LONG TERM EAR ACHE

[Reethebeat]

Hi everybody. Is it possible to have almost long term ear ache (6 weeks) while coming down on Pred. Esr low (5) been on Pred for nearly 5 years. Got down to 1 mg. went and had dental work done 2 months, Dentist suggests splint for upper teeth while sleeping (approx. £400 ) as he thinks it is coming from my jaws. Doctor cannot find anything wrong with my ear. Would it help if I upped the dose of Pred despite being told my dentist and doctor not to. Always worried about GCA like we all are. Any advice would be gratefully received.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Hi.

Doubt very much is GCA related.

I think your doctor and dentist are probably correct - although I would blanche at the £400 for a remedy. If it is that, you could probably find something cheaper on line if you know what to look for. Or try a referral to the Maxillofacial Clinic at local hospital.

Have you tried OTC painkillers for earache? I know it’s a horrible thing, but I would think it’s unrelated to PMR, could be wrong of course.

[SnazzyD]

Hello, it seems odd that GCA would cause earache in the absence of any other symptom. Musculoskeletal skeletal issues in the head and neck can cause earache, quite convincingly, I’ve had it. Perhaps confirmation of the problem by a professional who won’t benefit from £400, would be nice.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to SnazzyD]

Definitely. Could even be earwax!!!!

[SnazzyD in reply to PMRpro]

I was giving the doc the benefit of the doubt assuming he had looked in the ear before saying nothing was wrong 🙂

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to SnazzyD]

You are so much kinder than me...

[Reethebeat]

Thank you for your advice. Just wondered if it was worth increasing the pred. and seeing if that helps.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Reethebeat]

Pred shouldn't really be used indiscriminately to deal with undiagnosed pains. I suppose a couple of days to see if it relieved it might provide ammunition for demanding some sensible attention to it.

[Omanain]

Just a thought but I get quite bad earache which is caused by my neck. If I do neck exercises I can feel it pulling painfully in my ear but it goes quite quickly afterwards.

[Reethebeat]

Thanks everybody for your good advice. What a brilliant advice support system this is.

[Valnvaughan in reply to Reethebeat]

Is the earache accompanied by loss of hearing? If so, ask for referral to an audiologist.

[BonnyQuine in reply to Valnvaughan]

In my experience, all earache is accompanied by loss of hearing, whatever the cause. Worth checking though.

[BonnyQuine]

Commiserations. Earache = misery.

A few years ago (before GCA) I had terrible earache which came on during a flight to Singapore. That turned out to be cabin pressure + accumulated ear wax. (Left ear.) When a cheerful Chinese doctor excavated the wax, it was like a miracle!

Also, I sometimes get quite bad earache in my left ear, connected with sinus issues. Blocked eustachian tube?

Early days, it was connected w jaw pain fr GCA. (GCA seemed to make sinus pain much worse.)

Nowadays it's mostly associated w blocked nose and post-nasal drip, and I just use a nasal spray (Beconase?), plus antihistamine as the sinus issues have an allergic element. The earache usually goes away in a week or so, but can be persistent in cold weather.

Hugs + good luck w getting it sorted.

[BonnyQuine in reply to BonnyQuine]

PS: now down to 6.5 - 6mg pred

[Suffererc]

I thought I had ear ache too for weeks but was told I didn't have and that was it. No explanation for the shooting pain from my ear

[Reethebeat]

Hi everyone, many thanks for all your helpful comments. I know I have slight (heavy emphasise on the slight ha ha ) hearing loss and have hearing aides, which to be honest I dont use very often. I was given a splint from dentist a long time ago, due to grinding teeth. Ive now been using it for a couple of weeks. Interesting article I came across a few days ago was something called TMD (temporomandibularjoint dysfunction) basically covering dysfunction of the muscles that move the jaw and joints which connect the mandible to the skull. The most important feature in pain . I found this on Wikipedia. I think I will carry on with the tooth splint (tooth shield) for now. Just hopes article on TMD helps with fellow sufferers, as I know we all worry about GCA. Blessings to you all.

[Lauren103]

Hi

I have had a lot of trouble with my ears. Recently, I have had two infections; those have been cleared up but now I have this ringing sound. It’s amost constant. I have tried to ignore it but it’s difficult. I am tapering prednisone and I take Actemra. I asked my doctor if the ringing was related to the meds. He said no; but I’m not so sure. He is sending me to an ear, nose and throat specialist. I’ll let you know what happens. I also have headaches. The headaches are not the classic GCA type of headache,but, they are unnerving. So it’s the ringing in my ears and the headaches too. I try not to panic. I know that lots of symptoms can be side effects from the meds. I am seeing my doctor, continuing my taper and keeping a journal so I can remember all the things that are going on. I hope we will all be a little better by summertime.

[piglette in reply to Lauren103]

I have had tinnitus, ringing in ears, since starting pred. Quite a lot of people mention it on this forum.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Lauren103]

You would be better posting this as a new thread - more people will see it that way.