I think Nick you have made a significant observation. Are we all talking about the same thing ? Some people who are talking about the RES seem to be comfortable enough to bother about the social embarassment. While for many like my mother it is the pure agony which over-rides any other characteristic of RES. She had breast cancer 8 years earlier. Her treatment(chemo +radio) seemed to have worked. Now we are getting this RES for a couple of months and the frequency is rapidly going up. Now she seems to be getting this pain 3-4 times a day. The prognosis is seemingly scary. Is there any relationship between cancer and RES ? regards jasmeet, new delhi, india
I wonder if we are discussing different syndromes here. RES, as normally discussed by neurologists, is that painful condition usually in one ear - rarely in both. The ear may appear red and have a painful ( but not always burning) sensation which can spread from the area around the ear - and can be excruciating. Just having an ear that turns bright red and may feel hot is not regarded as RES.
The problem with this is syndrome is that it is exactly that - a syndrome not an actual treatable condition.
The sad fact is that having spent much time and money with four different neurologists in Dublin and London(inc the top neurological clinic) none of them could state the cause of this condition. I got different reasons - relapsing polychondritis being one of them. Other suggestions :- it is related to migraine (especially for younger sufferers), or it is associated with upper cervical disorders( (as in cervical spinal area,not cervix) or with temporomandibular joint dysfunction or with trigeminal nerve disorders -the list goes on.
Neurologists are happy to take your money with no guarantee that they have any idea how to cure this.
It is my wife who has suffered from this for some years - she's just had three weeks nonstop most of each day with an extremely painful ear that has spread and is causing her the greatest agony and distress. The doctors have put her on anti-depressants and various calcium blockers (mainly because both medicines in different ways lower the "firing" of the nerves which cause pain) -but they ain't working, and are unlikely to unless a cause ifs found.
She is desperate -and if anyone else out there suffers like she does and has come across an effective remedy please tell me.
Medically there seems to be no answer.
So, we'll try anything.
Comment
I think Nick you have made a significant observation. Are we all talking about the same thing ? Some people who are talking about the RES seem to be comfortable enough to bother about the social embarassment. While for many like my mother it is the pure agony which over-rides any other characteristic of RES. She had breast cancer 8 years earlier. Her treatment(chemo +radio) seemed to have worked. Now we are getting this RES for a couple of months and the frequency is rapidly going up. Now she seems to be getting this pain 3-4 times a day. The prognosis is seemingly scary. Is there any relationship between cancer and RES ? regards jasmeet, new delhi, india
Parent comment
I wonder if we are discussing different syndromes here. RES, as normally discussed by neurologists, is that painful condition usually in one ear - rarely in both. The ear may appear red and have a painful ( but not always burning) sensation which can spread from the area around the ear - and can be excruciating. Just having an ear that turns bright red and may feel hot is not regarded as RES. The problem with this is syndrome is that it is exactly that - a syndrome not an actual treatable condition. The sad fact is that having spent much time and money with four different neurologists in Dublin and London(inc the top neurological clinic) none of them could state the cause of this condition. I got different reasons - relapsing polychondritis being one of them. Other suggestions :- it is related to migraine (especially for younger sufferers), or it is associated with upper cervical disorders( (as in cervical spinal area,not cervix) or with temporomandibular joint dysfunction or with trigeminal nerve disorders -the list goes on. Neurologists are happy to take your money with no guarantee that they have any idea how to cure this. It is my wife who has suffered from this for some years - she's just had three weeks nonstop most of each day with an extremely painful ear that has spread and is causing her the greatest agony and distress. The doctors have put her on anti-depressants and various calcium blockers (mainly because both medicines in different ways lower the "firing" of the nerves which cause pain) -but they ain't working, and are unlikely to unless a cause ifs found. She is desperate -and if anyone else out there suffers like she does and has come across an effective remedy please tell me. Medically there seems to be no answer. So, we'll try anything.