ellienewfan
@ellienewfan
@ellienewfan
Posts: 10
Joined: Feb 04, 2013
extreme outer ear pain
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.
Liked by Gail, Alumna Mentor, lioness
karenwithnomoreearpain
@karenwithnomoreearpain
@karenwithnomoreearpain
Posts: 10
Joined: Jul 25, 2017
Please tell me if this helps you. Very curious . I thought I was the only person with this problem. A lot of people on thread had other weird symptoms or vitamin supplements or stuff. It was just when you lay on that ear. Then roll over than that ear.
Yes I will let you know, just trying to search for the best one here in the U.K.
I’m 38 and have been experiencing this pain since I was about 17. The thing that I’ve found to help me is using those beige cylinder ear plugs. For some reason it stops the pain from happening, not always entirely but almost all the way gone that I can sleep through the night. If i don’t wear the ear plugs, the pain is excruciating. My outer ear hurts so bad it’s unbearable for about 30 seconds and then my ear aches for the rest of the night a little bit. I’ve learned to sleep with a body pillow and also position my head on my main pillow in a way that the pressure isn’t directly on my ear. Docs have said the same thing, that my ears appear to be fine. Do any of you still have your wisdom teeth? My pain seems to be always worse on the side that I still have my bottom wisdom tooth. Also, I can’t wear over ear head phones, both my ears always ache terribly, does that also happen to any of you?
Liked by paige2000
I’m 38 and have been experiencing this pain since I was about 17. The thing that I’ve found to help me is using those beige cylinder ear plugs. For some reason it stops the pain from happening, not always entirely but almost all the way gone that I can sleep through the night. If i don’t wear the ear plugs, the pain is excruciating. My outer ear hurts so bad it’s unbearable for about 30 seconds and then my ear aches for the rest of the night a little bit. I’ve learned to sleep with a body pillow and also position my head on my main pillow in a way that the pressure isn’t directly on my ear. Docs have said the same thing, that my ears appear to be fine. Do any of you still have your wisdom teeth? My pain seems to be always worse on the side that I still have my bottom wisdom tooth. Also, I can’t wear over ear head phones, both my ears always ache terribly, does that also happen to any of you?
Thank you for the ear plug suggestion, the pain disturbs my sleep that I will try anything, I also had suggested to me a water pillow, which I bought, it is really for back trouble, but this person said that it helped her ears, I have used it for about four nights, it has helped a little it seems, not too sure about it yet.
Liked by Teresa, Volunteer Mentor
Nibor63
@nibor63
@nibor63
Posts: 62
Joined: May 16, 2017
1luckytexan
@1luckytexan
@1luckytexan
Posts: 5
Joined: Sep 12, 2018
I’m 38 and have been experiencing this pain since I was about 17. The thing that I’ve found to help me is using those beige cylinder ear plugs. For some reason it stops the pain from happening, not always entirely but almost all the way gone that I can sleep through the night. If i don’t wear the ear plugs, the pain is excruciating. My outer ear hurts so bad it’s unbearable for about 30 seconds and then my ear aches for the rest of the night a little bit. I’ve learned to sleep with a body pillow and also position my head on my main pillow in a way that the pressure isn’t directly on my ear. Docs have said the same thing, that my ears appear to be fine. Do any of you still have your wisdom teeth? My pain seems to be always worse on the side that I still have my bottom wisdom tooth. Also, I can’t wear over ear head phones, both my ears always ache terribly, does that also happen to any of you?
Interesting idea on the ear plugs.
Do your ears get red and warm to the touch? If you were to pinch the lobe or the top part of the ear, without shifting the ear's position, would there be pain? Or is the pain in/around the ear canal/opening when you shift or push the outer ear?
If you are willing to try anything, try a medication Meloxicam. This has been amazing for me. No more ear pain.
Thank you , I will.
Interesting idea on the ear plugs.
Do your ears get red and warm to the touch? If you were to pinch the lobe or the top part of the ear, without shifting the ear's position, would there be pain? Or is the pain in/around the ear canal/opening when you shift or push the outer ear?
The pain is just on the outer ear rim, only when I lay on them at night, no pain when I pinch them where you suggest, and not particularly hot to touch.
1luckytexan
@1luckytexan
@1luckytexan
Posts: 5
Joined: Sep 12, 2018
The pain is just on the outer ear rim, only when I lay on them at night, no pain when I pinch them where you suggest, and not particularly hot to touch.
OK, that's different from the pain I have. Mine isn't really outer ear pain, but 'pain at the ear canal opening area caused by touching or moving the outer ear '- even lifting eyebrows or smiling could cause discomfort but, touching the outer ear in anyway that moves it is extremely painful. Happens a few times a year, usually on the side on which I've been sleeping. Goes away after a few minutes to hours, or, recently, after doing some head/neack stretching. Lost my wisdom teeth in my late teens.
You may very well get some relief from meloxicam or need to be tested for polychondritis or some neuralgia????
OK, that's different from the pain I have. Mine isn't really outer ear pain, but 'pain at the ear canal opening area caused by touching or moving the outer ear '- even lifting eyebrows or smiling could cause discomfort but, touching the outer ear in anyway that moves it is extremely painful. Happens a few times a year, usually on the side on which I've been sleeping. Goes away after a few minutes to hours, or, recently, after doing some head/neack stretching. Lost my wisdom teeth in my late teens.
You may very well get some relief from meloxicam or need to be tested for polychondritis or some neuralgia????
Thank you .
I have this outer ear pain and tenderness. Saw family doctor, dentist, and ENT. All said different causes. ENT said I must go to a neurologist because it is nerve damage from a brain injury I had in a motorcycle accident. Has anyone been told nerve damage? Can nerve damage heal? Am I stuck with pain forever?
Nibor63
@nibor63
@nibor63
Posts: 62
Joined: May 16, 2017
I have this outer ear pain and tenderness. Saw family doctor, dentist, and ENT. All said different causes. ENT said I must go to a neurologist because it is nerve damage from a brain injury I had in a motorcycle accident. Has anyone been told nerve damage? Can nerve damage heal? Am I stuck with pain forever?
I've been told numerous things. Even, that I am crazy, by several doctor's. Still don't know what it is. I do know that if I take my Meloxicam, I have NO ear pain. I know that I have systemic inflammation. I had an ear biopsy. Showed inflammation. Inflammation in feet, also. Feet hurt badly, too, before Meloxicam. Never took any meds. But I swear by this.
Liked by Jamie Olson
I’m 38 and have been experiencing this pain since I was about 17. The thing that I’ve found to help me is using those beige cylinder ear plugs. For some reason it stops the pain from happening, not always entirely but almost all the way gone that I can sleep through the night. If i don’t wear the ear plugs, the pain is excruciating. My outer ear hurts so bad it’s unbearable for about 30 seconds and then my ear aches for the rest of the night a little bit. I’ve learned to sleep with a body pillow and also position my head on my main pillow in a way that the pressure isn’t directly on my ear. Docs have said the same thing, that my ears appear to be fine. Do any of you still have your wisdom teeth? My pain seems to be always worse on the side that I still have my bottom wisdom tooth. Also, I can’t wear over ear head phones, both my ears always ache terribly, does that also happen to any of you?
this is the perfect explanation. i’m 18 and have got the exact same problem. i don’t have wisdom teeth though.. it only happens a few times a year for a few nights at a time.
@patandpete
Thank you for both your replies, I'm looking on eBay as most of them have fee postage compared to Amazon.