# Did symptoms ever vary in intensity or come and go? **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Tags:** symptoms\ **Created:** [August 20, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/t/did-symptoms-ever-vary-in-intensity-or-come-and-go/24060 "2026-08-20T21:08:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dlm1969](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@Dlm1969](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/u/Dlm1969)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/t/did-symptoms-ever-vary-in-intensity-or-come-and-go/24060/1 "2026-08-20T21:08:04Z")
Hello. New member here. No diagnosis and I’m not sure it’s ES but it sure seems like it could be. I originally went to ENT for a feeling of tightness in my throat, strained voice and ended up with diagnosis of muscle tension dysphonia. Went to SLP and it did really help with my voice and the tightness but I realized that I was actually having some pain in my throat on the left side. Current symptoms are dull, achy type pain in throat only on left side when swallowing, yawning, making certain sounds and when I get choked up about something (like I’m going to cry). The pain radiates toward my left ear but not in a sharp way, more like an ear ache. When I try to think of other symptoms that could be related, I have had 2-3 episodes over the last year or so where I wake up from being really dizzy but then it passes after a few minutes. Also, 3-4 times over the last 4-5 years, I have temporarily lost hearing for a day or 2, but can’t remember what side. I have no ideas if all of this odd related or just random coincidences. What I’m mainly wondering is if any of your symptoms varied from one day to the next? Mine are definitely worse on some days and better on others. Varies from no pain to about a7/10 on others ( though not constant, just with the above-listed motions.) ---
**Author:** ![Isaiah\_40\_31](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.livingwitheagle.org/isaiah_40_31/32/3054_2.png) [@Isaiah\_40\_31](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/u/Isaiah_40_31)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 2:17am UTC](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/t/did-symptoms-ever-vary-in-intensity-or-come-and-go/24060/2 "2026-08-21T02:17:27Z")
@Dlm1969 - Welcome to our forum! ES symptoms absolutely vary as you’ve experienced i.e. minimal one day & terrible the next. Good days can go on for weeks but so can bad days before the good days return. Symptoms can also change from one flare up to another though there can be some that are always there w/ a flare up. The symptoms you’ve mentioned are those we’ve noted w/ ES. Your dizziness & intermittent hearing loss could point to internal jugular vein compression. Have you noticed any particular head positions that cause the dizziness to start or worsen once you have it? The best way to get a diagnosis is to have a CT scan with contrast. If it can be done dynamically i.e. w/ your head turned L/R, looking up/down, that can be very helpful, but it seems the radiology clinics that will do dynamic CT scans can be hard to find. You can request the CT from your PCP or from an ENT. Don’t be surprised if the doctor(s) from whom you request imaging are dismissive even if they know about ES. That seems to be a common problem many of our members experience. Reading the information below & noting which symptoms you have can be a powerful tool for being your own best self-advocate to get the imaging you need for a diagnosis. Here’s a link to information about ES symptoms & their possible causes that will be helpful if you read it: > [@ES Information: Common Symptoms And Possible Explanations For Them](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/t/es-information-common-symptoms-and-possible-explanations-for-them/1389): > > ES Information: Common Symptoms And Possible Explanations For Their Causes: Disclaimer: These answers to common questions were put together for new members to gain a head start in finding information about Eagle Syndrome; to give you confidence to discuss issues with your medical team and to encourage you to research issues further for yourselves. It was compiled by a volunteer Moderator, who does not claim to be a medical professional, merely an informed observer and patient! The sources used… ---
**Author:** ![Jules](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.livingwitheagle.org/jules/32/404_2.png) [@Jules](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/u/Jules)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 2:21pm UTC](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/t/did-symptoms-ever-vary-in-intensity-or-come-and-go/24060/3 "2026-08-21T14:21:16Z")
Lots of members have noticed this; it’s often quite random & with no obvious cause! You might find making a note of when they worsen and what you did that day or the day before helps though- common reasons for worsening are things like having your head turned for a while, speaking for a long time, extra exercise, having an unrelated virus infection, changes in the weather, and hormones too for women… ---
**Author:** ![Dlm1969](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@Dlm1969](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/u/Dlm1969)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 2:56pm UTC](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/t/did-symptoms-ever-vary-in-intensity-or-come-and-go/24060/4 "2026-08-21T14:56:08Z")
I appreciate the comments from both of you. It is so interesting to me that symptoms can vary so much. It makes sense to me that things like head position and such would obviously make a difference but I was doubting that I could have ES due to the wide variations of intensity. It seemed like if a bone was poking you in the throat it should just hurt all the time! 😂 My ENT thinks I have silent reflux (I’m sure I don’t) but insisted I do a 30 day trial of Pepcid. I am on day 22 with no difference. I also started taking antihistamines at the same time so they can’t blame it on post nasal drip. Once those are done, I will aggressively pursue imaging. It’s so frustrating when doctors won’t listen. I have incredibly good body awareness and I know what soreness from post nasal drip or irritation (as from acid) feels like.This is not an irritated sore throat feeling. It feels like something from the internal side of my throat causing pressure. I know they need to look for horses before they look for zebras but it seems like once the obvious causes are ruled out then they’re just done looking. So very frustrating. But I will keep at it and it will be helpful to have some information from this community when I return to them. ---
**Author:** ![lsheep](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.livingwitheagle.org/lsheep/32/14121_2.png) [@lsheep](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/u/lsheep)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 6:07pm UTC](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/t/did-symptoms-ever-vary-in-intensity-or-come-and-go/24060/5 "2026-08-21T18:07:56Z")
@Dlm1969 My first ENT diagnosed me with silent reflux despite me telling them I knew I didn’t have it. I did 18 months of allllll the treatments with her and when they failed, I told her something else was obviously wrong (she didn’t like that lol). I totally get the frustration of the lack of listening from some doctors. My second ENT is who found my Eagles and diagnosed me. ---
**Author:** ![Isaiah\_40\_31](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/forum.livingwitheagle.org/isaiah_40_31/32/3054_2.png) [@Isaiah\_40\_31](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/u/Isaiah_40_31)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2026, 7:16pm UTC](https://forum.livingwitheagle.org/t/did-symptoms-ever-vary-in-intensity-or-come-and-go/24060/6 "2026-08-21T19:16:50Z")
> [@Dlm1969](#): > > I know they need to look for horses before they look for zebras but it seems like once the obvious causes are ruled out then they’re just done looking. I LOVE your analogy! And yes, it is so very frustrating that there isn’t more curiosity among the medical community when a patient has symptoms that don’t add up to something a doctor can easily diagnose. 🙄