I'm not sure where my history began. When I was about 14 years old, I was in a car accident where I hit my maxilla (upper jaw) on the dashboard hard enough to dent the dashboard and make a few small fractures above my front teeth. My osteomyelitis history may have started then.
In 2008, I started having pain in the far back of my mouth on the right. It felt like the bone was swelling. I was referred to an oral surgeon at the time and he dismissed my complaints as "normal anatomy" without taking X-rays or ordering an MRI, CT or bone scan.
In 2009, I began having a feeling of pressure between teeth #2 and #3. If I did not floss my teeth daily I would get a headache. I let it go, as I figured once again it would be dismissed as a figment of my imagination.
Finally in May 2010. I went to my dentist of many years (Shierling and Woodham in Cape Coral, FL). I told them about the pressure between 2 and 3 and that I felt run down, had no energy and thought I had a tooth infection.
X-rays were done which indicated a cavity above the crown on #3. Dr. Woodham cut my gums medially to get to the cavity; the cavity was drilled out and filled. As soon as I ate, I started packing food where he had cut the gums. I waited hoping the gums just needed to heal. They didn't.
In the end of June (June 29, 2010), I was still packing food. My gums around where I was packing the food had become very sore and red and #2 tooth anterior/medially was really hurting, so I went back to the dentist. I saw Dr. Shierling. He took off the crown on #3, drilled out the cavity and put on a temporary crown with permanent cement as I would be out of town for 3 weeks.
I was still packing food and still had the pressure between the teeth. In the end of July (July 27), I went back to Dr. Shierling in Cape Coral, FL, he put on the permanent crown tight to the gums. I still was packing food. My gums between 2 & 3 were very red and sore. I had ongoing pressure between the teeth, which was increasing, #2 was bothering me significantly more now and I was feeling sicker. I waited, again hoping the gums would heal or something.
I went back to the dentist in mid- September (Sept 14, 2010) with the same symptoms, he wanted to re-do the crown. I told him that I thought he was working on the wrong tooth. I felt #2 was the problem, not 3 and that I had a tooth infection, because I was sick. He became frustrated and gave me a prescription for antibiotics, oxycodone and a referral to the endodontist.
I went to the endodontist (Richard Michaurd, DMD, in the end of Sept. He said there was an abscess between 2 and 3 going around the root of 3 and 3 was going to have to be extracted. He sent me to the oral surgeon.
On Oct 2, 2010, the right side of my face swelled up (BEFORE going to the oral surgeon). I started taking the antibiotics (Amoxicillin) that Dr. Shierling prescribed which decreased the swelling some, but not completely.
On Oct 5, 2010, I saw Dr. Tejera, DMD, MD, with Southwest Florida Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Center in Fort Myers, FL. I asked him to evaluate #2. He looked at it and said it was fine and #3 was extracted. Dr. Tejera was extremely rough during the extraction. Never having had an extraction before, I didn't know how unnecessarily rough he was until a later date.
The swelling in the right side of my face and jaw went down for a few days after the extraction and then returned. The other symptoms did not change at all. I was still very tired and what felt like a lump in the bone that I wanted to dig out with my tongue. The antibiotics ran out and the right side of my face swelled more. It progressed up behind my right eye and into my temple.
I went to an ENT. Dr. Phillip Andrews. He told me tooth infections are complicated and put me on more antibiotics Cefuroxime Axetil 500 mg. The swelling went down a little for about 3 days and then came back. (Now I know this is because it was a parasitic infection, not bacterial, so no antibiotics were going to help).
I went back to the oral surgeon, Dr. Tejera, DMD, MD. He told me that the socket looked fine and that he “is only a mechanic” (and not a very good one). He only pulls teeth. He referred me to the facial pain specialist in his office, Dr. Sachs.
Dr Sachs stated that it was probably a nerve problem or "fibromyalgia of the face" (which BTW doesn't exist) and prescribed Lyrica and ordered a CT of the sinuses.
The next day I had gallbladder surgery (I now believe that my gallbladder failed from the overload of toxins created by the osteomyelitis). The surgeon gave me IV antibiotics during the surgery which helped my jaw for about 1 ½ weeks.
About a week after the gallbladder surgery, I had the CT of the sinuses.
Then the IV antibiotics “wore off” and the problem came back (because it wasn't bacterial) and I once again felt like there was a dowel rod going from my mouth into my right eye.
I went to a new dentist for another opinion, Dr. Christy in N. Fort Myers, FL. He found nothing wrong with #2. Was pretty rude and told me that he would not pull a perfectly good tooth. He sent me back to the endodontist.
The endodontist, Richard Michaurd again found nothing wrong, but said I could get it extracted and see if it helped.
I went back to Dr. Sachs. I hadn't taken the Lyrica that he prescribed, because I knew that fibromyalgia of the face isn't even a real problem and knew that it wasn't just a nerve problem. Dr. Sachs was displeased with me for not taking the Lyrica. And told me that he had 42 years experience, so I should question his opinion. Despite that he told me that he would talk to Dr. Streeter, another oral surgeon in his office. He also stated that Dr. Streeter would not pull a perfectly good tooth. I told him that if he didn't pull it, I would pull it myself, but would rather have it done the right way.
By now it is November 2010, Dr Streeter completed the extraction. I felt instant relief in the pressure in my head. The rod going up into my right eye was gone.
After a few days though my face was still swollen so I went to my MD. He put me on antibiotics again (Augmenten 875 mg BID).
The Augmenten helped for a few days then my gums around the #2 socket (medially) became really sore and I pulled a piece of bone or tooth out of the medial sidewall of the socket. This was the same area where the initial procedure was done where they cut my gums and drilled out the cavity and then I began packing food.
Once the piece of bone or tooth came out, it felt much better, but then lateral side of the socket was hurting. The gums were swollen. I could feel an open sore and bone sticking out through the gums and I was feeling really sick again.
Throughout all of this, I continued to work 80-120 hours a week, as I owned and operated an outpatient physical therapy clinic.
I was perpetually dizzy. The vertigo was so bad that the room would tilt frequently and I would hold myself up on the treatment table while working on a patient. The right side of my face was swollen and the pressure behind my right eye was so bad that I went to the optometrist several times to have the pressure checked. And then there was the lump of hard bone (that felt like it was the size of a golf ball) in the right maxilla that I wanted to dig out with my tongue. And of course there was also a complete lack of energy.
In the beginning of December 2010, I lost my voice. I had no idea where to go at this point. I went to the optometrist again and asked him if he could get me in to see a friend of his which is a dentist, Dr. Richard Chumbler. I then went to see Dr. Chumbler for his opinion. He did a panoramic x-ray. He felt it was either a perforated sinus from the extraction or osteomyelitis. He referred me back to the oral surgeon, Dr. Streeter.
Before going to the oral surgeon, I was feeling around in my mouth were it was swollen. I pushed in to see if there was an abscess, trying to get it to drain. The lateral sidewalls of the sockets from 2&3 caved in. I felt a pinching and felt really nauseous. It felt like the abscess pushed in between the bone and the lateral side walls of the sockets caved in.
I saw the oral surgeon, Dr. Streeter,DMD. He looked in my mouth and I heard a gasp. He mumbled something about bone remodels all the time. He did not touch the area where the sidewalls caved in even though I felt there was still an abscess in there or something. He focused on one area where the bone was sticking out through the gums. He shaved it down and stitched the gums up. He did not ask any questions and did not evaluate anything else although there are a couple of other areas where the bone was almost sticking through. He did offer to send the bone in as a bone biopsy. I agreed that this was a good idea and asked him to please send the bone in. HE then decided that he didn’t need to send the bone in as it "looked" fine. He didn’t give me any more antibiotics and when he found out that I was allergic to Vicodin, he didn’t offer anything else for pain despite having just done a minor bone debridement.
So all of my symptoms persisted, I went to see my family doctor. He put me back on Augmentum and ordered a Tri- phasic bone scan. I had to wait a week to have the bone scan. The report then stated that it was “worrisome possibly for osteomyelitis”. (Of course I have known this now for months due to my own research, but could not get the correct diagnosis from any of those doctors).
So after all that, the gums between the sockets of #2 and #3 medially and laterally were really hurting and the same area was swollen. The roof of my mouth on the right was swollen and hurting down into my throat. Medially in the #2 socket it felt like there was a hole where the piece of bone came out of and hurt. My jaw bone was hurting and the right side of my face up into my temple hurt. The right side of my nose ran frequently. My throat was still hoarse. I was run down, tired, very nauseous, dizzy, light headed, easily confused and had a headache on the right. Sometimes felt like I was going to pass out, vomit or die. I had little appetite and it hurt to swallow, on the right. When I ate or brushed my teeth, the gums and bone by #2 and #3 absorbed the food and swelled up even more. The pressure and pain would further intensify.
By Dec 18, 2010, the swelling, pain and pressure seemed to be spreading into the back of my mouth on the right, sometimes appeared to come forward toward my remaining teeth. Then my neck on the right became very stiff, my right shoulder started hurting, then my right elbow and both wrists. My upper back was getting stiff. I was coughing a lot and hyper sensitive to smells. The thought of food made me nauseous. I felt like the infection was going down the whole right side of my body and I thought I was becoming septic despite still being on Augmentum. .
I went to the ER at Charlotte Regional Hospital. I was admitted and put on Clindamycin HCL 450 mg every 8 hours, via IV. About 22 hours later I saw Dr. Watine. He ordered blood work and cultures were done. (This should be done before administering antibiotics by the way or the infection may not show up in the blood). The Clindamycin HCL was increased to 600 mg every 6 hours and an MRI of my facial bones and cervical spine was done (about 36 hours after starting the IV antibiotics). The MRI came back showing and area of increased signal intensity that was being considered as osteomyelitis “since they don’t know what else to call it right now”. I saw an infectious disease doctor, Dr. Nandini Kiri, who recommended that I see an oral surgeon for debridement and a bone biopsy. A local oral surgeon came in and briefly evaluated me and said that she could do a bone biopsy and debridement, but upon further questioning I discovered that she had little experience with osteomyelitis.
I was discharged from the hospital with a prescription for Clindamycin HCL 300 mg – one capsule every 6 hours. The IV antibiotics had relieved all of the pain and swelling in my right maxilla and face, while I was on them. They relieved my dizziness, shoulder, elbow, wrists and upper back pain. With just the oral antibiotics at ½ the dose of the IV antibiotics, the swelling in my face slowly returned. The pain in the right maxilla and hard palate gradually increased again. My face swelled on the right again. My gums on the upper right became swollen and sore again. A bone that was nearly protruding through the gums came all the way through the gums. The hard palate on the right hurts, especially by 2&3 where the initial problems were. The maxillary pain intensified. My mandible on the right and right ear became very painful and I started having trouble hearing. The dizziness and head pain returned.
While in the hospital, I searched for maxillofacial surgeons that specialize in osteomyelitis. I called several I found in Florida and they all told me that they didn't have openings for new patient consultations until the end of March (It was still Dec 2010).
I found an orthopedic doctor in San Diego, CA that specialized in osteomyelitis and emailed him. I asked him who he would recommend to treat osteomyelitis of the jaw. With in an hour he emailed me back and gave me the name of an oral surgeon that works him. I called the doctor in San Diego, Dr. Berger. He had an opening on Jan 4, 2011. I took the appointment.
I flew out to San Diego, from Florida to see Dr. Berger. He gave me a "soft diagnosis" of osteomyelitis of the jaw based on my reaction to antibiotics. He could do the debridement in 2 weeks, but recommended that I stay closer to home. He recommended me to a doctor in Charlotte, NC. They then recommended me to Dr. Robert Marx in Miami. I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Marx on Feb. 1, 2011.
On Mon, Jan 10, 2011, I was very dizzy. I felt drunk. My right ear was hurting more than normal, the right side of my face was swollen and I had a lot of pressure behind my right eye. I saw the optometrist to check the pressure in my right eye and he said it was fine.
Tues I went to another ENT about my ear. He said he thought the pain in my ear was referred despite the fact that if I push on my ear it hurt. The pain was deep in the ear canal and I was having trouble hearing. The ENT referred me to an infectious disease doctor. Dr. Doug Brust, in Fort Myers, Fl.
On Wednesday, Jan 12, 2011, I met Dr. Brust. He was very nice and listened to my history. He then referred me to a neurologist prior to any additional oral surgery.
I went to see the neurologist, Dr. Chris Marino, in Fort Myers, Fl. He recommended that I have an MRI of my brain and internal auditory canal, in order to check the cranial nerves better and the inner ear. I followed up with him after the testing was done and he reported that he did not think the problems were neurological at all. (Like I had been saying for months).
Dr. Brust, the infectious disease doctor also referred me to Dr. Marx. Dr. Marx's claim to fame is that he is an oral surgeon associated with the University of Miami and he wrote a text book on Osteomyelitis. (Just never read it). He is supposedly the number one doctor for osteomyelitis in the country.
My appointment with him was on Tuesday, Feb 1, 2011. I continued to be on antibiotics, Clindamycin 300 mg, 4 times a day. My right upper jaw still was swollen and painful. The right lower jaw pain was progressing. My right ear, cheek bone and my head above my ear throbbed, especially in the morning and at night. The antibiotics make me nauseous. I'm was still intermittently dizzy and the hearing in my right ear was still diminished.
Please see ongoing posts for my continuing history.
In future posts I will tell you how horrible my experience with Dr. Marx was and how Dr.Brust also ended up being a complete jerk, violated HIPPA laws and slandered me to all of my other doctors.
I left Florida for over 2 years to go to Washington state. Now I am back in Florida and still don't feel that I can see my family doctor (of over 15 yrs) because of the damage caused to my reputation by Dr. Brust.
Dr. Brust, Marx and all of the doctors at Southwest Oral and Facial Surgery in Fort Myers Florida should be avoided at all cost as they are (in my opinion) completely uncaring, arrogant and incompetent.
In 2008, I started having pain in the far back of my mouth on the right. It felt like the bone was swelling. I was referred to an oral surgeon at the time and he dismissed my complaints as "normal anatomy" without taking X-rays or ordering an MRI, CT or bone scan.
In 2009, I began having a feeling of pressure between teeth #2 and #3. If I did not floss my teeth daily I would get a headache. I let it go, as I figured once again it would be dismissed as a figment of my imagination.
Finally in May 2010. I went to my dentist of many years (Shierling and Woodham in Cape Coral, FL). I told them about the pressure between 2 and 3 and that I felt run down, had no energy and thought I had a tooth infection.
X-rays were done which indicated a cavity above the crown on #3. Dr. Woodham cut my gums medially to get to the cavity; the cavity was drilled out and filled. As soon as I ate, I started packing food where he had cut the gums. I waited hoping the gums just needed to heal. They didn't.
In the end of June (June 29, 2010), I was still packing food. My gums around where I was packing the food had become very sore and red and #2 tooth anterior/medially was really hurting, so I went back to the dentist. I saw Dr. Shierling. He took off the crown on #3, drilled out the cavity and put on a temporary crown with permanent cement as I would be out of town for 3 weeks.
I was still packing food and still had the pressure between the teeth. In the end of July (July 27), I went back to Dr. Shierling in Cape Coral, FL, he put on the permanent crown tight to the gums. I still was packing food. My gums between 2 & 3 were very red and sore. I had ongoing pressure between the teeth, which was increasing, #2 was bothering me significantly more now and I was feeling sicker. I waited, again hoping the gums would heal or something.
I went back to the dentist in mid- September (Sept 14, 2010) with the same symptoms, he wanted to re-do the crown. I told him that I thought he was working on the wrong tooth. I felt #2 was the problem, not 3 and that I had a tooth infection, because I was sick. He became frustrated and gave me a prescription for antibiotics, oxycodone and a referral to the endodontist.
I went to the endodontist (Richard Michaurd, DMD, in the end of Sept. He said there was an abscess between 2 and 3 going around the root of 3 and 3 was going to have to be extracted. He sent me to the oral surgeon.
On Oct 2, 2010, the right side of my face swelled up (BEFORE going to the oral surgeon). I started taking the antibiotics (Amoxicillin) that Dr. Shierling prescribed which decreased the swelling some, but not completely.
On Oct 5, 2010, I saw Dr. Tejera, DMD, MD, with Southwest Florida Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Center in Fort Myers, FL. I asked him to evaluate #2. He looked at it and said it was fine and #3 was extracted. Dr. Tejera was extremely rough during the extraction. Never having had an extraction before, I didn't know how unnecessarily rough he was until a later date.
The swelling in the right side of my face and jaw went down for a few days after the extraction and then returned. The other symptoms did not change at all. I was still very tired and what felt like a lump in the bone that I wanted to dig out with my tongue. The antibiotics ran out and the right side of my face swelled more. It progressed up behind my right eye and into my temple.
I went to an ENT. Dr. Phillip Andrews. He told me tooth infections are complicated and put me on more antibiotics Cefuroxime Axetil 500 mg. The swelling went down a little for about 3 days and then came back. (Now I know this is because it was a parasitic infection, not bacterial, so no antibiotics were going to help).
I went back to the oral surgeon, Dr. Tejera, DMD, MD. He told me that the socket looked fine and that he “is only a mechanic” (and not a very good one). He only pulls teeth. He referred me to the facial pain specialist in his office, Dr. Sachs.
Dr Sachs stated that it was probably a nerve problem or "fibromyalgia of the face" (which BTW doesn't exist) and prescribed Lyrica and ordered a CT of the sinuses.
The next day I had gallbladder surgery (I now believe that my gallbladder failed from the overload of toxins created by the osteomyelitis). The surgeon gave me IV antibiotics during the surgery which helped my jaw for about 1 ½ weeks.
About a week after the gallbladder surgery, I had the CT of the sinuses.
Then the IV antibiotics “wore off” and the problem came back (because it wasn't bacterial) and I once again felt like there was a dowel rod going from my mouth into my right eye.
I went to a new dentist for another opinion, Dr. Christy in N. Fort Myers, FL. He found nothing wrong with #2. Was pretty rude and told me that he would not pull a perfectly good tooth. He sent me back to the endodontist.
The endodontist, Richard Michaurd again found nothing wrong, but said I could get it extracted and see if it helped.
I went back to Dr. Sachs. I hadn't taken the Lyrica that he prescribed, because I knew that fibromyalgia of the face isn't even a real problem and knew that it wasn't just a nerve problem. Dr. Sachs was displeased with me for not taking the Lyrica. And told me that he had 42 years experience, so I should question his opinion. Despite that he told me that he would talk to Dr. Streeter, another oral surgeon in his office. He also stated that Dr. Streeter would not pull a perfectly good tooth. I told him that if he didn't pull it, I would pull it myself, but would rather have it done the right way.
By now it is November 2010, Dr Streeter completed the extraction. I felt instant relief in the pressure in my head. The rod going up into my right eye was gone.
After a few days though my face was still swollen so I went to my MD. He put me on antibiotics again (Augmenten 875 mg BID).
The Augmenten helped for a few days then my gums around the #2 socket (medially) became really sore and I pulled a piece of bone or tooth out of the medial sidewall of the socket. This was the same area where the initial procedure was done where they cut my gums and drilled out the cavity and then I began packing food.
Once the piece of bone or tooth came out, it felt much better, but then lateral side of the socket was hurting. The gums were swollen. I could feel an open sore and bone sticking out through the gums and I was feeling really sick again.
Throughout all of this, I continued to work 80-120 hours a week, as I owned and operated an outpatient physical therapy clinic.
I was perpetually dizzy. The vertigo was so bad that the room would tilt frequently and I would hold myself up on the treatment table while working on a patient. The right side of my face was swollen and the pressure behind my right eye was so bad that I went to the optometrist several times to have the pressure checked. And then there was the lump of hard bone (that felt like it was the size of a golf ball) in the right maxilla that I wanted to dig out with my tongue. And of course there was also a complete lack of energy.
In the beginning of December 2010, I lost my voice. I had no idea where to go at this point. I went to the optometrist again and asked him if he could get me in to see a friend of his which is a dentist, Dr. Richard Chumbler. I then went to see Dr. Chumbler for his opinion. He did a panoramic x-ray. He felt it was either a perforated sinus from the extraction or osteomyelitis. He referred me back to the oral surgeon, Dr. Streeter.
Before going to the oral surgeon, I was feeling around in my mouth were it was swollen. I pushed in to see if there was an abscess, trying to get it to drain. The lateral sidewalls of the sockets from 2&3 caved in. I felt a pinching and felt really nauseous. It felt like the abscess pushed in between the bone and the lateral side walls of the sockets caved in.
I saw the oral surgeon, Dr. Streeter,DMD. He looked in my mouth and I heard a gasp. He mumbled something about bone remodels all the time. He did not touch the area where the sidewalls caved in even though I felt there was still an abscess in there or something. He focused on one area where the bone was sticking out through the gums. He shaved it down and stitched the gums up. He did not ask any questions and did not evaluate anything else although there are a couple of other areas where the bone was almost sticking through. He did offer to send the bone in as a bone biopsy. I agreed that this was a good idea and asked him to please send the bone in. HE then decided that he didn’t need to send the bone in as it "looked" fine. He didn’t give me any more antibiotics and when he found out that I was allergic to Vicodin, he didn’t offer anything else for pain despite having just done a minor bone debridement.
So all of my symptoms persisted, I went to see my family doctor. He put me back on Augmentum and ordered a Tri- phasic bone scan. I had to wait a week to have the bone scan. The report then stated that it was “worrisome possibly for osteomyelitis”. (Of course I have known this now for months due to my own research, but could not get the correct diagnosis from any of those doctors).
So after all that, the gums between the sockets of #2 and #3 medially and laterally were really hurting and the same area was swollen. The roof of my mouth on the right was swollen and hurting down into my throat. Medially in the #2 socket it felt like there was a hole where the piece of bone came out of and hurt. My jaw bone was hurting and the right side of my face up into my temple hurt. The right side of my nose ran frequently. My throat was still hoarse. I was run down, tired, very nauseous, dizzy, light headed, easily confused and had a headache on the right. Sometimes felt like I was going to pass out, vomit or die. I had little appetite and it hurt to swallow, on the right. When I ate or brushed my teeth, the gums and bone by #2 and #3 absorbed the food and swelled up even more. The pressure and pain would further intensify.
By Dec 18, 2010, the swelling, pain and pressure seemed to be spreading into the back of my mouth on the right, sometimes appeared to come forward toward my remaining teeth. Then my neck on the right became very stiff, my right shoulder started hurting, then my right elbow and both wrists. My upper back was getting stiff. I was coughing a lot and hyper sensitive to smells. The thought of food made me nauseous. I felt like the infection was going down the whole right side of my body and I thought I was becoming septic despite still being on Augmentum. .
I went to the ER at Charlotte Regional Hospital. I was admitted and put on Clindamycin HCL 450 mg every 8 hours, via IV. About 22 hours later I saw Dr. Watine. He ordered blood work and cultures were done. (This should be done before administering antibiotics by the way or the infection may not show up in the blood). The Clindamycin HCL was increased to 600 mg every 6 hours and an MRI of my facial bones and cervical spine was done (about 36 hours after starting the IV antibiotics). The MRI came back showing and area of increased signal intensity that was being considered as osteomyelitis “since they don’t know what else to call it right now”. I saw an infectious disease doctor, Dr. Nandini Kiri, who recommended that I see an oral surgeon for debridement and a bone biopsy. A local oral surgeon came in and briefly evaluated me and said that she could do a bone biopsy and debridement, but upon further questioning I discovered that she had little experience with osteomyelitis.
I was discharged from the hospital with a prescription for Clindamycin HCL 300 mg – one capsule every 6 hours. The IV antibiotics had relieved all of the pain and swelling in my right maxilla and face, while I was on them. They relieved my dizziness, shoulder, elbow, wrists and upper back pain. With just the oral antibiotics at ½ the dose of the IV antibiotics, the swelling in my face slowly returned. The pain in the right maxilla and hard palate gradually increased again. My face swelled on the right again. My gums on the upper right became swollen and sore again. A bone that was nearly protruding through the gums came all the way through the gums. The hard palate on the right hurts, especially by 2&3 where the initial problems were. The maxillary pain intensified. My mandible on the right and right ear became very painful and I started having trouble hearing. The dizziness and head pain returned.
While in the hospital, I searched for maxillofacial surgeons that specialize in osteomyelitis. I called several I found in Florida and they all told me that they didn't have openings for new patient consultations until the end of March (It was still Dec 2010).
I found an orthopedic doctor in San Diego, CA that specialized in osteomyelitis and emailed him. I asked him who he would recommend to treat osteomyelitis of the jaw. With in an hour he emailed me back and gave me the name of an oral surgeon that works him. I called the doctor in San Diego, Dr. Berger. He had an opening on Jan 4, 2011. I took the appointment.
I flew out to San Diego, from Florida to see Dr. Berger. He gave me a "soft diagnosis" of osteomyelitis of the jaw based on my reaction to antibiotics. He could do the debridement in 2 weeks, but recommended that I stay closer to home. He recommended me to a doctor in Charlotte, NC. They then recommended me to Dr. Robert Marx in Miami. I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Marx on Feb. 1, 2011.
On Mon, Jan 10, 2011, I was very dizzy. I felt drunk. My right ear was hurting more than normal, the right side of my face was swollen and I had a lot of pressure behind my right eye. I saw the optometrist to check the pressure in my right eye and he said it was fine.
Tues I went to another ENT about my ear. He said he thought the pain in my ear was referred despite the fact that if I push on my ear it hurt. The pain was deep in the ear canal and I was having trouble hearing. The ENT referred me to an infectious disease doctor. Dr. Doug Brust, in Fort Myers, Fl.
On Wednesday, Jan 12, 2011, I met Dr. Brust. He was very nice and listened to my history. He then referred me to a neurologist prior to any additional oral surgery.
I went to see the neurologist, Dr. Chris Marino, in Fort Myers, Fl. He recommended that I have an MRI of my brain and internal auditory canal, in order to check the cranial nerves better and the inner ear. I followed up with him after the testing was done and he reported that he did not think the problems were neurological at all. (Like I had been saying for months).
Dr. Brust, the infectious disease doctor also referred me to Dr. Marx. Dr. Marx's claim to fame is that he is an oral surgeon associated with the University of Miami and he wrote a text book on Osteomyelitis. (Just never read it). He is supposedly the number one doctor for osteomyelitis in the country.
My appointment with him was on Tuesday, Feb 1, 2011. I continued to be on antibiotics, Clindamycin 300 mg, 4 times a day. My right upper jaw still was swollen and painful. The right lower jaw pain was progressing. My right ear, cheek bone and my head above my ear throbbed, especially in the morning and at night. The antibiotics make me nauseous. I'm was still intermittently dizzy and the hearing in my right ear was still diminished.
Please see ongoing posts for my continuing history.
In future posts I will tell you how horrible my experience with Dr. Marx was and how Dr.Brust also ended up being a complete jerk, violated HIPPA laws and slandered me to all of my other doctors.
I left Florida for over 2 years to go to Washington state. Now I am back in Florida and still don't feel that I can see my family doctor (of over 15 yrs) because of the damage caused to my reputation by Dr. Brust.
Dr. Brust, Marx and all of the doctors at Southwest Oral and Facial Surgery in Fort Myers Florida should be avoided at all cost as they are (in my opinion) completely uncaring, arrogant and incompetent.
