It all started when the left side of my face and my ear would get red, feverish, then go back to normal. There was no pain, and I do have lupus so I chalked it up to some weird lupus thing. As the days went on and my face was hot more often then not, I decided to get a look at from the doctor. Sure enough, to my surprise, I was diagnosed with an ear infection.
At this point I did not have a lot of pain, not any more than normal for me. I also have Meniere's disease that often causes ear pain and dizziness. The doctor prescribed some medication for my ear and within two days the redness was going away but the pain was increasing. More alarming to me was the strange pain in my face. It felt like I had gone to the dentist, gotten numbed up for some horrible dental procedure then my face was used for a pin cushion. The more I talked...and anyone who knows me knows how much I love to talk...the worse the pain/tingling got. When it reached the point that I could not smile because it hurt so bad, I thought it best to get another medical look. Just my luck that it is Friday night and the doctor's office won't open until Monday. I did not want the bill from the emergency room that I knew was sure to raise my blood pressure a notch or two...but I was getting worried about my face.
I called a friend, gathered my purse and my daughter, friend and I headed to the ER to spend our Friday night. Much to our surprise it was not that busy. Everyone that was there seemed far worse off then I did until I smiled. I decided to stick it out and hope the bill would not be too high.
Back in the room we waited for a short time, thank goodness. I was eager to leave and not have to listen to the woman getting sick somewhere in another room. I think they gave her some miracle drug because she was able to calm down and I could hear her talking. Her words could not be understood but at least she seemed to have gotten a little relief from her illness. It was my turn to be seen and it was confirmed that I did indeed have an ear infection. So, what about my face? After the doctor had me smile and look at him in assorted ways, it was determined that I had nerve damage from the ear infection!! I did not know that could happen!! Only time will tell if I will ever lose this feeling of fresh- from- the- dentist- after- tooth- extraction. The doctor told my daughter and my friend to watch me for drooping face or...drooling...I hope that the only time I am seen doing that is because I am looking at some really delicious!
My escapade to the emergency room is going to cost a great deal, but at least I know what is going on. If I start drooling or my face droops...well, it might just change my make-up routine
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