Blocked Ear, Tinnitus, Fullness, Vertigo, Nausea!!! I have ALL of it!!!!!!!

orion · Newbie Joined: 22 May 2006 Posts: 78

Hi,

My story started on Monday, I was at work and felt feverish. That night I took a panadol tablet and the next day I was fine.
On Wenesday I was at work and about 3pm I felt a sudden swaying feeling come over me especially when I tilted my head to the left and upways. I was sent to my work doctor as I found it a little unstable to stand up aswell. He gave me antibiotics. The next day I felt ok in the morning, went to work and at about the same time it hit me again, except this time I was sitting down when it started and it started with a drumming sound in my left ear that grew into a blockness and then the vertigo hit me quite strong. I also felt what I thought to be some kind of numbness on that side of my face but I think that's due to the blocked feling. It's hard to tell.
Went to the doc again who suggested labyrinthitis. Gave me Stemetil for the dizziness. Since that episode, (it's now Sunday) in the mornings it seems the hearing loss is better everyday but it hasn't completely returned. My dizziness has now gone but am still taking the Stemetil.
I did also vomit a little on Thursday night, possibly due to the dizziness.
What I have now is mild hearing loss, and still yellowy mucous when I blow my nose.
I did have a cold prior to this happening and I did feel a little dizzy on occassion upto 2 weeks prior to this happening.
Throughout the whole time though, my eustachian tubes seemed fine as I have been able to pop them without a problem, so it's not them causing the blocking, although it sounds funny when I do pop them, like paper crackling.
When my hearing loss was at it's peak, there was loud ringing in that ear aswell. Now the ringing is soft and only in bouts, not constant.
I have to mention I also have the herpes 1 virus and have a cold sore on my lips, but I was under the impression that it's the herpes 3 that can cause that not hsv 1.
My docs have suggested labyrinthitis, also glue ear, also the cold sore as a possibility to the numbing feeling as well as a few other type of problems.
With the side of my face feeling 'numb' when I touch it, the best way I can describe this is if you hold a piece of paper upto your ear and scratch it. That's what it sounds like inside my head. It's like the sound is not coming from outside but inside. But if I put ear plugs in both ears and try the scartching, it feels the same on both sides, so it's only eveident whilst the left ear is blocked. It's more of a sound thing than a feel thing.
How do you know which to believe if they then tell you they can't actually see inside the ear? They can only see the eardrum and a little beyond! That then means they are 'guessing' at what it could be!
I have been very scared as I have read dreadful stories about tumours, MS etc etc...
I am having an MRI on Monday to rule things out, but I ma petrified!!
Could anybody suggest if they've had similar probs?
I don't see why this has happened as it has never happened before even when I've had colds.

Very Scared

lepelley · Newbie Joined: 18 Dec 2006 Posts: 1

Hello Orion,
I read your post about your ear problems, how are you feeling now?

orion · Newbie Joined: 22 May 2006 Posts: 78

Hi,
we;; the dizziness went away after a afew days, and so did the total blocking but now, 4 months later there is still mild blocking and ringing when it's not blocked. Everynoe and then I'll feel qhat I can best describe as a twang in the ear which makes it lock for about two seconds then it starts to ring almost as if it's releasing air..
Ivebeen on many antibiotics and sprays but nothing. It wont completely go away. Im afraid Ive got like a tumor or something.
Yesterday I was watching tv when all of a sudden it went deaf again for about 10 minutes, then it felt somewhat blocked and fullagain and it's stayed that way now.
I dont know what to do?
Ive read it could be candida?

Jolie76 · Newbie Joined: 09 Jan 2007 Posts: 4

I had a simiular experience.....
Started on X-Mas day
Had dizzy spells so bad I would get accused of being drunk
My depth perception was way off...
Driving especially at night time scared me
I finally went to see a Doc on Jan 6th...Immedialty I was sent to the hosipital for an emergeny Cat-scan AND MRI....While they did not find anything permanatly wrong what they did diagnose me as having was a crytalization in my inner ear due to either an ear infection that came and went without me knowing and/or strees.
I know have to do physio that induces the dizzy spells to try and get my left side to work out the crystals.....It is extremly bothersome but it IS required.
My balance has almost returned however looking left weather Iam standing or lying down still sends me off into the land of the wobblys!
The Nuro(sp) surgen has sad that it could take days or weeks to corect the unbalance in my inner ears...and that there is a small chance it will never go away!

Good luck to you...and please get it checked out.....I waited almost two weeks to get it done....I just figured it would pass...but when I was going from 3-7 episodes a day to about 60 of them...the final straw was when I hit a vehichle that was stopp about 4 car lengths in front of me due to not being able to register that he HAD stopped....

Scaring stuff..and the road to redovery IS long AND painful...with lots of tears/fears and trips to the porcelin god

Good Luck!

Guest · Guest

[quote="lepelley"]Hello Orion,

Hey...I have the same symptoms..it's called Menierre's disease. It starts off with tinnitus ( ringing in the ears) then the pressure...headaches, dizziness, nasuea, balance, etc. The doctor will tell you that you have inner ear fluid if you go. If you tell him of the other symptoms he will probably tell you Menierre's disease. There is no cure that I know of, but a pill called Serc helps quite a bit. This is a life long thing by the way. Some people have told me that there is an operation but...
Anyway some trigger factors are: getting water in the ears, having wind blowing in your ears, etc. No known cause as far as I know...anyway, check it out.

orion · Newbie Joined: 22 May 2006 Posts: 78

Hey guys,

thanx for all your replies. At the monent all I feel is a mild deaf feeling and a tiny bit of pressure every now and then. The ringing though with me is only ever there as a reaction to noise, so for example, if i clap my hands it will ring to the hands clapping, then it goes away. So it's not true tinnitus. My dizziness was only there the first week this happened and has never returned. I did have a cold at the time and a mild fever which I think triggered it but it hasnt completely cured.
I have since found that if I push againstt he muscle that runs along my neck on the side, I get certain popping and pumping sounds around my ear. Im wondering if maybe theres something blocked in my neck causing it?
Like you said docs just say its fluid or somethign else dumb that you know isnt right!

Cheers

Guest · Guest

THERE IS A MUSCLE DOWN THE SIDE OF THE NECK CALLED THE STERNOCLEIDOMASTOID. IF TRIGGER POINTS OCCUR,WHICH THEY SEEM TO DO VERY EASILY, THEY CAN CAUSE LOADS OF PROBLEMS, INCLUDING HEADACHES AND EAR PROBLEMS. TRIGGER POINTS NEED TO BE CLEARED; POSSIBLY THE BEST HOW-TO BOOK IS PAIN ERASURE BY BONNIE PRUDDEN. IF THERE IS TENDERNESS DOWN THE SIDE OF YOUR NECK, FROM BEHIND THE EAR TO WHERE YOUR NECK JOINS YOUR SHOULDER, YOU MAY HAVE TRIGGER POINTS - PRESSURE WILL REVEAL THEM! THE BEST TREATMENT WOULD BE BY SOMEONE ELSE, BUT THE B PRUDDEN BOOK GIVES AN IDEA OF HOW TO TREAT YOURSELF. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT, WHILE SOME EAR CONDITIONS ARE IRREVERSIBLE, MANY PEOPLE'S PROBLEMS ARE DUE TO THE TRIGGER POINTS IN THE STERNOCLEIDOMASTOID AND THEY CAN BE CLEARED.

buzz · Newbie Joined: 20 Apr 2007 Posts: 2

As the previous poster points out, check for trigger points in your sternomastocleoids. They are a frequent cause of hearing problems and dizziness, and the fact that you have found issues when you press on those muscles indicate that you should really check this out. An even better book than Bonnie Prudden's is The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Clair Davies, which is a self-help book.

buzz · Newbie Joined: 20 Apr 2007 Posts: 2

sorry! sternocleidomastoids, not sternomastocleoids! but it's a nice name however you mix it up.

Guest · Guest

Hi I wonder if any one can help, eleven weeks ago I had a blocked salver gland in my mouth which has now cleared up, yet both ears are still blocked, also nose there is a tenderness tightness, and a pulling feeling down the left side of my neck which feels like I am being strangled this is the only way I can explain it. My left shoulder is also giving me problems. I have been to the doctors three times the last time I was told my ears are red yet no treatment has been given apart from sending me to physiotherapy for my shoulder. I am concerned my doctors are missing the real problem here. I would be grateful for any ideas as I am at my wits end.

Blocked Ear, Tinnitus, Fullness, Vertigo, Nausea!!! I have ALL of it!!!!!!!

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