Re: Dreaded Ctoma's!!

[Guest guest]

Hi Brad,

Please don't let the doctor ignore the twitch under your eye. I suffered from facial paralsys for 4 months before the cholesteatoma was discovered - it was not fun. The cause turned out to be from the cholesteatoma being on my facial nerve. If not taken care of you can get permanent damage. I had pain in my face, head, neck but it did get much much better after surgery. Go to someone better than a GP. Are you in the UK? I hope we never go to socialized medicine in the US.

From: "bradmcdougall@..." <bradmcdougall@...>cholesteatoma Sent: Wed, December 1, 2010 7:09:31 PMSubject: Dreaded Ctoma's!!

I was diagnosed in March this year with a Cholesteatoma and was told I will need an operation of either 3 or 5 hours to get it out. I have been put on what is called a 365 bookings list and the number tells you exactly how many days I have to stew on what the hell it is I have inside my head!! I fear I may have had this tumor for some time..

I have some questions regarding pain and the sometime's very annoying spasms/twitching that I get under my eye on the same side as the C-toma. I did not ask my surgeon this because I am on such a long waiting list I thought that the condition was not that urgent. My GP told me to ignore it, I have seen both of these Dr's twice. Still both of these problems persist and were an issue before I was diagnosed, it was only that I went to an ent after one of my many ear infections and had CT scans done that I found out why I was so prone to infection.(I can't even get a drop of water in my left ear or I get a hiddeous infection that lasts for months, extreme pain, muffled hearing, gross junk in my ear every morning!) My history as a surfer caused this problem and I have had one prior operation to repair the ear drum 15 years ago.. Q1. Are the twitch's and pain normal and should I just put up with it? (The pain sometimes seems to shoot down my neck, it only lasts a short while but is intense, the twitching annoys the hell out of me and happens a couple of times a week lasts for hours though, right under my eye socket.)

Q2. Has this tumor been growing since the prior op failed and my ear drum burst again about 6 months to a year after?

Any imput that this group could offer would be great as it's not such a common affliction there is no-one else really to ask.

Brad.