Fluid bubble in the ear, and I'm STILL having after effects!
July 6, 2009 7:06 PM Subscribe
It started with a really bad sinus infection, but it's been 5 months and I am still worried something permanent has happened, and the fluid could happen again the next time I get sick.
I've been having ear problems my whole life. In elementary school, I would get dizzy a lot and I seem to remember being in the hospital once for ear infections. In 10th grade, I had a terrible anxiety that made me disoriented and my doctor somehow thought it was earwax and from then on I have been compulsively popping my ears about 20 times a day, even though it turned out I don't think it was earwax after all, but anxiety and perhaps, as I thought then, some kind of heart problem. Throughout high school, I had increasingly worse and worse sinus infections every year but the worst definitely happened last March, my first year in college.
It started out with me being a bit nauseous and having to skip some classes, then one morning I woke up in the middle of the night having an urgent need for juice. I wanted to stretch but it hurt. I think I had a sore throat by then, and a few days later I started feeling my sinuses acting up. Usually, my eardrums would feel like they're being sucked in and I would experience all the usual symptoms, like "fullness in the ears" and whatnot.
But one night I stayed up extra late and my ears started feeling especially bad and I could feel my lymph nodes swelling up. I was having a candy binge at the time since there was a vending machine in our dorm building. Candy and sugary fruit drinks tends to give me a "sugar cyst" as I call it, when I eat too much. It seems like the sugar pools in my lymph nodes and it doesn't feel so good. I also had been walking around in negative temperatures; I am from Virginia and I went to Chicago for school so I wasn't prepared for the -30 degree, 40mph winds and never dressed quite appropriately for it.
The next day, (I think I had only been to class once during the whole week this was happening...and I eventually dropped out because I'd missed too much) I was sitting at my computer trying to pop my ears so they'd feel better, when all of a sudden my right inner ear just became covered in fluid. It felt like there was something stuck in my inner ear, and no amount of popping would let it loose. Blowing my nose made it hurt, and tilting my head the wrong way made it hurt. When I talked I could hear my voice echoing back into my head off the "bubble" and when anything touched the right side of my head it made a hollow echo, same when I walked. Any other sounds that I heard, in my right ear I could still hear at maybe 15%, but about half a second later I would hear a quieter echo of that sound that sounded like it was going through a cave. It seemed like the only thing that made me feel better was putting a cotton ball in that ear, even though I could still hear that half-second weird "echo" right through it. I also tried Sudafed every 4 hours, and that only helped a little but I felt like my ear drum was being burned and perforated without it.
Two or three days later, (and I still braved the winds the best I could to go to CVS for Sudafed during this time, but that's the only place I'd go) I finally decided I should take a shower, even though the water hitting that side my head too made a hollow echo. A few hours after that, it hurt to tilt my head to the usual left side like I usually had to, so I tilted it right and with a waxy pop I felt warm fluid draining out of my ear.
This is especially weird to me, because I went to the school clinic that was in my building, and she looked in my ear and didn't see anything. She said it wasn't an infection and I should just wait it out. If she didn't see the fluid, how did it drain out of my ear?? This makes me think maybe my eardrum was ruptured, but would that explain the fluid being there in the first place? And how did I do it?
So, after that, my ear still felt like it had fluid in it and my lymph nodes are still swelled up, some days more than others. Some days it feels like a hard little ball, some days it's wide and moveable. The one directly under my ear, behind my jaw stays hard and sometimes painful. I would pop my ears all the time, terrified that the "fluid bubble" would happen again. After it drained though, I don't feel like I have lesser hearing. If anything, it's better in my right ear, especially right now as I can hear the TV reflecting off the wall as well as coming from the TV, whereas my left ear can only hear from the TV. Sometimes it sounds a little dull, like I can't hear high pitched sounds as well, and sometimes it doesn't.
When I took an airplane back home June 30, as soon as we started taking off to landing, my right ear was popping incessantly. It felt sort of like I had equilibrium for once in a long, long time. When we landed I admit it felt a lot better and I thought maybe being away from Chicago's pollution and everything, my problems would be over. But although the first night I was back, my inner/middle? ear still felt sore, like I'd been using it too much. It also feels sore when I've been talking too much, or when I'm working too hard or I'm out in the rain. Sometimes it starts feeling sore and full when I'm eating, too.
So needless to say now, my problem hasn't really gone away. My right sinus area is always congested, my lymph nodes on that side are always swollen, my ear feels full and sore (not like a sore throat, but like it's a muscle that's been worn out). Right now, the right side of my face is a little numb (this happens on and off sometimes), but I just took 12.5mg of Benadryl just to see if a children's dose would help at all. Certain parts of my body near my ear have become a little sensitive too, all like I just got a minor burn or something. But I guess that's a different story. Sometimes it feels dry too, like it needs to be watered. Especially when I drink coffee, which is drying of course. I'm now hypervigilant about my ear, and when it seems like my hearing is experiencing any changes, I still have to pop my ears over and over.
So, what could have happened to me? Why do I still feel like this, and what should I do about it? I feel like it's ruining my life. When my inner ear area feels really "full" and dry, I don't even want to do anything but lie there. It's really sort of ruining my life, and I'm only 18!
I've been having ear problems my whole life. In elementary school, I would get dizzy a lot and I seem to remember being in the hospital once for ear infections. In 10th grade, I had a terrible anxiety that made me disoriented and my doctor somehow thought it was earwax and from then on I have been compulsively popping my ears about 20 times a day, even though it turned out I don't think it was earwax after all, but anxiety and perhaps, as I thought then, some kind of heart problem. Throughout high school, I had increasingly worse and worse sinus infections every year but the worst definitely happened last March, my first year in college.
It started out with me being a bit nauseous and having to skip some classes, then one morning I woke up in the middle of the night having an urgent need for juice. I wanted to stretch but it hurt. I think I had a sore throat by then, and a few days later I started feeling my sinuses acting up. Usually, my eardrums would feel like they're being sucked in and I would experience all the usual symptoms, like "fullness in the ears" and whatnot.
But one night I stayed up extra late and my ears started feeling especially bad and I could feel my lymph nodes swelling up. I was having a candy binge at the time since there was a vending machine in our dorm building. Candy and sugary fruit drinks tends to give me a "sugar cyst" as I call it, when I eat too much. It seems like the sugar pools in my lymph nodes and it doesn't feel so good. I also had been walking around in negative temperatures; I am from Virginia and I went to Chicago for school so I wasn't prepared for the -30 degree, 40mph winds and never dressed quite appropriately for it.
The next day, (I think I had only been to class once during the whole week this was happening...and I eventually dropped out because I'd missed too much) I was sitting at my computer trying to pop my ears so they'd feel better, when all of a sudden my right inner ear just became covered in fluid. It felt like there was something stuck in my inner ear, and no amount of popping would let it loose. Blowing my nose made it hurt, and tilting my head the wrong way made it hurt. When I talked I could hear my voice echoing back into my head off the "bubble" and when anything touched the right side of my head it made a hollow echo, same when I walked. Any other sounds that I heard, in my right ear I could still hear at maybe 15%, but about half a second later I would hear a quieter echo of that sound that sounded like it was going through a cave. It seemed like the only thing that made me feel better was putting a cotton ball in that ear, even though I could still hear that half-second weird "echo" right through it. I also tried Sudafed every 4 hours, and that only helped a little but I felt like my ear drum was being burned and perforated without it.
Two or three days later, (and I still braved the winds the best I could to go to CVS for Sudafed during this time, but that's the only place I'd go) I finally decided I should take a shower, even though the water hitting that side my head too made a hollow echo. A few hours after that, it hurt to tilt my head to the usual left side like I usually had to, so I tilted it right and with a waxy pop I felt warm fluid draining out of my ear.
This is especially weird to me, because I went to the school clinic that was in my building, and she looked in my ear and didn't see anything. She said it wasn't an infection and I should just wait it out. If she didn't see the fluid, how did it drain out of my ear?? This makes me think maybe my eardrum was ruptured, but would that explain the fluid being there in the first place? And how did I do it?
So, after that, my ear still felt like it had fluid in it and my lymph nodes are still swelled up, some days more than others. Some days it feels like a hard little ball, some days it's wide and moveable. The one directly under my ear, behind my jaw stays hard and sometimes painful. I would pop my ears all the time, terrified that the "fluid bubble" would happen again. After it drained though, I don't feel like I have lesser hearing. If anything, it's better in my right ear, especially right now as I can hear the TV reflecting off the wall as well as coming from the TV, whereas my left ear can only hear from the TV. Sometimes it sounds a little dull, like I can't hear high pitched sounds as well, and sometimes it doesn't.
When I took an airplane back home June 30, as soon as we started taking off to landing, my right ear was popping incessantly. It felt sort of like I had equilibrium for once in a long, long time. When we landed I admit it felt a lot better and I thought maybe being away from Chicago's pollution and everything, my problems would be over. But although the first night I was back, my inner/middle? ear still felt sore, like I'd been using it too much. It also feels sore when I've been talking too much, or when I'm working too hard or I'm out in the rain. Sometimes it starts feeling sore and full when I'm eating, too.
So needless to say now, my problem hasn't really gone away. My right sinus area is always congested, my lymph nodes on that side are always swollen, my ear feels full and sore (not like a sore throat, but like it's a muscle that's been worn out). Right now, the right side of my face is a little numb (this happens on and off sometimes), but I just took 12.5mg of Benadryl just to see if a children's dose would help at all. Certain parts of my body near my ear have become a little sensitive too, all like I just got a minor burn or something. But I guess that's a different story. Sometimes it feels dry too, like it needs to be watered. Especially when I drink coffee, which is drying of course. I'm now hypervigilant about my ear, and when it seems like my hearing is experiencing any changes, I still have to pop my ears over and over.
So, what could have happened to me? Why do I still feel like this, and what should I do about it? I feel like it's ruining my life. When my inner ear area feels really "full" and dry, I don't even want to do anything but lie there. It's really sort of ruining my life, and I'm only 18!
Oh, I'm so sorry you're going through this. Sinus issues can be so miserable. Here's the thing: campus healthcare is good for things that don't require much follow-up, but beyond that, they're not really set up to help you with something like this. You need an ear/nose/throat specialist who can answer your questions and address any underlying issues with the appropriate scans and medications. Campus health may be able to refer you to an ENT, if you aren't in a position to track one down on your own.
posted by corey flood at 7:20 PM on July 6, 2009
posted by corey flood at 7:20 PM on July 6, 2009
I'm reminded of a story Ray Bradbury told once -- he was just coming off of a cold, but it had been a nasty cold, and he was paying a lot of attention to his various symptoms -- checking up on himself a lot. And at some point, he noticed this weird....GROWTH in his throat. The more he felt at his throat, the surer he was that something was there. He spent a day touching it, getting progressively more and more freaked out, and finally went to his doctor and explained his symptoms.
His doctor examined him, then sat down in the chair across from Bradbury with a twinkle in his eye. "Well, Mr. Bradbury, I've figured out what you're suffering from."
"Really?" Said Bradbury. "What is it?"
"Discovery of your own larynx!"
Bradbury had just gotten so focused on being hypervigilant about his own symptoms that he had taken a regular feature of his own body -- something he'd only given a passing notice to before -- and blew it up into a whole huge thing, bigger than it actually was.
Now, I'm being REALLY really careful to not give the impression that I think you're being a little bit of a hypochondriac -- because I don't. I do think that there may be something going on -- but I think that your being "hypervigilant," as you said, may be blowing it a little bit up past its own seriousness. You say you have had a lot of ear problems throughout your life -- but then in the same paragraph you also said you suspected that it could be heart trouble, and I'm a little skeptical about that part.
And you also say that you compulsively pop your ears -- I'm worried this is maybe exacerbating the problem, possibly by just wearing whatever is going on in there out and not giving it a chance to rest, or by keeping you so focused on what's going on that you see it as a larger problem than it actually is.
And I'm just afraid these concerns are making you leap to conclusions that overlook the simple answers. The "fluid" in your ear that drained out when you were taking a shower, for example -- it may simply have been water from the shower. You say that you can feel sugar pooling in your lymph nodes -- I don't think sugar or lymph nodes even WORK that way.
Again, I am NOT saying that this is all in your head or that there's nothing actually wrong. I'm just afraid that you are compounding what IS wrong by being so "hypervigiliant" and being so hyperfocused on every little tiny thing that your body does that you are adding it to the List Of Symptoms.
My own sinuses go a little nuts when the weather gets changeable, and this may be all that's happening. Sinuses and ear stuff sometimes happen at the same time -- it could be as simple as the change in weather or the change of seasons stirred up pollen or some similar allergen, and your sinuses are a little nuts; that would also cause the sinus congestion. It does also explain the "dry" feeling (I get that too). Try a neti Pot a couple times a day -- I used one a couple times last week when I had a really stubborn cold and it did a LOT towards clearing out the muck in my sinuses, and after a few days of that I tapered off and didn't even need it any more.
And please, and I know this is going to be hard, try to give every other thing you're doing a rest -- the compulsive ear popping, the checking the symptoms, everything. Just try to take a deep breath for a day or so and see if the Neti pot helps.
Of course, if your ear is really seriously hurting, ignore everything I've said and get to a doctor -- but I have a hunch that you have just been so hyperfocused on what's happening that you're taking normal body functions as symptoms, instead of waiting a half hour to see if it goes away on its own. (I've done that too -- I once called my doctor in a panic because I thought I was having a heart attack, but then discovered a half hour later, to my great embarrassment, that it was just gas.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:30 PM on July 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
His doctor examined him, then sat down in the chair across from Bradbury with a twinkle in his eye. "Well, Mr. Bradbury, I've figured out what you're suffering from."
"Really?" Said Bradbury. "What is it?"
"Discovery of your own larynx!"
Bradbury had just gotten so focused on being hypervigilant about his own symptoms that he had taken a regular feature of his own body -- something he'd only given a passing notice to before -- and blew it up into a whole huge thing, bigger than it actually was.
Now, I'm being REALLY really careful to not give the impression that I think you're being a little bit of a hypochondriac -- because I don't. I do think that there may be something going on -- but I think that your being "hypervigilant," as you said, may be blowing it a little bit up past its own seriousness. You say you have had a lot of ear problems throughout your life -- but then in the same paragraph you also said you suspected that it could be heart trouble, and I'm a little skeptical about that part.
And you also say that you compulsively pop your ears -- I'm worried this is maybe exacerbating the problem, possibly by just wearing whatever is going on in there out and not giving it a chance to rest, or by keeping you so focused on what's going on that you see it as a larger problem than it actually is.
And I'm just afraid these concerns are making you leap to conclusions that overlook the simple answers. The "fluid" in your ear that drained out when you were taking a shower, for example -- it may simply have been water from the shower. You say that you can feel sugar pooling in your lymph nodes -- I don't think sugar or lymph nodes even WORK that way.
Again, I am NOT saying that this is all in your head or that there's nothing actually wrong. I'm just afraid that you are compounding what IS wrong by being so "hypervigiliant" and being so hyperfocused on every little tiny thing that your body does that you are adding it to the List Of Symptoms.
My own sinuses go a little nuts when the weather gets changeable, and this may be all that's happening. Sinuses and ear stuff sometimes happen at the same time -- it could be as simple as the change in weather or the change of seasons stirred up pollen or some similar allergen, and your sinuses are a little nuts; that would also cause the sinus congestion. It does also explain the "dry" feeling (I get that too). Try a neti Pot a couple times a day -- I used one a couple times last week when I had a really stubborn cold and it did a LOT towards clearing out the muck in my sinuses, and after a few days of that I tapered off and didn't even need it any more.
And please, and I know this is going to be hard, try to give every other thing you're doing a rest -- the compulsive ear popping, the checking the symptoms, everything. Just try to take a deep breath for a day or so and see if the Neti pot helps.
Of course, if your ear is really seriously hurting, ignore everything I've said and get to a doctor -- but I have a hunch that you have just been so hyperfocused on what's happening that you're taking normal body functions as symptoms, instead of waiting a half hour to see if it goes away on its own. (I've done that too -- I once called my doctor in a panic because I thought I was having a heart attack, but then discovered a half hour later, to my great embarrassment, that it was just gas.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:30 PM on July 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
i'll tell you right now, doctors who aren't ear specialists are out of their depth when trying to figure out anything... i'm not a doctor, but i'm paid many thousands of dollars to them. here is a little diagram of my current ear. Here is a picture showing me post surgery, blood and all, taken by my poor wife who had surgery photos thrust upon her by the surgeon--who kindly pointed out the bit of my brain that was trying to fall into my ear cavity.
do not mess around with ear problems. have a real ear specialist take a look.
posted by th3ph17 at 8:17 PM on July 6, 2009
do not mess around with ear problems. have a real ear specialist take a look.
posted by th3ph17 at 8:17 PM on July 6, 2009
Response by poster: Thanks for all your answers so far; I know I sound like a hypochondriac (I'll admit it's probably somewhat true), but the fact that this has been going on a long time has me pretty worried. It's strange things that happen too, like the "sugar cyst", which just makes doctors believe me less than they might have. I'm not sure if I still have insurance, but I am definitely going to see a specialist this time.
posted by lhude sing cuccu at 8:34 PM on July 6, 2009
posted by lhude sing cuccu at 8:34 PM on July 6, 2009
i have a friend, who when he has dairy, his lymph nodes swell up. we could call that a "dairy cyst". so doctors who think you're making up a "sugar cyst" kind of fail, and should be trying to figure out what would make your lymph nodes swell when you sugar binge.
beyond that...dude. when there is fluid leaking out of your ear for no good reason, you really need to go to the doctor.
i have had "clogged ears" and been dizzy for two years now. the ent says that i just have a lot of fluid build up because i'm allergic to everything. so i have to make sure my mouth is open when i blow my nose or exhale through my nose, other wise my ears get pressurized all weird. so i second someone above that you may just have a lot of fluid build up in your eustachian tubes. it's not uncommon. i'm miserable as hell when i fly, or even when there is a slight altitude change like going up to the 40th floor in an elevator.
if you do have health insurance, i'd definitely have this ear thing looked at.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 8:57 PM on July 6, 2009
beyond that...dude. when there is fluid leaking out of your ear for no good reason, you really need to go to the doctor.
i have had "clogged ears" and been dizzy for two years now. the ent says that i just have a lot of fluid build up because i'm allergic to everything. so i have to make sure my mouth is open when i blow my nose or exhale through my nose, other wise my ears get pressurized all weird. so i second someone above that you may just have a lot of fluid build up in your eustachian tubes. it's not uncommon. i'm miserable as hell when i fly, or even when there is a slight altitude change like going up to the 40th floor in an elevator.
if you do have health insurance, i'd definitely have this ear thing looked at.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 8:57 PM on July 6, 2009
dude. when there is fluid leaking out of your ear for no good reason, you really need to go to the doctor.
For the record, lhude sing cucoo did go to the doctor for this, but the doctor didn't find anything. That's chiefly why I suspected "you know, maybe it was just water from the shower after all" -- because if the ear really was infected to the point that you could feel fluid leaking out, a doctor's exam would have surely turned up other symptoms, is my bet.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:07 PM on July 6, 2009
For the record, lhude sing cucoo did go to the doctor for this, but the doctor didn't find anything. That's chiefly why I suspected "you know, maybe it was just water from the shower after all" -- because if the ear really was infected to the point that you could feel fluid leaking out, a doctor's exam would have surely turned up other symptoms, is my bet.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:07 PM on July 6, 2009
Response by poster: EmpressCallipygos: I'm taking your advice about not worrying about it so much, but I feel like it was something beyond the scope of a school clinic. I just mentioned it because if it wasn't an infection and the fluid wasn't somehow outside the eardrum for the doctor to see, that makes what happened all the more mysterious.
It wasn't just shower water either, I'm sure, because the "bubble" was gone after that, and it was sort of sticky. I'm sure it wasn't water.
posted by lhude sing cuccu at 9:14 PM on July 6, 2009
It wasn't just shower water either, I'm sure, because the "bubble" was gone after that, and it was sort of sticky. I'm sure it wasn't water.
posted by lhude sing cuccu at 9:14 PM on July 6, 2009
Are you sure it's your lymph nodes and not your saliva glands right under your ears?
posted by IndigoRain at 9:21 PM on July 6, 2009
posted by IndigoRain at 9:21 PM on July 6, 2009
I have ear problems, too. It doesn't sound like you have a bacterial infection, but you may have a viral infection. In any event, your inner ear is swelling up and closing off (which is why you get that weird noise when you take a shower). When your inner ear swells up, the air is absorbed back into your tissue, and it creates a vacuum which can block your Eustachian tubes, which leads to difficulty hearing.
This swelling can occur because of a cold, or because of allergies. Maybe you're allergic to pollution.
You need to take a visit to the ear nose and throat specialist. You probably need some antivirals, or perhaps some antihistimines.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:57 PM on July 6, 2009
This swelling can occur because of a cold, or because of allergies. Maybe you're allergic to pollution.
You need to take a visit to the ear nose and throat specialist. You probably need some antivirals, or perhaps some antihistimines.
posted by KokuRyu at 9:57 PM on July 6, 2009
Mucinex-D is guaifenesin plus pseudoephedrine. It lasts for 12 hours and is available behind the pharmacist counter. You'll have to ask for it, and then present photo ID and fill out a little form. It is the single best thing for clogged eustachian tubes. Take it every 12 hours for 3 or 4 days and bet you'll feel a lot better.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:20 AM on July 7, 2009
posted by hydropsyche at 4:20 AM on July 7, 2009
Because of the structure of the ear, Eustachian tubes, salivary glands, and lymph nodes, all the standard things that can happen in there can feel very strange. See an ENT, don't strain yourself trying to describe the sensations, just get a full workup. I have had sinusitis bad enough to leak fluid from my ears, and I eventually did rupture an eardrum while flying with a horrible cold. The ENT wouldn't do anything right away, I just got some big-gun antibiotics and then several weeks later needed to have some dried blood and fluid (which I could feel and I thought was going to drive me completely mad) removed from the vicinity after my eardrum healed.
posted by Lyn Never at 4:53 AM on July 7, 2009
posted by Lyn Never at 4:53 AM on July 7, 2009
I wouldn't freak out about it. You should go to an ENT and have your ear looked at more closely. Your ear symptoms closely mirror those that I had when I had a blockage in my ear last year. I'd managed to push some wax deep into my ear with a Q-Tip, and it hardened into something like a small stone. I got the echoing, the loss of equilibrium, the degraded hearing, the trapped fluid after showers and/or swimming.
I went to my family doctor and told her about it first. She looked in my ear, but didn't see anything. She sent me to an ENT to have it checked out, anyway. I guess he looked deeper. He used a couple of small tools to scrape out the "stone" and, except for a little lingering soreness, I was back to 100% immediately.
posted by syzygy at 5:50 AM on July 7, 2009
I went to my family doctor and told her about it first. She looked in my ear, but didn't see anything. She sent me to an ENT to have it checked out, anyway. I guess he looked deeper. He used a couple of small tools to scrape out the "stone" and, except for a little lingering soreness, I was back to 100% immediately.
posted by syzygy at 5:50 AM on July 7, 2009
I'm not clear on why you would try to take a child's dose of Benadryl. Unless you are a very small adult, you'll need an adult dose as it's based on weight. I would try Benadryl (an adult dose this time, you can find ultratabs at any pharmacy in generic format for cheap) for a couple days to see if it dries you out at all.
I would definitely recommend seeing an ENT for this, as you do sound like you have some chronic sinus/ear issues that need to be diagnosed and treated appropriately.
Also, when you do see a doctor, don't mention the "sugar cyst" as such. You should mention that when you consume a large amount of sugar, you have swelling in your glands ( I agree with IndigoRain, it's probably your salivary glands that are reacting vs. your lymph nodes, but IANAD). Giving it a name is not a good idea, let the doctor tell you what it actually is.
posted by crankylex at 5:56 AM on July 7, 2009
I would definitely recommend seeing an ENT for this, as you do sound like you have some chronic sinus/ear issues that need to be diagnosed and treated appropriately.
Also, when you do see a doctor, don't mention the "sugar cyst" as such. You should mention that when you consume a large amount of sugar, you have swelling in your glands ( I agree with IndigoRain, it's probably your salivary glands that are reacting vs. your lymph nodes, but IANAD). Giving it a name is not a good idea, let the doctor tell you what it actually is.
posted by crankylex at 5:56 AM on July 7, 2009
See an ENT, don't strain yourself trying to describe the sensations, just get a full workup.
Nthing this. Using terms like "sugar cyst" or diagnosing pains as coming from certain glands or organs might cause the doctor to miss something. I have a relative who seems to be a bit of a hypochondriac, as lhude sing cuccu says he is. Dude once diagnosed himself with "liver failure" when he was having stabbing stomach pain. He really was sick--he had terrible kidney stones--but his own insistence that they were coming from his liver contributed to doctors missing them until the problem was pretty bad. Go to a specialist and maybe tell them what you're feeling ("I feel a fullness in my throat") but avoid the self-diagnosis.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:41 AM on July 7, 2009
Nthing this. Using terms like "sugar cyst" or diagnosing pains as coming from certain glands or organs might cause the doctor to miss something. I have a relative who seems to be a bit of a hypochondriac, as lhude sing cuccu says he is. Dude once diagnosed himself with "liver failure" when he was having stabbing stomach pain. He really was sick--he had terrible kidney stones--but his own insistence that they were coming from his liver contributed to doctors missing them until the problem was pretty bad. Go to a specialist and maybe tell them what you're feeling ("I feel a fullness in my throat") but avoid the self-diagnosis.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:41 AM on July 7, 2009
Whoops, sorry, OP is a she!
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:45 AM on July 7, 2009
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 9:45 AM on July 7, 2009
Using terms like "sugar cyst" or diagnosing pains as coming from certain glands or organs might cause the doctor to miss something. I have a relative who seems to be a bit of a hypochondriac, as lhude sing cuccu says he is. Dude once diagnosed himself with "liver failure" when he was having stabbing stomach pain. He really was sick--he had terrible kidney stones--but his own insistence that they were coming from his liver contributed to doctors missing them until the problem was pretty bad.
This is more what I meant when I was counseling OP to take a deep breath. lhude, again, I hope that you didn't take what I said to mean that I thought you were a hypochondriac; I was more afraid that the "hypervigilance," like you said, could maybe be creating a situation where you were so hyperaware of every little twinge and hiccup and twitch that your body was doing, and were noticing things that were actually normal body stuff or just fleeting things (i.e., you're so flustered about "oh no, a sudden sharp pain in my arm!" that you don't notice that it's because a mosquito landed there), that you were just scaring yourself to the point that you are worried it's ruining your life. It sucks, yeah, and what is going on should be addressed, but it sounds like you're adding to your own stress.
At the worst, by telling the doctor that you think you had a "fluid bubble" or a "sugar cyst", you may end up confusing the doctor as to what you really mean, and they may look for the wrong thing -- if you instead just talk about the symptoms ("I feel fullness in my ears", "I felt fluid draining from my ears in the shower", "when I eat a lot of sugar I feel groggy/sluggish/it swells up in this spot/queasy/[whatever you feel]"), doctors can tell you what those symptoms REALLY are called, and whether they're any cause for concern or not.
At least -- oh, sweetie, you're stressing yourself out so much. Sinus stuff sucks -- I get that a lot myself -- but to layer "my God, maybe I have heart trouble" on top of my usual sinus miseries would just make me nuts, and I hate to think that that's what you're going through.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:14 AM on July 7, 2009
This is more what I meant when I was counseling OP to take a deep breath. lhude, again, I hope that you didn't take what I said to mean that I thought you were a hypochondriac; I was more afraid that the "hypervigilance," like you said, could maybe be creating a situation where you were so hyperaware of every little twinge and hiccup and twitch that your body was doing, and were noticing things that were actually normal body stuff or just fleeting things (i.e., you're so flustered about "oh no, a sudden sharp pain in my arm!" that you don't notice that it's because a mosquito landed there), that you were just scaring yourself to the point that you are worried it's ruining your life. It sucks, yeah, and what is going on should be addressed, but it sounds like you're adding to your own stress.
At the worst, by telling the doctor that you think you had a "fluid bubble" or a "sugar cyst", you may end up confusing the doctor as to what you really mean, and they may look for the wrong thing -- if you instead just talk about the symptoms ("I feel fullness in my ears", "I felt fluid draining from my ears in the shower", "when I eat a lot of sugar I feel groggy/sluggish/it swells up in this spot/queasy/[whatever you feel]"), doctors can tell you what those symptoms REALLY are called, and whether they're any cause for concern or not.
At least -- oh, sweetie, you're stressing yourself out so much. Sinus stuff sucks -- I get that a lot myself -- but to layer "my God, maybe I have heart trouble" on top of my usual sinus miseries would just make me nuts, and I hate to think that that's what you're going through.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:14 AM on July 7, 2009
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Are you drinking enough water/fluids? I know sometimes my nodes start to feel tender if I get dehydrated.
As for your other symptoms, I don't know. Honestly it sounds like you may be psyching yourself out because of stress, making you feel "sick." Go to another doctor. You may need to be treated for your anxiety.
posted by ishotjr at 7:14 PM on July 6, 2009