Think I have labyrinthitis, what to do?

[MyVisionsComeFromSoup]

Woke up this morning feeling hungover despite last alcohol being one glass of wine on Saturday. Am ok lying flat, but as soon as I lift my head I feel all swooshy and dizzy. Managed 10 steps to the loo and back twice since 7am but thought I was going to faint each time.

Advice online seems to be to see GP especially as my hearing has been going in one ear over the past couple of weeks (have v mild hearing loss anyway, and ear has felt a bit bunged up). But, I can't stay upright for long enough to shower, dress, be driven to GP, sit in waiting room etc etc.

Anything I could try which might help, or is it really just a case of waiting the virus out in bed? Am horrifically busy at work, and have a massive meeting on Monday to prep for, plus home and DC stuff (DH can help but we run our own business together, so there's only so much he can do!) I need to be upright ASAP

Sorry to hear that I suffered once & it was horrible. You could try some Sturgeron travel sickness tablets you can buy OTC. On prescription I was given Stemitl tablets. Hope you can get some relief too.

I've had the bloody thing for a year. It's developed into vestibular Neuronitis. The first episode I was off work 9 weeks. Mine is at the more serious end of the spectrum, but I'd see your GP to see what they recommend / prescribe. I found beta-histines helpful, especially for the nausea.

I can't imagine feeling like this for 9 weeks! I'm upright now, so long as I don't move I'm OK, but I turn my head and there's a kind of swooshy trail as my brain catches up. Thankfully still haven't been sick though
I have some travel sickness tablets somewhere so ill try one of those, and DH will take me to the GP tomorrow. If I can manage a shower later when there are people in the house, then I won't smell too much at the GPs

Hopefully you'll have a lovely swift recovery & no relapses . Try & rest as much as possible today.

proper diagnosis now (not just Dr Google ) - one ear completely blocked up, so i have olive oil drops for that, plus betahistamines for the dizziness. He would have liked to give me stemitil, but that reacts with other stuff I'm on. Should be feeling better within a week

Good news!

sadly not feeling better within a week . The really bad dizziness has mostly gone, except from when I move my head in a particular way, but I've still got a pretty permanent car-sicky feeling. The betahistines work for about three hours, then I can feel the effects wearing off, and my left ear is still totally blocked up, despite the olive oil drops.

I'm also coming down with a cold, which is probably causing all the above, but how long do I give it before going back to the GP? I can get an appointment next Thursday (the surgery like you to see the same GP for a particular issue), but that means booking it now, without knowing if I'll actually need it.

Am I just too impatient? There's a couple of massive work things that only I can do which are being put off, but they do really need doing, only I can't concentrate for long enough to be able to 1. get to the office (45-60 minutes drive, god knows how long by train); 2. spend the three hours or so doing the thing; and 3. get back home again (see 1). Everyone is being very patient with me, but that's not going to last forever . Plus if I can't drive next week, some of the DDs stuff will have to be cancelled as we won't be able to get them there .

Feeling pretty sorry for myself here.

Take the GP appt, you can always cancel.

I feel for you. I was diagnosed with labrynthitis last Wednesday and whilst I can now walk I'm still very dizzy if I turn my head too quickly and I'm also very tired.

I'm hoping to go back to work next week but I'm just taking each day as it comes. Unfortunately for me I'm impatient and I'm desperate to feel normal again.

The doctor told me they can't really give a timescale on it. It could be a week or months so will just have to wait it out.

Good luck and hope you improve soon.

PS I'm taking up a new role in another department in four weeks so I'm desperate for this to be gone so I understand about work.

cantwaitforsummer - how are you now, three weeks on? I'm still the same as I was , GP wants me to have my ear syringed as it's still full of wax, and if that doesn't help the dizziness, he's referring me to ENT.

Annoyingly, the next nurse appointment is not till next Thursday, then I need to go back to the GP so he can look at my ear. Which means trying to decide if the syringing will work or not, so that I can book an appointment for two weeks time (soonest I can get one with him). And in the meantime, still not driving, which is causing all sorts of issues with getting the DC to activities .

I'm a vertigo sufferer so you have my sympathy, I had my ears syringed but to be honest it made little difference. After my ENT referral I was sent for an MRI which came back fine, I then had a series of appts with a practitioner which basically involved me doing exercises which REALLY made a difference (I think they were called epley manoeuvres) early on when my symptoms were really bad stemitil really helped. It was about 6 weeks til my severe symptoms eased off, this was 4 years ago and I still get an 'attack' 2 or 3 times a year but I know it will end which gets me through it. It's just as you describe but worse in bed at night when I roll over, like being very drunk and sick aboard a ship!
You will get through it but I know how soul destroying it is.

I've had a terrible time with this. I had to soldier on really with anti nausea tablets. They don't stop you feeling sick but they stopped what was for me, constant puking over time attabks have eased off . But even now I don't turn My head too far to either side and definitely not quickly!

I was on Valoid and carry a supply all the time. Key I find is to take them the minute you sense it. If it took hold I could do nothing except lie in a dark room.

So go to gp and get the tabs asap. Hope it passes soon.

ear syringed, hearing back (woo!) and now a referral to ENT. Weirdly the NHS is offering me an appointment at a private hospital with a much shorter waiting list than at my local hospital, so I said "yes please, thanks very much, see you in a couple of weeks" .

So maybe by the end of the month I might be feeling better (she says hopefully). I've now worked out that I have a productive three hours or so in the morning, then it's all downhill, despite the tablets. MIL is "helpfully" canvassing everyone she knows to see if they've had "just the same thing as you have Visions", and keeps offering me travel wristbands as that was what a pharmacist suggested to someone .

Computers (and particularly spreadsheets - I'm an accountant) make things worse, as do dark rooms and being driven by DH , but being outside is better, even though the world bobs along and the ground bounces as I walk. So, not much in the way of work, and lots of walking into town. And online shopping which I can manage from my phone - thankfully DH leaves the finances up to me, so he doesn't know what the current bank balance is .

The GP helpfully didn't tell me I should let the DVLA know, as I don't have a proper diagnosis yet (I assume it's harder to get your licence back one they've taken it away?), but to carry on not driving.

wilting thankfully I'm not vomiting, couldn't cope with that! Knowing what your triggers are seems to be key, which I'm getting there with, slowly.