ent and dizziness

[shazbat64]

Hello,  I am 42 and in 1999 i was diagnosed with labrynthitis.  I still suffer regularly with this but have now been diagnosed with a problem with my eustachian tube and apparently this could be adding to my dizziness.  I have been told to use steriod nasal drops for approx 2 months with should ease this problem.  Will this help with the dizziness as i am feeling very disheartened.  After 10 years you think i would be used to this feeling of lightheadedness but it drains me and i feel quite ill constantly.

[shazbat64]

Hi,

It is  mostly a general sort of lightheadedness accompanied by a nausea feeling.  The dizziness however does become very severe occasionally with the room spinning uncontrollably and then i start vomiting.  I need to lie down an d stay extremely still and hopefully fall asleep in order to make myself feel better.  I do not suffer from tinnitus continuously but do have it occassionally.

[alljokingaside]

The test they performed sounds like the Dix-Hallpike; it's great for diagnosing BPPV ("loose" ear crystals) but is rubbish for labyrinthitis. Currently, the main diagnostic test for that area is something called the VEMP test and a battery of tests called the ENG, among others, that tests the vestibular, or balance, nerve.

Is it a general sort of lightheadedness?
Do you experience a rocking/"off-balance" sensation?
Do the dizzy attacks ever come become acute?
Do you ever experience tinnitus (generally high-pitched noises without any external source)?

I know it's exhausting, but I do know a physician that specializes in this branch. It's worth an e-mail.

http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/unilat/vneurit.html

[RadioAstronomyObserver]

  I do not have the dizzy feeling many people with my diagnosis have, However, I can completely understand all the emotional feelings you have since we share some of the ear problem symptoms.  With some with my condition where dizziness is a symptom, the brain is taxed so much trying to keep them balanced (and failing) that it emotionally and physically drains them all day long.  Because of the other symptoms involved (sound vibrations transmitted through the ear directly to the brain) I'm drained most of the time with rare spurts of feeling great. What really makes it bad for me is knowing there is a fix (brain surgery) and knowing I'll not only never afford it but the insurance company's don't want to cover it. So, I'll never get "fixed" and will have to live with it forever.

  BTW:  My condition was first wrote about in 1998 and is only now many ENT specialists are learning about it, and is has been misdiagnosed many times as "labrynthitis" among other things.

[shazbat64]

Hello

Thanks for your response.  I am in the U.K. and no they have not did any water tests only tests they did originally was when they lie you back from side to side very quickly. I have been taken to the A & E on numerous occasions and always they just say its my labrynthitis and send me home with stemetil tablets.  Unfortunately i have been told by GPs to get used to it as there is nothing they can do it was only after i insisted that they eventually sent me back to the ENT specialist for the third time.  I feel I am destined to always have this awful disease but thank you.

[alljokingaside]

Hi,

Disclaimer: Not a medical prof.

Depending on etiology, labrynthitis' acute phase should resolve within .5-1 year. Did they do a caloric test? (Hot/cold water/air "injected" into the external ear canal)

What kind of dizziness is it? Spinning, rocking, churning, etc?

I'm guessing that you have hearing loss, due to the diagnosis of labyrinthitis, as opposed to neuronitis. How are the hearing-related symptoms like (perm. hearing loss, fluctuating loss, tinnitus, etc)?

From the bit about the Eustachian tube bit, I will assume that there's pressure. Is it constant? Also, if it is purely Eustachian (and, of course, depending on the cause), the drops probably will help.

Where are you located? I know of a few clinics that may be of benefit.

Additionally, did they perform a Dix-Hallpike test? I doubt any BPPV, but its always worth a check.