General Medicine

» lizdragoon63 - Ear lobe pain

Left ear lobe pain was severe this weekend. I don't call my doctor because she thinks I'm a hypochondriac. There is a "peninsula" of cartilage in the earlobe that is inflamed. I have had similar flares years ago.

This article's explanation of cartilage inflammation with infiltration of plasma cells makes sense to me, a retired clinical laboratory technologist. For years I have lived with costochondritis and Tissot's inflammations. Asthma flares and nasty bronchitis episodes slow me down at least once every winter. Antibiotics usually require at least one Medrol pak to get past the bronchitis. Living in a rural area has decreased the lung problems. Recently massage therapy and yoga recommended by one physical therapist has helped with flares in the sternum connections. Nasal cartilage flares have been minimal but do exist. A test for auto antibodies to native collagen seems reasonable. I've had such tests in the past with RF positive, ANA negative, and Sjogren's negative. Perhaps this is another chondritis which is why walking is so painful one day and not the next. I will try an NSAID and dab some cortisone cream on the ear lobe for overnight treatment to try to settle the earlobe pain.

I will show this article to my physician and discuss how to treat the next flare-up.

-- posted by lizdragoon63

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» Elaine Moore - Ear lobe pain

In response to Ear lobe pain posted by lizdragoon63:
Hi Liz,
I always like hearing from fellow laboratorians. I'm glad you found my article helpful. It does sound as though you'd benefit from topical steroids to reduce inflammation in the ear cartilage.
Last year when I had some similar cartilage problems involving my sternum, I had massage therapy combined with manipulations performed by a physical therapist and an osteopath. Problems with cartilage in my sternum were causing an intense back and neck pain that I thought I was destined to have forever. I was amazed at how well the manipulations worked and how pain in one area was related to misalignment elsewhere. Best, elaine

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