KatiePink
19-05-16, 12:09
This is a real head scratcher, I would really like some advice on what way i should deal with this symptom i'm having. It's really complex so please don't reply that it's anxiety without reading, this is nothing to do with anxiety but i really want to not react 'anxiously' to it and be rational and hopeful about it.
I have been suffering from severe ear pain at night for nearly a year now, when it first started it happened a few times then went away for a good few months, it has been back now for 6 months and it is dreadful. I have saw 2 GP's who quite frankly do not have a clue what it could be and don't seem concerned at all. Which is great, except my mental and physical health is suffering not only due to worry but because of disturbed sleep.
They say take painkillers, get a different pillow, ect yes i have done all of this which doesn't help but still that is only treating the symptom and not whatever the heck is causing this.
The pain is only at night when sleeping, usually when i wake up, but can wake me through the night numerous times. Its off the chart in terms of how painful it is, my ear will go very red and warm and the cartilage is painful to touch. I use a cold cloth on it and eventually it will go down once i am sat upright. 90% of the time it's my right ear but it can also be my left.
I have found many threads online with hundreds of responses from people experiencing the same thing. Which is very reassuring but extremely annoying that there is no answer. On these threads it has popped up that it may be a condition called Relapsing polychondritis. Which isn't very nice at all and very rare.
I want to go back to my GP and express to them how much this is concerning me, but i really do not want to get faffed off again and don't know how to go about it. I would like to tell them exactly what my fear is and see what they say.
I could however try and forget about it, and do what i can to cope with it, but that just doesn't sound right? I don't want to feed my anxiety with tests but this is definitely a problem.
Here's just some of other people's posts on it
For the past year or so I have been getting ear pain every night if I lay on my side. I wake and can feel that my ear aches slightly and when I move off the pillow the pain becomes severe and sharp before subsiding. I have been to the Drs twice but his only suggestion was to not sleep on that side!
i've had the same thing for years, on and off. i'm just now looking online to see what it is... it wakes me up once or twice a night, several times a week, but usually i forget about it by morning. some sites say it's from sleeping with your mouth open, others say you need a toothguard, but the one that made the most sense simply said the pain is caused by pressure on an especially sensitive part of the ear and there's really no solution except to try another pillow or sleep with only the top of your head on the pillow... not much help...
wow...this is funny and I am relieved to know there are other people out there having the same problem. I have been suffering with this exact night time ear pain for over 25 years! But....its always just been in one ear, never both. The pain when trying to lift my head off the pillow was unreal. I use to go to the freezer and drip ice cold water in the ear to numb it. The pain would subside once I was up for 15-20 minutes or so. Ive been to the specialist and all he told me was that I needed a dental guard because I grind my teeth. My dentist said no I did not grind my teeth.
am another who thought i was the only person suffering this. I get it on both sides, i totally agree that it hurts more when you first lift your head from the pillow.
However, there must be something causing this - i refuse to believe that freaky-shaped pillows need to be bought. Some doctor somewhere must be looking at this properly.
I too have the same outer cartilage pain but only in my left ear. In order to avoid the pain when I sleep on my left side, I have to sleep with my face on my left hand. My ear fits into the area between my thumb and index finger and this slight elevation off the pillow is enough to prevent any pain. Someone on an earlier thread mentioned circulation - I tend to have pretty poor circulation, especially on my left side so I think you may be onto something.
I have had this problem with my ears hurting at night for years. The pain is unbearable at times and is getting worse. I am not glad that other people have this pain but I am glad I may learn from someone. I have discussed this with my Dr. but he just blows it off. Thanks for letting me know it's not only me that has this problem.
Any thoughts?
I have been suffering from severe ear pain at night for nearly a year now, when it first started it happened a few times then went away for a good few months, it has been back now for 6 months and it is dreadful. I have saw 2 GP's who quite frankly do not have a clue what it could be and don't seem concerned at all. Which is great, except my mental and physical health is suffering not only due to worry but because of disturbed sleep.
They say take painkillers, get a different pillow, ect yes i have done all of this which doesn't help but still that is only treating the symptom and not whatever the heck is causing this.
The pain is only at night when sleeping, usually when i wake up, but can wake me through the night numerous times. Its off the chart in terms of how painful it is, my ear will go very red and warm and the cartilage is painful to touch. I use a cold cloth on it and eventually it will go down once i am sat upright. 90% of the time it's my right ear but it can also be my left.
I have found many threads online with hundreds of responses from people experiencing the same thing. Which is very reassuring but extremely annoying that there is no answer. On these threads it has popped up that it may be a condition called Relapsing polychondritis. Which isn't very nice at all and very rare.
I want to go back to my GP and express to them how much this is concerning me, but i really do not want to get faffed off again and don't know how to go about it. I would like to tell them exactly what my fear is and see what they say.
I could however try and forget about it, and do what i can to cope with it, but that just doesn't sound right? I don't want to feed my anxiety with tests but this is definitely a problem.
Here's just some of other people's posts on it
For the past year or so I have been getting ear pain every night if I lay on my side. I wake and can feel that my ear aches slightly and when I move off the pillow the pain becomes severe and sharp before subsiding. I have been to the Drs twice but his only suggestion was to not sleep on that side!
i've had the same thing for years, on and off. i'm just now looking online to see what it is... it wakes me up once or twice a night, several times a week, but usually i forget about it by morning. some sites say it's from sleeping with your mouth open, others say you need a toothguard, but the one that made the most sense simply said the pain is caused by pressure on an especially sensitive part of the ear and there's really no solution except to try another pillow or sleep with only the top of your head on the pillow... not much help...
wow...this is funny and I am relieved to know there are other people out there having the same problem. I have been suffering with this exact night time ear pain for over 25 years! But....its always just been in one ear, never both. The pain when trying to lift my head off the pillow was unreal. I use to go to the freezer and drip ice cold water in the ear to numb it. The pain would subside once I was up for 15-20 minutes or so. Ive been to the specialist and all he told me was that I needed a dental guard because I grind my teeth. My dentist said no I did not grind my teeth.
am another who thought i was the only person suffering this. I get it on both sides, i totally agree that it hurts more when you first lift your head from the pillow.
However, there must be something causing this - i refuse to believe that freaky-shaped pillows need to be bought. Some doctor somewhere must be looking at this properly.
I too have the same outer cartilage pain but only in my left ear. In order to avoid the pain when I sleep on my left side, I have to sleep with my face on my left hand. My ear fits into the area between my thumb and index finger and this slight elevation off the pillow is enough to prevent any pain. Someone on an earlier thread mentioned circulation - I tend to have pretty poor circulation, especially on my left side so I think you may be onto something.
I have had this problem with my ears hurting at night for years. The pain is unbearable at times and is getting worse. I am not glad that other people have this pain but I am glad I may learn from someone. I have discussed this with my Dr. but he just blows it off. Thanks for letting me know it's not only me that has this problem.
Any thoughts?