Never-ending earache

[Mully79]

I've had earache for the past 3 - 4 months now.

I've had obvious ear infections before where I've been in agony, and lost hearing for a couple of weeks. This is like nothing I've had before. Just a constant, underlying ache, goes on for hours at a time and intermittently over days. Early on it was only every now and then and I just put it down as 'one of those things', but now it seems to be more frequent. I rarely take painkillers but last week took one lot of painkillers on three different days just to take the edge off it. Sometimes it feels more like a headache, as if it's not just in my ears but around the back of my head. Sometimes I have it at the same time as an obvious headache, around my forehead and aching eyes.

Anyone had anything like this before, and knows what the hell the problem could be?

I'm a bit funny about going to the doctors about it, although it's now quite distracting. Don't like to be seen as a hypochondriac. And no doubt I'll be symptom-free the moment I set foot in the waiting room!

Thanks in advance

[Sqad]

No where near enough information.

1) How old are you?
2) One ear or both ears?
3) Any discharge from the ears?
4) Any nose problems?
5) Any difficulty in swallowing?
6) Do you feel something in the throat?
7) Any previous problems with your ears as a child?

[daffy654]

Could it be neuralgia rather than earache?
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Neuralgia/Pages/Introduction.aspx

[Sqad]

No.

[Mully79]

Sorry Sqad didn't even think to give all that kind of information, I was a bit vague.

Age 30, it's in both ears but I'd say more noticeable in my right ear for some reason. No discharge, no nose problems (just a bit sniffy last night, but for last few weeks nothing else), no difficulty swallowing, feel nothing in my throat and no previous problems with my ears as a child. I just remember a couple of cases of ear infection many years ago, the most severe from pool water infection on holiday 12 years ago (deaf for 2 weeks) but certainly not earache. And no recurring problems since then either.

[Mully79]

Hi Daffy

Doesn't sound like neuralgia from the link you have supplied.

Thanks anyway

[Sqad]

mully thanks......Clearly yr GP needs to have a look as it could well be a build up of wax, causing an infection in the outer ear.Otitis externa which can be very painful.

Let him have look and probably ear syringing will do the trick......good luck.

[Mully79]

Just replied and it didn't post... hmm!
Thanks Sqad, I'll take a trip to my GP later this week and hopefully resolve this one.

Not quite used to this new Answerbank thing - I marked you as 'best answer', doesn't seem to have done anything, I much preferred the star rating option!

[paross]

YOU MUST SEE A DOCTOR it's been going on too long to keep ignoring it!