So apparently I have Herpes.....

[James Wilson]

A little bit of background, we had just moved to Houston last week and things have been stressful. Our water and power were days from being turned on, and I was definitely frazzled. On Thursday (July 3rd) I started getting this weird pain in my left ear, and then pretty quickly my hearing went out altogether on my left side. Pain continued to worsen.

Days of agony later, I now have suffered partial-face paralyzation. Our medical insurance doesn't kick in for another 20 days or so, and I just can't take it any longer. I look up a clinic in Houston on Google (jackpot!) and actually find a nice regular doctor's office that takes walk-ins with no insurance. $65 visit, definitely can't hurt.

Nice Indian doctor, very cute actually, takes a peek in my right ear and finds nothing out of the ordinary, good cleanliness and no damage to the eardrum. Checks out my left ear with the scope and she can't even get the thing in there without horrendous pain! Remember I am deaf on that side now. She says that there are nodules, possibly blisters, forming on the roof of my ear canal (but away from the tympanic membrane/eardrum).

She performs sound tests on both ears and finds that I can't hear anything over 100Hz on the left side. I also have no feeling in my face, ear surrounding area, jawline, and cannot close my left eye from paralysis. She says that whatever the nodules/blisters are, they are exerting enormous pressure on a nerve bundle that sends messages to the brain from the ear, as well as the surrounding muscle tissue in the face.

She says it's Herpes. In my ear. I say, WHAT?? I haven't been near Paul Whitehead for months! (joke)

Actually she says it's more likely a form of Chicken Pox, but it comes from the same base virus, that never goes away. My extreme stress over the move to Houston probably brought it out, and that she (and her associate doctors) have never seen it in an ear canal, and that their research has shown very very few cases as well, but no other information other than that it is insanely painful. I agree, and they take lots of blood to confirm. And it's way expensive, but I'm kind of stuck with this kind of pain.

So I'm doped up on two kinds of corticosteroids and a virus medication that is driving me NUTS, I can't sleep, very dizzy from the hearing loss, and I can't feel the left side of my face and my speech is slurred. And now $300 lighter. A very nice time indeed!

Just wanted to vent, not too many new friends here in Houston yet since we've been spending most of our time getting the house unpacked and not "out on the town". We did get our new washer/dryer installed today...seem very quiet, but that could be my problem.....

[Mako Koiwai]

From a friend ... Valtrex completely controls herpes.

[James Wilson]

http://www.unitedhealthdirectory.com/ea ... r-976.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Michael Heinitz]

Sounds like you have shingles. Similar to chicken pox, and usually caused by stress or anxiety.
Had it a few years ago on my scalp. Try not to scratch; it'll clear up in a few weeks.

[Reijo Silvennoinen]

So the advice is "Don't worry. It'll go away.....and stay away from Paul?" }:)

Reijo

[Michael Palero]

HERPAYS IN MY EAR

I'm glad I never gave you that wet-willie....

[Sebastian Rios]

I'm glad I never gave you that wet-willie....

Somebody did.

[Michael Palero]

partial-face paralyzation.

Did she say you'd be able to get back movement in your face with more treatment?

[Michael Palero]

And when you do get more time to go out on town:
http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=&r ... estaurants

[Giovanni Jaramillo]

Days of agony later, I now have suffered partial-face paralyzation.

James..........I have experienced similar symptoms to you 2 years ago and I believe you MAY have..........Bell's Palsy!!

http://www.bellspalsy.ws/

Bad news...there is no cure
Good news....your body cures itself within weeks.

I'd suggest going to an E/R in a real hospital, not a clinic.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Days of agony later, I now have suffered partial-face paralyzation.

James..........I have experienced similar symptoms to you 2 years ago and I believe you MAY have..........Bell's Palsy!!

http://www.bellspalsy.ws/

Bad news...there is no cure
Good news....your body cures itself within weeks.

I'd suggest going to an E/R in a real hospital, not a clinic.

Bell's palsy produced the blistering, vertigo and hearing loss?

[Giovanni Jaramillo]

Days of agony later, I now have suffered partial-face paralyzation.

James..........I have experienced similar symptoms to you 2 years ago and I believe you MAY have..........Bell's Palsy!!

http://www.bellspalsy.ws/

Bad news...there is no cure
Good news....your body cures itself within weeks.

I'd suggest going to an E/R in a real hospital, not a clinic.

Bell's palsy produced the blistering, vertigo and hearing loss?

I don't know about the blistering, but I definitely experienced VERTIGO. As for the hearing loss, I experienced the opposite....ACUTE hearing. So for example, if I clapped my hands it sounded as if someone was clapping their hands RIGHT next to my ear. But the main symptom of Bell's is the partial facial paralysis.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

The vertigo is an added benefit when it's bad enough because you can puking your guts out to the experience. :barf:

[James Wilson]

Nope, bloodwork confirms the Ramsay-Hunt Syndrome. Sucks big time. Doc confirmed the 10% chance of returning hearing, but 60-70% chance of most of my facial feeling to return. Childhood Chicken-Pox likely the origin, and the stress of the move triggered it.

Meds are working well to relieve pressure on the nerve bundle so the pain has lessened A LOT, but the hearing is completely gone....nothing, zip, in the left ear. Great for when my daughter is screaming, not so great everywhere else.

Prayers are appreciated.

I can go see a specialist when my Insurance kicks in Aug 1, but they may not treat an "existing condition", stupid.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

You have our prayers. The hearing in my left ear varies, as does the tinnitus. The worse the latter, the less I have of the former. Stress makes it worse too. Thankfully, the vertigo went away with the surgery five and a half years ago.

[Bob Pl]

Meds are working well to relieve pressure on the nerve bundle so the pain has lessened A LOT, but the hearing is completely gone....nothing, zip, in the left ear. Great for when my daughter is screaming, not so great everywhere else.

Prayers are appreciated.

I can go see a specialist when my Insurance kicks in Aug 1, but they may not treat an "existing condition", stupid.

Hey James,

Sorry to here this. Take care of yourself. Hope it turns out better than the first doc said. They often err on the side of saying things will be worse than what ends up.


Bob

[KJ Christopher]

Days of agony later, I now have suffered partial-face paralyzation.

James..........I have experienced similar symptoms to you 2 years ago and I believe you MAY have..........Bell's Palsy!!

http://www.bellspalsy.ws/

Bad news...there is no cure
Good news....your body cures itself within weeks.

I'd suggest going to an E/R in a real hospital, not a clinic.

A friend of mine had it and it never cured itself.