Questions from Dee in LR

Brave me right, after months I decided to open a discussion… Did anyone fly before or after diagnosis, but before surgery? I’m asking because night of taking three flights to vacation then again two back home my left ear is bleeding. ES symptoms present about 30 years so pain is usually there, but never had an ear bleed like drip … drip after flying.

DeeG ~
A number of people have flown w/ ES but I have never heard of that as a side effect. I’d hop on over to the ER & get that looked at right away. That sounds like a pretty extreme symptom if ES caused it.

I’m sooooo sorry you’re experiencing that. Praying for you now. :pray:

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That does sound worrying, poor you. Definitely get that checked out. Hugs to you & let us know how you get on…

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I have a call in to my doctor to see if I need to make an appointment. The ear drops I use have steroid and antibiotic and using the drops may be enough. I’ll update when I find out.
Doctor’s nurse said use drops and follow up with surgeon. I suspected he might say that. Ear no longer bleeding, but will follow up with surgeon. Who knows, they may have a cancellation and I would be happy to get in early!

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Best wishes for a full recovery!

Thanks so much! Things are moving along right now and I’m hoping it keeps up a steady pace.

How many of you had dental issues, breaking teeth or dry mouth, before surgery which cleared after surgery? I cannot avoid breaking a tooth every six months or so unless I take Pilocarpine. Have to call the dentist tomorrow…

I’ve had a dry mouth & dry eyes about the same time as the ES pain started, neither have improved after surgery! I put it down to a possible autoimmune illness- I presumed Sjogrens, but haven’t pursued a diagnosis & treatment as it’s manageable.

Hello everyone, today is counseling day. I never thought I would have so much pain and anxiety that I would need medicine to sleep every night. I’ve tried to do without, thinking it was weakness, and gave up after 4 nights. Tomorrow is hearing aid day at VA. I hope it is temporary, but don’t mind if it’s permanent if I can get the high tones reduced and the low tones increased. Music just doesn’t sound the same if you can’t hear that bass. I don’t like it booming, but when I know it should be in the song it makes me a little sad…

Hope that you can get your hearing improved tomorrow…so sorry that you’re struggling, you are on the right path & things are happening, too slowly I know, you’ll get there! Going on amitriptyline for nerve pain was the best thing I did, I didn’t want to be on medication long term, but I slept so much better when I started on it, & if you sleep better, you can cope a bit more! Hugs to you, Dee.

I have to find a nerve pain reliever other than Amitriptyline, I almost lost my job on that. I was so hyper people started asking my boss what was wrong with me. I never sleep on that and trazadone. I am very playful underneath the surface and it comes out like a one person variety show.

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Hi Dee!

SewMomma found that Tylenol PM helps her sleep better at night. Since it’s non-narcotic, she was ok taking it for awhile. Might be worth a try. I have to take Melatonin many nights to get a chunk of sleep. I take a sublingual tablet that dissolves fairly quickly & gets into my system faster than an oral pill would. It usually knocks me out for 4 hours, but I figure 4 hours of deep sleep are better than 7 hours of lying in bed tossing & turning.

I totally get your wanting a more dynamic range when listening to music. It sure can sound flat when part of the sound spectrum is missing. I’m with you there! I have only one ear that works well. The other sympathizes w/ your situation.

Hoping & praying your pain takes a hike SOON!!

:sunflower:

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How strange that it affected you like that, you sounded like a fun person to have around at work like that :joy:

Hi Dee Have you tried valerian root for sleeping. One of the doctors in the practice recommended it to me and it works. He’s pretty old school and said that its the only herbal recommendation he will make.

BG

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I have tried a couple of things years back, but not recently. Will try again when I get a few weeks of sleep strung together on new combo of same meds. If I get to sleep deep, I stay sleep for at least six hours. Last night was good! If you can remember brand please let me know. Different manufacturers have different potency. Doctors may not believe it, but I don’t want to be on any meds. My BP, migraines and anxiety are from same incident and without anxiety I believe I can sleep like a middle aged baby.

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Ever heard that saying, it’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt. There is a non-PG version, but that’s how I am on either med. I play, sing and think I am both the best comedian and best audience ever! My bosses get “hurt” because people are reporting me and because I do not work. I am the party on Trazadone and Amitriptyline!

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Hearing aid is almost invisible. It’s okay for work, but don’t need it at home. Just need to be able to know when someone is talking to me. It lasted 4 hours before I cleaned it and put it away. Not a lot of people work in the office on Fridays.

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Four hours is a good start. My mom had hearing aids & the audiologist recommended starting w/ minimal wearing & gradually increasing the time until she could keep them in for 7-8 hrs/day. My mom did not comply & kept them in for 12 hrs some days (she forgot to take them out) & grew to hate them & quit wearing them. It was her own fault. You’re wise to only use them when you need them. :+1: :+1:

I admit I haven’t paid good attention to the information about massage. Can I massage neck area before surgery? If so, where can I find more information? Sorry, being at pre-diagnosed stage makes me not want to hope for relief then not get any relief. But with sptoms getting worse and now ramping up on left side I need to dial the pain down a couple of notches. Any ideas are appreciated!

Hi DeeG ~

Massaging might increase your pain but you can try it. Ice or heat seem to be a better bet at your stage of the game, & as has been mentioned, nerve pain meds but it sounds like you’ve gone the rounds w/ it least one of those. If you massage your neck, do it gently w/ your finger tips for a couple of minutes “to test the waters”. You can try a circular motion in the painful area. Massage is used more for post op nerve stimulation during recovery. You can click on the gray magnifying glass icon (above right) & type in “massage” & read the posts that come up. Additionally others will likely comment here.