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← Return to 3 yrs in remission H & N cancer - Experiencing ear discomfort
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3 yrs in remission H & N cancer - Experiencing ear discomfort
Head & Neck Cancer | Last Active: 3 days ago | Replies (12)Comment receiving replies
Haven’t had any real pain, but fullness in ear comes and goes. I’m also experiencing headaches resembling sinus headaches. I haven’t experienced any throat related pain which is encouraging from a “reoccurrence” standpoint. A little sidenote is I’m an habitual teeth grinder and have noticed within this last week that my jaw is clicking just a tad. I’ve never experienced TMJ before to my knowledge.
Replies to "Haven’t had any real pain, but fullness in ear comes and goes. I’m also experiencing headaches..."
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Coachlowe,
For the teeth grinding I would definitely get a mouth guard to wear when you go to bed at night. I picked up teeth grinding from stress from my first cancer diagnosis for tonsil cancer back in 2008. Thanks to my dentist noticing at one of my annual teeth cleanings that my teeth were being grinded down and suggested then the mouth guard- you can get one online or Walmart for like $15 or one from your dentist office but that will cost you some bucks.
For the ear discomfort, it could be that you have some lymphedema going on which I also picked up from my most recent Tongue cancer surgery in 2024 that included a modified neck dissection for lymph nodes on the same side. I go to a lymphedema physical therapist to help with that, and she is great. In addition, it helps with my neck pain and stiffness on tongue surgery side too. It's funny, when my neck pain and ear discomfort is minimal, it is a lot easier for me to swallowing when I eat or take pills.
Hope this helps. Good luck on the journey.