Anyone have any experience of LABYRINTHITIS????

[mrsjingles]

Hi, my husband has been diagnosed today with labyrinthitis, after a week of illness and today passing out twice, being sick and dizzy, and i just wondered if anyone else had any experience of how long it normally lasts??? thanks

[WideWebWitch]

Hi, yes, my stepsister has recently been diagnosed with this after having a very bad fall whilst out walking last year (airlifted off by helicopter etc). She's having cranial osteopathy and thinks it's helping enormously. I don't know much more though, sorry, except that she's been told it will take a while, over a year IIRC (but I may be remembering very incorrectly, will ask her when I speak to her next). She doesn't seem overly worried about it though and is carrying on life as normal apart from this treatment and taking it easy occasionally. I hope this is reassuring.

[colette]

I had this a few years ago , after having a viral infection . I was very dizzy but found that even though it reoccured it was never as bad as the first time. I think it stopped after about 6 - 9 months .

[Gilli]

Hi! I've had two boutsne lasted a week and one lasted for most of a month. Horrible, but it eventually goes. I was prscribed medication but I stopped taking it as it didn't help much.

[suedonim]

I had it a while ago, the cause was never established. I took anti-sickness tablets and it thankfully went after a few days. Hope your dh recovers soon, it's a very miserable affliction indeed.

[zippy539]

My mum had it and it only lasted a couple of weeks (on and off) but someone else I know had it for about a year I think in the end she got some exercises to do (they re-trained her eyes/ears or something). Sorry being very vague, can't remember the details - I think she went privately to someone. I hope your DH gets over it quickly!

[StuartC]

I had that a couple of years ago - though I didn't pass out, so your dh has it worse than I did.
I couldn't stand without falling over. The bedroom always seemed to be spinning. I was off work for three weeks - probably should have stayed off longer.
GP gave me tablets - can't remember what they were but I think they were anti-depressants.
After returning to work I still frequently needed to hold onto something, even when sitting in a chair. This became less frequent but didn't go away until several months had passed. GP advised me that this could last for a year.
I think I'd picked up the virus in a swimming pool in Teneriffe.

[Demented]

I think I've got this just now, certainly when I explain to anyone how I have been feeling they say "labyrinthystis". I haven't been to the Dr, thought it would go away on its own, don't like taking tablets. I had a couple of viruses, one after the other, at the end of the second one I woke up, tried to get out of bed to see the floor rushing towards me, was like a drunk for about three days. That was about a month ago and I now only get the spinning sensation when I lie down, after a few seconds it goes away.

StuartC, anti-depressants? Is it that sort of thing, related to depression/mental health?

[StuartC]

Hi Demented - no, it's not related to depression/mental health, it's a virus.
The anti-depressants (if that's what they were) are to calm the spinning sensations.

[Demented]

Thanks StuartC, that's a relief.

Thanks mrsjingles, hope your DH is feeling better soon. IME even although I still have symptoms it doesn't interupt my life now a month on but maybe I have only had a mild dose.

[Swinomish1]

I live in the USA & had my first bout of vertigo almost 3 years ago...I was rushed to the hospital by ambulance, because I couldn't even leave the bathroom, I was so sick & dizziness...yes, like being drunk, the spins & everything. What was scarey, is one minute I was perfectly fine & the next minute, when I got up to turn up my radio & lay back down, I thought we were having an earthquake. My boyfriend at the time, even said I let out a yell, and said I stood there, hanging onto the bed for quite a few minutes....I was diagnosed with an inner ear infection & was in bed, this first time for a week.

I have been having vertigo attacks off & on...pre-symptoms are headaches, either a stuffed up nose, or a nose that won't stop running, a headache that starts in the same place, on my left temple,and when it is really bad a lot fo pressure & pain behind the left eye. Sometimes IBS symptoms occur(which I have had forever). I also have pain in one of my teeth, left side also, kind of in line with the pain on that temple and sinus area...I am going to make a dentist appt too, sometimes it can be due to a bad tooth, you never know. Good to eliminate all the possibilities!

The other day, before my vertigo came on to me, I was having trouble remembering simple things, like my own phone number & physical address. That night, I laid down, and got double vision, the the phone rang, and I got up to answer it, having to stagger, to even get to the phone.

I am a 43 year old native american woman, with a history of diabeties in her family. I will go in for more tests, but last year, the catscan was clear, which was a relief, I worry about cancerous brain tumors.

I commiserate with both the person going through these dizzy spells & those who take care of them, love them and have to worry about what is wrong. It is scarey for all involved.

I am glad for the message board. A good friend at a meeting told me about this condition a friend or relative got diagnoised with recently, so I looked it up on the net. I am so grateful she shared this with me. I was running out of answers.

I have taken Mezcaline RX tabs for this, the first time I had it, they seemed to help. But drinking tons of water, watching my intake of dairy, wheat, and glutin, seem to calm my system down & may trigger this even, not sure.

I wonder about picking a virus like this up at a swimming pool too, I was also swimming a lot around this time, hmm? Was going to start again, I wonder if I should? I thought this kind of exercise would bring more O2 to my brain & help me lose weight & get in shape...

Lots to think about, Robin

[princesspeahead]

coddy had this earlier in the year - I think it lasted only a week or two for her - I'm sure she'll come on and post later. sounds horrible... your poor dh mrsjingles! (and all the rest of you...)

[efmach]

Had this two years ago. Absolutely awful. The first week was the worst and I gradually improved over weeks. Infact, I think it took about 12 weeks to fully recover. I think people's experiences vary. Stemetil is usually prescribed to help with the symptoms. I was so worried by my symptoms that I asked for reassurances here and indeed got it! Mumsnet was a lifeline!

[Posey]

My dad used to get it. So bad during a bout he had to crawl to the loo or else he'd fall over.
He took stemetil which helped. Worried he'd have a bad attack when I was getting married and that he wouldn't be able to walk me down the aisle. GP gave him an injectable form which I was to give him the first sign of an attack but fortunately didn't need to.

He hasn't had it for several years now thankfully.
Hope things get better soon.

[geogteach]

Ihad this at uni - only let me out of the sick bay on condition I went home to my parents! Lasted about 3 weeks at its worst - couldn't go out alone as couldn't judge how fast traffic was moving to cross the road. Stairs were also a problem. After the initial bad patch seemed to get better gradully but I didn't have any drugs

[suedonim]

I forgot to say, my tablets were called Buccastem. They stop the nausea and are good because you don't have to swallow them, you tuck one up between your gum and cheek. It gets absorbed from there, so you can't vomit the medication out. It's now available OTC, as well.

[Coddy]

ansd as sure as egges is egss here I am pph!


ye s there was a thread on it

it is tough
has he some pills?

[Swinomish1]

I found a link to an herbal company that seemed to have a lot of info about this...one of the possible culprits was herpes, which is a virus, and a lifelong curse, (once you get it) and unfortunately I was "gifted" with it a few years ago...I am taking this new piece of eye opening information to my doctor & see if it jives...and I also ordered an herbal remedy with things I already am drawn to using. If it gives me some relief & stability, I will share it with the group and then you can check with your own medical people about using it.

This is so frustrating to deal with...I had a bout this morning...but got myself in a good place to get to the waterfront to nap & get out in the fresh air, with a 2 mile walk with my dogs, afterwards...sometimes you just have to NOT let it get the best of you!
Swin~

[nutcracker]

My friend has this at the moment and she is 7 mths pregnant too. I had never heard of it before now. She has been very poorly indeed. She has just spent several weeks in hospital (on maternity) as the vomiting could not be controlled and she couldn't walk.
I saw her on friday and she still looks terrible and still can't walk unaided. The docs have told her that she should expect to have it for another 3 months at least.
I dread to think how she'll cope if she still has it when the baby is born.

[californiagirl]

On the encouraging front, I've had it twice, both times bacterial not viral, and although it's really really horrible, sometimes it goes away quite fast. The first time it took a little over a week, the second time it was a matter of days (and there was only one when I got motion sick if I did anything other than lie on my back). My father had the viral kind and got over it in about a week, too, so it can pass pretty quickly if you're lucky.

[melsy]

I wish I had done a search on this sooner, I have just posted athread about vertigo ,a s I was possibly diagnosed yesterday. I have to go to an ENT specialist , but today I am going for HOPI ear candles to alleviate the pains in my ears and the blocked feeling.

[Judd]

Just wanted to revive this thread to ask for any up to date experiences. I suffer almost constantly with a blocked, humming ear which either goes away (months later) or results in labyrinthitis. I'm desperate to find something to help me as DH works away a lot and I'm terrified of having labyrinthitis when I'm alone with two under five year olds!
Has anyone used cranial osteopathy? WickedWaterWitch, I think you mentioned earlier on this thread (2 years earlier!) that your SIL had - what is she like now?
Any information very gratefully received!

[willow2]

I have it at the moment and it sucks big time. Tha† said, diagnosis has been done over the phone by GP - as can't actually get to GP. Came on following a foul virus that wiped me out last week - which GP did, indeed, come out to see me for, so not as if they haven't seen me at all. Had dreadful fever and then, when that stopped, this started. I don't have ear ache or deafness though, so maybe it is something else? Don't have "true" vertigo - room doesn't spin as such. Just feel dizzy and sick and very light headed - comes and goes in waves.
Am prisoner in my own home and it is driving me mental.

[NannyL]

My old bosses sister had it VERY badly for a good couple of months 2 years ago...

for about a month of it she was completely unable to look after her children, who were cared for by neighbours / relations and she moved into her own mums who cared for her.

My old boss's husband (ie still me boss i suppose) had it this winter.... he was really quite poorly for at least 3 weeks and was under the weather for another 2, and not his full self for a furtehr 2 weeks

It sounds like the most horrible illness to have

[spacecadet]

i was struck down with labs in november 04, the average for it to last is 8 weeks, however, i was one of the unlucky one for whom it never properly went away, because i didnt know why i was feeling so dizzy, i continued taking vestibular suppressants which hindered my recovery, every virus or cold caused me to de-compensate and i would suffer from spinning vertigo, i eventually saw a specialist in london who prescribed balance exercises which have helped greatly,however, im still not recovered.
the thing to remember about labs is that, its important to only take the anti-dizzy meds for the first week, then stop taking them, labs causes permanent inner ear damage and the brain must compensate for this damage.
its important to start moving around as though you were dizzy free, as this helps the brain to compensate too, it may feel horrendous but its a sign that the brain is "getting it".
future viruses can cause relapses, however, you always recover once the virus abates.
i have been a regular poster on a uk site set up by 2 labs sufferers www.labyrinthitis.org.uk, its loaded with useful information and can offer support to people with labs.
the advice i had from my specialist was to avoid cranial oesteopathy as it can sometimes make symptoms worse.