I have been experiencing pain in my face, ear, and under my chin on the left side for almost a year. I have been put on pain killers, gabapentin, and 7 rounds of antibioticcs over the year. Sometimes I get temporary relief from the antibiotics but within a month I feel terrible again. This past two weeks have been the worst. I missed several days of work due to the pain, dizziness, and fatigue. I found this sight earlier this week and started calling all the specialists I'm seeing (ENT, neuro, and endo). My family Dr. said it is too rare so it can't be the problem. I remembered having a panoramic x-ray done in January to rule out tooth root problems and called my dentist. He looked at my x-rays and compared them to others. He said my styloid process on the left is obviously longer than the others and was quite surprised. He is forwarding the info on to an oral surgeon that he talked with and I should have more info sometime next week. In the mean time I am in a lot of pain and cannot afford to lose more work. I stopped eating foods I had to chew about a week ago and mainly eat chicken noodle soup and oatmeal. But even getting the spoon in my mouth can be painful or I am just afraid it might cause more pain. To make matters worse. I work in a factory where I need to wear a hard hat and ear protection muffs that put pressure in the areas I definitely don't want.
Does anyone have any suggestions for what I can do to reduce the pain in mean time? I currently take Aleve, Prilosec, and apple cider vinegar every day.
which antibiotics were you given? did they do a culture and sensitivities test BEFORE giving the abx to you? If they were Fluoroquinolones AND if they were co- rxd with a steroid..(even if given alone-FQ's can harm tendons in face as they have my own) .the left side of my face is caving in (Parry-Romberg's? WHo knows? EAGLES? COgnetti doens't THINK SO without having DONE ANY IMAGING he only "felt" the styloids, all this AFTER Dr STiels did an xray and felt they were "elongated" GETTING SICK OF DOCS! do your own reseasrch and get all your recrods and find out what drugs you were given and if you are having sensitivietes to htese drugs YES IT HAPPEN POST TREATMENT by many months or years! as the attached files will clue you in.
I do use a PT ball occipitally and it does get blood flow to the entire left side then up the right, feels wonderful, but i have to lay in bed to do this. Hoping a surgical procedure some day will alleviate this pain! BTW: for me they can't blame my teeth; I had them ALL OUT IN 1995/97 due to Sjogren's related calcifications in teeth-they were a mess despite great dnetal care.
FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA requires label changes to warn of risk for possibly permanent nerve damage from antibacterial fluoroquinolone drugs taken by mouth or by injection
Information for Healthcare Professionals: Fluoroquinolone Antimicrobial Drugs [ciprofloxacin (marketed as Cipro and generic ciprofloxacin), ciprofloxacin extended-release (marketed as Cipro XR and Proquin XR), gemifloxacin (marketed as Factive), levofloxacin (marketed as Levaquin), moxifloxacin (marketed as Avelox), norfloxacin (marketed as Noroxin), and ofloxacin (marketed as Floxin)]
FDA ALERT [7/8/2008]: FDA is notifying the makers of fluoroquinolone antimicrobial drugs for systemic use of the need to add a boxed warning to the prescribing information about the increased risk of developing tendinitis and tendon rupture in patients taking fluoroquinolones and to develop a Medication Guide for patients. The addition of a boxed warning and a Medication Guide would strengthen the existing warning information already included in the prescribing information for fluoroquinolone drugs.
Fluoroquinolones are associated with an increased risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture. This risk is further increased in those over age 60, in kidney, heart, and lung transplant recipients, and with use of concomitant steroid therapy. Physicians should advise patients, at the first sign of tendon pain, swelling, or inflammation, to stop taking the fluoroquinolone, to avoid exercise and use of the affected area, and to promptly contact their doctor about changing to a non-fluoroquinolone antimicrobial drug.
Selection of a fluoroquinolone for the treatment or prevention of an infection should be limited to those conditions that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria.
I feel for you. I truly do. I had both stylenoids removed on left and right in 2011. I am doing so much better. I had the face pain on the left like it was hardened, my voice would change, i had leg and chest pains, and of course horrible throat pain. i felt like I had a carrot in my throat. I had diffuculty swallowing. Steroids helped a lot. I was on ensure. Solids were impossible for me. I would recommend to soothe pain warm drinks. I am very happy with my surgery. There was some pain 1yr after surgery but like 75% less. Now it will hurt slightly maybe one day every three months.
If you can get your Doctor or Dentist to give you some numbing gel like Oragel but the strength they use before they give you Novacaine it might help. You can put it on with a long Q-tip or you fingers. I have heard of some Doctors putting injections of Novacaine in the back of the jaw and if it helps then it definitely is Eagle Syndrome that is causing the problem.
Also have you tried any muscle relaxers? I know if anything helps it is worth a shot!
I work as a dental hygienist and have an extremely long calcified styloid ligament left side. Very prominent on left side of my Panoramic x-ray. I have been feeling a pulling and aching of left side under jaw. I get headaches, ear pain and dizziness. Choked on food several times. I saw the ENT and he said it shouldn't be bothering me. i can put my finger on ligament in back of my throat. He said probably arthritis in neck. I truly believe doctors don't know what they are looking at. He said because mine was long and straight it not a concern. The J SHAPED ligament are a concern because they usually involve carotids. He doesn't seem to understand that pain drains a body. If one thing if off in the body that it affects other areas of the body. Scary they are doctors. One sided pain that correlates with styloid ligament should be cause to look at why.
I have found some relief in watching how I sleep at night. I have found that I start my day in pain if I sleep on my stomach with my head turned to left side. I have to really concentrate on keeping the ligament from pressing anymore than possible on other tissues, nerves, ligaments in neck. i get pain if i sleep with neck turn to left.
I question people I see come through the dental office that i see have elongated styloids on panoramic x-rays. It is amazing how many say "how did you know i had that". I have been tell my doctor for years of that problem. One lady said she had just talked to doctor about ringing and pressure in her ear. Her doctor put her on a antibiotic once again because ear looked irritated. She said antibiotics never work. She was amazed I hit the nail on the head with constant ringing in her ears. Doctors are set in there ways of pill pushing and i think afraid to look outside the box for pain causes. Until you can get treatment try not to twist head sleeping. Watch posture in neck don't slouch. It creates more pressure in head and face. I should know with my line of work of twisting and sitting in weird position to see peoples teeth in a little mouth. hope it helps.
I have had great success with acupuncture. For a variety of reasons I had to wait a year to have surgery and in the meantime I had acupuncture treatments about 1 per week. It was like magic. I won't say I felt normal, but certainly completely functional and minimal discomfort. My acupuncturist let me prepay at discount for 5 treatments at a time. My surgery went well 2 months ago and am looking forward to a full recovery.
Eagleeye, Thank you for checking with people when you see elongated styloids on their xrays. I'm sure your vigilance will change a lot of lives for the better.
eagleeye said:
I work as a dental hygienist and have an extremely long calcified styloid ligament left side. Very prominent on left side of my Panoramic x-ray. I have been feeling a pulling and aching of left side under jaw. I get headaches, ear pain and dizziness. Choked on food several times. I saw the ENT and he said it shouldn't be bothering me. i can put my finger on ligament in back of my throat. He said probably arthritis in neck. I truly believe doctors don't know what they are looking at. He said because mine was long and straight it not a concern. The J SHAPED ligament are a concern because they usually involve carotids. He doesn't seem to understand that pain drains a body. If one thing if off in the body that it affects other areas of the body. Scary they are doctors. One sided pain that correlates with styloid ligament should be cause to look at why.
I have found some relief in watching how I sleep at night. I have found that I start my day in pain if I sleep on my stomach with my head turned to left side. I have to really concentrate on keeping the ligament from pressing anymore than possible on other tissues, nerves, ligaments in neck. i get pain if i sleep with neck turn to left.
I question people I see come through the dental office that i see have elongated styloids on panoramic x-rays. It is amazing how many say "how did you know i had that". I have been tell my doctor for years of that problem. One lady said she had just talked to doctor about ringing and pressure in her ear. Her doctor put her on a antibiotic once again because ear looked irritated. She said antibiotics never work. She was amazed I hit the nail on the head with constant ringing in her ears. Doctors are set in there ways of pill pushing and i think afraid to look outside the box for pain causes. Until you can get treatment try not to twist head sleeping. Watch posture in neck don't slouch. It creates more pressure in head and face. I should know with my line of work of twisting and sitting in weird position to see peoples teeth in a little mouth. hope it helps.
I had great results with surgery as well, but here's an idea in the meantime:
Eat TONS of popsicles. Like, 20 per night. It was the only way I could get to sleep at night, and it would temporarily reduce (practically remove) the pain. I learned the idea from someone on this site. It works wonderfully. You can expect to hate popsicles by the time you have your surgery, though. ;)
If her ear looked irritated I wonder if they did a cutlure? I hate when I hear tehy were given antibiotics withotu finding true casue, especially if thos are FLuoroqinolones (See above for newer Black Box Warning and for facial pain/neuropathy.
eagleeye said:
I work as a dental hygienist and have an extremely long calcified styloid ligament left side. Very prominent on left side of my Panoramic x-ray. I have been feeling a pulling and aching of left side under jaw. I get headaches, ear pain and dizziness. Choked on food several times. I saw the ENT and he said it shouldn't be bothering me. i can put my finger on ligament in back of my throat. He said probably arthritis in neck. I truly believe doctors don't know what they are looking at. He said because mine was long and straight it not a concern. The J SHAPED ligament are a concern because they usually involve carotids. He doesn't seem to understand that pain drains a body. If one thing if off in the body that it affects other areas of the body. Scary they are doctors. One sided pain that correlates with styloid ligament should be cause to look at why.
I have found some relief in watching how I sleep at night. I have found that I start my day in pain if I sleep on my stomach with my head turned to left side. I have to really concentrate on keeping the ligament from pressing anymore than possible on other tissues, nerves, ligaments in neck. i get pain if i sleep with neck turn to left.
I question people I see come through the dental office that i see have elongated styloids on panoramic x-rays. It is amazing how many say "how did you know i had that". I have been tell my doctor for years of that problem. One lady said she had just talked to doctor about ringing and pressure in her ear. Her doctor put her on a antibiotic once again because ear looked irritated. She said antibiotics never work. She was amazed I hit the nail on the head with constant ringing in her ears. Doctors are set in there ways of pill pushing and i think afraid to look outside the box for pain causes. Until you can get treatment try not to twist head sleeping. Watch posture in neck don't slouch. It creates more pressure in head and face. I should know with my line of work of twisting and sitting in weird position to see peoples teeth in a little mouth. hope it helps.
Eagleheart, one should only eat ice chips or icees, slushed or crushed, NO SUGAR, setting yourselfup for vaginal yeast infections (if a woman) or stomach/candida issues if male, so much sugar is no good for body-If you NEED ICE, use ICE not popsicles! But I bet it FEELS good ; >)
this pic shows the whitish scar tissue and redness of how when taking each breath, leaves a pattern down the back of throat, some pics shows blisters/splotches on teh day I had a biopsy, being told, "THe biopsy shows nothing" within 3 days, I tested positive for Klebsiella Oxytoca Pneumonia and I have video though it would not load here, showing blistering behind the uvula. Note the extreme angle of a new "arch" on right side that is only getting tighter every month.
BTW: Docs say,"there is noting wrong with my throat" I did test high in ACE levels for sarcoidosis but do not want to take a nuclear test as I do not want to put anything else into my already diseased body.
Cat, have you tried using ice? If so, how do you do it?
For me, it didn't work at all. For a few reasons: plain ice is too hard and you can't swallow it in slush form, so it doesn't freeze your throat enough, slushes work just like popsicles but you have to feel well enough to make them, and chances are most days you won't feel up to it even if it helps. Also, any flavored slush you make is going to have sugar in it, even if it's natural sugar like that found in grape or orange juice. I guess you could make snow with your blender and swallow that in chunks, if you don't mind a lack of flavor, and if you're up to it. I was never well enough to get the blender out, let alone make snow.
I'd suggest sugar free popsicles for those who are sensitive to sugar. I started out with sugar free popsicles, but then I worried that the NutraSweet could be exacerbating my problems so I switched to sugar popsicles. (By the way, it turned out the NutraSweet was not to blame for my accelerating symptoms.)
Of course, there is also the obstacle of hating popsicles after a few days of eating them in bulk. I found that a generic brand of "monster" popsicles was delicious and the size of the popsicles made it so I wasted less time opening them. ;) I found them in bags at the bottom of the freezer at Walmart.
I never had any yeast infections or other adverse reactions to the sugar, but I can definitely see why someone would want to be careful for that.
Eagleheart: No i don't "do ice" very well due to the Systemic Sclerosis/Reynaud's, I do much better with warmer liquids. Trouble swallowing due to Sjogrene's adn issues with Thyroid, I do still have nodules despite ablation. Glad you didnt take Nutrasweet long, it's car wax, Google DEtroit/Aspartame etc, I drank it ONCE accidentlly and had THE most severe headache thought to be beacuease we had been driving in mountains in PA, altitude-NOT! it was diet Gingerale!
Just accupressure with the PT ball helps, pciked up another larger single ball, it's filled with sand, used to exercise with.(named PURE FITNESS 3 lb ball in blue-looks like a tiny basketball), from 5 Below it was $5 blue sand filled 3 lb ball, soft enough to lie upon and get the acupressure at just the right angle. The other rubber PT ball isactually starting to wear away so I got a good substitute. Off I go to bed and to rest my weary head/neck.
Thank all of you for your input! Has anyone tried nerve "flossing"? I had to do that for DeQuervains on my right thumb, was wondering if that might help with my shoulder pain.
