swollen ear/jaw problem....any ideas?
I Need Some Help(medical)
For the past couple of days, I have had itchy , popping ears. This was nothing new, and I assumed it was allergies. Yesterday, I was using a q-tip to clean my ears. My left ear seemed to have more discharge than my right ear, but, for some reason, I normally produce a lot of wax. Again, this was not alarming. The q-tip felt so good to my itchy ears that I shoved it in too deep. It hurt for only a moment, and then the small amount of pain subsided. About an hour later, I was eating a bowl of cereal when, ALL OF THE SUDDEN, the top part of my jaw directly in front of my ear lobe began to swell. In the period of about five minutes, it was the size of a walnut! I look like a freaking chipmunk with a walnut in my cheek. But, here is the funny thing. I have absolutely no pain, and my ears are no longer itchy or popping. The swelling goes down as long as I am not trying to eat something. When I eat, the swelling gets worse from the up and down motion created by my jaw when I chew. But still, no pain...Only stiffness that comes from the swelling. I rinsed my ear out with hydrogen peroxide and the swelling started to subside; somewhat. I also need to mention that I was diagnosed with TMJ as a child. I have only had one experience with it, and it was very painful. These symptoms seem similar, but wihout any pain. I do not believe that this is caused by my TMJ for the reasons stated above.( Itchy, popping ears in the beginning, q-tip issue, the fact that the hydrogen peroxide helped, and the fact that I have no pain) If you are one of those goof balls who has ever shoved something in your ear that didn't belong there, I would love to hear your advice or ideas. And, don't worry...I don't judge. Remember...I am one of those goof balls too! I also need to mention that I no longer have my wisdom teeth as they were cut out when I was 19. I have absolutely no mouth pain, and have never even had a cavity. I seriously doubt that any oral health issue relates to my condition. Please don't just tell me to go to the doctor, because that is obvious (even if I AM dumb enough to shove something in my ear) and I already have an appointment. I need your ideas!
-question by Heather
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