Aa
PLEASE HELP! Any advice would be so appreciated!
This is sort of a long story but the short version is i've been sick for 7 months with facial numbness and head pressure and tingling. I had a CT scan back in October which only showed an acute mucosal change in maxillary sinus or something simliar to that. I was after just taking antibiodics though so i'm assuming there was probably an infection that at the time of the CT scan was cleared up enough to just show as inflammation. I went the the dentist last month to get a tooth filled and he did an xray and told me it looks like i have nasty sinuitis. I headed off to the hospital hoping they would help since i've been suffering so long but they only put me on a stonger antibiodic and nasal spray. I still feel the same. Went back to my doctor and she's going to book me an appointment with an ENT. Problem is this takes months and i'm afraid it's going to get so much worse in that time. I've heard horror stories of sinus infections moving into eyes or even brain and causing death. This has me so scared. The problem is most of the pain and pressure is in my left temple and i know there isn't sinus there so i'm worried it has already spread to the bone or muscle there. I have a 10 month old baby at home and my health is all i can think of, which isn't fair at all to her. I also have to go back to work in a couple of months which is going to be incredibly hard if i don't get this figured out by then. I just feel lost and like i've been sick forever. Haven't been able to feel the left side of my face since September....It's so frustrating and it feels like my doctor doesn't even care although the ENT she is sending me to has alot of recommendations. My question is how likely is this to spread?
I had my ENT appointment and he seems to think there's no infection..looked at a previous CT scan from months ago and said it looked like i had a little cyst....also looked up my nose with a tube...i still have all the symptoms and they're getting worse...he gave me pills to treat nerve inflammation since he thought that might be the cause...i have to go back to him if they don't help..i'm getting frustrated beyond belief!!!!! More symptoms have popped up like cold feeling in left cheek, burning in left cheek and side of head...pressure behing eye, can feel something swollen when i blink, fever..i could go on but that's the general idea...any advice would be greatly appreciated...PLEASE?!?!? Do you think the cyst could be causing all of these symptoms? i'm at a loss!
I had my ENT appointment and he seems to think there's no infection..looked at a previous CT scan from months ago and said it looked like i had a little cyst....also looked up my nose with a tube...i still have all the symptoms and they're getting worse...he gave me pills to treat nerve inflammation since he thought that might be the cause...i have to go back to him if they don't help..i'm getting frustrated beyond belief!!!!! More symptoms have popped up like cold feeling in left cheek, burning in left cheek and side of head...pressure behing eye, can feel something swollen when i blink, fever..i could go on but that's the general idea...any advice would be greatly appreciated...PLEASE?!?!? Do you think the cyst could be causing all of these symptoms? i'm at a loss!
I"m thinking maybe the infection is fungal..we had a mold problem in the entrance of our apartment building when all of this started! Would they have seen that on the CT scan? I'm also terrified it's a tumor that didn't show on the CT scan...my mother and grandmother both died from brain tumors so that has me really paranoid...especially with all the head feelings.
the last CT scan in October showed a cyst in my sinus..would that cause all of the symptoms? Anyone know? It feels like the left side of my head swells up off and on during the day..really weird feeling....hard to explain.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
True! Fever is usually a symptom of some underlying problem. Well, recurrent or chronic fever is seen in tuberculosis, SLE, rheumatoid arthritis, Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) and other auto immune disorders, UTI, drug fever, glandular fever, HIV, STDs, endocarditis, parasitic infestations, fungal infections, lymphomas and other cancers, polycystic ovary, menopause, PID (pelvic inflammatory disease) etc.
A comprehensive investigation is required keeping all the points in mind. However, a number of times no diagnosis can be reached and the fever subsides after some time.
I have just enumerated the possibilities that come to my mind. You may not be suffering from any of them. Please let us know the CT report. Maybe that will throw some light.
Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!
A comprehensive investigation is required keeping all the points in mind. However, a number of times no diagnosis can be reached and the fever subsides after some time.
I have just enumerated the possibilities that come to my mind. You may not be suffering from any of them. Please let us know the CT report. Maybe that will throw some light.
Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!
one other thing...if there isn't an infection why would i be having a low grade fever off and on for the last month..that's what i don't understand.
I am currently seeing an ENT...he's going to do another CT scan to see if something might have been missed on the first one...and yes, in Canada they won't do an MRI unless you're passed out cold or dying...too expensive i guess...hail the Canadian medical system....that's why i'm still suffering 7 months later. I'll have to see what this next CT scan says and take it from there i guess..it'll be another month though i'm sure before i can get in for one....ENT did look up my nose with that flexible tube and said he doesn't think it's an infection...no puss or blockage i guess..so confusing..all my pain in pressure is in the sinuses..other then the pressure swollen feeling on the left side of my head...sooooo very frustrating...like i said first CT scan did see a cyst in my sinus so maybe that's what's causing this...who knows...i'm really really really hoping to find out soon...the pills ENT gave me for nerve inflammation are doing nothing except making my feet swell..feel like i'm pregnant again....BLAH
You have a difficult situation. An MRI would certainly seem appropriate. There are all sorts of nooks and crannys up there for the buggies to vacation in. Find em' fix em' and annihilate em'.
These sinus infections are a bear to treat once they become established. Most physicians treat them inappropriately. For example, in a normal infection a fourteen day regimin of antibiotics might be the protocol. For a sinus infection the anti-biotics may have to be continued for four to eight weeks. Typically the patient ends up with an antibiotic resistant strain of bacteria. Often, they only go into remission, and the pop up again months later. Yuck.
They hide in biofilms, and the antibiotics can't get at them. There is some evidence that cholesterol reducing agents such as Lipitor assist in breaking down these barriers.
Saline sprays must be used in conjunction with the anti-biotics. They act as a solvent and both wash away infection and degrade the biofilms. Sometimes surgical intervention is required. Saline and suction is used together with a fibre-optic probe to examine the cavities.
The right train station to stop at is a physician who specializes in sinus infections. I'm not sure those people are easy to find in the land of the maple leaf.
High voltage (Coolomb) electrical field of specific frequencies can effectively kill such infections. Tesla discovered this during the 1920's, and there are a few alternative practicioners using this treatment (commonly called treatment by mitogenic radiation), by our AMA (in the United States) frowns on the practice. I can vouch for the fact this treatment works because it destroyed a bacterial resistant sinus infection I had.
Phages will destroy such infections, but they are only available in Georgia, Russia and the Ukraine.
Gammaglobulin is sometimes used, but it is extremely expensive.
Often, hospitalization and intravenous antibiotic are the only way to go.
If you can afford it, come down to the United States where you can get an appointment with an ENT in many areas the same day. Make a mini-vacation of of the trip and pre-plan with e-mail to see that your appointments and evaluations are performed within two to three days. You can get a free MRI in many cities, such as New York, and they will not only give you a written evaluation, they will provide you with a disc of images to take home. They have a trailer that goes around the city sponsored by a grant and the point of contact is Dr. Gold of NYU.
You are correct in thinking about the "worst-case" consequences of such an infection. This doesn't always happen, so let's think positive.
Sunlight exposure and vitamin D3 are helpful.
There are a number of new approaches to treating encapsulated infections, and the ENT people are pretty good in this area. You just need to see one.
These sinus infections are a bear to treat once they become established. Most physicians treat them inappropriately. For example, in a normal infection a fourteen day regimin of antibiotics might be the protocol. For a sinus infection the anti-biotics may have to be continued for four to eight weeks. Typically the patient ends up with an antibiotic resistant strain of bacteria. Often, they only go into remission, and the pop up again months later. Yuck.
They hide in biofilms, and the antibiotics can't get at them. There is some evidence that cholesterol reducing agents such as Lipitor assist in breaking down these barriers.
Saline sprays must be used in conjunction with the anti-biotics. They act as a solvent and both wash away infection and degrade the biofilms. Sometimes surgical intervention is required. Saline and suction is used together with a fibre-optic probe to examine the cavities.
The right train station to stop at is a physician who specializes in sinus infections. I'm not sure those people are easy to find in the land of the maple leaf.
High voltage (Coolomb) electrical field of specific frequencies can effectively kill such infections. Tesla discovered this during the 1920's, and there are a few alternative practicioners using this treatment (commonly called treatment by mitogenic radiation), by our AMA (in the United States) frowns on the practice. I can vouch for the fact this treatment works because it destroyed a bacterial resistant sinus infection I had.
Phages will destroy such infections, but they are only available in Georgia, Russia and the Ukraine.
Gammaglobulin is sometimes used, but it is extremely expensive.
Often, hospitalization and intravenous antibiotic are the only way to go.
If you can afford it, come down to the United States where you can get an appointment with an ENT in many areas the same day. Make a mini-vacation of of the trip and pre-plan with e-mail to see that your appointments and evaluations are performed within two to three days. You can get a free MRI in many cities, such as New York, and they will not only give you a written evaluation, they will provide you with a disc of images to take home. They have a trailer that goes around the city sponsored by a grant and the point of contact is Dr. Gold of NYU.
You are correct in thinking about the "worst-case" consequences of such an infection. This doesn't always happen, so let's think positive.
Sunlight exposure and vitamin D3 are helpful.
There are a number of new approaches to treating encapsulated infections, and the ENT people are pretty good in this area. You just need to see one.
Oh and also i didn't have tongue tingling...no symptoms of the mouth at all..just cheek and side of the head...i don't have my wisdom teeth anymore and i was checked for diabetes when i had my baby less then a year ago
Yeah i was tested for all of that..the only thing they found was a cyst in my sinus..everything else came back perfect so i'm still thinking sinus....someone told me if my sinuses were swollen enough they could press on the nerves which would also cause tingling...we'll see i guess after the next CT scan
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
I am going back to your first symptoms of tingling and pressure. It is difficult to comment really without examination. However diabetes mellitus is a likely cause for head and tongue tingling. It could also be due to nerve compression very high up in the cervical vertebra. Excess alcohol intake, partial seizures and low calcium levels all cause head and tongue tingling. Wisdom tooth is another cause.
Hope this helps. Do discuss this with your doctor and get yourself examined accordingly. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!
Thanks for writing to the forum!
I am going back to your first symptoms of tingling and pressure. It is difficult to comment really without examination. However diabetes mellitus is a likely cause for head and tongue tingling. It could also be due to nerve compression very high up in the cervical vertebra. Excess alcohol intake, partial seizures and low calcium levels all cause head and tongue tingling. Wisdom tooth is another cause.
Hope this helps. Do discuss this with your doctor and get yourself examined accordingly. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!
They won't do an MRI...don't think it's needed! I know it's sinus related but seems nobody wants to believe me...pain is in all of my sinuses :(
Hello,
I am sorry to hear you are having such a rough time. I understand your pain. I have been sick for a while too with no real help from doctors. But I do have a suggestion, GET AN MRI!!!!! It sounds like something is going on in your head, and CT scans don't always see everything, they're just ordered more often because they are cheaper. Healthy people do not feel bad all the time, you know your body. If you think you are sick, and you are not obsessing or fixating on a diagnosis you are not a hypochondriac! You probably are sick. It may be something very minor that can be fixed simply with vitamins, or could be something major. Either way nobody wants to live in worry or wonder, so be persistant, ask for an MRI. Tell your doctor just to order it and see, maybe your insurance will surprise everyone and pay for it. It's worth a try.
Good luck,
Hope you feel better.
I am sorry to hear you are having such a rough time. I understand your pain. I have been sick for a while too with no real help from doctors. But I do have a suggestion, GET AN MRI!!!!! It sounds like something is going on in your head, and CT scans don't always see everything, they're just ordered more often because they are cheaper. Healthy people do not feel bad all the time, you know your body. If you think you are sick, and you are not obsessing or fixating on a diagnosis you are not a hypochondriac! You probably are sick. It may be something very minor that can be fixed simply with vitamins, or could be something major. Either way nobody wants to live in worry or wonder, so be persistant, ask for an MRI. Tell your doctor just to order it and see, maybe your insurance will surprise everyone and pay for it. It's worth a try.
Good luck,
Hope you feel better.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Undiagnosed Symptoms Community
Discharge often isn't normal, and could mean an infection or an STD.
In this unique and fascinating report from Missouri Medicine, world-renowned expert Dr. Raymond Moody examines what really happens when we almost die.
Think a loved one may be experiencing hearing loss? Here are five warning signs to watch for.
When it comes to your health, timing is everything
We’ve got a crash course on metabolism basics.
Learn what you can do to avoid ski injury and other common winter sports injury.
