Back in March, I was treated for a sinus infection, but had 'fullness' in my left ear. I had my ear syringed in case of earwax buildup, but it didn't help. Started feeling mildly nauseated and off-balance, light-headed, and foggy in April. Tinnitus at bedtime, when everything was quiet. I also felt my left ear 'draining' at times, like there was water in my ear, but there was no fluid in my ear. Exercise, even taking a walk, made me feel sick. I also experienced some vertigo. I went to vestibular rehab in June/July, which cleared up the vertigo-like episodes for the most part, but the treatment itself, including the 20 days of at-home exercises made me feel very sick. Everything else remained the same.
I was or escribed serk during this time, which didn't help. I was then prescribed 25 mg of a diuretic in August, which helped for a couple of weeks, but I was also on vacation during that period so taking things easy. I went back to work in September and got worse again. Still taking the diuretic and waiting to see an ENT.
My ear is much worse now, the tinnitus is much worse, and I now have soreness and a burning sensation in my ear. I still have the draining feeling often, and it almost always feels full. I feel better when things are quiet and I can just focus on one thing for long periods. When I have a lot of meetings or a lot going on, I am much worse - brain fog, nausea, light-headed, pain in ear, worsening tinnitus.
My family doctor mentioned meniere's and/or acoustic neuroma as possibilities. A CT Scan of my sinuses was normal, all my blood work was normal. My family doctor is expecting that the ENT will order an MRI (my family physician can't order it), but the wait is long to see the ENT and then there will be another wait for the MRI. I have researched, and I don't think meniere's fits. The neuroma...maybe. I had a concussion two years ago that took months to heal.... maybe I have a perilymph fistula from the concussion?