Tinnitus and Ear Pain - Please help!
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hello all,
I'm a 24 year old female in the U.S.
I've been dealing with a handful of issues for a couple of months now. I started feeling like I'm floating and dizzy now for about a month. It has gotten worse over the last week. I've also had intermittent noticeable tinnitus. My right ear will go all fuzzy like there's cotton in it and it will start to ring, but the whole ordeal only lasts a few seconds, then everything goes back to normal. My left ear will ring for a few seconds as well, but without the fuzzy feeling. I've been to the doctor numerous times now and I'm currently waiting for an ENT appointment. At first, my doctor thought the dizziness was just because of stress and anxiety (my husband is in the military), but then she looked in my ears and saw fluid. I was prescribed antibiotics, and that apparently cleared up the visible fluid, but I'm still feeling so dizzy and getting the random ringing that only lasts for a few seconds, and as I mentioned, it happens in both ears. Tonight, I had the same ringing in my left ear that lasted about 3-5 seconds, but this time it was followed by a sharp pain that lasted maybe 10 seconds. I'm beside myself with worry that I have Ménière's and just haven't experienced the extreme symptoms yet. I'm a major worrier and tend to work things up in my mind, but this just feels so terrifying to sit and wait for a vertigo attack. My mind is telling me that it's inevitable and that it's going to be horrible even though it hasn't happened yet. For the last couple of years, I've noticed that if it's totally quiet in my house, I can hear a sort of hum/hiss noise, but if I have background noise it doesn't irritate me. Now that I know tinnitus is associated with ménière's, I can't stop worrying about it and fixating on it! I should also note I've been prescribed meclizine for dizziness and started taking it at night only for the last couple of nights. If anyone reads this and can share their opinion, I'd be so appreciative as I'm in panic mode and can hardly sleep because I'm constantly scared of a full on vertigo attack! Please help!
0 likes, 10 replies
louise0703 marissa492
Posted
To be honest you could have a number of conditions. If you can get full hearing test and MRI before you see the ENT. They may be able to diagnose you at your first appointment with these tests in hand. Menieres usually is unilateral hearing loss, tinnitus, ear fullness, vertigo, aversion to noise, dizziness/sea sick feeling. Please don't think tinnitus means you have Menieres xx
marissa492 louise0703
Posted
I don't feel like I have hearing loss - only for the few brief seconds when my right ear will go fuzzy and start ringing like I mentioned above. It happens so randomly though. I feel like I have the aversion to loud noise, and I've been feeling dizzy and as if I'm floating for at least a month now. No full on vertigo episodes. Does Ménière's typically hit without warning with the terrible vertigo? Or do people slowly get to that point like the way I'm describing my symptoms?
louise0703 marissa492
Posted
Your symptoms sound like mine. And I haven't been diagnosed by an ENT specialist yet, I go 1/3/17. Not all sufferers get violent vertigo, some get disequilibrium or feel sea sick. Hearing loss can be subtle in the early stages but can get progressively worse without any treatment. Hope that helps. I wish you well xx
marissa492 louise0703
Posted
Thanks for your input! I hope we both get answers, and that we both find treatment for whatever is going on. I've always been a major introvert, but this is turning me into a recluse because I'm so afraid of getting vertigo. This website has good info, but I'm thinking that most posts are from people who have abnormally severe symptoms, where as the majority of ménière's patients aren't on forums like these because they're able to treat it successfully and don't feel the need to seek help online - they aren't thinking about their issues, they're living their lives. I'm hoping that's the case here, and that whatever is bothering my ears is treatable.
louise0703 marissa492
Posted
I am hoping the same thing - all the severe symptoms make me feel so frightened and too make me quite worried about going out. Let's hope that we both don't have severe symptoms xx
eleftherio33095 marissa492
Posted
Meniere's disease is not associated with pain. Clearly there is something there related to the ear, perhaps middle ear.
Eleftherios S. Papathanasiou, PhD, FEAN
Clinical Neurophysiologist
Fellow of the European Academy of Neurology
Bluesmann marissa492
Posted
I had no fluid at all yours doesn't sound like mennieres to me have you seen an ent. Try to not worry and relax the ear is a complicated part
marissa492 Bluesmann
Posted
I have an appointment with an ENT in about two weeks, but I'm going crazy while I wait. I spend a lot of time alone as my husband is in the military, so I'm constantly terrified of my dizziness and woozy/floating feelings turning into full on vertigo. I just feel extremely depressed to be 24 and otherwise healthy, then start feeling this way for the last month or two. I haven't even been diagnosed and I'm already feeling hopeless. I know that's a bad way to look at things, but it's hard when you're already so lonely and naturally a worrier.
louise0703 marissa492
Posted
marissa492 louise0703
Posted
Thank you for your kind words