Blocked eustachian tube, no infection, facial and arm nerve trouble

[Cactus girl]

For the last month, I've had a pain in the middle left of my head.  It feels like it is at the top of the back of my nose....if that makes sense.  After the first week, it seemed to migrate down a bit and I felt like I had a deep ear infection in my left ear.  Simulataneously, I noticed problems with a numbness/tinglyness/warmness or weird feeling in my left arm.  It seems weakened.

I'm no stranger to ear infections, as I had them occasionally as a child (I never had tubes, though) and I get them as an adult usually at the tail end of a cold/flu.  So this seemed out of place because I have not had any cold or flu.

I went to the ER back in the middle of October and was shocked when they told me my ear was NOT red.  It hurt so bad and felt so much like an ear infection, I was convinced it was.  They gave me Roxicet for the pain and sent me on my way.

After 4 days, the intenseness pretty much went away, but I still felt a "sensation" in the middle left of my head.  I had an MRI for my arm numbness and blurry vision (to rule out MS) and although they found asymmetry of a gyrus in front of the right occipital lobe and under the corpus callosum, two neurologists agreed that it is normal "anatomical variation" like if you have one foot slightly bigger than the other.  

Well, that sensation has intensified in the last week in my head and ear and added was a slightly painful sensation under my left eye to the side of my nose.  It feels like compression of the nerve in my face.   I am still having trouble with left arm feeling strange.  

It occured to me that maybe my eustachian tube was blocked.  I noticed I could not get my left ear to pop.

I went and got Sudafed and had a lot of relief for about 12 hours.  I took the maximum dosage and quickly noticed that although the medication was being taken regularly, all the symptoms returned and failed to be alleviated again.

It seems to me that I have more trouble with the symptoms the later in the day it gets.  I feel best in the morning.  (I do have an anxiety issue and wonder how much of this is actually physical and how much is psychological.).  

I can finally pop my left ear on occasion by plugging, blowing, and wiggling my jaw.  But it seems to close right back up and I feel the ear squeeze pain.  I still have that weird sensation in my head and my arm.  I can also still feel it under my eye, but that symptom is better.

I can't find anything anywhere about a blocked eustachian tube causing nerve problems other than the nerves in the face.  It just seems to me that after a month of dealing with these symptoms, that my arm issue is directly related to the pain in the middle of my head/ear.

What could all of this be???

I hope someone can help me.

[Lonewolfliz]

I have Chronic Lyme and also possibly Babesia and Bartonella (cat scratch fever)

My left ear had been plugged for over a year now but in the tube and not the ear itself.

But this past week I had severe numbness and dizziness & it was thought that I had a stroke.  I had an MRI done and seeing the Neurologist in two days.  Just found this post and can't help but think that this is all Lyme related.  The nerves are massively being affected by this, when I try to unplug my ear by plugging my nose and blowing, when I even so much as put any pressure on the left side of my neck or when the mucus is draining, it makes me numb and tingly all over my body (even my eyeballs), to the point where I lost control of my bladder at the hospital (I'm only 29).  I've been taking Advil to bring down the swelling.. I can feel some type of chunky drainage coming down the back of my throat but still so much nerve pain.

I also looked inside my nostrils and it looks like I might have polyps?

I'm the type of person that never complains & I have a super high pain tolerance (I've been dealing with Lyme for over 5 years so I've had my fair share of pain) but this nerve stuff is unlike anything I've felt before.. I'm hoping that this can be resolved AND SOON!

Any words of encouragement and success stories to give me some comfort, would be appreciated!

[pheochromocytoma]

I know this is an old thread & Q but before I was able to sign up here I wasn't able to read ALL of the comments, just the first few. Quick reply. I'm studying to be a PA.
I did some research and apparently with repeated ear infections (sometimes due to perforated eardrum) one can develop a benign mass call a "cholesteatoma",  which left untreated can move into the mastoid cavity causing facial pain and effecting the facial nerves. I read an infection can move into the mastoid cavity as well. It's possible there is a deeper infection going on that can put pressure on the facial nerves. I'd think an ENT or neurologist should be able to figure this out.
   There is a great ENT group in LA called the CENTA group my family found for a member with chronic vertigo who were able to help us.
    Again his is an old thread but I saw the first 2-3 comments & as I'm off to class I wanted to share this online research in case it hadn't been mentioned, but hopefully has. Cheers and feel well soon anyone who's dealing with any pain.

[Duckie43]

I'm so glad I found this thread. I've been having issues for more than 5 years. My right ear swells on the inside and I can't even lay on my right side. I have a limp that goes up and down behind my right ear as well. I've been to a million doctors with all of them telling me I have no ear infection. I even went to the doctor and said I feel like my right ear is about to explode ... He said everything looks ok. The next day my ear drum busted. My hearing is fine and I have had CT scans that shows chronic sinusitis. My right ear has had a funky smell for years with no drainage but I feel water in it a lot.  I just had cervical fusion c4 and c5 and now am experiencing pain that radiates in the back of my neck and goes behind my right ear with a dull ache in my head.
This is happening a lot and the pain and feeling of my ear is going to blow up about every other week. I'm at my wits end with these ENT docs telling me that everything looks ok. I go for another MRI next week hoping for an answer. Now I'm feeling the numbness and pain and so on like all the rest and I'm frustrated.  I know my body and I know when my ear feels a ton of pressure and pain ! I need answers and I feel that this controls half my life !
More so now that the pain and pressure come more often ! I've begged for tunes in my ears and of course that is not going to happen !
So frustrating ! Any advice ???? I'm going to look for another ENT after my MRI !!

[LymeEpidemic]

I cant believe this thread is still going... I read through them as I have a eustachian tube dysfunction that recently turned chronic after years of ear/sinus infection on left side. I was diagnosed with LYME DISEASE. My ear problems started when I had Lyme and viral encephalitis many years ago.
If the cranial nerve damage happens ,which is typical with Lyme-every ER MD should think Lyme for Bell's Palsy symptoms, a cranial nerve issue, then your nerves (neuropathy), and ciliary function (moving mucus and infection out) creates the perfect environment for repeated infection and scarring, dysfunction. I have left ear, neck muscle, arm and hand numbness, and a negative MRI. Lyme disease is an epidemic people. Ask why. Read the book, LAB 257, by attorney Michael Carrol. Come to your own conclusions. As for the ear tube dysfunction, reduce any inflammation from food, pollens, chemicals, etc. and get tested with a Western Blot for Lyme and get treated with, ahem, 2 months of Doxycycline (as one of the commenters has-do you think that doc said it was unconventional for a reason? That is the treatment for Lyme, and co-infections).

[quent043]

I've been experiencing the same symptoms for 4 years now and since I read your discussion it's clear to me that chiropracy can solve the problem. I've been seeing a chiropractor specialized in the method you quote before (Correct me if I'm wrong but I think you guys speak of the Gonstead method?). I'f felt some temporary relief but the symptoms never really disappeared. I've  actuallyfelt real relief in only 2 cases, when I was walking.. My job implies a lot of driving and sitting at a desk plus a lot of stress, and I've notices that this made things way worse.

I've talked to my chiro about this and he told me that sedentarily if really bay for the back and the fact that my situation god better during times when I walked a lot was logical to him. He advised me to stand and walk for 5 minutes every 30min of sitting down/driving (or every hour if not possible), i'll see if this works, because my problem which was only on the left side of my body is progressively evolving to the right side as well...

[jcwalla]

I have noticed the same relief from a Chiropractor, but my job, which could be responsible for a lot of it, also requires a lot of sitting down. I find when I maintain good posture it helps a lot. I have not been able to find a chiro that specializes in this Gadstead method though.