New Age Torture...

It has been three months since the last surgery on my jaw. My jaw has been better although I still have one spot at the angle of my jaw, a little too deep to get to through my mouth. Otherwise my jaw has been doing good.

My other symptoms are unchanged. Possibly worse. Some days worse than others. Some nights I don't think that I am going to wake up the next morning. Some nights I beg and pray to God that I don't..

I continue to have stabbing pain in my left ear. I have worked on my TMJ with ultrasound and stretching. My jaw is looser, but the pain did not subside. So I am quite sure it is not TMJ dysfunction. I have previously been put on antibiotics (twice) for the symptoms. They resolved temporarily. I have tried a lot of holistic treatments, also with temporary relief. Last week I tried a supplement that I have previously used to promote lymphatic drainage and then used Ibuprofen too (which I rarely take), it amazingly helped dramatically  Sounds great, right? NO I had finally caved and made an appointment with an ENT. And when you see an ENT, you want your symptoms to be there or they really don't believe there is a problem!!  The break from the symptoms was great, but the timing couldn't have been worse!

Where I am working right now, medical care is limited. There is one ENT that travels to this area once a month. I didn't bring my car with me, so it is not easy to leave this area. I am working 5 days a week and have my own patients to deal with, so time off is very discouraged. So like I said, I caved.

I went to the only option...he barely evaluated me. Didn't take vitals. Briefly looked in my nose, ears and mouth. I told him that my antitragus was swollen and got an anatomy lesson on the neonatal origination of the folds of the ears.

Then he told me that there is "NO way THOSE ears are infected".  Ok yes I am a Q-tip abuser and I have been trying lots of holistic remedies in my ears. You could eat out of my ears!! Then he said that I needed a temporal CT. I asked what the CT would be looking at. I was trying to find out if it included the internal auditory canal and what structures would be seen. Instead he said that he would be looking for a tumor. Well okay so whenever a CT is done, ultimately they are looking for a tumor or other abnormalities. The response did not surprise me, except it wasn't what I was asking and didn't answer the question. I pushed further about the internal auditory canal. Then he said an audiogram would find a tumor in the internal auditory canal. He then proceeded to carry on about audiograms, so I asked if he was still going to order the temporal CT. He said that yes I needed both. I told him "great this will be so much easier to deal with when I know for sure that nothing extra was growing in my head".

I left, went back to work. With in 2 hours the audiologist called me and scheduled an appointment. She seemed to know that I was going to get a CT also. I scheduled the audiogram for next week and then I waited. By Monday, I still hadn't heard from the hospital to schedule a CT. I waited until later in the day and then called the doctor's office. They told me, that the doctor's notes weren't done yet. Ok, I'm in the medical field, I understand being overwhelmed by notes. So I asked them to make a note so he would not forget to order the temporal CT.

That was Monday, this is Thursday and I still haven't heard from them.

WHAT kind of person/doctor does that?? Who tells you that they know it is not an infection, it's likely a brain tumor of sorts and then doesn't order the CT scan that could rule it out!

I am so frustrated!! How can one person have such bad luck with doctors???

So I went and made an appointment with a local family doctor for next Wednesday and I guess I will call the ENT's office tomorrow.

However, if you are a doctor and reading this, all I need is a referral for a temporal CT.

Here's my current symptoms:
-Pain, pressure and fullness in the left ear, feels deep inside
-Swelling and redness of the left antitragus
-Pressure and sometimes pain in the temporal area of my head
-Tingling in the temporal area that intermittently goes into the left eye
-Congestion and swelling of the sinus on the left, all the way around the left eye
-Intermittent blurred vision and hearing loss on the left
-Terrible memory
-Intermittent difficulty forming thoughts
-Soreness down the left side of the throat
-Itchiness of the throat and left eye
-Waves of severe nausea, that just started in the last two weeks
-Possibly a low grade temp
-Possibly swelling in the left face
-Pressure below the ear increases pressure in the ear, feels like fluid displaces into the ear or the tissues around the ear.
-Intense sensitivity to noise in the left ear
-Sensitivity to foul oders
-Left eye waters
-Fatigue that is only cured with caffeine.
-I'm miserable...

If anyone can help, get me a referral for the CT that would be great.

If anyone knows a competent ENT or neurologist in the Anacortes, WA to north Seattle area that is experienced with osteomyelitis patients it would be helpful.

If you would like to tell me your problems, please wait.  I feel for you, really I do, but I do not have the mental energy to take on your problems. I am barely dealing with my own..

Thank you for reading..