Labyrithitis

[GrumpyOldHorsewoman]

DH was taken to hospital 12 days ago after collapsing and being unable to get up. He was falling to his left each time he tried and kept being violently sick.
After a multitude of tests, including a CT scan it was deduced he was suffering from Labyrinthitis (an inner ear disorder). He had been suffering from a virus for two weeks before this happened and had very congested sinuses, a depleted appetite and some weight loss. He has continued to fluctuate between feeling much better and then weak again and has continued to drop weight - approximately 10lbs since Christmas. He is a bit worried that he is not recovering as quickly as he thought he would, although I suspect this is due to his workload (we have our own business and this is our busiest time, so he works very physical, long hours). He spent 4 days in bed after the hospital visit and was expecting this to be enough. Of course, when he looks online he sees that this is a condition you can have for life and that's worrying him. Does anyone have any proper information regarding this illness and its recovery time?

I suffer from short lived bouts of labyrinthitis and I'm lucky-I know people who have had it for months.

I am no expert but, I have had it about 10 times now. What medication is he taking? Has anyone suggested the excercises that can help? And has anyone mentioned Ménière's disease?

Posted too soon! He had my sympathies because it's awful.

Look up vestibular rehabilitation techniques. And keep pressing your GP for help. I hope he feels better soon.

My mum has been suffering from this for six months now. She is still losing weight. She was given some exercises which helped a lot.

I had viral labrynthitis 30 years ago. I was off work for 5 months. I still get episodes very occasionally but they don't last long, usually a day or two, and also will occasionally have the odd moment (usually if I move my head too quickly) where it feels - this is the only way I can describe it - as if the floor is sliding off to one side. These episodes happen when I am very tired.

I don't want to sound all doom and gloom, it doesn't affect my day to day life very often, most of the time I don't even think about it, and I did have a bad occurrence the first time. Your husband will recover faster if he rests competely in the short term. I appreciate this may be easier said than done with your own business but it will aid a recovery.

I also took Stemetil when I first had it, which helped.

Hi OP I have RTFT I have labyrinthinisis and I've had it for 10 months now. My GP said people tend to only get it for 3 weeks it's a nightmare of an illness it's so debilitating.

In my experience it has gotten easier to cope with over the months the anti vertigo tablets stopped working for me and so I'm doing it alone now.

I'm now going to be referred for VRT to see if that will sort the out, from the research that I have found it never actually goes away you just go in to remission and have episodes every so often but mines has never went away yet so I can corroborate that.

I hope your DH doesn't suffer long with this and is feeing better soon.

I've had it for 2 years on and off, made it worse by not resting!
I didn't take time off so prolonged the illness. Although I've not lost weight.
My BF was off for 2 months with it, my cousin 6 months.
It really is the most vile feeling.

Thanks all.

He seems to be just fine sometimes and gets on with life, but is a shocking workaholic who drives the rest of us to work as hard so that would explain the sudden relapses. I did say it to him as he was laying on his hospital bed that it was a warning he was pushing himself too hard while he'd been ill. He had some anti-sickness tablets which helped for the first couple of days, but stopped taking them when he was feeling less nauseous. His symptoms are exactly as you are all describing, with the floor sloping away. I will research VRT and see if I can persuade him to try them! (He has no patience)

I had it for two 2-week stretches last year, and had another re-occurence last year just before Christmas when I was ill with a virus. It's horrible enough when you have it pretty mildly like I did.

I had it 7 months ago, hospitalised, then ended up with bacterial meningitis as it spread from my inner ear to my brain. I still suffer from the vertigo, dizziness, now, but it's getting better all the time. I went back to work after 3 months.
Your DH Pushing himself is probably a good thing; I was told the quicker I tried to get back to normal the quicker my brain would learn to compensate. It worked for me, I got back to functioning much quicker than anyone expected. Hope he feels better soon.

Hello OP. Labrynthitis is awful. I have had this on several occasions and now suffer from residual dizziness. I've had loads of tests done, but no conclusion reached.
The last time I had a bad episode I needed GP to come to my home & inject me with an anti nausea drug. I waited 10 hours for the visit, it was dreadful. Afterwards I was able to sleep. (It felt like the worst drunken dizziness & being spun in a washing machine)

My GP has suggested the Epley manouevre, this maybe something your husband can discuss with his GP. Or as PP said, could be Menieres.

Google Epley . You don't need a GP to do it - just watch a video to see how to move and then get on with it. If the dizziness is related to benign positional vertigo the movement will reposition the little stones (otoliths) in your inner ear. You may need to do this more than once.

If it's actually Menieres then it won't help at all.