Cancer or Infection?

Posted , 6 users are following.

So it all started in late December/early January. My roommates and I got flu-like symptoms. Fever, cough, mucus etc. Eventually we got over it. Or so I thought.

Fast forward to the tail end of January (27-28th). Started developing slight vertigo. It would come and go throughout the day (I mostly noticed it in closed corridors or whenever I showered).

The vertigo eventually went away however after a few days. Weird.

Fast forward a week later, maybe the 8th of February. I started developing ear fullness, and crackling. It was dull but constant .

Eventually I got slight facial tension on my cheeks as well. No paralysis but almost like a sunburn or my face being pulled back.

I spoke to my mother in law who's a nurse. She checked my ears and noticed they were swollen but no fluid. She suggested Motrin and Sudafed. Maybe it was sinus issue?

I used it for one week straight. Didnt work.

Eventually the vertigo came back. And now it came back even stronger. This was like the 14th of February.

I started freaking out. I would get lightheaded out of nowhere and feel like passing out. My head felt so swollen. Almost as if someone wrapped a belt around my head. So I go to urgent care thinking Im dying. They checked my blood sugar. It was fine. Hemoglobin. Okay. Blood pressure? A little high due to panic attack.

The urgent care doctor runs a basic neuro test on me...my finger following her finger, eyes following her finger etc. She checked my eyes and ears and her conclusion was... Migraine. Migraine...I've had migraines before. This did not feel like it.

She prescribed me Sumatriptan for headaches and Zofran for nausea. It did not help so a few days later I went to the physician (17th of February).

Physician ran the same test as urgent care doctor however he concluded I had middle/inner ear infection due to a virus that stuck around since January.

He prescribed me ear drops, Meclizine for vertigo and Ibropufen.

Now its been a few weeks since my appointment.

My head still feels swollen but not as much during the day as before. Also, my facial tension has slightly diminished. Not as much vertigo. My eyes arent spinning anymore however I still have ear fullness and crackling.

That being said, the odd thing is even though some symptoms are diminishing, I feel like I'm developing new symptoms.

It almost feels like I am drowsy, drunk. I get tired very easily. Like I need to put my head down during the day.

Also my heart rate would spike randomly. I could be resting at 60bpm then all of a sudden it can go to 90bpm as soon I start thinking about it.

The best way to describe the feeling is like I have low blood sugar with high blood pressure.

Secondly, I would get a throbbing sensation in hands and feet accompanied by cold sensations and pins and needles.

Lastly, I feel like I can hear my heartbeat and it feels like its pumping harder.

I'd like to note that all these symptoms come and go throughout the day. Some hrs are better than others but still constant every day.

Doctor likes to say that its my anxiety due to panic attacks. He says it put a lot of pressure on my nerves. But I'm not sure.

Its just so odd. I was perfectly fine leading up to the new year (working out 4 out of 7 days a week) then all of a sudden I'm having all these odd symptoms.

Is the doctor right in saying this is an inner ear infection mixed with anxiety?

Vestibular neuritis? Cancer?

Its on my mind everyday. Maybe thats why I feel so fatigued?

5'7 male

29 years old

175 lbs

Filipino Mexican

Any advice would be amazing. Thank you so much.*

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • Posted

    I think your dr is completely fight. post viral ear infection and the other symptoms are 100% consistent with anxiety/panic attacks.

    ear issues that cause vertigo (like labarythitis) can takes a long time to go- I know people who have taken months to recover properly.

    try learning some relaxation techniques.

    • Edited

      hi! thanks for the reply.

      right now I feel like im getting some peripheral neuropathy. I can feel my nerves in my hands and feet. Almost like a pulse running through them.

      And my head feels like a vacuum is applying pressure from the top of my head.

      Its slightly painful.

      These symptoms feel 100% real. Can this be anxiety?

      Or some other type of virus thats attacking my system?

  • Posted

    It sounds like anxiety to me too. Been there, done that. All your symptoms and even a few more I have had. Tell your doctor you want to try an antidepressant. Paxil worked wonders for me.

    • Posted

      There are times where I think its mostly anxiety, but then I'll stand up or begin to walk and my head feels swollen and tight. Very bad headache, which in return causes me to have nausea.

      Like my eyes dont have vertigo anymore. Just this heavy head feeling with facial tension.

      That has to be real. But ear infection? not sure.

      What I'm trying to figure out is what could it possibly be besides the anxiety?

    • Posted

      just got back from my appointment to go over my comprehensive blood test.

      I am normal in everything except a little high cholesterol and low vitamin d.

      It still doesnt explain my symptoms.

      But we are getting closer to more concrete symptoms.

      Just today, I went to eat something. Some rice and soup. Immediately after I felt sleepy. Like passing out sleepy. That has never happened to me before. But it falls in line with my low blood sugar feeling. I could literally hear my heartbeat. Not fast, just loud.

      The thing is my blood test showed no signs of being pre diabetic. doctor said i was good in that regard.

      So why am i feeling like this couple along with my other sensations? could this be related to my thyroid? still an ear infection? something my blood test did not pick up?

  • Posted

    Go see a counselor. Ask your doctor to recommend one. They can put you on antidepressant.Also start exercising.

    • Posted

      I'll look into it, thanks.

      But one month of headaches. Hard to see how anxiety or an ear infection can cause that?

  • Posted

    Has the doctor prescribed any medication for you? You have been checked out and nothing is wrong. Do you understand that? You need a shrink. I don't understand why your doctor isn't sending you to one. There are medications for what you have. Panic attacks are awful to live with.

  • Posted

    Cancer is a group of diseases defined by abnormal cell growth and caused by genetic defects. Most of us know that these genetic defects can be inherited, caused by environmental factors such as smoking, drinking, obesity and a lack of physical activity, as well as exposure to radiation and pollution

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