Off balance

[nickieb]

Hi on & off over the past 2 years i have been told i have had labrynthtis twice. I have been to see 2 ENT's & they said they could not find anything although they didn't really do any tests.

I get many days where i get off balance spells. I only notice this when i am stood still. I feel like i am swaying.
my ears often feel as though they are full & like i need to clear them also but not all the time & also like my head is heavy & strange. My blood pressure is fine, i am not diabetic & my thyroid is also fine.

I do have a problem with gritting my teeth, but surely following the 2 episodes of query labrynthitis that rules out it cant be TMJ??

I'm a little worried i have something more sinister now.

Please can you help?
Nicola

[ENTMD]

You should be evaluated by such tests as ENG, Posturography and possibly even rotary chair.  This can be very difficult to pin down without these tools.  

[nickieb]

Thank you for replying. I find the off balance worse when i am stressed or stood still on the spot. I am so concerned i have a brain tumour or something its scaring me.

[Nancy T]

Brain tumor is so low on the list of possible causes of dizziness/balance problems that you shouldn't worry about it. You would probably have other problems if you had a brain tumor.

You should try to see an ENT who SPECIALIZES in dizziness and the inner ear, called a neuro-otologist (also spelled neurotologist). Find lists by state at the American Neurotology Society Web site or Vestibular Disorders Association site. If you are not in the U.S., you can still try the latter site, but you may have to ask around to find a dizziness specialist. There are also a (very few)  neurologists who specialize in dizziness.

Good luck and don't worry! Dizziness is confusing and difficult, but it's almost certainly not going to kill you. Most people with longtime unresolved dizziness eventually get an MRI, and then you can be 100 percent certain it's not a brain tumor (instead of 99.9 percent certain :).

[ENTMD]

I could not have -- and indeed did not! -- said it better than Nancy T!  She is spot-on.