When pain is bad, a palpable knot in the styloid process area is felt. It’s about the size of 1-1.5in long and 1/2-1in wide. Does anyone have this issue, any home remedies that help to calm the pain and knot down? Also, this happens on both sides, but left is worse. Tilting head towards ear, up, down, or away from the area. Or other suggestions would be great. Thank you!
Ice packs and popsicles helped some, but Oxycodone is the only thing that would really help. Even on my bad days that only works a bit. I sleep with an ice pack every night and use as much as my schedule permits during the day. Others have used a cervical collar while driving and or sleeping. I also stay away from foods that cause inflammation. When I have anything with a lot of processed sugar in it the pain increases.
I try to eat mainly liquidy warm foods like oatmeal or chicken noodle soup. I stay away from anything with red meat, processed sugar, artificial sweeteners, soda, alcohol, most caffeine (except one cup diluted coffee). I also found taking certain vitamin supplements made it worse, it was either vitamin d or b but it made my pain worse.
Sometimes warm compresses help, sometimes not.
I have had some relief from the pain using icy hot and cloroseptic spray but the relief isn't long lived.
Posture helps. Sit straight move body instead of head.
Don't sleep on that side. Or sleep on back.
I'm taking tromodal too which helps with the worst of the pain but I still feel a lot of pressure and sharp stabs in the ear.
I also find that foods are my biggest trigger... Certain things I eat makes mine flare up and more painful so I try to avoid those things such as Coffee. Acidic foods like orange juice seem ok though. Painkillers seem not to help at all for me, I can take ibruprofen or codeine and i still have the neuralgia around my ear and down my throat
Strangely, I felt comforted by caffeine and sugar. Not sure if they actually helped, or if they just soothed my soul.
Popsicles were by far the best trick anyone shared with me. I ate about 20-30 per night in order to be able to sleep at night.
I wore a cervical collar to drive. I bet it also would've helped at night, but I never tried that. I noticed that whenever I drove without my collar I would start to have severe "heart attack" symptoms.
Ibuprofen helped a tiny bit. Percocet and flexeril helped a little more. Neurontin helped. Still, medicine could never do as much good as a mountain of popsicles.
Good luck- hang in there!