Ear cartilage before & after cauterization + timeline of (probable) spider bite saga

the journey thus far

the horrors persist but somehow so do i, minus a right tragus (& maybe half my mind)

Timeline below: it’s long (sry) because this has been going on for TWO MONTHS (& counting) — I’ve literally seen like a dozen providers at this point

  • Dec 20: ear turns red starts itching— two localized dots, one on either side of cartilage

  • Dec 21: ear is itchier than anything has ever itched in the history of humankind

  • Dec 22: urgent care, prescribed abx oral (keflex) & abx topical (mupirocin)

  • Jan 2: ER # 1, prescribed different abx (clindamycin), same abx topical (mupirocin), & prophylactic/preventative abx ear canal drops (cipro)

  • Jan 6: GP, prescribed another abx (penicillin) & same abx topical (mupirocin)

  • Jan 10: Dermatologist #1, refers me to ENT

  • Jan 12: ER #2, culture is collected, prescribed another abx (bactrim) & same abx topical (mupirocin)— referred to infectious disease & wound care providers

  • Jan 13: ENT #1, advised to “let it air out without gauze covering” while continuing same oral & topical abx

Jan 14 (Tues): Infectious/wound care, gives me wound dressing to use, refers me to different dermatologist, wishes me good luck

Jan 15 (Wed): wake up to hole inside my ear (pain 9/10)

Jan 15 (Wed): Dermatologist #2, tells me that I “most likely have basal cell carcinoma”, takes biopsy, cauterizes the ear

Jan 16 (Thursday): negative culture results that are probably false negative results because topical abx was cultured along with wound exudate for sample

Jan 17 (Friday): Dermatologist #2: negative biopsy results, UNdiagnosed with cancer and diagnosed with “chondrodermatitis” & prescribed topical steroid (triamcinoclone) / am told “that it is definitely not a spider bite because spider bites are rare” / Me: “whatever is happening to my ear looks pretty fckn rare” / remind provider that it was severely itchy for first couple weeks & am told “that is not diagnostically relevant” / ask about high eosinophils results which I am told by doctor “is also not diagnostically relevant either” & then later told by chatGPT “is suggestive of an insect bite such as a spider”

Jan 19 (Sunday): wake up to worst pain of my entire life (!) / tragus is missing (!!) & ear cartilage is exposed (!!!)

Jan 19 (Sunday): call wound care provider (answering service) and am told to go to ER, call dermatologist #2 answering service & the on-call provider was derm #2 who asks for photo via text, prescribed different oral abx (cipro) & different topical abx (gentamicin)

Jan 20 (Monday): right jaw starting to hurt

Jan 20 (Monday): Dermatologist #2, debries & recauterizes wound (again) for second time

Jan 23 (Thursday): Surgeon #1, says wound will never heal & I should have notch of cartilage removed so that skin can be closed— explains that cartilage has no vascularization so without any tissue there is no way for oral abx, etc to even reach the cartilage, calls dermatologist #2 to discuss

Jan 24: Dermatologist #2 convinces Surgeon #1 that “we should wait another two weeks & see” / Me: “we already waited a month & now we see cartilage”

Jan 27: ENT #2: “chances are 50/50 that this will eventually heal”

Jan 29: Dermatologist #2, prescribed (again) same oral & topical abx (cipro & gentamicin)

Feb 6: Surgeon #1: “pink granulation tissue looks promising— let’s continue to wait” / Me: “we continue to see cartilage” / pain dialed down to dull roar (5/10)

Feb 10: Dermatologist #2: “let’s continue waiting & seeing” / Me: “it really hurts in this one spot” Dr: “that’s because there’s exposed cartilage” Me: “the pain is localized in this one spot” Dr: “there is cartilage next to that spot”

Feb 10: Surgeon #2 (MOHS): “surrounding tissue looks healthy— try vinegar soaks with 1 tablespoon:1 pint ratio” & continue topical abx (gentamicin)”

Feb 12 (AM): wake up to severe pain (8/10) localized in lower perimeter of wound (external ear)

Feb 12 (noon): Dermatologist #2: “maybe Surgeon #2 should operate on it”

Feb 12 (PM): Me, poke & pick at painful spot with sterilized (autoclave + UV) needlepoint tweezers / remove something very tiny, dark, & solid hard / blood and clear fluid starts weeping (enough to saturate 2”x2” gauze pad) / pain immediately reduces (2/10) / swelling immediately reduces by like half / earlobe is no longer dark red / can feel my ear again when I touch it

Feb 13: Wound crusted overnight / pain when pressure is applied / mild-moderate swelling / looks better / feels a lot better comparatively but def still doesn’t feel very good 🙃

My primary wound dressing is basically iodoform strips that I sorta papier-mâché over the cartilage with gentamicin

I wonder if my right earpod will stay in my ear anymore (lol)