Vestibular Neuritis
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As I found out much to my dismay last week when seeing a supposedly ‘Top ENT Surgeon’, very little is actually known about inner-ear disorders.
I will state the obvious, in the hope that it might help some here:
Put the term “vestibular rehabilitation exercises” into Google – that could be a start.
Secondly, bear in mind that hard wax and skin-based deposits can get stuck deep in the ear and actually cause balance problems – these may not be immediately apparent to the Doc when they use the Otoscope. Also bear in mind that there are numerous reports worldwide to suggest a fair proportion of GPs are less-than-adept at interpreting the visual signs illustrated by the otoscope.
edit - Please note the point made below by Jimi re: rehabilitation exercises. Check them out for the sake of reference, but I suspect it's best to get a good diagnosis before starting them - as suggested.
I will state the obvious, in the hope that it might help some here:
Put the term “vestibular rehabilitation exercises” into Google – that could be a start.
Secondly, bear in mind that hard wax and skin-based deposits can get stuck deep in the ear and actually cause balance problems – these may not be immediately apparent to the Doc when they use the Otoscope. Also bear in mind that there are numerous reports worldwide to suggest a fair proportion of GPs are less-than-adept at interpreting the visual signs illustrated by the otoscope.
edit - Please note the point made below by Jimi re: rehabilitation exercises. Check them out for the sake of reference, but I suspect it's best to get a good diagnosis before starting them - as suggested.
Last edited by WG774; 19th May 2008 at 10:38.
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I have also been suffering with this horrible condition for three months.
For what it's worth - do not see ENT they only know the basics. You need to see a neurotologist who will specialise in the balance problems caused by inner ear disorders. You should not do any rehabilition exercises until you have a correct diagnosis, as some conditions can be made worst. When you have had a full set of balance tests carried out then they will give you some exercises based on your particular problem. ie. which ear etc.
Hope this helps.
For what it's worth - do not see ENT they only know the basics. You need to see a neurotologist who will specialise in the balance problems caused by inner ear disorders. You should not do any rehabilition exercises until you have a correct diagnosis, as some conditions can be made worst. When you have had a full set of balance tests carried out then they will give you some exercises based on your particular problem. ie. which ear etc.
Hope this helps.
Thread Starter
Thanks very much for the replys.
Latest medical opinion is not MS but still vestibular neuritis.
Any other information most welcome.
As has many of you have said the one thing consistent about this condition is the lack of knowledge on it.
Latest medical opinion is not MS but still vestibular neuritis.
Any other information most welcome.
As has many of you have said the one thing consistent about this condition is the lack of knowledge on it.
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Take this with a pinch of salt, but I wonder if there have ever been any studies comparing incidence of labrynthitis-type disorders in pilots against non-pilots? Or indeed, "shift workers" against 9-5 workers?
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I don't think I have vestibular neuritis but some other inner ear problem. I often get sensations like I am rocking, like being in a boat. Had this for about 3 and a half years. Been putting up with it but should probably go see the doc. Reason I've not been is that I have heard that any slight mention of ear/balance problems on med records and the CAA won't ever let you fly. Is this correct? I so badly want to be a pilot that that is why I've not got it checked.
(Sorry for the sligh off-topic)
Andy S
(Sorry for the sligh off-topic)
Andy S
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Considering balance issues can have a multitude of causes, I post these links out of interest. As always, all caveats apply - make sure you see a decent practitioner.
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...08#post1794508
http://audiology.advanceweb.com/edit....aspx?cc=93837
Great quote from the 1st link:
Try Google for "jaw clenching, stress, imbalance" - a search string along those lines.
This info is no substitute for that of a Professional!
http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...08#post1794508
http://audiology.advanceweb.com/edit....aspx?cc=93837
Great quote from the 1st link:
"if there is no biological cause,
it could be a stress symptom.
It can disappear for while and
then be back suddenly when you
do not expect.
It belongs to the whole psychosomatics
symptoms of stress.
It's a warning sent by the body to tell you
that it is enduring something it can't stand
anymore.
Very often, it's not the "something" that is
responsible, but the way you handle it"
it could be a stress symptom.
It can disappear for while and
then be back suddenly when you
do not expect.
It belongs to the whole psychosomatics
symptoms of stress.
It's a warning sent by the body to tell you
that it is enduring something it can't stand
anymore.
Very often, it's not the "something" that is
responsible, but the way you handle it"
This info is no substitute for that of a Professional!
Thread Starter
Vestibular Neuritis
Don't like to beat a thread to death but trying to get as much information / experience of this problem by others as I can as my doc thinks this is what has me 'unbalanced'
Anyone had / have this and found a real remedy, and how long did you have it?
Anyone had / have this and found a real remedy, and how long did you have it?
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Stilton - have you had an appointment with a Neuro-otologist yet?
If you see one with the right kit, they'll be able to diagnose you in an afternoon.
If you can get to London, the place you want to go is the Royal Ear Nose + Throat Hospital in King's Cross. Having been checked out there myself, it made me realise that there's absolutely no place for anyone other than the very top-flight pro in getting a diagnosis of an inner ear issue.
If you're based in England, get your GP to refer you to the Royal ENT pronto - it'll put your mind at rest, I promise.
If you see one with the right kit, they'll be able to diagnose you in an afternoon.
If you can get to London, the place you want to go is the Royal Ear Nose + Throat Hospital in King's Cross. Having been checked out there myself, it made me realise that there's absolutely no place for anyone other than the very top-flight pro in getting a diagnosis of an inner ear issue.
If you're based in England, get your GP to refer you to the Royal ENT pronto - it'll put your mind at rest, I promise.
Thread Starter
Yes, seen one of those, had every balance test /mri scan there is done (all negative) he says it is VN due to a virus and all I can do is wait it out, must be other things to try methinks..
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Stilton
In my experience, ( acute viral Labyrinthitus ), that wait could be up to a year. Even after a year you will have doubts about the integrity of your balance mechanism which will largely be a confidence thing. By now you are probably losing any faith that you had in the medical profession. I know I did, when after about 2 months, my GP pushed his chair back and said 'you probably know more about it than I do'
Probably not what you want to hear.
It will get better.
due to a virus and all I can do is wait it out,
Probably not what you want to hear.
It will get better.
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Hi Stilton
I came down with this awful condition in August last year. Likewise it was cause by a virus which came on the back of a severe bout of gastro enteritis.
I had the feeling like I was permantly drunk with the room spinninng etc along with screaming tinnitus which appeared after about a month of being ill.
I also had a aimilar experience with GP's, I saw most of the ones at my local practice before I was referred. Two of the doctors thought I had Meniere's disease (which I am sure you have heard about) which basically scared the S**t out of me and added to the stress and misery that I was suffering.
Eventually I got to see a consultant Otolaryngologist (one of the best in the country and an authority on Menieres ).
He was quickly able to dismiss Menieres. He ordered an MRI, the usual blood tests, hearing tests and all those balance tests which I am sure you have done, and had my eyes looked at using infra red whilst having hot and cold air pumped into my ears. The outcome of these tests was that the virus had partially damaged my right hand inner ear, which is why my balance hadn't recovered.
The damage could be compensated for and my sense of balance retrained with vestibular rehabilitation therapy, so I was directed to the practice physiotherapist.
This consisted of various exercises which involved moving the head from side to side and up and down, sometimes with eyes closed, and an exercise which involved focussing on a fixed point whilst moving the head from side to side, the idea being to re educate the link between your inner ear and your eyes. The physio also recommended playing video games as an additional means means of re educating the visual/balance mechanism.
These exercises took about 10 days to sort my balance out and the symptoms gradually faded out apart from the tinnitus.
Did your consultant mention vestibular rehabilitation therapy?
In total I was ill for three months, then had to go a month symptom free before the CAA would entertain reinstating my medical, subject to satisfactory medical reports. Which they did the same day they recieved said reports!
The specialist said the condition was particulary sensitive to stress and was one of the reasons I was ill for so long.
He anticipated that in 6-8months it would all be a unpleasant memory. He also added that my ears should be protected wherever possible.
From what I have read it varies how long it takes to recover from viral labrinthitis/vestibular neuronitis, ranging from a couple of months to a couple of years.
My advice to you is the advice the Physio gave me once my recovery was underway which was "get on with life" by which he meant get back to doing the things you used to do as soon as possible.
As for me six months on I'm still ok, I still have the tinnitus in my right ear but it has calmed down somewhat and no longer keeps me awake at night. Will it ever dissapear? I hope so as silence truly is golden, and it is a constant reminder of what was the most unpleasant experience in my life.
Hope that is of some interest. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
I sincerely wish you a speedy recovery.
Regards
BTT
I came down with this awful condition in August last year. Likewise it was cause by a virus which came on the back of a severe bout of gastro enteritis.
I had the feeling like I was permantly drunk with the room spinninng etc along with screaming tinnitus which appeared after about a month of being ill.
I also had a aimilar experience with GP's, I saw most of the ones at my local practice before I was referred. Two of the doctors thought I had Meniere's disease (which I am sure you have heard about) which basically scared the S**t out of me and added to the stress and misery that I was suffering.
Eventually I got to see a consultant Otolaryngologist (one of the best in the country and an authority on Menieres ).
He was quickly able to dismiss Menieres. He ordered an MRI, the usual blood tests, hearing tests and all those balance tests which I am sure you have done, and had my eyes looked at using infra red whilst having hot and cold air pumped into my ears. The outcome of these tests was that the virus had partially damaged my right hand inner ear, which is why my balance hadn't recovered.
The damage could be compensated for and my sense of balance retrained with vestibular rehabilitation therapy, so I was directed to the practice physiotherapist.
This consisted of various exercises which involved moving the head from side to side and up and down, sometimes with eyes closed, and an exercise which involved focussing on a fixed point whilst moving the head from side to side, the idea being to re educate the link between your inner ear and your eyes. The physio also recommended playing video games as an additional means means of re educating the visual/balance mechanism.
These exercises took about 10 days to sort my balance out and the symptoms gradually faded out apart from the tinnitus.
Did your consultant mention vestibular rehabilitation therapy?
In total I was ill for three months, then had to go a month symptom free before the CAA would entertain reinstating my medical, subject to satisfactory medical reports. Which they did the same day they recieved said reports!
The specialist said the condition was particulary sensitive to stress and was one of the reasons I was ill for so long.
He anticipated that in 6-8months it would all be a unpleasant memory. He also added that my ears should be protected wherever possible.
From what I have read it varies how long it takes to recover from viral labrinthitis/vestibular neuronitis, ranging from a couple of months to a couple of years.
My advice to you is the advice the Physio gave me once my recovery was underway which was "get on with life" by which he meant get back to doing the things you used to do as soon as possible.
As for me six months on I'm still ok, I still have the tinnitus in my right ear but it has calmed down somewhat and no longer keeps me awake at night. Will it ever dissapear? I hope so as silence truly is golden, and it is a constant reminder of what was the most unpleasant experience in my life.
Hope that is of some interest. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.
I sincerely wish you a speedy recovery.
Regards
BTT
Thread Starter
Thank you for your detailed and comprehensive answer BTT.
It sounds like you have had more than your fair share of misery with Labyrinthitis, glad to hear you are much better, I think the Tinnitus will go away soon.
My symptoms have been a little different than your experience, no nausea, and not real dizziness per se, just a feeling like I am going to fall over (always to the right) and a general unsteadiness, rather like being on a ship rolling in a heavy swell.This is nearly always most pronounced while walking, less while standing and almost unoticeable whilst seated.
Acommpanying this has been an intermittent sensation of 'fullness' in my ears and nose, rather like being unable to clear out your ears on descent with the usual clicking sounds.
I have seen the top Neurotologist in my area and have had every test that there is, all negative, and in fact they say both ears are fine.
They put me on a long course of anti-viral medication which did nothing and am now on a week long course of steroids, we will see..
I have been doing the 'vestibular' exercises at home and the gym (with some strange looks) nothing has made any difference yet.
I wonder how much good the VRT therapy wil do while I still may have the virus that caused this 'vestibular neuritis'
Unable to work of course
Thanks again for your reply
It sounds like you have had more than your fair share of misery with Labyrinthitis, glad to hear you are much better, I think the Tinnitus will go away soon.
My symptoms have been a little different than your experience, no nausea, and not real dizziness per se, just a feeling like I am going to fall over (always to the right) and a general unsteadiness, rather like being on a ship rolling in a heavy swell.This is nearly always most pronounced while walking, less while standing and almost unoticeable whilst seated.
Acommpanying this has been an intermittent sensation of 'fullness' in my ears and nose, rather like being unable to clear out your ears on descent with the usual clicking sounds.
I have seen the top Neurotologist in my area and have had every test that there is, all negative, and in fact they say both ears are fine.
They put me on a long course of anti-viral medication which did nothing and am now on a week long course of steroids, we will see..
I have been doing the 'vestibular' exercises at home and the gym (with some strange looks) nothing has made any difference yet.
I wonder how much good the VRT therapy wil do while I still may have the virus that caused this 'vestibular neuritis'
Unable to work of course
Thanks again for your reply
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Hey Stilton,
Have been suffering from the same condition for over 5 months now. Looks like I won't be returnibg to work for another month at least.
Whilst I am still not 100%, my days of feeling better are becoming more frequent than the days of feeling crook.
I have had quite a lot of symptoms including tiinnitus, eye twitching, a spaced out feeling, and bouts of vertigo. My only recommendation would be to relax and accept the crazy symptoms. Unfortunately you won't find many answers to a lot of what's going on.
It truly is a very frustrating condition in both it's symptoms and the way it lingers for so long. I tried to find answers from doctor friends and via the internet and it just increased my anxiety making conditions worse.
There's one thing for sure and that is stress makes any condition worse.
Good luck mate.
Have been suffering from the same condition for over 5 months now. Looks like I won't be returnibg to work for another month at least.
Whilst I am still not 100%, my days of feeling better are becoming more frequent than the days of feeling crook.
I have had quite a lot of symptoms including tiinnitus, eye twitching, a spaced out feeling, and bouts of vertigo. My only recommendation would be to relax and accept the crazy symptoms. Unfortunately you won't find many answers to a lot of what's going on.
It truly is a very frustrating condition in both it's symptoms and the way it lingers for so long. I tried to find answers from doctor friends and via the internet and it just increased my anxiety making conditions worse.
There's one thing for sure and that is stress makes any condition worse.
Good luck mate.
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Mutt makes an important point regarding stress / anxiety. For any kind of inner ear problem, the absolute worst thing you can do to exacerbate it is let stress get to you. From what I understand (I'm not a health pro), any kind of tension around the TMJ joint and its associated muscles will potentially exacerbate your symptoms.
Thread Starter
I totally agree with you on the stress issue, it certainly seems to be in lock step with my state of mind.
I am trying accupuncture and balance exercises as well as seeing a Chiropractor now, sometimes it helps, this is an incredibly frustrating problem with no clear remedy however.
If I find anything that works I will pass it on in this forum and would you mind doing the same ?
Thanks for the encouragement and kind words Mutt and Wg7
I wish you all the very best,
I am trying accupuncture and balance exercises as well as seeing a Chiropractor now, sometimes it helps, this is an incredibly frustrating problem with no clear remedy however.
If I find anything that works I will pass it on in this forum and would you mind doing the same ?
Thanks for the encouragement and kind words Mutt and Wg7
I wish you all the very best,
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Have you undergone electrocochleaography yet? Forgive me if I'm stating the obvious. My GP says it's a very useful test to have for diagnosing inner ear issues. It's something I underwent in investigating my suspected inner ear issue.
It might be useful if you were to list all the test procedures you've been through, Stilton - that way we won't have to tread over old ground.
Edit - have you thought of trying a course of Betahistine tablets? Although the drug is associated as a treatment for Meniere's, it's designed to improve blood flow in the inner ear. I have heard it suggested that it *could* have uses treating people exposed to loud trauma, if given immediately afterwards. The side effects of Betahistine are supposed to be very mild, and Meniere's sufferers take it long term. Could be worth investigating?...
It might be useful if you were to list all the test procedures you've been through, Stilton - that way we won't have to tread over old ground.
Edit - have you thought of trying a course of Betahistine tablets? Although the drug is associated as a treatment for Meniere's, it's designed to improve blood flow in the inner ear. I have heard it suggested that it *could* have uses treating people exposed to loud trauma, if given immediately afterwards. The side effects of Betahistine are supposed to be very mild, and Meniere's sufferers take it long term. Could be worth investigating?...
Thread Starter
I am not familiar with the Electrocochleaography test although it may well go by another name on this side of the Atlantic
Tests performed so far:
Cat scan of the sinuses.
Mri of the Brain
Mri of the inner ear
Mri of the spine and upper neck
Nystagmus testing for eye tracking, numerous balance tests, including wearing what looks like a snorkelers mask with individual eye covers that are alternately closed and opened and also with both covers closed, moving ones head with left and right, up and down with eyes stationary then moving from side to side.
Blowing hot and cold air into each ear separately to induce dizziness while connected to electrodes, measuring recovery time ?
Standing on one foot/ both feet eyes open/ closed looking at balance.
Standing on a wobbly pillow, eyes / open closed, measuring balance.
Numerous hearing tests in soundproof booth with beeps / words to repeat as they get softer.
Listening through deliberately induced static to hear sounds.
Blood test to investigate possibility of infection from Herpes 1 virus.
I do not have the names for all of these tests and may have forgotten some that were done.
Incidentally, all were negative and balance / hearing was 'normal'
Tests performed so far:
Cat scan of the sinuses.
Mri of the Brain
Mri of the inner ear
Mri of the spine and upper neck
Nystagmus testing for eye tracking, numerous balance tests, including wearing what looks like a snorkelers mask with individual eye covers that are alternately closed and opened and also with both covers closed, moving ones head with left and right, up and down with eyes stationary then moving from side to side.
Blowing hot and cold air into each ear separately to induce dizziness while connected to electrodes, measuring recovery time ?
Standing on one foot/ both feet eyes open/ closed looking at balance.
Standing on a wobbly pillow, eyes / open closed, measuring balance.
Numerous hearing tests in soundproof booth with beeps / words to repeat as they get softer.
Listening through deliberately induced static to hear sounds.
Blood test to investigate possibility of infection from Herpes 1 virus.
I do not have the names for all of these tests and may have forgotten some that were done.
Incidentally, all were negative and balance / hearing was 'normal'
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Hey Stilton,
Don't know if it helps but I did sveral MRI scans and tests and the last test I did showed unilateral dysfunction which was called the Unterberger. It was the only test that shed any light on the situation.
Good luck
Don't know if it helps but I did sveral MRI scans and tests and the last test I did showed unilateral dysfunction which was called the Unterberger. It was the only test that shed any light on the situation.
Good luck