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Having Painful Lump Behind Ear. Having Headache And Blood In Stool, Feeling Lethargic. Worrisome

Posted on Thu, 9 Aug 2012

Question: I have a very painful lump behind my ear , for about a week it's felt like I was kicked in the head like behind my ear , its getting red . I took a picture which is available, I Have been suffering an abnormal amount of headaches and abdominal pain , blood in my stools a few weeks ago .I've woken up laying in a sweat soaked bed and recently I cannot step foot outside or I walk around in sweat soaked clothes and I look at others and they look hot but not nearly as uncomfortable or wet as me ive also been extremely lathargic able to sleep all day sometimes I'm currently 300 miles from any sort of doctor , I've had my appendix out and the ends of my fallopian tubes due to abdominal adhesions which the doctor was confused as to why they were even there since i had never had prior abdominal surgery, my tonsils out a rhinoplasty done because of fractures and the inability to breath, I'm 27 yo female living in XXXXXXX 135lbs 5'7 I'm a smoker I'm concerned this could be the result of extremely weight loss I suffered almost a year ago after the sudden unexpected death of my son to the brain eating amoeba I weight about 100 lbs for about 10 months and suddenly I put alot of weight on

Answered by Dr. Ioan Dorian OANA (3 hours later)

Hello,

Thanks for your query.

I would need a little more information to give you a first opinion.
To be able o comment on the lump, I would need to see a picture. It could be an enlarged lymph node, a sebaceous cyst or an inflamed mass. It would be great if you can upload a picture of the same

The most important symptom described is the blood in your stools. How was your stool, with red blood or your stool has been black? You still have this problem and how long this happened? Do you have any pain when you pass stools?

Blood in your stool means that you lose blood somewhere on the digestive tract and this can cause anemia, which could then cause headaches, being lethargic and sweating soaked clothes. Apart from that, I would like to know if you have been screened for high blood pressure. The sweating could also be a sign of hyperthyroidism and this would usually be accompanied by anxiety and weight loss. Tell me if you have any of those. Also, do you have any symptoms like long standing fever or cough? Are your cycles regular?
Its unlikely that the sweating you have is due to weight loss. Both of them need to be a interconnected by a common disease process which we would need to identify

I am looking forward to your answer.

If you have any more queries, feel free to ask.

Regards
Dr. Dorian Oana MD, PhD

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Aparna Kohli

Follow up: Dr. Ioan Dorian OANA (4 hours later)

Im sure about if the blood has stopped but it was red and all throughout the stool not just surrounding it , I have had horrible stomach pain sometimes making me sick and vomit lots of nausea, I know i havent ever had high blood pressure atleast when i have gone into get dental work i actually had low blood pressure but they chalked it up to being im a petite female not overweight and that sometimes people natually have low blood pressure but then and then when i have used the machines at the pharmacy and told i had low blood pressure, part of the reason i lost so much weight is my extreme anxiety, several times in my life ive had crazy anxiety to the point i was serverly medicated and lost massives amount of weight due to the inability to eat, my stomach would get in knots and my vision would go completely white. my cycles have always been pretty regular no long standing cough . Just really freqent headaches stomach aches the blood in my stools, and no this ear thing i feel as though im runnin g a low grade fever just over all not feeling well but its gone on so long ive learned to deal with it push though it but when i push to hard ill crash out and be overly tired for days on end, i thought it just was drepression after my son died . I uploaded the picture it not squishy almost like a bone it is able to move very slightly but painful not just to the touch

Answered by Dr. Ioan Dorian OANA (8 hours later)

Hello,

Thanks for your answers.

The biggest emergency here would be to exclude lymphoma. The lump behind ear, fever, weight loss, sweating and lack of energy can suggest this diagnosis.

You should do some blood tests (to evaluate the function and performance of blood cells, liver and kidneys; lactate dehydrogenase), imaging studies (CT scan).

If the doctor continues to suspect that you may have lymphoma, you should do a biopsy from the lump behind your ear.

If you have any more queries, feel free to ask.

Regards
Dr. Dorian Oana MD, PhD

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Shanthi.E

Follow up: Dr. Ioan Dorian OANA (4 hours later)

I noticed last night or thins morning my lymph node on the left side under my chin feels a little sore and slightly bigger than the right side it is however the same side as the thing behind my ear ,I was reading a little about it, I know they said something very strange about the problems with my tonsils they would fill with visible pus pockets or rather holes they told my mom I had something growing in the back of my throat basically but couldn't break it down to anything she could understand and then my appendix I don't know if this is similar but I had abnormal pain for 10 months they would put me on birth control to get rid of ovarian cyst then I'd have white cells at nearly 2000 and they would put me on antibiotics that would make the cyst appear again I had a laparoscopic surgery that's when they removed the abdominal adhesions and the ob doctor said my appendix was hard like a sausage but when he asked the general to take it out he wouldn't so not even a month later he convinced the doctor to remove it of I was open and so the ob opened me to take the tubes so the general would take it out, because the pain was affecting everything in my life , my marriage the ability to care for my son , but could these thing possibly be related I only say this because I had demanded a hysterectomy I was so desperate and the doctor was convinced it was my appendix even though it didn't make any sense he said it was 95 percent blocked and the 5percent was keeping it from bursting.

Answered by Dr. Ioan Dorian OANA (6 hours later)

Hello,

Thanks for your reply.

I agree with your doctor and you should be grateful to him in my opinion that he did not perform an hysterectomy at your age just because you had demanded it. Please follow my previous advice and keep me updated with your current health situation.

If you have any more queries, feel free to ask.

Regards
Dr. Dorian Oana MD, PhD

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Aparna Kohli

Follow up: Dr. Ioan Dorian OANA (5 hours later)

Well I had been sick for 10 months and he wanted to send me to a pain management clinic and I couldn't deal with one doctor saying it was cyst another saying it was my appendix or my tubes ,I just told him I really needed some process of elimination, it was controlling my life I just wanted to get to the bottom of it not continue to live off pain pills to get out of bed.Thanks for your help I've been use to just not feeling well over all for the past couple years but it's gotten worse these past few months I had more blood in my bowels today, no pain when going. Just severe abdominal discomfort I just thought I'd mention a few more historys that I don't know if they'd mean much but I had mono when I was 15 the same year I had my tonsils out, I also developed toxemia while I was pregnant with my son I had to be induced and I developed faringitis before as well . My throat was swollen shut I was unable to swallow.

Answered by Dr. Ioan Dorian OANA (6 hours later)

Hello,

Thanks for your reply.

It is good you have mentioned more details and I believe you did not want to continue living on pain pills to get out of bed.

Did you follow my previous advice and make at least some blood tests (to evaluate the function and performance of blood cells, liver and kidneys; lactate dehydrogenase)?

I am looking forward to your answer.

If you have any more queries, feel free to ask.

Regards
Dr. Dorian Oana MD, PhD

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Shanthi.E

Follow up: Dr. Ioan Dorian OANA (17 hours later)

I haven't yet gotten to the doctor but I will within the next day or so, I have been reluctant to go , I guess I've just been scared to go because what a nightmare it was those 10 months . And the death of my son , I'm just scared I guess. However another bump came behind the same ear very hard too , a few you can feel in my neck in the back and along the side also looks lumpy on the outside just looking at it ,feels like i was kicked in the chin and the side of my face is somewhat swelled in front of my ear all within the past 20 hours or so , my husband is really worried so I think he's gonna make me go wether I want to or not, I will be going and I will certainly follow up and let you know what happens , so these blood test I should see if they're willing to test for? The blood and kidney functions anything else I should ask about you think? I really appreciate your help, it really brings some comfort to go in with specific questions to hopefully get answers for

Answered by Dr. Ioan Dorian OANA (11 hours later)

Hello,

Thanks for your reply.

I am happy to hear that you will go to the doctor within the next day or so, especially because you said that another bump came behind the ear.

I hope things change soon for you and normally after that long nightmare, sun should come on your street too.

The blood test should include tests which evaluate the function and performance of blood cells, liver and kidneys; lactate dehydrogenase. Also you should ask for a CT if it is possible.

I am glad you appreciate my help and I am looking forward to keep me updated what happens.

If you have any more queries, feel free to ask.

Regards
Dr. Dorian Oana MD, PhD

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar