ANA Discussion Forum
General Category => AN Issues => Topic started by: tatianne on July 17, 2007, 08:10:49 am
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For the past couple of days my good ear has been achy and has a full feeling. Its also achy around my cheek area. I called my Neurotologist but the first appt I could get is August 12....Im in a complete panick mode which is probably making the symptoms worse.
My AN ear never felt this achy ever, and it feels full for a few minutes heare and there but this feels more constant.
I cant handle anymore bumps in the road right now....
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August 12th is some time to wait. Maybe they can get you in sooner. Maybe your primary doctor could just check that ear for infection. I had an earache in my good ear a year ago and it was an infection. I can't remember if it involved my other ear. I'm not prone to ear infections not even when I was younger but it did happen and resolved a short time later. The same thing happened to my wife shortly after my experience and hers was much worse even develped tinnnitus. Everything completely resolved with antibiotics. The tinnitus went away too. I remember her saying so this is what your tinnitus is like. Sometimes these things heal on their own but getting it checked is important. I panicked too because I am very protective of my good ear. Go see your doctor and I hope you get an answer soon.
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thank you for responding.
What did your ear feel like when you had the infection ??
I think I will try to call my primary physician tomorrow, I want to see the ENT because thats always better but I also feel like August 12 is tool long to wait.
I know I have a lot of mucous in the back of my throat (sorry for the details) for the past week or two.
Thanks again
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Hey Tatianne,
I had mild ear pain that periodically escalated to severe ear pain. Drove me nuts. Had some itchyness too. Your primary care physician can check with an otoscope. It really hurt my ear when he used the otoscope but sure enough it was an infection. Before August 12th maybe you can at least get your ears checked to rule out this possibility. I think that this might just be the case. Keep me posted. Tell your office that you have an ear tumor and hearing loss is of concern.
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I wanted to add one more thing. You mentioned that this is happening in the AN ear. Fullness, Ear Pain, Tinnitus & Hearing Loss were all symptome I had prior to diagnosis. I remember going to the pharmacy buying ear drops and a suctioning device thinking it was just ear wax. If I knew then what I knew know. The AN presses on the nerves causing all the symptoms I mentioned. If it's not an ear infection then maybe some Ibuprofen might ease the pain a little. Remember that too much Ibuprofen isn't good either. Even though your AN is small (like mine was) they can be troublesome.
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I went to the walk in clinic this morning, apparently I have otitis erxterna, an infection...which causes fullness, achy ear and itchy ear, all my symptoms. Hope the drops solve the problem.
Thanks again flyers fan.
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Thank goodness. sometimes these infections may resolve on their own but in some cases may worsen and can have an affect on the hearing. I'm sure the drops will help but if you don't start seeing improvemnts check back with the clinic. Take Care!
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I WORRY TOO ABOUT MY NON AN EAR. I'VE HAD TWO EAR INFECTIONS IN THE PAST TWO MONTHS. MY AN WAS FOUND MY ACCIDENT, AND I NEVER HAD ANY EAR PAIN AT ALL, JUST ALLERGERY PROBLEMS AND VISUAL PROBLEMS I KEPT THINKING SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH MY VISION. THE PAIN IN MY NON AN EAR FELLS LIKE IT IS JUST A REAL DEEP PAIN WAY DOWN IN MY EAR. THE DOCTOR GAVE ME ANTI BOTIC'S AND IT CLEARED UP, BUT WITH IN TWO MONTHS IT WAS BACK. EVERYTHING IS SO COMPLATED. I TRY NOT TO WORRY AS MUCH, BUT THEN ODD THINGS HAPPEN, AND THEN THE DOUBTS AND FEAR START IN. I NEVER HAD THE FULLNESS FEELING IN MY EAR THAT EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT, BUT I DO HAVE A LOT OF VISUAL PROBLEMS. JUST WONDERING ALSO ABOUT THE EAR ACHES ALSO AND RESPONSES. BB
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almost 24 hours since the drops and my non AN ear is still very blocked, in fact feels worse today..Im going to wait another day or two and if things dont improve I will have to go back to the doctor.
I had my last MRI in January, 6 months ago..left ear was clear...could another AN have developed that fast and be causing symptoms already ???
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Hi Tatianne,
I too have had ear fullness and ear pain, sometimes itchiness in my non An ear. In fact a couple of days ago it was acting up again. I use ciprodex drops successfully for that (it's a combo of dexamethasone and ciprodex). Sometimes regular gps aren't aware of this treatment....My neurotologist gave me an ongoing presc for that as it is safe... It pretty much begins to feel better after the first 3 drops. I usually don't have to use it more than once or twice. Is that what you were given? (I hope it's not gentamycin or something like that as it can be ototoxic along with some others and we Aners who have lost some or all hearing in the An ear need to be careful with the other....)
Sometimes fluid build up can happen behind the eardrum. I used to have this problem a lot and needed tubes. Sometimes, too, the drum didn't bulge much at all, so it wasn't always noticeable to a non oto doc.... if you continue to have a problem with yours, I'd say call your ent back and let them know what's happening.
Good luck,
windsong
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the gp gave me cortisporin otic drops, I think they are an antibiotic and steroid combined together, does that make sense ??
I managed to get my ENT appointment moved up to July 30th, next Monday.
It doesnt always feel pressure, it seems to come and go over the day. It also feels sensitive at the same time. I have a lot of fluid in the back of my throat when i wake up most mornings. I dont know, I pray that its not another AN developing.
I dont have tinnitus or hearing loss, just pressure or blocked type feeling and sometimes and itchy, sensitive type feeling.
thanks for responding Windsong, at least I know there is someone who experiences this and doesnt have a second AN as the reason for it. I will let you know what happens.
Anyone else with these symptoms in the non AN ear ??
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Tatianne, I experience it quite often and also use the the antibiotic/steriod drops. It takes a few days to clear up and whatever you do, don't use a q-tip swab to help relieve the itch, it will make it worse. I am not sure what brings this on, but I have it 3 times a year in my non AN ear.
Hugs,
Cheryl
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Tatiane,
Please call your doctor and request a safer drop for your ear... the one you have contains neomycin which is an aminoglycoside antibiotic in the same family as gentamicin and streptomycin etc. and neomycin is known to be toxic to the the inner ear .....(as is gentamycin).....
I'm including a site with a respected Dr. Hains who mentions neomycin and the inner ear toxicity... there's plenty of sites out there.... my own neurotologist wrote a book on ototoxicity with a doc from Texas... it is wise for all of us especially us Aners who already have hearing problems in the An ear to be vigilant about what we take/use for our other ear....
again, there are other drops which we can use safely... the one i have is ciprodex ( a combination of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin and the steroid dexamethasone).....
(also as a by the by only, i beliieve the one you were given is a sulfa containing concoction and some folks could be allergic to sulfa)
in any case, I have read quite a bit about ototoxicity over the years, found all sorts of things, including some "dialogues" with some top ENTS around ( and was pleased that two of my ENTS of the last 15 years are right there and up on this sort of stuff) and the background talks about the "mycins" (aminoglycosides) and inner ear toxicity is very interesting... stay away from them, please.....Aners can't mess around with stuff like that, really.....get the ciprodex.....i am fortunate to have a neurotologist who is right up there in this sort of thing....
http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/bilat/ototoxic_drops.htm
all the best, hugs,
windsong
PS:
there are many abstracts out there about the mycins.... here's another fast find.. (but go into pubmed and do a search....)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17266591&ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
and
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=11802005&ordinalpos=22&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
and this one particularly for you....
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=11802005&ordinalpos=22&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
this last one mentions cortisporin as being known to be more toxic than even gentamycin......
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I forgot to mention in my previous post that I also use ciprodex for this condition and it works great for me.
Windsong, thank you for posting the link, very interesting.
Cheryl
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HI Cheryl, :)
I've added some more links while i search for some of the dialogues I read about this isssue tooo...
glad you are using a safe drop!! having an intact eardrum helps too ;D
http://www.entjournal.com/htmlDocs/article_4_0308.html
two of my docs are in this dialogue lol... Dr. Rutka is my current neurotologist and dr. hawke was my ent (rutka and roland wrote the book on ototoxicity)
all the best,
windsong
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Im trying to reach my doctor, not an easy task these days. He speciallizes specifically in ANs and NF2 actually, only one in my area so hes always really busy.
Cheryl do you get the full feeling as well ??
Thanks you both
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Tatianne - I do get a feeling of fullness in the ear, and when my ENT looks in with the scope can see some inflammation and redness, also some weeping.
hope the doc calls you back soon
Hugs,
Cheryl
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I saw my neurotolist this morning. The symptoms have gotten better over the past week.
He checked both my ears and told me they are both very dry and that is probably the cause of the itchyness..He also mentioned that the weather in my area has been the type of weahter that causes pressure in the ears and can be affecting me. He said that this is not another AN on the good side. He gave me some drops to help with the itching and he said this will also keep me from touching my ear or putting anything in it (like a Qtip), which only makes things worse and will cause inflammation, and more itchyness..he said its like a circle. He told me I had nothing to worry about so Im going to trust him on that for now. Whats the point of worrying about it anyway, either way Im having an MRI in January and nothing much will change between now and then.
Just wanted to post the update in case anyone else is experiencing the same situation.
Thanks
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I've been lurking this situation and I'm glad to see your post Tatianne--looks like the situation is resolving for you, dear---GOOD!!!!!
Capt Deb 8)
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Tatianne,
Just this past week I had two things happen to me. Both involved wearing ear plugs. It seems earplugs give me an earache. I have have some noises on occasion in my good ear, but it seems that when I wear an earplug I have a slight earache in it. Last night when I went to bed I layed down on my good ear and actually got a stronger ace in it, almost pulsating then it stopped. I go to my primary this month and I'll have him check it out and maybe get some ciprodex drops. My question to everyone is "does one bad ear cause things to go on with the good ear. Gee the last time I had an earache was 40 some years ago when I was a kid. It seems ANers have problems with earaches now too.
mema
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you asked "does one bad ear cause things to go bad in other ear"... i'm interested in this too because of the things happening in my "good ear"....
there is a doctor at the harvard med school who is studying the phenomenon of damage to the "good" side of the body after an injury to the other side.... one thing they found is that after an injury to one side of the body (for example... a sprain or a break or shingles or cut fingers etc) that there is a crossover effect re small fibre nerve damage..... skin biopsies of the opposite good side show physical proof that something happens to cause this strange phenomenon so she is searching for the unknown as yet pathways neurally, the connections or the communication if you will between matching sensory areas on two sides of the body...
apparently this research came out initially with a study on why shingles on one side can cause half the nerve endings on the other side to go ie. biopsies show half are gone on the good side... that bit was done at MGH...
so she thinks now that conditions exist for normal co-ordination between both sides of the body for "good health"....and finding out what it is might explain why the good side ends up damaged etc....
i find this all pertinent to me as rsd in one leg in me ended up with rsd in the other despite no injury there; having an An on one side led me to that AIED stuff going on my good ear; i'm hoping her further research sheds light on this .... that the mechanism is found...
it might explain why a number of us have aches and pains and things happening on the "good" side of our heads/ears after An and whatever treatment we have.... even hearing loss in good ear etc.....or that crazy tin that i now have in my good ear too.....
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its interesting what you mention about falling asleep on your good ear and it resulting in earache. I can remember since before my AN that has happened to me where I was actually woken up by the pain. I cant remember which ear it was but recently it happened with my good ear. I really dont pay a lot of attention to whats going on in my AN ear because Ive decided that whatever happens its because of my AN and I just leave it at that, but I notice every little thing in my good ear. I think maybe because we have something wrong with one of our ears we are extra aware and sensitive to the sensations and noises we experience...does that make sense ?? I know when I focus on or pay attention to any part of my body with any level of anxiety about it whatever Im experiencing because worse. Im not trying to say that you and I dont experience these symptoms, we do, i just believe that we pay attention to what maybe others woudlnt.
Im definitly experiencing an increased symptoms in both my ears as of late but Im not sure if its AN related or maybe just something else.
Anyone else ever wake pain in the ear that they were sleeping on ??
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well after my post above, i got on the phone and spoke with that doctor's secretary so now I will be writing a mail to her and i will pose this question about our good ears acting up too......
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I put a phone call in to the ENT. Waiting on the nurse to call me back. See what she has to say about my earache. If I go see the ENT (gee that rhymes)lol I'll ask him about good ears going bad because of AN ear ssd. Tatianne I hadn't fallen asleep yet, I just turned my head and the pain happened. That was last night and my earache hurts off and on. I do have a slight sharp pain in front of my ear. I don't seem to have fullness. Yes windsong sure seems there could be some correlation between bad ears and good ears.
mema
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Well, this whole discussion is very timely and interesting. My problem isn't my other ear, but my other jaw. I see my family doctor tomorrow , and I'll post tomorrow evening. Jaw pain on my non-AN side started before my GK, but has been getting worse and worse after GK surgery three weeks ago. Now it's risen up to top of jaw bone, and I can't really fit a sandwich in my mouth and bite down. It could be caused by lots of things, either related or unrelated to my AN or my GK procedure ... we'll see. I'll let you know.
Dana
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Has anyone heard of or tried oxafloxin. It is supposed to be safe for the inner ear like ciprodex.
mema
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It's Dana, reporting on doctor's appt this morning about increasing jaw pain on non-AN side. She thinks that having the GK rack and procedure two weeks ago may have made it act up, that it's basically a TMJ jaw-joint problem. So I'm going to a therapist who specializes in TMJ problems. Like I always say, "we'll see"......