For 2 years i have had consistent ear and sinus infections, my doctor even admitted it was by far the worst ear infection she had ever seen. I have had many prescriptions for amoxicillin, penicillin, and co-amoxiclav, they all did very little. I finally got a referral to an ENT specialist midway through 2023, he at first thought it was dental issues and wasn't listening to me when I told him i had my dentist check me and i was okay. Finally, after some nasal spray for eustachian tube dysfunction didn't work, he realised how worried I was getting and how serious this was. After this failed, our original plan was to have this evaluated by another ENT specialist (someone who was far more experienced), however he decided to skip this and refer me to one hospital for an MRI, well initially it was going to be a different hospital, and then another but it ended up at this other one. Anyway I went to my appointment and had my MRI scan complete. It was awful, im not claustrophobic or anything, its just the Radiologist forgot to turn the volume up for my headphones so I had to listen to the machine for 15 minutes. I am now waiting for 1 week my ENT doctor said due to this being an urgent referral. I am terrified of the idea of surgery and while the thought of knowing what was wrong after 2 years, is not worth the risk of surgery. I just pray it is something not as major like chronic Mastoiditis.
My symptoms for anyone interested:
Ear pain - in canal and behind ear
Recurring ear and sinus infections
Tinnitus
Dizziness
Headaches - i experienced my first ever cluster headache, i couldn't sleep normally for 4 days until it finally cleared up
Symptoms that might not be related:
Vision loss - was originally -0.5 but has decreased since
Frequent pins and needles in left arm and leg specifically
Also if anyone else is suffering with severe ear pain, I tried Co-codamol, and it worked significantly. I took 1 in the morning and 1 at night paired with just 1 more regular paracetamol. However these are opioids so if you have any addiction issues it is best to talk with a pharmacist before you buy.