acute mastoiditis?

[cin605]

Help....info..Just got my MRI report shows of acute right sided mastoiditis?
Abnormal enlarging mass involving the 7th and 8th cranial nerve...could this be scar tissue?
Follows the vestub.cochlear nerve complex
Underlying recurrent malignant leision is not excluded and felt to be possible.there is some hetrogeneous enhancement in the 7th and 8th cranial region as well.
I am scheduled w/ the olotariangologist/ent on May 2nd.
Thanks any and all replys...
Cindy

[Jim Scott]

Cindy ~

Mastoiditis is an infection of the mastoid bone of the skull.  It can be difficult to treat (but not impossible) and cause many of the problems you've been experiencing.  Beyond that, I would defer to a doctor to interpret the MRI report.  You might want to move up the appointment with the Otolaryngologist/ENT.  May 2nd is almost 8 weeks off. 

Jim

[cin605]

This is the earliest appointment i could get at Dartmouth Hitchcock w/ the main men there.
Thanks for info Jim

[CHD63]

Hi Cindy .....

Just curious.  Did the otolaryngologist/ENT order the MRI?  If so, surely they will move that appointment up sooner than May 2nd ..... unless what they are seeing is the same as it was on the last MRI.

I'm with Jim, though.  I would certainly call the doctor's office and ask some questions.

Many thoughts.  Clarice

[cin605]

My local ent ordered the mri....he is sending me to higher ent to deal w/.He is the guy that discovered my AN and he sent me to Dartmouth to remove.
Even when tumor was discovered i had to wait a month for an appointment...This is the only major hospital in NH to deal w/ these matters.
I made an appointment w/ my primary care...do not know if he can do any thing but..he should lookinto it .

[ombrerose4]

Hi Cindy,

I have to agree with Jim and Clarice- the doctors need to see you sooner than May. I would call again and explain that this shouldn't wait so long to be evaluated by the doctor. Be a pest if you have to    Please let us know how it goes.

[cin605]

I will try to call Dr.Anderson who ordered the mri and refered me to Dartmouth...maybe he can speed thing s up...if i remeber corectly i had to do this before.

[Mark241]

I had mastoiditis about 3 years ago, I took what was called a Technium scan, its a nuclear medicine bone scan, that show the extent of a bone infection, a mri wont show a infection of the bone. Depending on the extent, surgery followed by antibiotics via a picc line, is the normal course for a serious infection. If its just soft tissue infection, usually oral antibiotics are prescribed. I had to under go surgery and the picc, I wont sugar coat it, it sucks. I have to agree with the others, being told you may have an infection, and then wait for that long of a period is strange. Your primary Doc may be able to at least prescribe some ampiccillon or another oral anti body, prior to your next film to see if there is improvement or not. I'm sorry your going through this, and pray for the best outcome.

[cin605]

I just overnighted my mri to dartmouth...My ent there is leaving to go on vaca friday and wants to look at scan before he leaves......he will decide when i go there to see him.I hate this kind of stuff...I n a way i am hoping that they finally found the answer to all the crap thats going on...fullness,pain,inflamation of sugery site and neck...vertigo,nausea,smell sensitivity.i also have developed a lisp that comes and goes......it would all make some sense verses....this is the way you are going to feel the rest of your life becouse its post op BS and there is nothing we can do about it.

[CHD63]

Oh, Cindy .....

I do hope you have some answers soon!  Waiting is awful!!!

Many, many thoughts and prayers.

Clarice

[cin605]

Dartmouth took a look at my MRI and says he did not see any mastoiditis....i am confused becouse he said you can not see it by looking at an MRI but he know that i do not have it?
As far as the enhacing ....he said its just post op change.Wants to see me in May.
I am really glad he sees no regrowth,no mastoiditis but there is some thing going on to cause the fever...and vertigo,fullear and pain behind my ear.So its back to my primary to maybe get an antibiotic for bacterial infection.
i am a little frustrated that i go to get a second opinion and i end up w/ the first opinion no matter what.

[CHD63]

Cindy .....

Even though the opinion from Dartmouth was essentially the same on your MRI, you may still have an infection from an entirely different cause ..... so hopefully your primary care doc can uncover that cause and treat it accordingly.

Stay on top of this and if you do not feel better soon after getting something from your PCP, I would certainly entertain the thought of a third opinion.  You do not have to be miserable!  Do not let them give you the run around on this.

Many thoughts and prayers.

Clarice 

[cin605]

Thanks Clarice.....My PCP called in amoxcicillon for 2x a day for 10 days...hope it kicks whats in there.
HUGS!
Cindy

[kenneth_k]

Hi Cindy.

I hope the antibiotics do the trick:-)

I know that infection or other weird sensations around the incision site can make us jumpy.

Best regards, Kenneth

[Denise S]

Hey Cindy,

Your signature shows your surgery was 2008...you haven't had another since then, right?   I ended up with an MRI shortly after my surgery and was diagnosed with possible mastoiditis and a couple other odd things too (that were wrong).   Seems like some radiologists don't know how to read POST surgical cranial MRI's correctly.   That was what I was told by an ER physician AND by  2 different neurosurgeons.    I have had varying MRI readings that just don't match up.

I dont want to say that is what your radiologist did, but it is a thought...??   We pay for the radiologist, etc.  You may call the hospital and ask to talk with the reading radiologist and tell them what type of surgery you had, for what, and when.  And possibly if they can reread the scans.     Just another idea.    Who knows!!!     

 Good thing you were able to send them to your doctor before he left for vacation.     You seem to be pretty lucky with your primary care doctor.  I'm gonna need to be in the 'market' for a new one.  They don't seem to want to follow up with anything and they say they dont deal with chronic pain issues. grrr   

I have been following many of your other posts on the head pain stuff (since I experience head & neck pain) & sure hope you get some answers!!

Denise (MI)