Brief Answer:
Could be an infection, get consulted urgently.

Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you so much for this query.

I am so sorry to hear about this recent disturbing symptoms and findings you report. I do hope we would be able to identify the problem quickly and suggest solutions to you.

From the information you have provided, I am very much concerned that you could be having an infection. This is supported by the presence of a foreign body(which favors infections), tenderness, protruding eye, thickened mucosae of the various sinuses, etc. I suspect there could be an ongoing collection behind the left eye that is causing it to protrude and face upward.

I will suggest that you follow up urgently with your doctor. He would most likely need a CT scan of the head(sinuses) to clearly map out what the abnormality is so as to come up with a better plan. If my suspicion is confirmed, then you would need both surgery, blood cultures, antibiotics and pain medications to get this condition controlled. If the metal plate is found to be infected or contributing to the spread of this infection, it would most likely need to be removed. For this, you would need the coordinated services of a maxillo-facial surgeon, ophthalmologist and an infectiologist.

For the meantime, you may want to try so e pain medications for relief but the best thing is an urgent consultation.

I hope this addresses your query fully. Feel free to come back with follow up questions for clarifications if need be and I would gladly address them. I wish you a speedy recovery. Once more, thank you for this opportunity to respond to your health query today.
Dr. Ditah, MD

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