Ear Issue, Vertigo, Fluid...I'm a Mess! Need Advice Please

[rfelicet3]

Hey All,

So, about 2+ weeks ago I was in my shower and closed  my eyes to wash the shampoo out of my hair, threw my head around a little bit to rinse it all out, flung my head back and when I opened my eyes....my whole world was spinning!  I couldn't even walk and almost collapsed.  Needed to go to the hospital to see what was going on.  They did MRI of brain, chest xray, cast scan, ekg, etc and they said i had vertigo.  Almost 3 weeks later, I still have this funny like "disoriented feeling" almost like my head is not connected to my body and am out of it.  I do feel dizzy a little, but it's more of an overall disoriented feeling.  I went to a doctor today (first person who actually looked in my ears after 3 weeks of going to multiple docs) and she said I have fluid in my ear and congestion.  She told me to take Sudafed and Zyrtec and rest.

What does all this sound like to you all?  Has anyone encountered something so sudden and strange like this?  Please let me know of any advice, I wouild greatly appreciate it, I've been suffering so much.

Thanks,
Rob

[Londres70]

I wouldn't recommend doing ANY maneuvers with your head, etc. as none of us are certain what is wrong with you.  

Consult the ENT Specialist for starts.  

[bigkev414]

Hi
I've had all this for years. The violent spinning is to do with your inner ears - the other odd feelings of disorientation is usually to do with sinus problems. Having suffered for over 20 years I know about this.
This is hard, but here's what you can do....sit in a chair, maybe have somebody with you to just hold onto your shoulders for reassurance, and then suddenly turn to the left and bend over as far as you can, like your reaching to pick something up from the floor and wait a few seconds. Then sit up and do the same thing the other way. If you get the spinning its almost definately connected with little crystals that form in your inner ear canals that move and upset the balance.
I forget what it;s called, but if it is that, you will spin when you do the manouver. Go to an ear specialist and tell him/her what you have and what happens and they will do a similar thing in a special chair and it will fix you up. I promise.

[Nancy T]

It does not sound like fluid in your ears (GPs always pull that one out, because they don't know anything about the inner ear). What I mean is, that shouldn't have been the cause of your sudden spinning nor probably your residual dizziness either.

Given the sudden nature of the onset and the fact you were doing something a bit violent (it sounds like) with your head, I would be worried about some kind of inner-ear damage. I had a sudden (permanent) hearing loss and sudden increase in dizziness when I sneezed hard many years ago. The final, best theory was that it was an inner-ear stroke (blood-vessel blockage). The blood supply to the inner ear is pretty tenuous, it seems.

If you get spinning dizziness with changes in head position that lasts seconds to minutes, it might be BPPV, which is easily curable.

I would suggest seeing an inner-ear specialist (neuro-otologist, an ENT with extra training in the inner ear) if your problem does not resolve. Take your MRI report with you.

The hospital's telling you you had "vertigo" was silly. Of course you had vertigo--it's a SYMPTOM (the spinning), NOT a diagnosis.

[Londres70]

Sounds like BPPV.  

Have you seen an ENT Specialist yet?

[rfelicet3]

Does anyone have a take on this?? =/