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Nose cartilage pain, no redness or swelling
Ear, Nose & Throat (ENT) | Last Active: Jun 30 1:25pm | Replies (89)Comment receiving replies
Hi guys, I think i'm in something of a similar situation here.
In June 2019 I began feeling pain in my nose what I assumed was Sinus pain. I didn't do much until a month later in July when I went to an urgent care and they said "yeah probably sinus infection" and I got what I think was a round of antibiotics and probably a steroid. That didn't end up doing anything, and the pain got steadily worse. I did basically the same thing a month later with a different urgent care, and in Sept i finally went to an ENT. They looked at it and said "doesn't look like much, take a Zyrtec, flush with this saline solution, use some sprays, etc". I did that for a few weeks with no results. I also got a Vicks steam making thing and religiously steamed my sinuses. While that was better than nothing, it had no lasting impact, leading me to believe that it wasn't related to dryness.
After another visit with that ENT, I visited the Ohio Sinus Institute in Dublin, OH. They seemed to be a reputable place to go for what I was experiencing. The Dr. Boris Karanfilov immediately did a CT scan and walked me through it showing me that i didn't have any congested passages, etc. Nothing visible that he noticed. He then ordered an MRI which I did and that also didn't show anything.
I also went to an allergist who ruled out any obvious allergies that could be causing my pain. My PCP suggested I ask for a scope, but the Sinus doc said there would be no point as he has already seen enough from the CT scan and MRI (So I haven't had a scope yet). The Sinus doc suggested going to a Neurologist, but I haven't at this point yet either.
My primary symptoms are pain on what feels like more of the outside of the bridge of my nose than anything. I have no real congestion, no drip, no redness or swelling, just pain that feels like almost a sunburn at times, sometimes tingly, and if anything i'd say its coming from the cartilege itself, not my "sinuses" internally. It is not 100% constant, and I even had a few weeks in January where I thought it might have gone away. My wife thinks that it is sort of created by my brain - Mind Body syndrome, Dr. Cerner, that kind of thing. Maybe stress related, etc?
Here's a few other things I am suspicious of that i'd like to get ruled out:
nasal Sarcoidosis
Relapsing Polychondritis
Multiple sclerosis
Nasal furunculosis
nasl staph infection.
I'd love to hear anyone elses thoughts about what I might have and what I should ask my doctors to look at. I'm not above going to the Mayo clinic, but as I'm in Ohio, Cleveland Clinic might happen first 😉
Thanks!
Replies to "Hi guys, I think i'm in something of a similar situation here. In June 2019 I..."
Hi @johnhudson922, I would like to add my welcome along with @lisalucier and other members. I'm glad to see you are advocating for your own health and searching for answers. The more we learn, the better we can communicate with our healthcare providers and hopefully the better the outcome. Here's some information I found that may be helpful if you have not already seen it.
Medical News Today -- Bridge of nose pain: Causes and how to treat it
-- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325224
Hi John, I have had very similar symptoms to you and have been diagnosed with mid segment facial pain. I was diagnosed years ago with non allergic rhinitis and also have a deviated septum. I have managed this quite well myself with occasional guaifenesin to thin the post nasal mucous and Beconase spray for the nasal passages. In addition I have been prone to Eustachian tube dysfunction but not to sinus infections. In October of last year my most started to feel "strange". as if it was swollen and a little tingly. I also had uncomfortable pressure over the bridge of my nose. This varied in intensity. After having seen three general practitioners and told I had sinusitis, I recently saw an ENT specialist who told me I have mid segment facial pain, a poorly understood syndrome believed to be caused by neuropathic pain. The pain receptors go on overdrive. So your wife is perhaps somewhat correct. This is "tricky" to treat apparently but responds well to low dose amitriptilline. This is one of the older drugs that in higher doses was used as an antidepressant before SSRIs became available. The specialist told me to manage the problem with over the counter pain killers unless my quality of life was being affected, in which case to try amitriptilline. He also prescribed Dymista nasal spray. He ordered a Cat Scan, to rule out sinusitis, but expects it to be normal. It has really helped me to have an idea of what is going on. The symptoms have improved somewhat. My nose starts out feeling "inflamed" but tends to improve during the day. I am keeping the amitriptilline as a next step if needed. Since it is a pain (more like ache) syndrome, I am also using meditation type "stuff" and I believe it helps Hope this helps you in your quest for answers. I know there are worse problems than these ENT issues but they can certainly make life miserable for us and the people around us!
Hi John!
I’m having the EXACT same problem as you describe. I’ve been to 2 ENT’s, have had CT scan, my husband is a physician. My issue started several week after getting hit in the bottom part of my nose with an oar. It’s now become a recurrent problem, perhaps relapsing polychondritis. I’m in so much discomfort. If you e figured something out please let me know! Thank you so much!!
-Lisa
Hi there ! I have the same exact thing going on rightnow and I’m really worried . Did you ever go see a neurologist? Or did you find out what you had ? Thank you !
Hello did you ever figure out what you have wrong? I have similar symptoms and I’ve been in pain for so long I’m desperate for answers.
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Hi, @johnhudson922 - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Nice to e-meet you. That would be frustrating to go to multiple doctors who don't come up with a diagnosis when you know something is wrong with this pain you have on the bridge of your nose. It took many years and doctor visits for me to finally get diagnosed - with a different diagnosis, asthma - as my chronic coughing could potentially be linked to a variety of diagnoses. It was a long journey.
Hoping members like @smallwonder @marinelastef @hispoet1 @heatherfeather @mateen will return and offer their support and ideas from their own experiences as you try and get some answers. I'd also like you to meet @johnbishop and @lioness.
What are you planning as your next step to try and get diagnosed, @johnhudson922?