Ear pain / pressure / fluid (previous Mastoidectomy & Cholesteatoma)
Posted , 2 users are following.
Hey can anyone take a look at these pictures and advise please? Ive got a complicated history with regards to problems with my left ear. As a child I had repeated infections / glue ear which lead to permanent hearing loss. I had multiple operations done to fit grommets and then an operation to remove a cholesteatoma and treat mastoiditis (mastoidectomy). I was 16 turning 17 when this last operation was done, I'm 35 now. At the time the mastoidectomy was done the consultant advised it was the worst one he had seen and it could have lead to me having TB, the infection was travelling to my brain.
Since then I've done fairly well, I have a couple of ear infections a year and numerous perforations but nothing like I used to, everything healed well eventually, it doesn't really get a wax build up, but I've been struggling a lot this last 12 months with middle ear fluid / infections. I bought an endoscope camera I could use to take pictures of my ear canal with during lockdown, so i could send pictures to the doctors surgery electronically rather than having to go in in person, I really struggle with anxiety / agoraphobia without the pandemic on top. Ive always had the odd nerve pains since my teens from my left ear and the operations, but I'm in a lot of pain currently. Ive already had 3 middle ear infections this year, this last one, I had a course of antibiotics for around 4 weeks ago but it doesn't seem to have done anything, its getting worse. I went to the doctors in person after the antibiotics didn't work as the pain had increased and they could see the fluid and the redness / irritated ear canal but they cant give me more of the same antibiotics (amoxicillin) because I will end up becoming immune to them helping and the second line ones they usually give I cant have as they are contraindicated with my other medication. They organised a referral back to ENT for me and gave me a nasal steroid spray to try and relax the swelling in my Eustacian tube and cocodamol to manage the pain, but my symptoms are getting worse.
The last two days I have had watery discharge from my ear canal, and since last night I have lost what is left of my hearing in that ear, it just feels completely full / blocked. I have ringing / buzzing / tinitus every time I speak and feel dizzy whenever I stand up it honestly feels like there's something behind the ear drum pressing on everything. On the previous pictures taken with the endoscope you could see air bubbles within the fluid behind my ear drum, on the latest picture there is no air bubbles now, the fluid is thicker and not as see through as it was before. I guess I'm looking for some advice, I don't want to ring the doctors again tomorrow and take up resources when an ENT referral has already been done but I feel shocking with it. The antibiotics cleared up my temperature, I havent got a temp anymore, but still have -
Slight watery discharge
Shooting pains
Fluid behind eardrum
Hearing loss
Feeling of fullness
Headache / Neckache on and off
Dizziness when moving
There does seem to be a lump on the right hand side behind the ear drum, could this be blocking the fluid draining or is this lump normal ear anatomy?
Is there anything else you know of that I could do to help with the fluid draining?
Is there anything I can do to help stop the dizziness being so extreme?
I do think I may need to ring them again possibly, just majorly anxious. Thanks for taking the time to read this / help me. Thanks you
0 likes, 0 replies