Ear Infection and Head pressure

Greetings;

 

    Sounds so familiar, as well as brings back bad pain staking memories.

    While I don't believe that I reached the point of the ear drum bursting, I know my story started with going to bed fine one night.  Waking up in the middle of the night with cold sweats, pain in one ear, and a lack of volume (in the way of hearing)from that ear, and I rolled over and went back to sleep.  The NEXT MORNING....  90% deaf with dual ear infections.  After several visits over the next few weeks to urgent care clinics  to get oral antibiotics for ear infections, upper resp infection and a sinus infection we continued on to finally get in with my PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN.  During that visit he had to flush both ears and couldn't understand how they could determin an ear infection due to all the wax build up in the ear.  He couldn't even see the ear drum.  More antibiotics and a hefty bill and I was once again  out the door.  After several visits to the PCP, I was given the news that I would never hear again, and I would have to live with it for the rest of my life. 

I asked for a referral to an ENT and while my doctor was purplexed, I was given one.  After 2 months of the ENT, 6 Allergy Shots (I believe it was some sort of a steroild) OTC Max Strength COLD MEDICINE for SINUS & DRAINAGE, I have 90% of my hearing back and I am much happier with the end result / outcome.

I know your situation is not the same as mine, but I would still seek out the ENT.  Your hearing is very important for our existance today.

I wish you well and if I can help further please let me know. 

Hi

I was back at dr yesterday and ears are both still red, swollen, infected and drums not healed. He's told me to now lay off the sudafed and ibroprufen and carry on with paracetamol whilst he gets me an urgent ENT appt. the dept called within a few hours of dr calling and I see them this Friday. He gave me a script for low risk anaphylaxis AB but said not to fill it til I see consultant in case he has other plans. I had chest, sinus and ear infections and steroids helped the chest. I'm relatively pain free now with the odd stabbing pain in right ear and left temple pain but I think I have swollen /sore glands in throat. My voice is also bit different as in struggling and still have both hearing loss and tinnitus (high pitch right and Musical in left)

So will find out more Friday x

While it sound like things are moving forward.  I wish you well.  I know some are not aware but some of these over the counter meds (OTC) can add to hight blood pressure or raise your sugar (if you have diabetes) that you do have to be careful.  I remember when I saw my ENT he immediately took me off everything everone else had put me on.  I hope you end up with the same or better outcome than I did.  It can  be a bit scary when you have no control of a situation and you have to put your entire self in someone elses control.  Good luck friday and if I can be of anymore assistance, or if you just need someone to listen to what you have found out, or even bounce ideas off of, I am here.

Thankyou. All a bit scary as I've only had earache once and that was when I was about 5 (now 50!)

X

Oh believe me, as a child, I think I had ear aches from 3 yrs old to 15 yrs.old.  Didn't have one after that until just over a year ago when I lost the hearing.  I thought it was wierd, really wierd.  That was one reason I wanted a doctor to look at it, because now a days.  A simple infection can cause more massive outcomes.  I wanted to be assured that what I had was a infection and that it wasn't perminate / perminate damage.

I was thankful for finding this site, and getting some good information.  Even after my ear issue, i try to stay on here as a was of giving back and helping others (like I was once before) scared, worried and looking for direction and answers.  Each one of us is different.  While the symptoms may look the same, they could be different. 

I will be looking for your post today, as I believe you had an appointment for finding out some info. 

Regarding the glands (maybe the estation tubes) that are swallen or enflamed.  If it is fluid  build up or blockage, maybe gargling with an anticeptic mouth wash or salt water mixture may help.  (Just a thought)

 

Good Luck, and looking forward to a great outcome.

 

Bless you, thankyou for thinking of me

Ok, been to ENT, both had perforated and leaked but closed again trapping quite a bit of fluid which is what is causing hearing loss. The pain is the fluid trying to get out. So, plan of action is steroid nose drops to dry/clear the trapped fluid, which will hopefully regain hearing. Seeing him again end of Feb, if no better he will drain them, but didn't want to do it today as there's a risk of permanent perforation. He's ordering me hearing aids in the meantime until all this is sorted

So I'd say I've been lucky. He said ears are still red and swollen and I think everyone is scared to give me ABs because of my allergy problems

Thankyou everyone, having had no ear problems before, this has been a scary nightmare (apart from tinnitus and slight defect in hearing in left ear-reason unknown) do if I can help anyone through my experiences I'll happily do so too xx

Congrats!!!

 

     I know there use to be some old time homeopathic remedies for ear infections when I was a kid more than 40 years ago, but today, some of those solutions are now throught of as bad alternatives..

     At least their is a plan of attack and most of the worry of something worse or more serious has been minimized.  

 

     I know for myself, that was more than half the battle.  While it does bother me, when my ENT advised me this could come back again (the loss of hearing) if I get a cold or have a bad allergy to something.  At least I know what to do (taking the OTC Cold/Sinus Meds) and knowing I will be back to visit him for the allergy shots that appeared to be the final solution for my problem.

I also have sleep apnea and have a CPAP machine that I use when I sleep.  I have always been concerned that the pressure could blow out my ears .  That was another reason why I wanted to visit the doctor in the beginning to be sure I didn't have a different issue (that mimiced the same symptons) that might have cause perminate hearing loss.  

Again, good luck and glad to hear there is a plan in place. 

 

Thankyou , I was taking OTC decongestants as I had the heavy cold etc and usually they do the trick but my chest was affected this time

I hope you continue to be ok, I've really valued your help x

Yes, that is what my ent had recommended for me.  He told me to get off everything all the other doctors had me on and take a maximum cold / sinus OTC medication.  Yet those shots he gave me, ( I believe there for 6 total) did the job.  While knowing that this could come back again, I have the OTC meds, and while it seem like last year, from fall to winter, I started feeling that cloging of the ear canals, and my sinuses acting funny, I started taking the OTC meds, and things cleared up just the same. 

Yes, when that goes down into the chest, that is a pain.  So we try to not let it go that far before we break out the meds.

 

Glad I could have some words of confort and support, and hope you get back to a full and happy recovery. .

Thankyou. I went to doc Dec 28 because I was suffering and being asthmatic I thought it'd gone to my chest. I had double pneumonia and pleurisy over Xmas 2008 and never want to be in that situation again but he said it was viral, within days it's gone to sinus then Jan 2 the ear pain/perforation. Our emergency service was useless and told me to see dr tues 3 Jan. By that time both had burst. New dr said chest/sinus/ear infection so started ABs, but then the reaction started so was given prednisone to help chest. It really helped but until I get the allergy testing no one will give me ABs (have anaphylaxis to latex and cross allergens already), so I'm sure if dr had tried ABs that first time (and I wasn't allergic) none of this ear business would've happened

I'll be more insistent another time and hopefully I'll know then what ABs I can/can't have x

Hi jack please let me know if your problem was ever sorted out I’m going through the same thing and absolutely petrified I’m going to loose my hearing as the doctors have been so useless