DR Jeff Foster is The Sun on Sunday’s resident doctor and is here to help YOU.
Dr Jeff, 43, splits his time between working as a GP in Leamington Spa, Warks, and running his clinic, H3 Health, which is the first of its kind in the UK to look at hormonal issues for both men and women.
Dr Jeff Foster is The Sun on Sunday’s resident doctor and is here to help you
See h3health.co.uk and email at [email protected].
Q) I HAVE a cold and one of my ears has become blocked.
It was very painful and constantly ringing, with a crackling and popping sensation.
After an hour, I suddenly felt a huge relief as fluid trickled out of my ear. It did this all night.
I have no pain but still some ringing now. Do I need antibiotics or will it stop by itself?
David Blunt, Middlesex
A) Otitis media, an infection in the middle ear, is a very common problem in children.
When they get a cold, the mucus that fills the nose also tracks up the Eustachian tube and once full, it can cause pressure and pain behind the eardrum.
If this continues, it can cause a secondary bacterial infection, or if the pressure is great enough, burst the eardrum.
When this happens, patients usually describe a gradual build-up of pain in the ear followed by sudden release of pain, fluid discharge and hearing loss.
Otitis media is less common in adults, though in your case, it sounds like it has happened.
Not all patients with otitis media need antibiotics but you need to see your doctor as it is important to document this and then get reviewed after four to six weeks to ensure it has healed properly.
Q) ON the right side of my neck, by my collar bone, I have a swollen lymph node.
An ultrasound and a camera up my nose and down my throat found nothing.
My neck aches and swells every day and the lymph node is still swollen. Bloods and thyroid test came back as no action needed.
Should I return to see my doctor? I’m worried I could have lymphoma.
Lola Purcell, Stratford
A) The most common types of lymphoma are Non-Hodgkin’s and Hodgkin’s.
The reason the condition occurs is unknown, but in Hodgkin’s lymphoma the cancer begins with an error in the B-lymphocyte cells of the immune system.
As the cancerous white cells tend to collect in lymph nodes, this is often why we see their enlargement in this type of cancer.
However, non-cancerous causes for an enlarged lymph node are far more common.
Lymphoma affects two people in every 100,000, and in addition to an enlarged lymph node, we also look for night sweats, fevers, weight loss, fatigue, poor appetite, generalised itching and looking pale (anaemia).
As first steps, we would do a blood test and an ultrasound if we were concerned about a lymph node that was not resolving after a few weeks.
It appears your GP and hospital have looked at this, so while it might not be lymphoma, I would go back to your doctor to make sure you have a clear understanding of what the diagnosis actually is.