I have a swelling in the mastoid with throbbing pain and dizziness. Kindly help.

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I saw the picture you sent (attachments removed to protect the patient’s identity). There is swelling behind the ear pinna. Most likely, it is postauricular lymph node swelling.

Such swelling would cause symptoms like redness, localized pain or tenderness, increase warmth, and pain radiating to the ear.

The most common cause include infection of the nearby anatomical structure that drains into the lymph node or the lymph node infection itself and systemic illness like viral fever, etc.

Kindly let me know the following;

1) Did your doctor locally examine the external ear and ear canal for infection?

2) Is there any discharge from the ear canal?

3) Do you have itching in the canal?

4) Is there any swelling in another ear?

Continue taking antibiotics as prescribed by the doctor with painkillers.

Soon it will become normal.

Thanks.

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Mastoiditis is the infection of the mastoid bone. The mastoid bone is made of air sacs rather than proper solid bone. It is the continuation of the middle ear cavity.

So, the most common cause of mastoiditis is a middle ear infection. It would present with symptoms like ear discharge, eardrum being inflamed or pushed out, hearing trouble, fever, eustachian tube blockage, etc.

When infection from the middle ear spreads to the mastoid, it can cause mastoiditis with symptoms above accompanied by headache, fever, etc.

You do not have the above symptoms, and also eardrum is fine as your doctor saw through the otoscope.

Feeling like pop as if you were at a high altitude might be because of the pressure exerted from swollen lymph node to the ear.

Watch out for symptoms as mentioned above.

If you have sinusitis due to an allergy, avoid exposure to such an allergen. For current symptoms of allergic sinusitis (if you have symptoms), you can take antiallergic medicine to relieve it.

I hope this helps you.

Thanks.