Ear pain , inflammation, itchy tms?

Any one have a tms experience with ear pain , itchyness and pain ? as some of you may have read my post a few weeks ago regarding after getting my left ear flushed I had some inflammation in my left ear.

The doctor prescribed 10 days of an antibotic that I was extremely anxious to take due to the possible bit very unlikely side effects that could occur using it.

So its been about a week since I took it and I still had ear pain so i decided to vist the doctor i initially saw.

She said it was still inflamed and prescribed me another antibotic .

However its I'm the same class as the one I just took and it seems to be worse aka more otoxic (hearing loss, tinnitus,balance issues) then the last one I took.

Plus considering I just took one for 10 days and it didnt work or help. I think it's safe to assume I dont have an infection.

Also i don't like taking antibiotics and any drug really if i don't need to

Last year i basically took doxycycline and bactrim for no reason and the year prior i took cirpoflaxacin for no reason and ended up having a reaction to it.

Also according to her I'm put of options in terms of antibiotics to use as the other option is ciprodex which i dont want to chance since i had that really bad allergic reaction.

And I dont know what to do.

I'm thinking of just letting heal naturally as it should and I'm gonna be careful (cover them in the shower, stop scratching them with my pinky when they are itchy) that's probably what's causing the inflammation tbh. As if it was an infection I think there would be more symptoms just inflammation.

 

I know you didn’t necessarily ask in this specific post, but I’d like to reiterate in case it helps anyone else: I 100% understand why you don’t want to take Cipro pills or any other fluoroquinolones pills after having a bad reaction to them (I would agree and say that’s a good decision). Remember that the ear drops are a localized treatment that won’t result in systemwide damage.

All that said, I’m hesitant about taking antibiotics as well. I totally get it. But remember that you have a history of anxiety, and that causes endless symptoms. You need to start working on managing your health anxiety so you can weather through medical issues without constantly feeling like you’re going to end up crippled. It’s just not likely.

Remember how I said I had to take Flagyl because the doctor said the other available options wouldn’t really help my particular case? Flagyl toxicity is reported as having almost all the same symptoms as floxing (minus the tendon ruptures), and I actually did have some joint and muscle pain while I was on it. But those symptoms went away when I didn’t think about them. For me, there was no Flagyl-related damage - it was all stress over believing I was likely to get symptoms. You don’t want to freak yourself out like this every time you need medication.

Is there a doctor near you who has a general understanding of the mind-body connection and can help guide you in these situations? As someone with severe health anxiety, you might feel more comfortable making decisions about your health with a physician who gets it.

 

My gp understands that I have health anxiety around taking medications and regarding my health anxiety issues (whether my ear is actually an infection ) or just inflammation.

So I am going to make an appointment with hopefully in the next few days or next week if shes unavailable.

Considering I already took an antibiotic for 10 days over a week ago its possible my symptoms are stress related although I've havent heard or read about ear pain as a tms symptom. Ear itchiness is definitely and anxiety symptom though I know that

 

It’s very interesting because you were also deathly afraid of hearing damage. It certainly seems like your ears are of concern to you, increasing the likelihood of symptoms.

 

Yeah at the moment that is the focus of my anxiety and sure enough my other symptoms have subsided/ disappeared.

 

That's fantastic to hear, @NameK! I hope this serves as proof to you that you are indeed OK. Remember this next time you're anxious about your health - the symptoms can go away and are not permanent. You just need to stop fearing and obsessing over them, and manage your anxiety. You can turn your entire life around and be happy without these worries much more consistently. It's all within reach for you. Remember how plastic the brain is.

 

Update: I saw my gp today and she said that I don't have an ear infection and she didnt see any inflammation in my ears and said they looked fine. So my ear pain is the result of a cold causing congestion leading to some ear pain or its tms anxiety whatever you want to call it like alot of things seem to be.

Sometimes it's not though so that's why it's always good to see a medical professional when in doubt. Just dont do it alot like I do.

I also think I should stop visiting walk in clinics as they seem to always be in a rush and just push you out the door with a prescription (antibiotics) and most of the time people dont need them.

 

For what it’s worth, your immune system is affected greatly by your emotions. Plenty of scientific data proves this - it’s not a myth.

Please stay off the health forums for good this time. I remember a college buddy showing me an HIV forum where multiple people claimed to have been infected by aliens, cats, dogs, even plants. Yes, they were serious. I thought my friend was joking or lying until I saw it for myself. Look at all the fibromyalgia patients who claim their lives are over when they’re not. They don’t even want to be open to the possibility of getting better. You have to take it all with a huge grain of salt... and refrain from ever logging in. Imagine being afraid to hug your cat because people think it’ll give you HIV. Health forums are often filled with terrible information and horror stories that don’t need to be you.

 

Yeah your definitely right I need yo stay off them. They dont help me in anyway really and just cause me more stress / anxiety. Its almost like an addiction and I stop for awhile and then I relapse. I need to break the cycle of going on those fourms.

 

Another update : I saw my gp and she said she couldn't see any signs of an war infection (no inflammation,pus, or fluid)

My other symptoms are as follows (sinus congestion, headache,ear feels full, ear pain, almost feels like air or wind is going in.) I dont think its tinnitus as I have that in my right ear and I know its likely tms

My doctor said to see her in a week or so if it doesnt get better. She said its probably a cold causing it.

I was prescribed antibiotic ear drops plus a steroid a few weeks ago and took them as previous doctor (walk in ) thought I had an infection due to inflammation after getting it syringed.

The sinus pressure and headache have gotten better but the ear pain comes and goes still.

So I just gotta trust my doctor and wait it out. If she says I dont have an ear infection then I probably dont.

 

You are going to be fine.

@NameK, has anyone ever mentioned health-related OCD to you? It's another mind-body syndrome/TMS component, so near fears - you can beat it. As I always say, the next step is for you to start focusing on your health anxiety and obsessive thoughts.

 

Yes it has been mentioned to me in the past and recently. I'm aware I have it I just need to work on relaxing more and stop overly stressing over little health things making them worse when they usually are nothing.

My ear pain alone could be caused by overly stressing about it for all i know.

 

Here's an analogy that may be helpful.

I lived in a community HIV/AIDS is a prominent issue. About 1/5 of the population has it (and many don't even know it). One external message board includes a risk assessment subforum where HIV positive moderators determine whether an HIV negative person was at risk of becoming infected after engaging in specific activities. In order to get infected, you must meet all four biological requirements at once. I will quote the conditions directly from the forum: "The virus must be present in an infectious body fluid from the HIV positive person, it must be present at sufficient levels to cause infection. There must be an effective route of transmission, and it must reach susceptible cells in another person."

I remember reading stories where people simply didn't meet these four conditions all at once, yet they'd keep asking the moderators dozens of times if they were infected by the activities they engaged in, slightly rewording their stories to see if the moderators' risk assessments changed at all. Sometimes they'd argue with the moderators and link to other websites with super outdated information that has since been disproven. But the moderators' risk assessments never changed because these people simply were not at risk of becoming infected for various reasons (e.g., the virus cannot infect someone as soon as it touches the air, HIV does not latch onto cells on your fingers, saliva neutralizes the virus and renders it harmless, cervical fluids that are infectious are not easily accessible, an immediate immune response begins to heal cuts even if you can't see it, broken condoms are meant to tear and you'd know if it broke, etc.). HIV is an incredibly difficult virus to catch in most situations thanks to its fragility, but many people don't realize that - they refuse to believe the facts despite the significant number of scientific studies providing confirmation. This is due to stigmas from the epidemic's earlier days where it was believed to be much easier to catch.

The people on these forums were absolutely terrified and felt like they couldn't live their lives until they knew whether they were infected or not, but they didn't think they could wait 12 weeks to receive a conclusive test result (even though they were never at risk and didn't need any testing to begin with). They'd often mention barely being able to function at work, at school, in relationships, etc. The thought of becoming infected hindered their ability to make it through the day. What’s interesting is that a nice chunk of these people would be back on the forums a few times a year with new “exposures” that brought them right back to square one. It never ended.

I see very similar discourse on the TMS Wiki forum where people are constantly asking for reassurance and wondering if they are indeed dealing with a structural issue despite a mountain of evidence proving otherwise. They quote health forums filled with horror stories and talk to miserable people on Reddit. It's all very reminiscent of health-related OCD and I've been seeing it for years. On the HIV/AIDS forums, the moderators would eventually have to give people time outs or completely ban them from the message board altogether because it got too out of control. Now, time outs and bans aren't part of the culture on TMS Wiki (otherwise I would've gotten many time outs when I first came on here because boy do I know what it's like to deal with severe health anxiety! ). That said, I do feel like it's important to be honest with people and reiterate that the most helpful thing they can do is seek help to manage that health anxiety, instead of requesting constant reassurance over and over again.

The problem with reassurance seeking is that it reinforces your anxiety, even if you feel temporary relief. This is a symptom of OCD (again, OCD is another mind-body connection/TMS component) and it needs to be addressed in a way that allows you to become independent and go through tough times without spiraling out of control. Life is always going to present challenges to you - you cannot wait for the day when the challenges disappear. You have to become resilient and work toward becoming a stable rock for yourself.

Again, you're going to be fine. As I said to another member, I'm great at repeating myself (a little too great according to my friends), but the next step is for you to be able to tell yourself this and truly believe it.

 

Yes I just need to believe I always doubt myself when I shouldn't I know tinnitus is tms regardless of how you get it. I cant let those doubts and negative thoughts get to me.

 

Exactly. But here's the thing: you go back and forth between believing it and not believing it, and you definitely don't believe it when life presents itself with another challenge. Life will never be without challenges.

I totally get it - I've been there, too. No judgment whatsoever, my friend. I highly recommend working with a therapist who can help with techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Again, I get it as I've been there myself, and I'm still working on managing some obsessive compulsive behaviors. You deserve to feel confident in your safety and health.

 

Yeah once my ear pain, sinus pressure etc subsides I'll be in a better mind state. I definitely think this might be mindbody based as I was fine for most of today and yesterday I had it for a couple hours and was felt better yesterday. But after work today I feel worse

Gonna follow up with my doctor next week if it doesnt get better by Thursday.

 

I think you have it backwards. When you are in a better mind state, your ear pain and sinus pressure will subside. And that's not to put pressure on you, that's the last thing we need as TMSers. There's the classic Sarno question of "what's going on in your life?" that you might consider thinking about. You don't have to share it here, but people here are great and they'll be kind and supportive if you do. I had tinnitus and some very maddening ear issues earlier in my life that I now realize were TMS. Being fired from your job, kicked out of your house, and the end of a relationship all within a week or two can do that. Go way outside of your symptoms and start to look at your life in general.

 

Agreed with @AnonymousNick who is providing excellent advice right here. Listen to him. Remember this quote I sent you?

Don't wait for things to get easier, simpler, better. Life will always be complicated. Learn to be happy right now. Otherwise, you'll run out of time.

As I say, life will always be challenging. You need to calm your mind and deal with uncertainty while it’s happening, and that includes today. There’s always going to be another symptom or another fight with a significant other or another inconvenience. What you’re doing is still looking to your doctor for reassurance, which reinforces anxiety and obsessive compulsive thoughts and behaviors. You are not dying, you are not in serious danger. The level of fear and obsession you’re dealing is not reflective of the true reality. You can’t put your life on hold every time uncertainty or a challenge (including symptoms) pops up - that will always be part of your life. You need to focus on dealing with your anxiety, not getting more reassurance.

This is why I recommend working with a therapist who has experience in this area. You shouldn’t try to do this alone. We’ve had dozens of similar conversations and I fear that you’re still reassurance seeking, then promising yourself you won’t freak out again once you get the reassurance saying you’re OK today, and then going right back to reassurance seeking as soon as something else happens. You deserve to live a happy life where you feel like you can handle uncertainties without this much emotional pain. It’s only making your stress worse and leading to more stress symptoms. Think about the people on the HIV/AIDS forums I told you about - they’d be back time and time again, always for non-risks that never put them in jeopardy of becoming infected. No matter how much scientific evidence they’d see and reassurance they’d receive, it never helped.

 

You guys are very much right but with my ear or sinuses I just want to make sure it's not something like an infection although if it was I'm pretty sure I would be really sick by now.

And I dont lnow if me simply getting my ear syringed (ear was clogged ,muffled hearing due to wax build up) would cause pain for this long. I got that done close to the beginning of febaury. And I've had the ear pain (comes and goes) since.

I saw 3 different doctors in the first two weeks and all 3 said I had inflammation one prescribed antibiotics ( I took them for 10 days) and a week later thr ear pain started to come back. And a few days after I started getting sinus pressure, ear pressure (almost feels air in my ear canal) headaches.

I eventually saw my gp and she said it didnt look like I had an ear infection (the inflammation was gone) but said it sounds like I have a common cold.

She also said if it doesnt improve in a week to come back and that will be Thursday.

I'm not trying to doubt its TMS I just want reassurance to make sure I'm not leaving a infection untreated or an issue I can fix with medication (like a nasal decongestant )when that could have worse consequences.

Another interesting thing though my younger brother told me he had experienced sharp ear pain for a month and it went away eventually.

 

You can definitely go to your doctor to ensure no infection, but then you need to move on with your life and avoid Googling symptoms or spending time on horror story scenarios that aren't going to happen to you. You have to avoid giving any symptoms - infection or no infection - the power to dictate your life and overall mood. You are in charge here, not anything or anybody else. More stress = more symptoms.

Back in college I was constantly going to the student medical center. The multiple doctors all knew me by name. I’d have a few good days or weeks, but then something always came up. I thought I contracted oral HPV, I thought I had pink eye, I thought I needed my tonsils removed from chronic sinus issues, etc. My symptoms felt and looked pretty real (e.g., dry eyes that were indeed very red, irritated throat, kissed people who later mentioned certain symptoms, etc.). I always said I'd get a handle on my health anxiety once the current challenge was out of the way... but then I'd walk into the medical center on Monday thinking I had gotten HIV at a nice tattoo shop (which is utterly laughable given that tattoo needles cannot give you HIV like medical needles that actually suck blood back in). I was a pretty popular kid and had many friends, but inside I was always freaking out and not feeling like I was safe. Don't let yourself get stuck in that kind of loop, my friend. Don't neglect your mental health. Until you manage your stress and anxiety, there will always be a new symptom and a new condition. I've been there.