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Extreme outer ear pain: What can it be?
Please....someone help me.
I’ve visited my allergist, an ear-nose-throat specialist and my own internist.
None of them have ever heard of my problem and don’t know how to help me.
Started approx 20 yrs ago, Every couple of months I would get an awful pain on one of my ears if I had been laying on it during the night. It would happen to either ear, whichever one I laid on.
To describe the pain. It is so intense that it wakes me. Pain is NOT inside the ear but around the edges of the entrance of it. It is so painful, I can’t touch it. It will be throbbing. It also hurts tremendously behind, towards the bottom back of the ear. Can’t touch that either. The only thing that will make it go away is when I then get up and stand and within approx 30 min it is gone. I even tested it by massaging behind the ear (once I could bear to touch it) and it seemed to make pain go away faster.
The last approx 3 years, I have no longer been able to even lay on either ear when in bed because now the pain will come every time. I have learned to sleep on my back. Sometimes I would still move onto my side during night, and wake up with pain.
For last 6 months, I’ve been having pressure and achy feeling around one of the ears, even while laying on my back. Then I started getting the pain even while sleeping on my back.
I am very much afraid that the day will come when I will no longer be able to lay down in my bed to go to sleep.
I am desperate to get to the bottom of this and perhaps for first time in 20 years be able to comfortably lay on my side in bed.
My ENT doctor said my ears are healthy .... i have no hearing loss.
This ear pain, however, is starting to affect my daily living, since I don’t seem to be able to get the restful sleep I need.
I will be forever grateful if someone could pinpoint this. thanks.
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Thank you
You know I hunk I sometimes get that too - is around the outer edge of the ear so would have nothing to do with an ear infection, my opinion. Maybe it's something you eat ? Maybe it's like gout of the ear? Mine only comes infrequently, usually in the morning when I am waking up and feel the pain. No clue. Also no clue how, when my eyes run constantly, sometimes there are actual salt crystals under my eyes. I showed my primary and he had no answer. My body is producing and ridding itself of salt !!!!!
Update: am severely allergic. Allergy dr suggested I double up on allergy
pills when flying due to having severe allergy attack day after landing. I
did and for some reason continued with double dose next 2 yrs.
I noticed then that one ear no longer hurting. Month later other ear
stopped. Ent told me several months prior that behind ears is an area of
cartilage that can inflame. Although he had no method to fix it.
I believe that the doubling of allergy pills removed inflammation. Tested
it by going back to one allergy pill. Within 2 days pain was coming back.
Today I'm free from pain. I can lay on my ears again and have for several
yrs now.
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2 ReactionsJust wondering whether you are taking any medication for the pain? Have you gone back to your doctor and really insisted that this pain is impacting your every day life, what does he/she propose. There are medications that are not opioids, non steroidal anti-inflammatoires, or steroids that can reduce or control pain caused by inflammation. Personally I take amitriptyline and pregabalin for my condition that is very painful because of nerve damage and inflammation. These medications control my pain very effectively. However some people can’t take these medications and I am not a medical professional and I am not suggesting that you do, just have a discussion with your doctor about the extent of your pain and it’s impact on your life and see what is recommended for you.
I’ve been having this problem for several years. It is the worst pain ever. It feels like someone just clocked ya right in the ear. It feels deeply bruised and traumatized. Don’t even try to touch it! I thought my pillow was too rough for my ear. Actually it was very soft. I got ( some, not much) relief from wrapping a fuzzy soft sock around my ear.
I finally gave up. I blame it on old age as just another one of those things they neglect to tell you.
Same… was in and off for years now it’s constant when I sleep. I have been to multiple ear doctors, and recently tried acupuncture. NO ONE ever has an answer and looks at me like I’m making this up. The only relief I have is using the Pillow with a Hole. It’s on Amazon and comes from England. It does work as long as during the night you turn and your ear doesn’t pop out of the indented hole.
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1 ReactionMy cancer was in my external ear canal and invading bone, causing a terrible pain around ear 24 hours a day. I went through several ENTs and finally requested a referral to a teaching hospital where I finally got a diagnosis. Your chronic pain is not likely to be cancer, but my message is to keep trying until you get an answer. One thing that really helped me sleep at night was a little pain patch from the drugstore called Salonpas. I would cut the small one so that it would fit up below my ear and stick in front and behind. Those simple little things allowed me to sleep at night, along with Tylenol or Ibuprofen. 11 years later and multiple surgeries and now immunotherapy, and no ear pain at night. I hope your solution is much easier than that. Good luck.
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1 ReactionI have the same thing. Wakes me up. It's red in lobe and outer rim of ear.
I have the same thing. The pain is excruciating. I have seen several doctors, including an ENT, but everybody just looks at me like I'm nuts. My son told me about something called red ear syndrome, but I don't know anything about it, so should probably do some research. I use the ear pillows from Amazon and it certainly helps. I noticed they have a new style that I plan to try, as well.
Me again! I've been doing some research, and I'm wondering if anybody with this ear pain has been checked for a Temporomandibular joint issue (TMJ.) This came up as a side issue to something else, but when I checked it out, it just may be something worth pursuing. I'm going to check with my dentist, because he is the only one who seems to know anything about TMJ.