strange pressure in my head.....

Good day,
I’ve been feeling strange pressure in my head on the left side above the ear. I feel it all day long for about 2 weeks now. I have never had anything like this before and I do have strong pains in my head but this is not pain…it’s like pressure, discomfort, numbing feeling… I took some pills but it’s not helping at all. I got an appointment for this Friday to do an MRI but I don’t want to wait so long at this point, I’m considering going to ER.
Can anyone tell me what can this be…
Thanks so much

[Dr_Smita_S]

Hi
Pain or discomfort with a feeling of pressure in the ear may be due to pathology within the ear or outside the ears. The common ear related causes include infection of the middle or internal ear, eustachian tube dysfunction, trauma to the tympanic membrane, acute mastoiditis (abscess), etc.
The earache may also be caused as a referred pain, meaning the pathology lies in some other region. Some of these include dental disorders, sinusitis, temporomandibular joint dysfunctions and neck problems.
An ear abscess presents with severe throbbing pain, bleeding or discharge of pus from the ear along with swelling and redness in and around the ear. It may cause a feeling of pressure within the ear or numbness due to the compression of nerves.
Diagnosis would depend on any additional complaint of fever, discharge, and hearing loss, ringing sound, associated nausea, vomiting, vertigo or any other complaints?
You should consult an ENT specialist for a complete otologic and head and neck examination to rule out any ear pathology. An MRI will be needed to confirm the diagnosis.
Regards