pain and sweeling

This has changed my life.

I started out with and ear infection with a lot of fluid that never went away almost 18months ago.  Then over the last 18 months the following started to happen.  First my throat and jaw stated to get sore and hurt then all of the salivary glands started to swell and now have awful taste in mouth along with pain.  It also bleeds sometimes in the back of my mouth at my throat sometimes as I massage it with a soft brush and try and push out some of the flid for some realleaf of pain in the area.  Skin is constantly pilling off inside of my jaw and around the glands as well. Then one day I woak up with pain behind my ear and a small knot at the base of my skull there and loss of neck movement along with pain that has been this way for 6+ months.  Just over the last month I started getting pain in my arm pit and tingling in may back and some all the way down my arm.   All of this is on my left side nothing has bothered me on the right side yet.  And on top of all this I am very iratable and tired all the time.  The sad thing is I have watched my health deriate to this point under the care of a specialist eye ear throught doctor.  He has dignosed me with at least 3 different things.  First it was a blocked tube when it was just the ear then swelling of the glands and then well it must be structure or musculare when the neck thing started.  He is obvisly incompetnt and I will be going to a new doctor and office next week.  

[Quixotic1]

I am concerned that you have developed a chronic bacterial or atypical bacterial infection in your mastoid, throat or lymph nodes, and possibly down into your neck.  The infection may have entered the bone.  You need an MRI of the head and neck, blood work to look for infection, including an ESR, CBC, and cultures.  You also need a PPD.  Yes, you also need a new Dr.  

The bad taste may be puss from infection.  Do you have any drainage from the lymph nodes through the skin?  If you are having difficulty swallowing, I recommend that you present to the ER tonight!!  An abcess (abscess) in the throat can suddenly swell and block your breathing.

Have you had fever?  Weight loss?  Any lymph nodes other than your jaw, armpit and neck?  Where is the swelling?  Is there redness over it?  

Make sure you see someone SOON!!  

Please come back and let us know what is happening.  I am very concerned,

Quix, MD

[pain man4]

yes have had constant swelling in throat for months on left side seems to be at back of tongue and under it.  When I swallow food it I can really fill it never had problem breathing.  No as far as I know have had no fever (though the last doctor never bothered to take my temperature in the 4 times I saw him).  I am starting to loss some weight not a lot.  only lymph nods I know of swelling are in head, neck, throat, arm pit.   As fare as drainage I am not sure where it all comes from it is in my mouth and throat and it is brown and sometimes has blood in it as I brush and massage it.  Sometimes I gag doing it and weird thing is when you gag your tough comes way out and my actually gets hung up and pops over a knot in the back and bottom of throat as it tries to go back.  I think this is the same swelling that I fill food go over when I eat.

[pain man4]

am going wed. to new doc. will let you know thanks for your comments.

[pain man4]

also would say you made a good point it may be in by bones as most of the pain in my mouth is along the bottom of my jaw also that is where the skin constantly piles off.  this started before the pain behind the ear and neck and after all the ear fluid and ear pain.

[pain man4]

Well new dock is ready to cut me wants to remove my salivary gland under my jaw.  Gave me Augenti (sp) what is correct (sp)?  Said to take it 3 weeks to make sure it did not help first.  Also figured out how to drain the glands by pushing hard then sucking on them.  A lot of yellow brown stuff comes out and a little blood but man it fills better.  It also makes the swelling go down in throat and less pain in neck and ear area.  Keeping that stuff out makes me fill as good as I have in a year though not 100%.   He is not positive it will correct everything but sounded like it may.  Any thoughts on whether this may correct everything?   Is it possible that all the lymph notes are swelling because of this?   I am still a little concerned because it all started in the ear area is it possible the infection moved into the salivary glads from there.  One thing is for sure if I would have picked a better doctor to start with I would have not ripped  my  2 back teeth out of my jaw or suffered as long as I did.

[Quixotic1]

Good job!  Yes, it sounds like a salivary gland abcess (abscess) could well be the problem.  I hope so.  I still am concerned that there might be bone involvement and you might ask him about that when you see him next.  It is appropriate, if you're not too toxic and sick, to try to calm the infection first with Augmentin.  That is a good choice for the mouth.

The role of the lymph nodes is to swell up and make infection-fighting cells to fight infection in their area of drainage.  So the nodes that I would expect ot be large and painful for you would be all along under your jaw, down your neck, behind your ear and even down as far as the armpit on the worst side.  Did he look at all the nodes??

The Augmentin may give you diarrhea and stomach upset.  Try to take it anyway.  Get some active culture yogurt and eat it a couple times a day.  You might also go to the health food store (or section of your grocery) and buy some "LactobaccillusGG".  It is a probiotic.  It helps replace the good bacteria in your gut that the Augmentin will kill off.  It's kind of expensive.  If you can't afford it, ask the people if there is another that doesn't have the expensive brand name.

Keep us posted.  I'm so glad you found a Dr. that knows what he is doing!  Quix

[Quixotic1]

I'm sorry I didn't answer one of your questions.  Will the drainage that he did and the antibiotic take care of the problem?  I suspect it won't (it could, of course) because you have had the infection so long, it is going to have strong walls around it and its going to try to seal the abcess (abscess) again.  Do everything you can to help the area drain, rinse, gargel, whatever he told you.  Don't miss any of the antibiotic.  If at any time things get suddenly worse or you spike a fever, see him IMMEDIATELY or head for the ER and have them call him.  Sometimes, irritating an abcess (abscess) trying to drain it can suddenly make it spread.  He had to try to drain it, but sometimes there are complications.

Keep us posted, Quix

[pain man4]

yes, he felt the nods they are not huge and he did not seem concerned.  I asked about a generic but he did not seem interested said he wanted that one because of the broad spectrum and strength.   I have not checked price yet if it is to much may have to change anyway, anything I could ask him to change it to if I can not afford it?    You have no idea how much better I all ready fill.  

[pain man4]

sorry see now you were not talking about the antibiotic.  Will keep you guys posted  still have pain in about all areas just no where as bad and nods seem smaller and neck not close to as still as it was.  Thanks so much