stapedotomy.. i had surgery 3 days ago and i feel very dizzy after i move my head .

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Can anyone  share his/her experience about stapdectomy .. i had surgery 3 days ago and i am feeling dizzness .. can anyone share for how many days i will experience dizziness

1 like, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi, sorry to hear that you are feeling the way you are. I’ve heard that after a stapdotomy you may experience dizziness because the inner ear also has its play in this. 
  • Posted

    Hi..I’m having the very same thing happen. I had a stapedectomy last Thursday. The first few days were OK, other than some excessive bleeding. That finally stopped, then I was eating lunch yesterday and experienced a profound dizzy spell. The dizziness has not left since then and I’ve pretty much been bed ridden since then because the dizziness is so bad. My doctor told me to take some Benadryl and get back with him tomorrow if I’m still dizzy in the morning. It has really got me worried...
  • Posted

    I see your post was 3 days ago, Hussnain7. Has it gotten any better yet? Have you talked to your doctor?
    • Posted

      Hey Blue eyes. I've had my op 5 days ago and still very dizzy. Did your dizziness resolve itself in the end?

    • Posted

      Jake—that reply was supposed to be to you too. 
    • Posted

      Oh—I forgot to tell you also, the doctor put me on 60 mg of steroids for 6 days, then 40 mg for 5 days, then 20 mg for 5 days to try to help with the blood clot. He also put me on 2 antibiotic Z packs. So..I’m not sure if the prednisone helped or whether the vertigo would have resolved on it’s own or not. Sorry I forgot about that. 
  • Posted

    Glad to see some other people have had the same experience as I have (not glad you’re dizzy, but am glad I’m not the only person). My surgery was a month ago yesterday, and yes—things have gotten a lot better, thankfully. I ended up seeing my doctor less than a week after my surgery (a few days earlier than my initial scheduled checkup because I called him about the dizziness and excessive bleeding). The doctor told me I bled more than any of his other patients had during the surgery, & I think he was concerned about it. I had a heck of a time for the first few days after the surgery trying to get the bleeding under control. He told me I had a blood clot in my middle ear that was causing the dizziness & inability to hear very well. He said it would take awhile for the blood clot to be dissolved/absorbed by my body; he said he talked to another type of surgeon who had given him this information about the blood clot, but I don’t remember now what kind of surgeon that was. When the vertigo first started out, it was awful. I’m talking bedridden only, could even really sit up for very few minutes.

    After that first week, it seemed to start getting better pretty much daily. It wasn’t a situation where it got better really quickly over a day or so-it has been a daily thing. I’d say by the about the third week, it had almost completely resolved itself. Each day seemed to get a little better and I could stay up longer and longer. The only thing I’m still having problems with is my hearing in that ear, and I’m pretty sure it’s because of the blood clot. If I turn my head a certain way, I can tell it moves and I can hear fine. But sitting upright, I can tell it’s covering up something and it sounds like I’m hearing in a tunnel or something. Sometimes it sounds like my hearing comes in “waves.”  Really strange. 

    I’ve read a number of other people’s experiences since I posted my question, and it seems like most people’s dizziness is resolved within the first month or so. I did read about one person who, like 6 months later still had some serious vertigo issues, and that individual had had another surgery since then. So I’d say that based on what I’ve read and experienced, give yourself a month or so for things to get somewhat back to normal. 

    • Posted

      Hi. Thanks for the reply. Always find it useful to ask others in the same situation. Firstly really glad that it cleared up for you and that you're feeling better :-).

      It sounds like you and I perhaps had lengthier and more traumatic surgery. Mine ended up taking over 2 hours but I think the average is about 45mins. Like you I imagine that might have caused excessive bleeding which is causing the prolonged balance issues.

      I must say my dizziness doesn't sound quite as severe as yours. I can just about manage a walk to the shops and carrying out simple house chores. It's when I move quickly, tilt my head forward or back or walk upstairs that sends me in a spin.

      I'm assuming your packing has been removed? Have they mentioned removing the blood clot or is it behind the eardrum?

      All the best with your recovery. As all the stapedoctimists have said.... patience, patience, patience ;-)

    • Posted

      Sure Jake, no problem. I think it always helps to compare surgeries and healing issues. Yes—I think ours may have been more complicated. My surgery lasted close to an hour and a half, so not as long as yours, and you’re right, most last around an hour or so. I would guess that if your dizziness occurs when you move your head, you probably have a blood clot as well. 

      I think it’s really good that your vertigo isn’t as severe as mine. That would lend to some faster healing, I would imagine. Yes, all my packing was removed—by me. With so much bleeding, I was having to pack & re-pack my  ear by myself (or my husband did it, actually). Whatever packing they put in there came out on the second day afterwards, I believe. Trying to remove all the cotton that was in there, after the blood had finally congealed, pulled out whatever they had put next to my eardrum,. We told the doctor & he didn’t seem concerned at all. In fact, at my initial appointment, he didn’t even re-pack it. The blood clot is behind the eardrum—in the middle ear. Definitely can’t see it, but I can hear it and feel it. I also forgot to mention I’m having some issues with tinnitus; some days it’s really quite loud, a high pitched squealing sound. That seems to be getting better too.

      I hope your recovery continues to improve on a daily basis and within a month, you’re back to normal or almost there. Yep—patience, patience, patience. It does help to hear other people’s stories I think. Good luck! 😄

    • Posted

      Hi Blue eyes. Hope you're doing well. Just thought I'd ask how things are going a couple of weeks later. I've had my packing out and my hearing has definitely improved. Certainly not overly loud, crisp or clear, but an improvement nonetheless. Still have some balance issues but I still think that is related to the healing process.

      Just wanted to ask how your tinnitus is progressing? After I had my packing out I've had fairly loud ringing in my operated ear that's been continuous for a couple of days. Has yours resolved now? Did you feel it was worse at a certain point (i.e. straight after surgery or did it develop later?)

      Anyway hope you're recovery is coming along well. Did you get any hearing test results? 

      Best, 

      Jake

    • Posted

      Hi Jake—things are going pretty good. I still do have the tinnitus, but it’s gotten somewhat better. I had my 6 week checkup this week, and the doctor removed some pieces of dried blood that were laying against my eardrum, and surprisingly that has improved both my hearing & the tinnitus somewhat. The doctor said that tinnitus is a frequent side effect after this type of surgery (I went back & looked at the post-surgery directions & it says the same thing there). The tinnitus didn’t start with me until about 2-3 weeks after the surgery and peaked at about 4-5 weeks, I think. It seems to get worse as the day goes on; better in the morning. I’m not having any balance issues.

      I also questioned the doctor about my hearing, since even though my hearing as improved in that ear since the surgery, it’s still not where it should be. It rotates between sounding like I’m in a tunnel, to muffled hearing, to what sounds like “waves” of sound coming into my ear. He said there is still time for healing (even though everything looks healed at this point, he said). I asked if the blood clot was still in my middle ear, he said no—it is gone. When I hold my head a certain way, though, my hearing gets  better & it still seems like something is moving around in there. So he said there might be a small clot further down in my ear that he wasn’t able to see. He also mentioned that my hearing may stay like this, though—I hope not. I’m scheduled for a hearing test in July, so I’ll try to remember to post my results here.

      Good luck, Jake & everyone else who is recuperating; I’m praying you heal up soon and things continue to get better for you all. 

    • Posted

      Hey. That's really great news that you've experienced an improvement. Yeah I had this inkling that tinnitus might raise it's head after the surgery. I think I probably had it in a minor way before - it's not debilitating so if it's a consequence of the op then so be it!

      I can definitely relate to the tunnel noises in my ear and it does seem to vary from day to day. I don't get waves of sound, but I feel like the lower frequencies have improved whereas the higher frequencies have not (again I'm told this is fairly common). However, there is one high frequency that is working (a sweet spot that I hear every now and then). What's weird is that I play guitar and sometimes notes in the operated ear sound a tone higher or a tone off compared to my good ear. It's really interrupting me trying to create my masterpiece smile

      Would be really interested to hear the results of your test and I would still hold on regarding how your hearing changes with your head movements. I've scoured these message boards and so many people have breakthroughs months later :-). 

      Wishing you all the best!     

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