Severe Pain in inner/middle ear when i wake up from sleeping on it!

[sunkissed0577]

I am in between insurances right now, and for some time now I have noticed that when i sleep on my left side I wake up w/ very bad pain in the middle to inner ear. I usually have to use my hands to get my head turned over to the other side becasuse the pain is so severe. I was hoping it would just go away with time, but no such luck. I have never heard of anyone having any type of problems like this before so that worries me a little. It only hurts when i have laid on it for about 30 mins. and it does go away in about 15-20 mins. I know it is not an ear infection or swimmers ear etc. Im actually wondering if I might have a growth or polyp (spelling?) or something in there! I know I need to get to a Dr. to get it looked at, but how severe do you think it is? Am I at a big risk for something serious that I have never heard about? The fact I cant find any info on it is what scares me the most. Also I have not experienced any hearing loss on that side that I know of. (I dont have insurance right now b/c we are looking for the right maternity insurance, and it has taken longer than we expected) Thank you so much for your help in advance, I really really appreciate it! :)  

[margypops]

It could be an ear infection and you will need an anti biotic, you should get it looked at anyway, see if there are any Low cost clinics nearby if you have no insurance, go online and put it in with the area where you live.

[SHIMSHA]

HEY THATS THE SAME PROBLEM IVE BEEN HAVING...I WAKE UP FROM THE PAIN IN MY RIGHT EAR..AND ITS ALWAYS IF IVE BEEN SLEEPING ON IT..AND JUST LIKE YOU, I KNOW I DO NOT HAVE AN EAR INFECTION, OR SWIMMERS EAR, NOTHING LIKE THAT. NO DRAINAGE. EARS ARE CLEAR..I WENT TO A DR. AND IN LIKE LESS THAN TWO MINUTES HE TELLS ME I HAVE CAROTIDYNIA, AND TELLS ME TO LOOK IT UP ONLINE..YEAH..THIS IS WHAT OUR MEDICAL INSURANCE PAYS FOR THESE DAYS..BRILLIANT..BUT YET I CONTINUE TO HAVE THAT PAIN JUST LIKE YOU..SO WHO KNOWS WHAT IT IS..(TMJ) ??? HOPE YOU FIND OUT WHAT IT IS...

[Angie4086]

I have had severe stabbing pain in my right ear for over one year now.  At first my dr thought i had a tumor, after an mri, no tumor and no inner ear infections.  I have seen an ear nose and throat specialist-after been put threw tests, nothing wrong with me. (it's all in my head, yeah my EAR) The dr stood there and told me that he had no idea what was wrong with me.  Made me feal great! I wanted to scream! I have a constant nagging achey pain in my ear, and if i sleep on my ear I awake to stabbing pain-where I can not move.  I was told to take 500 mg motrin at night.  So now my kidneys will be next.  I now am loosing my hearing in my right ear.  It's an awful muffled sound-and constant ache.  Trying to find anything on the internet, and having no luck.
Any info would be so helpful.

[datbossydiva]

I have a similar problem but my ear is sore on the inside and out. and its both ears!! And even sometimes i hear a ringing noise while im lying on it.  if i sleep on my right side its my right ear, when i turn over because i cant take the pain n e more my left ear will hurt and i am forced to turn over and the right ear is still in pain. then the pain gets worst.  

Shimsha put that it might be CAROTIDYNIA.  so i looked it up and it seems right. I always knew that gravity was pulling me down in my sleep.  my mattress was lumpy so i got rid of it and got a air mattress with a pillow top.  that worked for about 6months untill all the air started to form pockets and the pain came back again!!!!  then i moved to the floor which dosent work at all because the floor is too hard, and the pain is caused by pressure, or gravity on the ear.  this left me to the couch,which for the past  2days the ear pain has returned.  

That forced me to look this up because i am going to the  doctors now and i cant take the pain.

But just to let u know if u have enough money to buy a new good mattress then that should solve the problem.  Unfornately i dont have the funds for it right now and have to keep dodging the pain with different methods of sleeping.  hope this helps, if not u, someone else.

thanks shimsha for putting CAROTIDYNIA, i am going to inform my doctor of it, because before this i thought that it was my fault and its not a medical problem.

[sdawnstiles]

I have the same problem as you sunkiss. I've noticed that mine only happen when I lay my head directly on the bed instead of a pillow while sleeping on my side. Mine only happens in the right  inner ear. The last time it happened I stuck my finger in my ear to try and lessen the pain...kind of like an inner ear massage (hehe) and when I pulled my finger out there was dark orange, almost liquid ear wax. I know that sounds gross but after doing a bit of research I began thinking it either has to do with 1.) Sinuses or 2.) Because the elevation of my head/ear is lower than the rest of my body (due to not sleeping with a pillow) it is forcing the ear wax out of my ear. I'm not a doctor but I almost guarantee one of the two above is the problem.

Have a wonderful day!

[korb427]

i just woke up from this pain this morning. when i woke up 3-4 hours into my sleep, it felt like somebody was stabbing the inside of my right ear. like how it feels when you stick the q-tip in too far? well, i did what sdawnstiles did when i first woke up to try and stop the pain. but there was nothing on my finger. it relieved me of pain for a short amount of time  (10-20 minutes at most). it sounds like i have water in my ear but cant get it out. my pillow is really lopsided and my other one is completley flat. should i get a new pillow? im only 14 so im afraid to go to the dr. the pain still hasnt gone away and its been several hours. i want to cry :(

[spitfire15413]

I have sorta the same problem I lay on my right side and it wakes me up with severe pain I can't stand if feels like someone jammed a knife in there its on the inside I do know that I also have been waking up with my jaw popped out or so it seems when I open my mouth and shut it it pops in and out this is very painful as well I was told I might have tmj so I have to make an appointment to see if that's what it is and if it is causing my ear to do that its only the right side I can lay on my left side all night and it dosent bother me hope this helps

[happy_soul]

I've had this for a month now too! Every night I awake to the pain in my right ear (I can't help sleeping on it). I'm going to look up Carotidynia too. Thank you for posting about it.
My pain is the entire ear and inside too. I also have to VERY VERY slowly pry myself from my pillow to turn over. Today it continued to hurt after getting off of it for like another hour. I've been so sleepy that when I get this pain I try letting go into it - riding the feeling without attaching to how it really feels. Sometimes this lessens the pain. ***** though!
I've been sleeping on a posture-pedic pillow lately and I've tried others.
I'm not into taking meds. Also no insurance. Herbalism is great though. I'll research options and share.
Glad to not feel alone.

[grasshopper18xo]

I have the same thing....I have to SLOWLY pull up off of my pillow and it hurts SOOO bad! I feel like my ear would be draining liquid excessively, but nothing comes out!  When I was in high school, my doc told me TMJ. I was also supposed to stop chewing gum.  I believed her bc EVERYTIME I chew gum OR even the inside of my cheek (nervous habit) my ear will without fail hurt me that same night.  STOP chewing gum. I am now 27 years old, and my ear still hurts just as bad.  Lately, even when I do not chew gum!  I recently began researching the ringing and roaring in my ears, which brought me here, bc I thought maybe the two symptoms maybe went hand in hand.  I have had sounds in my ears when I try to go to sleep since high school also.  I thought I was just crazy until reading online that many people hear sounds. Everything I read points to a previous ear injury, which I have had! I used to think that the pain was caused by this injury, but now after Angie's comment.....I'm a little scared of a tumor bc sometimes the roaring sound is a symptom of a tumor!!

[Mamalette94]

It happens to my left ear.. I try really hard not to sleep on that side but it doesn't always work.. When Ive been sleeping on my left side I'll wake up in the morning and my ear will hurt EXTREMELY bad! When I try to pull my head off my pillow it hurts even worse so I have to slide my hand under my ear and slowly lift my head up! Its been happening for quite a while now. I have. I idea what's wrong!

[my_ear_is_killing_me]

This is exactly how my ear pain is. I can't believe that I'm actually on a forum with people who can relate to this awful feeling. My doctor looked at me like I was a nutter, just telling me that my ear 'looks great' that there's nothing wrong with it. Nothing wrong? Today it's been killing me since I woke up...till now and it's getting WORSE. How is this great? Do I have cancer? I"m so freaked out.

[ear_pain]

Yeah I think I'm in a similar boat as you guys.  I have experienced the pain off and on for almost a year now and seen a few doctors but none have a clue what it is.  Usually by the time I'm even able to see anyone, the pain is already gone.  I have found that sleeping on my other side helps keep my ear from hurting for awhile; however, I always end up sleeping on my bad side and then having incredible pain for a few days after.  This *****!

[jean1216]

I have the same thing but I searched CAROTIDYNIA and I see that it's associated with migraines and I don't have any migraines at all or any face pain or neck pain.  But I think mine might be fibromyalgia.

[jean1216]

I have the same thing but I searched CAROTIDYNIA and I see that it's associated with migraines and I don't have any migraines at all or any face pain or neck pain.  But I think mine might be fibromyalgia.

[LSB1]

I have been experiencing the same thing for several years, but it is more regular at this time with both ears.  I went to an Ostheopath for a year for other treatments and he asked if I get regular ear aches when I sleep.....I was blown away that he could see this....mentioning it was due to neck and jaw tensions and demonstrated how to massage the neck muscle to relax the tension.  Your regular MD would not go over this kind of info so I suggest you seek the adviced of a qualified Ostheopath...no, no coverage that I know of, but they know all the connections of soft tissue and can really help.
good luck
L

[JayJay200]

Sounds sensible to me. Therefore Indian head massage could help. I get this pain on waking after sleeping on right side. I put a few drops of lavender oil in my ear and then rub it all over the neck and jaw line. The pain goes away after a few minutes. I am going to mention it to my acupuncturist too.

[JayJay200]

Sounds sensible to me. Therefore Indian head massage could help. I get this pain on waking after sleeping on right side. I put a few drops of lavender oil in my ear and then rub it all over the neck and jaw line. The pain goes away after a few minutes. I am going to mention it to my acupuncturist too.

[nateal]

Any updates on everyones symptoms? Ive been to more than 5 different ENTS in the last 3 years and have gotten the same responses from doctors- they dont see anything. i dont suffer from such severe pain as others but theres never a time i dont feel like theres water or mucous in my right ear. My wax builds up too bad and sometimes it even feels itchy. my right eye is blurried now too and sometimes it feels like theres something in it. Ive been to neurologists and rheumatologists and ive gotten absolutely no help.

[bodica44]

Me too. On all accounts. Does it feel like you're about to get sick all the time - mucus on that side of your throat too? Like there is a little infection right where your ear and throat connect on that side

[Cathazat]

YES! That is my problem, as well as the other symptoms. Right ear only. And pain/swelling like a gland is involved, just below the ear on the neck. And off and on sore throat. And off and on vertigo. This has been going on for a few weeks - I thought it was just a virus. Today I woke up in excruciating pain in my right ear, after sleeping on my left side. I wear a sleep apnea mask so I'm also wondering if it might be TMJ.

[Cathazat]

YES! That is my problem, as well as the other symptoms. Right ear only. And pain/swelling like a gland is involved, just below the ear on the neck. And off and on sore throat. And off and on vertigo.

[mlg0507]

My ear pain is in my left ear. It is a sharp, throbbing pain. It hurts worse if: I turn my head, smile, opening my mouth, touching the outside of my ear,swallowing. This pain comes on sharply then after about 30mins to an hour goes away. The pain comes on in the night, or day; I've had the pain happen while sitting down, sleeping, or shopping...it doesn't matter what position my body is or whether I laid on that particular ear or not. When I woke up this morning with the awful pain I was laying on my right side and it is ALWAYS my LEFT ear. I have had this pain come and go several times a week for close to two years. I also have no health insurance so I can't afford to go to the Dr to see what they say.

[zombie_pikacha]

Something has been bothering me to.. its always about my ears -_-  heres a link that is the same problem with one thing about my ear..
http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Ear--Nose--Throat/continous-breathing--pusling-noise-in-ear--whats-wrong-with-me/show/408435
in here another thing that started bothering me like a week ago.. You know when you sleep on your ear and wake up and you hear every thing kind of weird in it.. well its been like that for me for days.. like it happens to my 24/7 .. its getting me worried a lot.. its happing to me in my right ear. and i got a little bit of hearing lost in my left.. does anyone know whats happing to me..
I dont want to see a doctor yet cause they just make it worse.. If i can do something else to get it away i would be a lot more happier and less worried.  The link i posted, that has been happing to almost like a year now.. just one more moth then it would be the year it started happing. in Feb. Please comment on this someone.

[Sophiejade93]

I have exactly the same every now and again, it wakes me up and I cant even move my head until the pain dies down a bit. I honestly think it is just the pressure on the cartilage, I was thinking of searching for a pillow or cushion with a hole in the middle to sleep on! All doctors are poo anyway :P

[vicks_67]

I think it is in some way also related to the cold. Sometimes when I wake up with this  kind of pain and make my self warmer by putting another blanket on top, the pain goes away in few minurtes and i sleep peacefully for rest of the period. Yesterday night  i woke up as it got stuffy and warm in the room but no ear pain. So i opened windows put on fan and slept.....an lo...woke up with pain in my left ear that was on the pillow. Got up , put off fan etc ...slept back and woke up after 2 hours without any pain. Now I will experiment by keeping my ears covered during sleep and use a cotton pillow instead of foam as foam pushes your head and could be creating pressure inside the ear. It is a fact that ear aches due to differential air pressure in cold condition. By the way, my pain has started in winter season. So, keep warm, cover your ears , use cotton poillow and let's see what happens.
Cheers.

[triniboy125]

hey guys i have been having this same problems for the past 9 months pain in the ear every morning,dull face pain,dull tooth ace,unbalanced, itchy ear and troat when idrink liquid it burns my ear and troat at the same time.been to lots of doctors, went to and ent he said was sinus issue did about 6 different procedure up my nose that was very painful nothing worked he seemed confuse back of eyes also hurt and burns,with a white gunk in the coner that i keep cleaning every 20 munites PLEASE HELP anybody.

[Cathazat]

That sounds exactly like me! It's been several months. Eye problem, too. Do you wear a sleep apnea mask?

[Rach0825]

Don't worry this is nothing serious. It sounds like you suffer from TMJ. A disorder of the Temporomandibular joint which is located right in front of your ear. It is this joint that is causing your pain, not your ear. Google TMJ and you will be able to help yourself quite a bit. The only thing a doctor will do is give you a mouth guard to prevent grinding and clenching of teeth at night. That is a huge cause of TMJ.

[Rach0825]

Don't worry this is nothing serious. It sounds like you suffer from TMJ. A disorder of the Temporomandibular joint which is located right in front of your ear. It is this joint that is causing your pain, not your ear. Google TMJ and you will be able to help yourself quite a bit. The only thing a doctor will do is give you a mouth guard to prevent grinding and clenching of teeth at night. That is a huge cause of TMJ

[747dbm1]

I have this problem and is caused only when I have magnesium tablets! Pain is as described with heavy head and can't lift head of pillow due to ear pain.
When I stop taking magnesium it goes away.
Can't figure it out and very unusual.