Ear infection or something else?

NH Trojan 04 Your post on your health problem is far to complex for this site , we are not medical , I suggest you return to your GP with your symptoms and get everything checked again, including your anxiety. , I hope you get the help you need ,

Nhtrojan04, I feel for you but agree with Lilypops, that you need to return to your GP for further assessment. That said, I will tell you that 8 months ago I was hit out of the blue with severe vertigo and vomiting, went to ER and there diagnosed with an inner ear infection, prescribed Meclizine for vertigo and zofran for nausea and referred to an ENT who said that a virus had attacked the balance nerve in my inner ear. He said the meclizine was for short term only and referred me to a balance clinic which I attended for 2 months. My condition was described at various times as vestibular migraine, vestibular neuritis and labyrinthitis. Some of my symptoms were similar to yours (wonky head, ear fullness and drunk feeling) but I did NOT have the issues you describe with your face, hands, arms and feet. I will reiterate what Lilypops said and recommend that you get back to your GP for a thorough assessment of all of your symptoms. In the meantime, try not to obsess or worry, I've found that with time and patience, our bodies have a remarkable ability to heal. I wish you a speedy and complete recovery.

I've had sinus and migraine problems my whole life. I have at some point or other had all of the symptoms you are describing.

To be honest, other than the sinus problems, which are a total law unto themselves, I think most of the others were stress related. I've definitely had the 'moving around the head pain' and been incapacitated to the point I couldn't work (and desperately needed to).

The problem with my hands, my GP put down to carpal tunnel, but again, when I'm not stressed, it more or less disappears.

My working life IS very stressful and I do suffer from lowish level anxiety. When I'm not stressed, other than my sinuses, most of my other symptoms disappear.

Other than seeing a doctor, I think you just need to get on with your life. I had cancer 10 years ago and it was TOTALLY unrelated to the other problems I've had, although possibly did have some link to being stress related. I try to worry less now.

I am sorry you are not feeling well, but we are not doctors and really can be of no help, you need to be seen in person so need to return to your doctor or hospital telling them what you ve told us
Get well soon

If you get no joy with the GP present yourself at your local A&E you sound really worried and unwell

Hi Sukie, thanks for your thoughtful reply.

Yeah it seemed to start as slight vertigo. Then developed to ear fullness and facial tension around my cheek, near my ear. Eventually it turned into what it is today, heavy swollen head sensation that causes me to be lightheaded if I move too fast. Mainly when I stand up.

The vertigo however only comes when I start panicking.

The thing is I don’t know if my physical symptoms are causing me to panic or anxiety is causing me to panic.

This all started somewhat slow but has progressed to something I feel every day. Some hrs are better than others but it always comes back.

I also noticed that my heart beat would rest just fine at 60 bpm but then out of nowhere spike to 85-90 bpm even when I’m not thinking about. Happens maybe twice a day.

Just very odd symptoms?

How long did you have your ear infection for? Did your doctor tell you that it’s all in your head and that you had anxiety?

Hi GagaJo. Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, it all these symptoms started slow but has progressed to something that’s affecting my whole body.

It feels like an infection but I don’t have a fever nor mucus. I just feel off. I was thinking I had both a sinus and ear infection due to the heavy swollen sensation in different parts of my head and face.

As far as the migraines. I suffered with migraines growing up. But this feels completely different.

Although I do know there are atypical migraines and that maybe this is a different one than I experienced when I was younger?

The crazy thing is, some hrs I feel completely fine. Then out of nowhere I feel lightheaded and all the symptoms start manifesting themselves.

How much of that is actual physical symptoms due to this supposed “ear infection” and how much of that is due to supposed anxiety?

Right now I can’t tell the difference. There’ll be times when I’m not even thinking negative and I still feel terrible.

Having started after the flu, I’m hopeful that it is indeed something I can eventually recover from.

But it’s just very odd. Especially since I was a somewhat healthy guy leading up to the new year.

How long would your symptoms last? Days? Months?

Try Googling ‘labyrinthitis’.

Just a thought.

Hi curvygran950.

Yeah, labyrinthitis seems to match up with most of my symptoms. It doesn’t necessarily explain the lightheaded sensation and the the throbbing/cold sensation I get throughout my body. But that can be bottled up as anxiety, I suppose...

Yes, I was going to sat labyrinthitis. This is totally debilitating to the point it would make you very anxious , which is where I think your other symptoms are coming from. You absolutely need more checks by a doctor though, as they could have missed something. In the meantime, have you considered the Epley manoeuvre for your vertigo? Ask your doctor first though, don’t attempt to do it yourself. Hope you feel better soon?

I’ve actually tried the epley maneuver a couple times. It felt like it would stop my vertigo but it also brought tension to my head and face whenever I stood up and started walking.

So something is definitely off. Maybe it’s the crystals in my Eustachian tubes?

But it’s gotten to the point where at times, I have to lay down. And when I close my eyes, I don’t feel dizzy. It feels like I’m about to pass out. Almost like I’m about to enter sleep paralysis right away.

This causes me to jolt up and triggers a slight panic attack.

Labyrinthitis can be that debilitating?

Nhtrojan04, I'm sorry you are feeling so unwell.

There is no point in speculating what is wrong with you, that only leads to further anxiety.
As others have said, we are not doctors and your symptoms seem complex. Are you reluctant to go back to your GP for help?

You need to see a doctor ASAP, who will give you a face to face consultation and carry out the appropriate tests and hopefully prescribe the correct treatment or refer you to someone who can.

I hope you find a resolution to your health problems.

Well it sounds as if you are very knowledgeable about all your various symptoms and done a lot of homework and are just finding more and more so I think you MUST stop speculating and asking amateurs what they think and make a new appointment with your doctor with all these many symptoms written down It all sounds very complex and complicated
It’s really not useful to do your own diagnosis if you get no help from your GP ask for a second opinion

Yes, your brain literally can’t work out what position you’re in. This accounts for dizziness. How dizzy depends on how many loose crystals are floating around in your semi circular canals, or the labyrinth, your inner ear. If you could get this to settle, the other symptoms may go. You may need antibiotics, so please see your doctor again, and try not to panic, easy to say I know. I get vertigo, so understand how you feel. It feels serious, but it’s most likely positional and nothing else. Your doctor should refer you to an ENT specialist.

I have a follow up appointment nexg week, I believe. The doctor was positive I had inner/middle ear infection when I had my original consultation two weeks ago. He said these feelings can take up to a month to get better.

But sometimes it’s hard to see something positive when the road to recovery is so slow. You know?

I took a blood test. But they haven’t contacted me about it. Usually any negative news they would contact me ASAP. They haven’t.

Seems like doctor is set on Labyrinthitis or some type of vertigo

I totally agree with BlueBelle .
I hope you get the help you need and feel better soon .

I find these medical questions a bit perplexing. I do of course empathise with anyone who has a medical issue however I get a bit frustrated because I’m thinking why are you not going to your GP or local hospital. Even if there were qualified medical personnel on this site it would not be appropriate for those persons to offer medical advice in this arena. I am a member of another site, a local site and it began primarily as a give away site it worked very well; members gave away lots of useful unwanted items but then I noticed more and more posts about medical questions were coming up, now they even post pictures and ask “what is wrong with me ?” I think a separate forum for people who are suffering from medical conditions can discuss the impact of the symptoms and effects on quality of life is appropriate but not posts asking for a diagnosis. I know this might not be popular but I just think it’s irresponsible.

Sorry to hear you are not feeling well, but I feel this isn’t the correct way to try and go about getting a diagnosis, in fact I find it very strange you would ask gransnet and not seek a proper diagnosis from your GP

It took 2 different antibiotic and probably couple of months before I felt better with labyrinthitis; This was about 20 years ago and my head still spins if I look up or move it from side to side too quickly.

Print out a list of symptoms and questions then make a copy for you and a copy for the doctor when you see him. If you are feeling anxious during the appointment a clear list will help to keep you calm. If possible make a double appointment to allow plenty of time.

Forums can only offer comfort and support and are not intended to replace professional medical advice. Hope you get some answers from your GP.

Hopefully the blood test will rule out certain possibilities and give an overall picture of your general health.

Sorry, this forum is for the more senior of the community so not sure why you would randomly enter all this info on a forum that has nothing to do with medical issues!
You need to go back to your doctor asap and explain that you are still not well. If his initial diagnosis was an infection, it may simply be that you need different antbiotics or stronger ones - not all work for everyone or you may well have missed a dose or they were not taken for long enough.
As for the rest o your symptoms, I am not willing to discuss them with you, beyond that you need to go back to your doctor and if they believe further investigation in hospital is needed, that will be dealt with by them.

Thank you for all the replies. Seriously, human interaction is always comforting. I wrote here knowing this is indeed gramsnet, and I assumed you guys hold more wisdom than other communities. Maybe you know what I was dealing with? It was worth a shot.

And I am going to my doctor. I’ve already seen him twice. We are trying different antibiotics. But it doesn’t seem to be working as my symptoms have stayed somewhat the same for the last month.