14 year old with viral labyrinthitis

[BlackLabrador]

Can anyone advise? My 14 year old DD was diagnosed with "probable viral labyrinthitis" last weekend by out of hours doc. Despite having thought I'd almost "seen it all" as a mother, I didn't know much about this..

Last weeks out of hours appointment came about after a couple of weeks of her feeling sick/dizzy/headachy , couple of GP visits..being treated for sinusitis for a "cold which seemed to come back".. Must admit, all the symptoms fit the eventual label of labyrinthitis (once Id googled it) although it did make me worry about More Serious Things!

So all last week she was off school.. she wasn't up to it and the GP had said rest, rest and rest...and last weekend she had been so much worse with the vomiting and dizziness that I decided "sod school" even though it IS Y10 at the pressure is on. She lay around on the sofa most of last week making clear gradual progress, eating when she felt like it, whatever she felt she fancied. Saw our own GP midweek who prescribed more of the anti sickness/anti dizziness tablets that last weekends' doc had given (Buccastem - dissolve under top lip, twice a day) but said that ideally she should continue to progress and be able to stop taking these.

With this in mind I had thought I would stop giving her the evening pill but she's continued to need it if only for the dizziness.

Yesterday she attempted a more normal day.. went out with her dad and his wife. Ended up feeling awful again again by pm with headache and feeling dizzy. Still had headache at bedtime for which I gave her paracetamols (she hadn't been needing them since earlier in week). I've woken her this morning and given her her morning anti sickness tablet and first thing she said was "my head hurts"..

Feeling really worried at apparent step back! Although yesterday she WAS very active.. more so than she had been for over a week.. and had been kept awake the night before by next door's sodding jack russell barking til the small hours! (as were we all!)

She's not up yet... went back to sleep. I had planned that she go back to school tomorrow but obviously her health come first.. can anyone advise/reassure about the course of this horrible illness?

Oh - she also had an eye test yesterday (as advised by GP) and I'm sure having all those lights shone in her eyes didn't help.. but it was fine.. which is good.. because they can see horrible things like brain tumours when they do eye tests right??

So sorry to hear your DD has this horrendous illness. I have had a few recurrent bouts of this over the years with the first one being the worst. My initial bout lasted about 4 weeks with the first week or two being the worst. It went away on all occasions very slowly, waxing and waning from day to day. One day I would feel much better only to wake the next day to feel rubbish again. My advice is drink plenty of water, eat little and often and keep moving around whenever it allows. Your DD will probably be getting frustrated with it and this is understandable. I took stemetil tablets for the sickness but nothing else helped apart from letting time pass. Hope your DD starts to feel better soon.

Forgot to mention an important development in my illness progression. My initial bouts of labyrinthitis morphed into migraine associated vertigo which a neurologist treated with low doses of amitryptiline (20mg). He even suggested that my initial bout may not have been labyrinthitis but chronic migraine associated vertigo as my headaches were very prevalent. Thought this might help you x

You really need to take this seriously and reinstate complete rest.

Realistically you need to be thinking in terms of weeks here, not days.

It is a horrible condition, has the GP suggested antiviral medication and a neurology referral if things don't improve?

Your poor dd. It really is bad luck.

I've had this but not as severe - so has my cleaner. She got told that it could last weeks (hers lasted about 3 weeks). I got mine after a sinus infection and it was horrible waking up to go to the loo or turning over in. Bed. I had it about 2 weeks but comes back a couple of times a year, especially after a flight or swimming or another viral infection. There are coping mechanisms for getting out of bed so GP may be able to help with showing pictures of those of how to keep the dizziness to a minimum. It will eventually abate.

Thanks all. Glad to find more info here as I ended up reposting in chat. Funny you should say that about the migraines as that has been mentioned today by another GP at our practice. We had a bit of a development today in that DD actually keeled over and was so dizzy she couldn't get up for a couple of minutes! Worse she was home alone as I had gone to work having arranged for my sister to come over but she hadn't arrived yet.

DD text me and I left work immediately and was so worried that having failed to get her in with GP initially, I took her to A&E! Was panicking but all I could think was that she was getting worse not better!

Anyway they did neuro type obs on her.. All fine except upon standing she couldn't balance with her eyes shut! They sent us back to GP.. Who DID fit us in accompanied by fax from hospital and GP has made an ENT referral and put DD on some different meds. Can't remember what they are (have finally collapsed into bed after long horrid day) but they are more for motion sickness and GP expects them to help. He said once symptoms are under control she can return to school but without PE or dance .. Much to her horror although how she thinks she can dance when she keeled over today attempting to get up off the sofa to use the bathroom I don't know!

He still thinks most likely cause is Labyrinthitis but said a certain type of migraine is another option and ages the "right age" for them to start..

Obviously I'm relieved that nothing seems to be SERIOUSLY amiss but I just want her to start feeling better :( I hope these new meds help.. I'm having tomorrow off so as not to let her out of my sight...

a lot of our family have had this - my brother most recently he is in his40s and was off work for 4 weeks.it takes time and rest.