belittle me when I actually have a medical issue just because he can't FIGURE IT OUT). I told him that too. Right to his face. Best $260 bucks I ever wasted. (Sorry, I know sarcasm doesn't come over well in type.)
Basically, the reason I am even putting all this out there is so that you can understand, you really do have to find and vet your doctors well. When you make the appointment, take the time to ask some questions from the receptionist, ask them if they have nurses call people back, or what kind of follow up they offer. Hopefully, you will find answers faster than I did. For me, this took 5 years of appointments, many waiting room hours, lost time at work, two MRIs, and one CAT scan. That's a lot of money I could have used for a vacation or toward a new car.
Perhaps you can benefit from what I have learned, and save some of these expenses. I suggest you refer your primary doctor to the following links on imaging for evaluation of this condition
http://bjr.birjournals.org/content/75/898/847.full
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/384879-overview
Best of luck.
Cholesteatoma is very difficult to diagnose in early stage, even for ENTs. General Practitioners probably won't be able to diagnose this condition. A diagnosis usually comes after many years when an ENT uses a special operating microscope and looking in the RIGHT place. Cholesteatoma cannot be diagnosed without seeing the whole of the eardrum in close-up detail. Most cholesteatomas start in the attic - the upper part of the eardrum. The problem is that this "attic" is not in view when the speculum is lined up in more commonly used ways, like say, to fit a grommet. The physician has to actually be looking for cholesteatoma and it's the rarity of it can lead to someone overlooking this examination unless an active infection is present to lead the doctor in that diagnostic direction. The reason for this is because the opening into the cholesteatoma sac is tiny - a millimetre wide. So, if a cholesteatoma is not actively infected, it will not be obvious. The only way to know for sure is if the surgeon makes a point of looking for it in the ear attic. Here's some information about different imaging for this evaluation -- not all MRIs are the same, so look this over if they are having you do an MRI. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/860080-workup
The condition can be found and treated in adults. Most times, as out-patients. The proceedure is called microsuction. Microsuction examines and in away treatments the ear using a high powered binocular operating microscope. The treatment would utilize a miniature vacuum cleaner. Microsuction on a schedule is a typical treatment alternative for people with the condition, as it clears out the debris that cause the pressure/symptoms with out invasive surgery.
However, if an active infection does occur, and the bone were to become infected, the condition becomes much more serious and removal as well as unrecoverable hearing loss or nerve damage could result. So, you see, you're really fortunate if you DON'T have the infection, however on the down side, the infection gets the diagnosis faster, and thus treatment. However, the infection causes the most damage, so you can see the benefits of having them check for this before that occurs.
I had the same symptoms, and they had the same concerns for MS. I had to pay for 2 very expensive MRIs. A lot of nerves run through by the ear/neck, and so sometimes it takes two or three GOOD doctors to get this kind of thing diagnosed. I started with a primary care doc, was referred to an eye doctor and an ENT. The eye doctor and ENT upon ROUTINE exams eye doctor could document weakness in eye muscles, but not explain it. ENT found no sigificant issues other that the mild hearing changes and eustacian tube malfunction. They said let's wait and see - six months later, problems were still existing and actually had become worse. So, upon second visit, ophalmologist referred me to an neuro-opthalmologist, (which took months to get into and after which I had more symptoms) so that doctor, (who also confirmed symptoms via test/exam) referred me to the Neurologist (check for MS they said). After which, I finally ended up back at A DIFFERENT ENT (the first guy was just a complete jerk. He wasn't incompetent, per se, but he was definitely a JERK -- he kept asking me if I was depressed or something. I know that sometimes people just enjoy the attention of a doctor, but I am not one of those people -- I actually hate going to a doctor. I do understand that by nature of their position in the profession, doctors see an inordinate number of people with what many refer to as hypochondria, but seriously, if I were depressed I'd go to counselor or a psychiatrist, not an ENT. I'm a professional, and I don't have the time to devote to medical appointments with a doctor who has an inadequate patient screening techniques and a meager bed-side manner. I also don't think it's justified for a medical professional to assume that I somehow "enjoy" paying the doctor my HARD EARNED MONEY just so that he can belittle me when I actually have a medical issue just because he can't FIGURE IT OUT). I told him that too. Right to his face. Best $260 bucks I ever wasted. (Sorry, I know sarcasm doesn't come over well in type.)
Basically, the reason I am even putting all this out there is so that you can understand, you really do have to find and vet your doctors well. When you make the appointment, take the time to ask some questions from the receptionist, ask them if they have nurses call people back, or what kind of follow up they offer. Hopefully, you will find answers faster than I did. For me, this took 5 years of appointments, many waiting room hours, lost time at work, two MRIs, and one CAT scan. That's a lot of money I could have used for a vacation or toward a new car.
Perhaps you can benefit from what I have learned, and save some of these expenses. I suggest you refer your primary doctor to the following links on imaging for evaluation of this condition
http://bjr.birjournals.org/content/75/898/847.full
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/384879-overview
Best of luck.
I have the exact same problems. I also decided to treat myself. It has been 2 years for me and all they ever want to do is send me for hearing test. I started taking prednisone which would clear up my ears but i could still feel it deep in my ear. And the pain in my head seemed worse along with facial numbness and left arm numbness. I think i have finally figured it out and hopefully i can convince my ENT. what i believe is that the back of my throat is blocked {nasal pharynx} . The first ENT i saw told me to run hydrogen peroxide through my ears and alternate it with vinegar. Deep in my ear itched horribly and i felt throbbing above the roof of my mouth, so i ran a few drops through my ear And as it traveled the facial pain and the pain in the middle of the back of my head got worse. I could feel where the peroxide stopped, and what i thought was still my ear was actually my throat. I was able to get some stuff out through my throat but it is still blocked. And the peroxide does relive that deep inner itch until it builds back up again.
Please read my post and try a chiro! Stress made mine worse and once I discovered the cause of my symptoms the relief from the anxiety of not knowing what was wrong was a HUGE relief in itself. I feel so much better knowing I'm on my way to getting my life back! Good luck to you!
My problems started EXACTLY like cactus girls!! After 3 MRIs z packs prednisolone one ER trip and several to ent and lots of anxiety and misery I FINALLY FOUND RELEIF!!! I went to a very good chiropractor specializing in the GADSTEIN METHOD. HIS X-RAY FOUND 3 places in my back putting pressure on my spinal cord. Even i could see the bends! i had no idea since I never had back pain. It all started in my ear then down my arm and eventually my leg all on the right side with muscle spasms. After several months it moved into my rib cage and neck. Desperate for RELEIF and answers my boss talked me into going to his chiro. I started jan of this year and am still going. I'd say I'm 75 percent back to normal. It takes time but its better than an operation! I urge all of you dealing with this to find a good chiro and try it. I'm SOOOO thankful I did!!!
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