Six and a half years ago I developed an ear infection that simply would not get better. I ended up seeing an ENT doctor and it was eventually discovered that I had mastoiditis, an infection of the mastoid bone behind the ear. I had a mastoidectomy--a surgery performed with a large incision behind the ear to remove the infection, drill out the bone, repair the ossicular chain and create a new ear drum. Many tests were run to discover the source of the problem, such as bacteria, virus, fungi, cancer, allergies, etc. All tests were negative and the cause remained unknown. Within a year the mastoid was infected again to the point of requiring surgery. I had another surgery, and eventually another. I had lost 65% of the hearing function in that ear. During the time I was pregnant with my fourth child it was discovered that I had tuberculosis bacteria in the mastoid. This was a new problem in the mastoid as previous tests for tuberculosis had all been negative. The latent tuberculosis that I had unknowingly within my body had become active in the mastoid area as it was a weak area that was susceptible to infection. I was started on the standard 4-drug therapy to treat the tuberculosis. I had my fourth mastoidectomy surgery in my second trimester of pregnancy. Pain behind the ear and other signs of infection continued after the surgery and it was decided that I would need a fifth mastoidectomy soon after the end of my pregnancy. This time the surgeon and I decided on the more invasive canal wall down mastoidectomy procedure. This involves the removal of the ear drum and ossicular chain and the opening up of the mastoid into the ear canal so that there would no longer be a closed space in which the infection could grow. At the time of that surgery tests confirmed that there was no presence of tuberculosis, indicating that the drug therapy has resolved that issue. It has been two months since the canal wall down procedure. I am still having pain, redness, and swelling behind the ear as well as areas of the head around the ear that are painful to the touch. The surgeon sees no signs of infection from within the ear canal and is baffled by the obvious signs of infection being present behind the ear. He recommends a CT scan. There will most likely be another surgery. I am running low on patience and hope. Will there ever be an end to CT scans and surgery and infection?
