I have been lightheaded and ears ringing for one year now

I started having symptoms a year ago. I was driving and all of a sudden I thought I was having a stroke. My vision went blurry, my ears started ringing and I got so dizzy I had to pull off the road. To this day, it has not gone away and has gotten worse. I have pressure in my ears, like they are full and they both ring constantly. My vision has changed in my left eye and it's blurry and I have double vision in that eye. It is so bad that it causes me a lot of anxiety. I have made an emergency trip to the hospital because I thought I was dieing. I have had MRI, CT, ENT, ENG, VNG tests done. I have seen 18 doctors and the only thing they can tell me is that I have lost my balance sensation in one ear that is causing my dizziness and unstableness. My legs are weak and shake and I would not dare stand on a ladder right now. I have been thru Vestibular Therapy exercises and they did not help. I am miserable and it has affected my daily function in life and is causing me to lose time at my job. My family is feeling the replicutions of my sickness too. I just want to feel NORMAL again. My brain is not working right and I have the sensation of falling all the time in my head. It is such a weird feeling and I can't fall asleep unless I take a sleeping pill and even now, I am waking up like I am falling. The ENT doctor has not made a diagnosis but I am taking some medicine to try to dry up fluid in my ears. Its hard to walk in a busy store without feeling dizzy or unstable and my vision is so off I can't see. I have had thoughts of not wanting to live like this anymore, that is how awful this disease or whatever this is I have is. Does anyone else have these symptoms or a diagnosis or maybe some ideas on how I can control it? 

Thank you 

Your symptoms sound very much like those I had a few years ago, although I did not have daily episodes. After various tests by the ENT team that I see, I was finally referred to an audiology consultant who diagnosed that I had Menieres desease. I was put on medication known as sercs which dampen the symptoms to the extent that I now only have episodes every few days or even weeks.

Hi Brenda ,I've just answered Tony on this Virtigo site ,I've got this going 24/7 and he's had Virtigo since 07 .go have a read .im sat typing now and my ears are full ,I'm worse when upright ,walking or stood still .Done exercises ,took Serc ,and cinerazine ? Meds ,not straightened me up ,tried magnets Acupatch ,got a free booklet from Brain and spine foundation ,gives all exercises .

 Were you I'll leading up to this ?whats your age ? Where do you live ? See if a connection .Ive got tinnitus as well.just saw your 1967 was that your birth year ? 

 Has to be a common thread to all this .

Hello Ms. Brenda, 

I have written on this when it first hit me back in the early part of this year.  If you care to, you can go back and see what I have written about myself, but is sounds like you are experiencing just about the same things that I have had except that I do find relief when I lie down flat and stay there.  It seems to me that in my case, I do a little better when I do some and then rest.  I stop when the fatigue gets to a point where I can't stand it.  The next time I get up and try it seems to be a little better.  But that's me, you certainly may have a different experience.

I live in the U.S.A. and my health care is paid for by my employer, and so for that reason I am very careful to have only the treatment that might help, and try to weed out any extraneous ideas to help keep costs down.  ( as example, I turned down a hearing aid and new glasses, because I only want to stop the dizziness)  I was told I have sleep apnea and was tested for it and low and behold I need a very expensive machine to breathe through while I sleep, BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE to my symptoms.  I may need it, but it does nothing to stop my symptoms,  just costs a lot to my employer.  I wish I had not let them get me all the stuff that doesn't help.

So, with that said, I did ask my doctor for a second opinion.  I even asked for an explanation of a second opinion.  We are having an entirely "different group" do all of the tests over again to see if they come up with different results.  I am going to meet with the new team to find out what they have on October 2, 2014 and will get back here when I know more.

I would also like to point out that no medicine has done anything to stop or even slow down my dizziness, so I am very skeptical about getting still another prescription, at a cost, to try unless there is some very real history of it making a difference.

As a part of my "2nd Opinion" I have gone to the eye doctor.  He said he knew several who have  Meniere's, and they do well if they stop all SALT.  He was quite stern about it.  He said stopping all salt from getting into their diet helped them.  He told me that the Optic Nerve and the Vestibulocochlear Nerve impulses can be confused if there is swelling or inflammation in the inner ear and salt contributes to Meniere's.  BUT when I told him I had double vision for a few weeks and then had a very hard time keeping my eyes on the words I was trying to read, he also said that there is a very good chance that the MRI AND  CAT SCAN missed  A STROKE in the area of the brain at the top of the spinal column due to shadowing  caused by bones in the area.  This is the first time anyone has revised the idea that a STROKE may have been the culprit.

 

The double vision and hard time reading that I had in the aftermath of the room spinning for 2 days may have been caused by Myasthenia gravis, which is a weakening of the muscles that control eye movements illness or a stroke.  

This is important to me because I had the idea that the vestibular therapy that I was doing is very similar to what a stroke victim would do to rehabilitate.  In my case the vestibular therapy reduced the feeling of falling or acute dizziness that some of the exercises brought on.  I was happy to do them and see reduction results, but all the while I was thinking that this is exactly what a stroke victim would do, just that they would do them for other things that they can't do well.

Throughout this whole ordeal, I have had some sinusitis and my ears have had ringing in them.  I have had the feeling of fullness in my ears and they have itched way down inside.  Sometimes they burn and sometimes they have a feeling that an electric jolt has gone through them.  This could all be caused by an allergy.  A constant irritation to sinuses makes a good environment for invasion of infectious diseases, but the inflammation it's self could be the culprit.

So, to recap:

For me, if I lie down and hold very still I get total relief and can think clearly.

After resting very still, I go back to things and get a little further befor it becomes too much again.

No medication has reduced the feeling of lightheadedness or dizziness for me.

Salt reduction my help, so cut out all the salt you can. Restaurant food is out for the time being.

I may have had a stroke, so rehab is in order, and rehab seems to work to a degree. 

My double vision may have come from muscle weakness illness.  I am doing eye exercises, using a patch.

I may have an allergy that causes irritation to my sinuses.

October 2, is an important day on my calender.

 

I refuse to let this illness get me down, and I fight all the "extra stuff" that is thrown at me just to make money off my situation. Stay positive about all of it, it could be a lot worse, like cancer or heart failure.

 

On a personal note Ms. Brenda,  I have lost several relatives and close friends to self destruction ( suicide) and they all had one thing in common, Depression.  My sister lost her life accidentally due to excess alcohol, but she was depressed about the loss of her mother in law and just couldn't wait to hit the bottle and drank too much. Others did themselves in knowingly, all due to depression.

 

SO PLEASE  keep an upbeat attitude, count your blessings, only keep company that care about you, dream about the things you want to do, make plans for the future and stay in the upbeat mode.  If you know anyone who has cancer, you need only ask them about the influence of positive mental attitude has on illness.

Be relentless about being positive.

Please hang in there, something is going to happen for the better for all of us...

Ben 

 

Thank you Ben for your imput. I too feel better when I am laying flat on on my back in bed. Once I stand up in the mornings, I know the same day is here again all over, day after day. Never any changes. The vision loss is over whelmings, the fullness and ringing is horrific and causes me to feel so unstable. My joints hurt all over but that's probably from my Anxiety. So far my dr has given me Meclizine and Valium, well who can hold down a job on Valium? I am 52 years old and I want to know what has caused my life to change where I can't function anymore ? 

Hi Marlene. I am 52 and I live in ft. Worth,Texas. My symptoms started 5 months after I had a Hysterectomy. I am almost certain that my hormone drop has contributed to my ears and vision problems. I am very unstable on my feet, shaky and joint pain also. Meclizine and Valium have not helped me at all. I can't function on either meds. Vestibular Therapy did nothing for me except put a huge hole in my wallet. So sensitive to noise and lights. Very miserable and have feelings of never being normal again. Thank you for your imput and help.

what exactly is Sercs?

Sercs is for balance ,maybe another name where you are ,done nothing for me .,I've PM you ,then I saw your post. You say hormones ,strange as I've got that going since all this started,have a look at your tongue see if it's white coated ,then look at Candida,in menopause ,That can be a problem ,goes for men as well.Yes it's miserable having Tinnitus and balance going together ,I've got it every day ,but that can be hormones ,both symptoms .

Hi Brenda

For the past seven months my husband has been suffering from what was apparently a vestibular ear problem. He tried optokinetic maneuvers, he tried the Epley maneuver (4 times at the ENT specialist´s office etc.) Truth be told, the doctor just didn´t know what he had! His symptoms (nausea and dizziness (not spinning)) were mild and the usual prescription for these things just alleviated but never really relieved him of the symptoms. He also had lots of ear pressure, fullness in both ears. He had some anxiety and tension but this was due to not knowing what was wrong. Other doctors suggested this could be psychosomatic. This didn´t make him angry, rather it made me furious. He had brain scans, inner ear scans, x-rays, blood work, audiograms and other tests and everything just came up negative. The specialist gave him a mega dose ( the "latest international protocol" for this kind of vestibular problem, he called it) of Betaserc (brand name where I live). He was on this medication for 1 day because this medication wore him down completely and he just couldn´t function. Both of us kept investigating on the internet and spoke with doctor friends of ours. It just couldn´t be ear related because, and here´s the clincher, vestibular problems don´t happen in both ears!! If it does, it is an extreme rarity! So could my husband be the exception that proves the rule? Maybe. But this was one of the things that always baffled the doctor. So, the most logical and intelligent conclusion we all came to was

that whatever it was, was in fact causing vestibular problems BUT it was NOT the cause but rather the effect. This changed everything. Guess what? The problem is the cervical spine! So what he needed wasn´t an ENT specialist, what he needed was a neurologist.

He spent all these months with the ENT and my conclusion is that these specialists are so, so, so, focused on their specialty that they forget to think "out of the box"! This week my husband is begining physical therapy which consists of 3 hours in the morning of massage

and electric stimulation and some other things I don´t know how to explain and another 3 hours at the end of the day of the same thing for 2 weeks straight, very intensive. What he has SEEMS to be "Cervical Vertigo Disequilibrium". Whatever the case, everything indicates to a cervical spine problem. Now you know what I know and I´ll keep you posted.

I hope this can help someone.

Isabel

Hi Isabel . Thank you so much for your information. I have read something about that thru all my google research. Does your husband have visual disturbance? My vision is so messed up. Everything is blurry I my left eye. It started when my ear problems and dizziness started. I have also seen a Nuerologists and nothing has shown up. My ears ring real bad and I have horrific headaches over that left eye. My world spins and I am so unbalanced. All of these posts no one really mentions that their vision is messed up. I was just wondering if he has vision problems?

Hi Brenda, yes my vision has been messed up,since my tinnitus became worse ,after a head virus,.Ive had 3 sight test,l had MRI,I thought if I had a bleed anywhere that affected my vision that would have shown up,all clear ,sight test no 1 was fine ,eye pressure fine,but still fuzzy eyes,number 2 test fine,18 months later ,optitian didn't know the cause,then  no 3 test in January this year ,all fine again ,no prescription change,she said my eyes at the back again were really healthy.So I'm at a loss

  i can only think as I've allergies since head virus 9 yrs this December ,has caused these eye problems,I know my tinnitus changed after I was put on meds that following year July ,never got back to where I was previously coping with the tinnitus,as virus left me with chronic rhinitis.

    On Tinnitustalk I learnt about allergies and tinnitus,I will ask those on that site about vision with the Tinnitus ,along with allergies. Today I just cope with fuzzy eyes

  interesting as to what's being said.Question I've sufferered with bad neck ache since all my problems began ,I often think, this has maybe where infection began ,as my head was like a solid ball of cement it was that heavy.had to use both hands to prop head up,like that for months after,even now 9 years on still feels heavy side ,not as bad  but I still notice it.So yes my vision has been a problem on going,but no answer as to WHY.Just put it down to how that virus left me,and I've got to live with it. When I read others have sight issues it grabbed my attention straight off.

  Wishing us all a recovery from it all.dragging on that's for sure ,my ears hissing like crazy typing this ,and yes fuzzy eyes,hence spelling up the duff,got job to see the commas,and dots close up.

Hi Brenda ,don't know why the reply to your post not gone through. I have vision problem ,since tinnitus and now the balance started ,saw your earlier post regarding  vision ,grabbed my attention .

   So yes I've had this for 9 yrs ,and 3 eye test later all fine ,but still got the fuzzy eyes .think it's rhinitis doing the vision Allergy's .

Hi Marlene,

Thanks for your insight on the vision. I have been to 4 eye drs. One was even an Opthamologist Nuerologist. They all say my eyes are healthy but my left  eye that I have lost some vision in, needs some help. So they put me in glasses to make the left eye stronger than the right but it makes me more dizzy and off feeling. I have tried contacts too and nothing is helping me feel steady. My legs shake inside all day, I guess that is from feeling unbalanced and lightheaded. My ears are hissing like crazy too right now, but then again, that never stops !!! My neck is also an issue, it's very tight and my  head feels like it weighs 200 pounds. I try to do those exercises where you lie down on one side and then sit up and lay on the other side, when I do this I can actually feel the fluid rolling around behind my ears. I feel horrible now and I am trying like crazy to stay at work but I just want to lay down and never wake up !!! I hate this, it's miserable!!!  No one thinks you are feeling so crappy because we don't look sick on the outside and we keep pushing thru our days of misery so we don't give up. But I want to give up !!!!! This disease is so debilatating!!!!!! My anxiety is ALL DAY and I am so sick of that " weird sensation" in my head.

Hi Brenda,

Initially, 7 months ago, the doctor (specialist) also thought my husband might have Menieres disease BUT not all the symptoms fit. Then it was Vestibular Neuritis then it was vestibular something. OK, maybe it could be. Certain things didn´t fit either. He also did "Rehabilitation Therapy" but that didn´t work. Just like you his vision was also affected and he felt lightheaded and the pressure in his ears was one of the symptoms that bothered most. He new that when the pressure got worse an entire episode was close, including the nausea and dizziness. Then we proceded to cervical spine. That was more in line with the symptoms BUT even with specific treatments the results were not what we expected. So, what the hell??

I know you don´t want to hear this and my husband didn´t either and disregarded the INITIAL diagnosis by a very excellent, mere General Practitioner. Here goes.......... Reactive Depression, accumulated stress, anxiety. All his symptoms were physical! He was in a good mood, no sadness, no mood changes, etc. We went in a completely different path. The truth is that he is finally getting better! At least it´s worth looking into the matter. See a neuropsycologist.

I hope this feedback may help you.

Isabel

P.S. By the way, many people think they have Menieres Disease because of the dizziness but they don´t. In fact Menieres is a rarity if you can believe this!

The problem is that the symptoms are all very similar to vestibular problems.

 

Hi Brenda

Yes, my husband had some visual disturbance as well. On the left side

of his head he also had some pounding.

Isabel

So what does he have?

Thanks Isabel for your info on your husband. I too have had a MRI on the spine and back and nothing out of the ordinary showed up either. I have all the symptoms of Ménière's disease down to the wire and my ENT said it could be the start of it. When the pressure in my ears get worse and then the ringing is even louder, I know I am going to have an episode too. It gets really bad. I have had a few doctors tip toe around the Anxiety

issue and they have told me to talk to my GP about getting on an anti

depressant but I haven't yet. I am not opposed to the idea but it's hard to believe that ALL of the symptoms I am feeling can be all Depression. I

definitely have Stress and Anxiety due to no one can tell me why I feel so

bad. It's those weird "brain" sensations that are the worse. One dr told me that stress is part of it. Unlike your husband, I do feel depressed and I'm

not happy nor am I ever in a good mood anymore. When your world is spinning around you and you can't see very good out of your eye, you

seem to be somewhat depressed thinking that you will have to live the

rest of your life like this, because no one can help you and you know that

you have never been this bad in your life.  this is not how I want to

continue on. What did the Neuropsycologist give your husband to make him start feeling better? And did he say it was all stress???

I know, what does he have??? We want to know

Hi Brenda,

In the very beginning, the doctor also said it could be the the first symptoms of Meniers but it actually wasn´t. After going through it all and to make a long story short the truth is that he is suffering from either anxiety or depression or possibly both. The doctor hasn´t been able to determine this yet.

BUT stress leads to anxiety and then possibly to depression. Between the stress and the anxiety stages I was surprised to learn that a very, very long time can pass before anxiety starts kicking in. He had nausea, terrible pressure in BOTH his ears (extremely rare for vestibular) a little numbness

on the left side of his head, tingling and dizziness (not vertigo) and  constant anxiety. All his tests revealed only excellent health. He´s is now being treated, at his expressed request, by a psychiatrist (a few surprising skeletons in his closet). He still has the anxiety but not a constant anymore and the other symptoms rarely surface. If and when they do they are very mild and do not last long at all.

What really helps and relaxes him is a very hot water bottle in his stomach. What the doctor prescribed was ALPRAZOLAM MYLAN 0.5 mg

for the anxiety and ATARAX 25 mg for relaxation. On the internet you can find the equivalent names for the same meds in different countries. I live in Portugal.

Poor guy, sometimes he looks stoned and gets very sleepy. He takes the meds at night. He never takes medication, not even an aspirin so you can imagine how this hits him. It´s a normal reaction until the body adapts.

Although this treatment is in the initial stages, I have to tell you that so far we are pleased with the results. This is all I can tell you for now but I will certainly keep you posted.

Isabel

Hi Brenda,

In the very beginning, the doctor also said it could be the the first symptoms of Meniers but it actually wasn´t. After going through it all and to make a long story short the truth is that he is suffering from either anxiety or depression or possibly both. The doctor hasn´t been able to determine this yet.

BUT stress leads to anxiety and then possibly to depression. Between the stress and the anxiety stages I was surprised to learn that a very, very long time can pass before anxiety starts kicking in. He had nausea, terrible pressure in BOTH his ears (extremely rare for vestibular) a little numbness

on the left side of his head, tingling and dizziness (not vertigo) and  constant anxiety. All his tests revealed only excellent health. He´s is now being treated, at his expressed request, by a psychiatrist (a few surprising skeletons in his closet). He still has the anxiety but not a constant anymore and the other symptoms rarely surface. If and when they do they are very mild and do not last long at all.

What really helps and relaxes him is a very hot water bottle in his stomach. What the doctor prescribed was ALPRAZOLAM MYLAN 0.5 mg

for the anxiety and ATARAX 25 mg for relaxation. On the internet you can find the equivalent names for the same meds in different countries. I live in Portugal.

Poor guy, sometimes he looks stoned and gets very sleepy. He takes the meds at night. He never takes medication, not even an aspirin so you can imagine how this hits him. It´s a normal reaction until the body adapts.

Although this treatment is in the initial stages, I have to tell you that so far we are pleased with the results. This is all I can tell you for now but I will certainly keep you posted.

Isabel