Inner ear virus

No you weren’t being at all confrontational Lilypops.

I’m pleased you were able to help your husband.

I remember being told how common this condition is but I guess our balance mechanism is quite a delicate thing.

No wonder there are a number of poor folk suffering.

It does go though !

Nothing worse I’ve had the same thing twice, luckily I wasn’t sick with either but felt horrendous couldn’t even sit up. My husband had to carry me to toilet I was bed bound, it feels as if the room is spinning and the floor coming up to your face, my heart goes out to you I only had it for two weeks and had stemetil to help. I think it’s one o& those things that can happen for few days to few months, luckily mine lasted just under two weeks, so relieved when it passed

Yes I understand your concern JE, watching a you tube video did seem quite intense but I was very gentle with my DH and I was so pleased it worked for him , Thankyou for your kind reply .hope I didn't come across as being confrontational , I just wanted to make my point ,

Oh ok*Lilypops.*. Sorry I guess I could have worded my post better!

I wasn’t criticising anyone in particular, it’s just that my Epley manoeuvre involved my head hanging over the end of the table and two medics moving it backwards and forwards.

It seemed quite a skilled movement but this was over 20 years ago now so maybe my memory is playing tricks on me!

Jennifer Eccles, I can assure you I did the Epley on DH with very great care, not at all manoeuvre ing the spine and neck , I was shown under supervision from the consultant and it only involved gently turning DH head from side to side and sittin up and lying down in his own time , and it worked ,he has had no further attacks since,

Oh dear Squiffy you have been suffering. Some years are like that aren’t they?

Hope you soon feel better. The thing for us all to remember is that it does go!

I'm already on betahistine tablets and the ENT man was going to do the epley manoeuvre but said I wasn't suffering from that sort of vertigo. I've found that my local hospital has a balance clinic so will be on to them tomorrow. It's the constant nausea, head fog, tinnitus, which pulsates a lot, just getting me down. I had a ruptured appendix in June as well so not my year physically!! I do take comfort that others have got better, just wished it was my turn soon ?

I wouldn’t want an unqualified person attempting the Epley manoeuvre on me.

It is manipulating the neck and upper spine after all and I have read about people being seriously injured by over zealous chiropractors let alone a completely unqualified person.

Mine was done by the Consultant and the physiotherapist and it is quite a precise movement.

Squiffy. It will get better it's just time , I know how you feel after watching my DH suffering, it's just horrible , you can look at the Epley manouvres on you tube and I beg you to try it if you haven't already , To you all suffering this today , I feel so sorry and send get better hugs x

Have you tried Stugeron Squiffysam ? I found it helped and you don’t need a prescription.

If you haven’t been to a Balance Clinic I would really recommend that as they are experts at all forms of vertigo.

I was told they can help 87% of people.

I hope everyone feels better soon. Life really is on hold when this horrid thing strikes isn’t it?

This has to be the most horrendous thing I have ever experienced. It's beginning to get to me mentally which really worries me. Had a pleasant evening last night with subdued symptoms and then bam back again today. I feel like I am being robbed of my life and have no enjoyment in anything. I'm normally such a positive person. I just don't know what to do with myself ?

A few years ago my DH had an attack of Labrynthitis , it came on suddenly , he was so dizzy and omitting , we thought it was a stroke, we called out our Doctor a as my DH couldn't get out of bed , he was diagnosed as having Labrynthitis, he was prescribed , Stemetil and Betahistine, The dizziness went on for months he was so incapacitated, it got so bad we were referred to a consultant who specialised in inner ear problems, He did the Epley manouvres on my DH and showed me how to do them when an attack happened, His last attack happened over four years ago , I did the Epley for him and so far he hasn't had any further trouble, It is a most unpleasant feeling and I sympathise with the OP, it will pass , it just takes time,
One time we were due to fly with the family for a holiday abroad but the day before DH was so poorly we had to cancel our holiday , I would recommend trying the Epley, it moves the chrystals in the inner ear that become displaced by the condition and with time it settles down , that is how the consultant described it to us , I really hope Nams that you get some help with this nd you soon start to feel better , sending flowers and hugs

2 years ago I was having spells of dizziness and being off-balance, walking like someone drunk, so I took myself to the GP who'd asked me to put one foot in front of the other-----which I couldn't do so she ordered me to go to A&E immediately.

I said " I can't just drop everything I've got the cats to see to etc etc " so I said I'd go the next day. That same evening I got a call from the hospital telling me to go through the emergency as soon as I arrived, which I did do.

After a series of examinations by the specialist stroke nurse, I was taken for a CT scan which confirmed a TIA ( mini-stroke ) and was later discharged with anti-sickness pills, which I hadn't needed and that was that.
The balance problem lasted for about 6 months and it's just now and again if I turn quickly that my balance is iffy.

I can sympathise with anyone in this situation it has to be the worst feeling. I had to battle on as I have to do everything myself with D working but it was difficult initially as my confidence took a battering.

However there was no real damage done so I count myself lucky as these mini-strokes precede a bigger one usually, though I do realise I'm not out of the woods after having had a " warning " but it's no use sitting waiting for it to happen is it ?

My friends husband (40 something) has just been rushed to hospital with a suspected stroke couldn’t see walk etc turned out to be inner ear infection
They can be brutal

Thank you JenniferEccles for your response and yes, it is the most horrible thing.

After being referred by the ENT, I did meet with a consultant at the balance clinic. During therapy, I was always in a harness attached to the ceiling to prevent me hitting the ground. I was monitored similar to what you describe, while viewing a computerized screen and standing on a tilting/moving floor. That test was done at the beginning, middle and end of treatment with significant improvement recorded. It was all quite fascinating actually.

The initial attack in June was debilitating so I'm grateful for the improvement I have but the residual symptoms are discouraging. It really helps to hear from others that have gone through it and recovered. Thanks again.

Did you see a Consultant at your Balance Clinic sukie ?

They did a battery of tests on me. I had electrodes put on my head which were connected to a computer monitoring how I reacted to standing on a tilting platform whilst I watched a moving scene on a screen.

I was put in a kind of baby bouncer sling to stop me falling over!

It was actually very interesting and they were incredibly thorough compared to the ENT Consultant who really wasn’t much help.

They then performed the Epley Manoeuvre and I was given exercises to do at home which were a variation on the Cawthorne Cooksey ones.

I now know that if I get it again and it doesn’t clear up in a few weeks I can go back to them.

It really is the most horrible thing isn’t it?

I was able to go to a specialist Balance Clinic, twice each week for 8 weeks and as Jennifer says, it definitely helped. They focused on retraining my balance and learning to work through the dizziness. They stressed the importance of continued specific daily exercises. Twice during balance therapy they performed the Epley maneuver and those times it did help with extreme vertigo episodes. But I continue to have the mental fog, tinnitus, blurred vision, general dizziness and that "whoosh" feeling Urmstongran describes.

This is the most awful thing and I do feel for you all.

I have had a few bouts of it over the years.

I did the usual GP/ENT route and they all said it will go.

The thing is not all ENT Consultants seem to have enough experience in dizziness.

The important thing is to find a hospital with a specialist Balance Clinic. Not all have one.

Leicester Royal Infirmary does as well as Southampton but there could well be others around the country, especially London I would think.

It’s all they do so they are experts. I paid privately as the NHS wait was months. They sorted me out.

It's been 5 months for me now and it's still the same. Some days better than others but haven't had a "normal" moment since it first hit. It helps to read the encouraging words from some that it will eventually pass. I remain hopeful.

I had it over the summer. It lasted 5 months in total. That ‘whoosh’ feeling is so unexpected and is a bit frightening.

It will pass.

I had it two years ago as well. Saw an ENT specialist who recommended an MRI head scan. Got discharged (that was a relief) so didn’t bother the GP this time around.

Hope you get well soon.

Thank you for asking. I had the Epley manoeuvre but it was inconclusive. I don’t have a definitive diagnosis but all I know is that it’s gone and I hope it never comes back! I’ve just been on a cruise and I had some wonderful tablets which kept me completely from seasickness. If they are so good, I might take them if I get the labrynthitis again. It’s a dreadful thing and I am so sorry for anyone suffering from it.

I've had several bouts over the years. It lingers and doesn't really disappear completely. I have to sleep with three pillows as when I my head goes backwards the world starts revolving. My son also suffers and feels slightly nauseous must of the time. I think it runs in families. It does in ours.

The main thing is not to fall and injure yourself. If it starts suddenly try to sit on the floor until it calms down a bit.

Lucky legs just wondered how you and everyone else was fairing? I'm in the same boat. Viral ear infection, nausea, dizziness, headaches, tinnitus. Just wondered whether with time any of you were feeling better?

You ain’t kidding agnurse!!
The anti vomiting tablets seem to be helping.
So could be worse!

Yuck. Inner ear problems are the worst.

I've never had one myself, but I had a patient once who did. It wasn't pleasant for her at all.