Been referred to ENT specialist ..

RandomMess · 03/09/2021 17:13

Have they ruled out vertigo and menieres?

TheCanyon · 03/09/2021 17:14

Funny seeing his thread, I kept your other thread open in a tab as I've been having the same issues for almost 5 months and I was finally visiting my favourite gp an hour ago (seen 6 other gps in that time)and was going to let you know what he had to say. Straight in and urgent mri being requested.

Hopefully it's not long for either of us, it's so horrible feeling so unsafe.

choosername1234 · 03/09/2021 17:21

No real advice but my son was recently referred for a non urgent (not suspected cancer) MRI, and only waited 10 days. I was so surprised it was so quick. Fingers crossed you will be seen quickly too

Original poster

Anonymousxo · 03/09/2021 17:30

@RandomMess

Have they ruled out vertigo and menieres?

No but from speaking to the doctor before I was referred they said the dizziness I am feeling is not typical for vertigo, not sure about menieres but been referred to balance clinic

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Original poster

Anonymousxo · 03/09/2021 17:31

@TheCanyon

Funny seeing his thread, I kept your other thread open in a tab as I've been having the same issues for almost 5 months and I was finally visiting my favourite gp an hour ago (seen 6 other gps in that time)and was going to let you know what he had to say. Straight in and urgent mri being requested.

Hopefully it's not long for either of us, it's so horrible feeling so unsafe.

Do you have the exact same symptoms?! It's so scary, he never said urgent MRI for me so maybe mine might be longer :/ I hope it isn't though because it's so horrid, I worry that I will faint when it happens

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Original poster

Anonymousxo · 03/09/2021 17:32

@choosername1234

No real advice but my son was recently referred for a non urgent (not suspected cancer) MRI, and only waited 10 days. I was so surprised it was so quick. Fingers crossed you will be seen quickly too

I hope it takes that long! Hope your son is ok

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iklboo · 03/09/2021 17:38

Hi. I have Ménière's. I had MRIs too, see if there were any other issues - eg benign growths in the middle / inner ear etc. Then lots of tests - blacked out goggles, hot air pumped into ears while naming two countries for each letter of the alphabet. Apparently keeping your brain busy thinking about something else can show if it's a problem in your ear or your eye / brain link. If you're dizzy as all feck during the test it's an ear issue.

Tinnitus, worse when I'm stressed or tired, dizzy & nauseous, lose balance turning round quickly or looking up, straightening from bending over. Sudden loss of balance - drop attacks. I started off with meds (basically an antihistamine and and antiemetic), cut salt etc. Now I have steroid injections into my affected ear every six months & the symptoms are much more manageable.

Original poster

Anonymousxo · 03/09/2021 17:49

@iklboo

Hi. I have Ménière's. I had MRIs too, see if there were any other issues - eg benign growths in the middle / inner ear etc. Then lots of tests - blacked out goggles, hot air pumped into ears while naming two countries for each letter of the alphabet. Apparently keeping your brain busy thinking about something else can show if it's a problem in your ear or your eye / brain link. If you're dizzy as all feck during the test it's an ear issue.

Tinnitus, worse when I'm stressed or tired, dizzy & nauseous, lose balance turning round quickly or looking up, straightening from bending over. Sudden loss of balance - drop attacks. I started off with meds (basically an antihistamine and and antiemetic), cut salt etc. Now I have steroid injections into my affected ear every six months & the symptoms are much more manageable.

My balance isn't affecting by where I look or turn it even happens when I'm laid down before I sleep feels like I'm falling, I don't think it sounds like menieres by the way you're describing it, I don't have ringing sounds either :/

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iklboo · 03/09/2021 17:58

There's a few other conditions -

THIS SITE is a bit wordy but describes the more common ones. Hope you get diagnosed & treated quickly.

GidgetGirl · 03/09/2021 18:01

@Anonymousxo

Hi everyone, I did a previous thread on issues I was having with my ear and head, I really thought it was an ear infection due to pressure, headaches and blocked ears but apparently not... saw the ENT specialist today and he referred me on to a balance clinic and said I need an MRI on my inner ear, could be months away though right? I'm so miserable the dizziness is so bad and it's a 'swaying' sensation every so often throughout the day, almost like I'm going to faint but I don't. I've had every blood test done, ecg, the lot, all normal. ENT seem convinced today that it is not an ear infection as my dizziness is different to what would happen with an ear infection, says he's pretty certain there's something going on in the inner ear though it's just a case of what... Can anyone give me any advice, anything if they have been through this and had the same symptoms, what could it be? I'm in my 20's and it's bit worrying, I'm scared of the worst of course...also a bit annoyed that they couldn't offer me anything for the dizziness! But they did say they don't know what it is so all they can offer is travel sickness tablets which don't seem to be doing a whole lot either :/

I had symptoms that sound exactly like you describe and was also referred to a balance clinic. I only ended up having ‘true’ vertigo after my initial issue was fixed.

My symptoms were a more generalised dizziness which sort of felt like having a bowling ball in my head. More boat-like than spinny. At night when I closed my eyes I would feel like the bed was gently rocking. Really annoying!

I had a host of weird and wonderful tests in the balance clinic - it was actually quite fun. In the end I was diagnosed with some kind of damage to my inner ear which was probably caused by viral labyrinthitis, although I don’t remember ever knowing I had that. When there is some damage, the way the inner ear communicates with the brain becomes a little confused, which causes these weird sensations.

The treatment was a course of vestibular physiotherapy - it was so simple I couldn’t imagine it working. But it did! That was years ago and I’m 100% fine now.

Which balance clinic have you been referred to OP?

LtGreggs · 03/09/2021 18:08

Have they checked for BBPV and considered the Epley manoeuvre? This can can dizziness when you get little crystals form in your inner ear. I would assume they have ruled this out - but it's worth a Google to check as there's a fairly easy way to diagnose it, and a manouvre that you can do at home to fix it. (There are NHS YouTube videos to describe.)

I did it on myself in lockdown 1 when I developed dizzy spells to the point of falling over. It was fixed in a day. If you try it, do it with someone else present just in case.

Original poster

Anonymousxo · 03/09/2021 18:08

@GidgetGirl hmmm I wonder, so strange because doctor told me vertigo is when everything is spinning around you rather than you feeling swaying sensation so they ruled it out!
I'm noticing when I'm having dizzy spells my vision goes slightly blurred..
If it's vertigo I would take that over anything else that's crossing my mind :(
I'm not sure what balance clinic they referred me to, I live in the london area, not sure if it goes by area or not? Someone on the other thread mentioned St Thomas but I don't live close to there so not sure if they would refer that far

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RandomMess · 03/09/2021 18:08

Oh it was labyrinthitis I was thinking of!

TheCanyon · 03/09/2021 20:30

Hey @Anonymousxo yes absolutely the same symptoms, it's absolutely my head that is dizzy not the outside world. Standing, sitting, lying makes no difference. I have to have a 'babysitter' to sit with me while I'm in the bath I feel that unsafe. Ear pain is horrendous and it spreads down the side of my throat/has and up to my parting. My head is bursting, a horrible tingly/numb and yet electric shock type pain at the crown of my head. My eyes are super blurry but I also have dry eyes atm from blepharitis so I dunno what's what.

Do you feel like you walk funny due to it? My kids have started calling me old Dani as I apparently shuffle like an elderly person

It's taken me 19 weeks to get a Dr to properly listen to me. Other Drs have just have me tablets for labrynthitis although I've told them they made no difference.

Though i should say along with this I have had right sided hand and lower arm, foot and lower leg numbness.

I've asked the Dr to put me down if mri is clear

Original poster

Anonymousxo · 04/09/2021 08:01

@TheCanyon

Hey *@Anonymousxo* yes absolutely the same symptoms, it's absolutely my head that is dizzy not the outside world. Standing, sitting, lying makes no difference. I have to have a 'babysitter' to sit with me while I'm in the bath I feel that unsafe. Ear pain is horrendous and it spreads down the side of my throat/has and up to my parting. My head is bursting, a horrible tingly/numb and yet electric shock type pain at the crown of my head. My eyes are super blurry but I also have dry eyes atm from blepharitis so I dunno what's what.

Do you feel like you walk funny due to it? My kids have started calling me old Dani as I apparently shuffle like an elderly person

It's taken me 19 weeks to get a Dr to properly listen to me. Other Drs have just have me tablets for labrynthitis although I've told them they made no difference.

Though i should say along with this I have had right sided hand and lower arm, foot and lower leg numbness.

I've asked the Dr to put me down if mri is clear

That sounds awful :( the dizziness definitely matches but I don't have any pain in the ear (crossed fingers that doesn't happen!) Are you having an MRI in the inner ear? Have you got your MRI soon? It's such an awful thing to have

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romdowa · 04/09/2021 08:18

Really weird that the specialist said that vertigo is only when the world is spinning. I've meinieres disease and I get vertigo where the world moves and then where it feels like I'm moving too. My inner ear is damaged due to the meinieres disease and when I get bad my eye sight gets very blurry as I use my eyes for balance and they can't cope. Vestibular physio was great for me and while it didn't cure me 100% , it gave me back 70% of my functioning so that I don't feel like I'm walking on the deck of a boat every day

Original poster

Anonymousxo · 04/09/2021 08:21

@romdowa

Really weird that the specialist said that vertigo is only when the world is spinning. I've meinieres disease and I get vertigo where the world moves and then where it feels like I'm moving too. My inner ear is damaged due to the meinieres disease and when I get bad my eye sight gets very blurry as I use my eyes for balance and they can't cope. Vestibular physio was great for me and while it didn't cure me 100% , it gave me back 70% of my functioning so that I don't feel like I'm walking on the deck of a boat every day

The specialist didn't say it, the doctor I seen before I was referred to him did, however the specialist didn't say much, just said definitely going to refer you to the balance clinic and will schedule an MRI

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TheCanyon · 08/09/2021 13:21

@Anonymousxo I just got my mri appointment through for the 20th. Have you had any word yet?

Original poster

Anonymousxo · 08/09/2021 15:03

[quote TheCanyon]@Anonymousxo I just got my mri appointment through for the 20th. Have you had any word yet?[/quote]
Nothing yet! :(

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Rosegingerpeaches · 08/09/2021 15:33

About 6 years ago I had constant dizziness that felt like the floor was moving up and down . It felt like lots of pressure in my head and a feeling of brain fog and like I wasn't really there. I was diagnosed with having labyrinthhitis in my inner war and was told to wait it out and it would clear up. After a year I went back as I was still having issues, but getting headaches as well. They sent me for an MRI which was all clear. The Dr asked me if I ever suffered from any neck pain, which I didn't, but I struggled to have stuff around my neck like scarves etc as it would give me headaches. It turned out it was a weakness in my neck that I had to have physio for. It didn't clear it up straight away, but helped me manage it and identify what triggered it. Improving my posture and getting a new work chair helped massively. I haven't had dizziness for over 4 years now. I don't know if that is of any help, but may be worth looking into.

Original poster

Anonymousxo · 09/09/2021 14:12

Hey guys, just a question, when the ENT told me to do balance tests they were all normal and ear looks normal too, this concerns me that it could well have something to do with my brain instead, did any of you guys have normal balance tests? Could it still be inner ear related?

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Original poster

Anonymousxo · 25/09/2021 17:30

@TheCanyon did you get your mri results back yet?

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Starrrz · 13/11/2023 09:02

@Anonymousxo how are you now ?