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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.





51 Responses
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Avatar universal
Hi organicgirl,

I just wanted to ask you how you're holding up with having gone to the chiropractor for awhile. I've been monitoring this thread since I have had the same issues for awhile, and you're the only one I've seen that has offered some method of respite. You're on to something - I heeded your advice and saw a chiropractor near me who did upper cervical work, and it started feeling better! In fact, I was so ready to call it cured when a few weeks ago. However, I began a new job last Monday, which involves a lot of sitting down, and things have gotten a lot worse all of a sudden. I wanted to ask you further - is the problem gone for you? What exactly did they do with you? If you could offer anything else, that would be fantastic as I want to start reversing the tide of this battle again.
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Avatar universal
I have the same symptoms and no one can help me. Do you sometimes get woken up in the middle of the night in pain and can't go back to sleep? Mine are so bad that I truly just want to curl up and ......
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Avatar universal
OK, I signed up on this specifically after I read your post so I could reply in hopes to help you and all the others.  I had the EXACT thing.  And I couldn't work...newly married all this practically cost me my marriage...but thank GOD it didn't.  And thank GOD I'm stubborn and researched while I've pretty much been immobile from all this for the last 6 months.  I prayed, asked and believed everyday for healing that six doctors, ENT's and !uerologists couldn't figure out and gave up on me pretty much at the end saying its all in my bead while throwing another prescription for anxiety, sleep or antibiotic at me.  What I came to read after finding ONE person in a blog that suggested this was right.  Blocked eustachian tube...and needed a certain chiropractic manipulation to adjust the neck so it would come unblocked...get rid of pain, jaw pain, tooth aches, head pain, sinus pressure, excruciating neck and shoulder blade pain, post nasal drip, sore throat, and out of body and dizziness. You can find one that does the Gadstead method or one that works specifically with sinus and ears.  Don't go to just a regular old chiro for this.  You need neck sublaxion and upper cervical work.  I went ONE time and am feeling better but have to go 3 times a week for awhile and then just 2-3 times a month.  There's also a manever they can do with their finger inside your throat to stretch the eaustacian tube so it will drain.  So its NOT sinus infection like we all swear it is but Dr.s say it isn't but then don't point us where to go for it...so we're thousands of dollars in the hole because of incompetent Dr.s. 90 years ago most everything was cured with adjustments
To spine, neck, feet etc.  This is incredible and I hope you all can benefit from me posting this!  God bless you all and let's pray for our health back! P.s. I'd love to hear if any of you decide to try this and what your outcome is!  Let's pay it forward if it works and post on other blogs to help the thousands out there who have been struggling with this!
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2 Comments
I've read many comments on here because I'm experiencing the same thing. The reason I'm commenting on your post is because I went to a chiro 4 days ago and my symptoms started immediately after my visit where he did an "adjustment" to C1 and C2. I spent that evening in the ER with right side facial and hand numbness and visual distortion worried about a stroke. Chronic pain at the base of my skull and deep inner right ear and jaw pain and weird pressure under my right eye. All of this after my first chiro visit in which his response was quote, recovery symptoms.  I just want everyone to be very careful about going to a chiro for any cervical adjustment.  The risks are too great. I am going to try to get help from a PT. Stroke is a risk after any cervical manipulation.  Look at the arteries in your cervical vertebrae and you'll think twice hopefully.
I've read many comments on here because I'm experiencing the same thing. The reason I'm commenting on your post is because I went to a chiro 4 days ago and my symptoms started immediately after my visit where he did an "adjustment" to C1 and C2. I spent that evening in the ER with right side facial and hand numbness and visual distortion. Chronic pain in right deep inner ear and pain in my upper jaw. All of this after the chiro visit in which his response was "recovery symptoms".  I just want everyone to be very careful about going to a chiro for any cervical adjustment.  The risks are too great. I'm am going to try to get help from a PT.
Avatar universal
I don't have jaw pain, but I have clogged eustachian tubes and terrible vertigo--nauseated a lot.  Lost quite a bit of weight due to nausea and not feeling like eating.  I think I was exposed to some pesticide and it affected my nasal passages (they felt like they were burning).  A few days later my eustachian tubes got blocked.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i had alarge lump un the back of my right ear it painful to touch and its been there the last 3 days i noticed then i pushed the bottom of my ear down n pus came out and now its really swollen and still drainage ive also noticed i have a knot on my neck above my jaw close by the ear but not exactly n it painful to touch but not noticeable,,, wahts can this be? should i be concerned
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
i Have the same problems , my ears feel clogged and everytime i see the Dr they say that there is nothing wrong with my ears. my nose is also clogged. I had an MRI done and they see something small in my gland in my throat and now they said i have to do surgery to get the gland out  to see if it is cancerous or not
Helpful - 0
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