Went to the doctor yesterday because of my ears

[Kjs]

For about a month I have this really sharp pain in my ears. Usually one ear at a time, sometimes both. It is lower behind jaw area but really, really sharp pain. I finally went to the doctor because it isn't going away.

Doctor told me my ears were blocked, had them irrigated. Then he told me they looked fine. however he said if it doesn't go away to let him know because it could be a sign of a heart problem.

Now this just took me by complete surprise. has anyone ever heard of this?

 

[busywend]

No, I have not.

 

[gcvmom]

Heart problem? In your ears? Hmmm... never knew that! and I HOPE that's not the reason for it...

 

[Marguerite]

I went looking for this one. I found ONE reference at the bottom of one website which mentioned a very rare link between ear syringing and heart problems.

Heart attack
Heart attack (cardiac arrest) has been associated with ear syringing, although it is a very rare complication. It is thought that it may be caused by the stimulation of the vagus nerve, which supplies the externa auditory meatus, the eardrum and the heart.

The vagus nerve is a very widely-branched nerve found in a lot of places around the body - it's called the vagus, because it is a wanderer, found everywhere (from the Latin for wanderer). The vagus nerve controls the heart rate. If the vagus nerve is stimulated, the heart rate rapidly plummets. For syringing to be able to stimulate the vagus nerve at all, let alone to such an extent that it stops the heart - I think you'd have to be deformed or something, to have a branch of the vagus nerve close enough to be affected. And once the stimulation stops, the heart should go back to normal in seconds.

So I don't know what the doctor was talking about. However, I am not a doctor, the doctor may know something I don't. Why not ask him?

I couldn't find any information on any connection between over-production of ear wax, and heart trouble.

Marg

 

[flutterby]

You can feel heart pain in the area you described. I had it in my shoulders, up my neck, into my jaw, including the area you described. That's the only thing I can think of.

 

[Star*]

I had sharp ear pain - went in and they told me my ear drum ruptured. It's better now - but I take antihistimines whenever the pain starts and the fluid builds up. NO MORE ruptures. THAT was excruciating.

 

[Lothlorien]

My mother in law has a tumor that is pressing on her carotid artery and the nerves in the neck and she's had a few mini-strokes because of it. Did you go to an ENT or a pcp? If it continues, ask for an mri of CT scan of the area, just to be on the safe side.