My Tinnitus Started After an Episode of Dizziness

[Tarek Eisa]

Hello people.

My tinnitus started in the middle of last January.
When I was in my room.
I felt like the world was spinning for a minute, then I lied on my bed and then the dizziness went away.

And for the first time I felt tinnitus in my ears and it has lasted until now.

I went to the doctor and he gave me that medicine Betaserc.

The dizziness is gone but the tinnitus is still with me.

It spikes at night, but I don't hear it at all during the day.

Until now I am ok my balance is good and I don't feel dizzy.

Is there a cure for this??
And could it be Ménière's disease??
Or something else??

 

[Contrast]

We don't know, but something is wrong with your cochlear impairing hearing and balance.

See an otologist (ear doctor) to see what's wrong. Crossing fingers it's not Meniere's.

 

[Tarek Eisa]

I went to an otologist.
He told me make some blood tests and an Xray on my neck.
The results were good and after that he said to get used to it. And I get used it.
But I suffer when I sleep on my right side, it spikes all the night.

I just want ask you. Is it worth a shot to go to another doctor or just forget about it?

Because I spend all the time on the internet reading about it and I can not stop thinking about it.

But the good thing is I got new friends who has tinnitus like me.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

Peripheral vascular disorders are the most common. They fall into five categories: 1 Meniere's disease - an inner ear fluid disorder that causes vertigo, hearing loss, tinnitus and fullness in the ear. 2 Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) - a brief, intense sensation of vertigo that occurs because of a specific positional change of the head. 3 Labyrinthitis - an infection or inflammation of the inner ear causing dizziness and loss of balance. 4 Vestibular neuronitis - a viral infection of the vestibular nerve. 5 Perilymph fistula - a leakage of inner ear fluid to the middle ear.

A viral infection may have been cause. Vestibular peripheral vascular input and nerve can cause spiking at night because the rotation of the head causes the fluid to flow, which in turn causes displacement of the top portion of the hair cells.

You should heal in time as blood tests and neck X Ray are fine. You have not really displayed discomfort for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo and none for Labyrinthitis, Perilymph Fistula or neck muscle/facial strain which is good.

 

[Tarek Eisa]

Thx Greg.

 

[dellwas]

Peripheral vascular disorders are the most common. They fall into five categories: 1 Meniere's disease - an inner ear fluid disorder that causes vertigo, hearing loss, tinnitus and fullness in the ear. 2 Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) - a brief, intense sensation of vertigo that occurs because of a specific positional change of the head. 3 Labyrinthitis - an infection or inflammation of the inner ear causing dizziness and loss of balance. 4 Vestibular neuronitis - a viral infection of the vestibular nerve. 5 Perilymph fistula - a leakage of inner ear fluid to the middle ear.

A viral infection may have been cause. Vestibular peripheral vascular input and nerve can cause spiking at night because the rotation of the head causes the fluid to flow, which in turn causes displacement of the top portion of the hair cells.

You should heal in time as blood tests and neck X Ray are fine. You have not really displayed discomfort for Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo and none for Labyrinthitis, Perilymph Fistula or neck muscle/facial strain which is good.

You beat me to it, very good description. This article is interesting as it does seem to tie BPPV into Tinnitus, in sone cases. http://www.tinnitusjournal.com/articles/benign-paroxysmal-positional-vertigo-and-tinnitus.pdf

 

[just1morething]

Perilymph fistula - a leakage of inner ear fluid to the middle ear.

I had a left ear barotrauma from an air flight in 2008. Could I still be experiencing tinnitus from this 12 years later?

My left eardrum was about 2/3rds full of fluid. Could I possibly have a Perilymph fistula from that flight?

Thanks.

 

[Greg Sacramento]

@just1morething

I had a left ear barotrauma from an air flight in 2008. Could I still be experiencing tinnitus from this 12 years later?

My left eardrum was about 2/3rds full of fluid. Could I possibly have a Perilymph fistula from that flight?

Thanks.

Not sure about the real possibility of a Perilymph fistula - though at least very doubtful. Keywords: eardrum, fluids - bacterial and head movement with somatic tinnitus - more so with forward posture and while sleeping. Always need to consider any dizziness, but bacterial fluid can reappear due to a physical defect. A bacterial infection can be very complicated. A bacterial infection can keep coming back from more bacterial input. Consider also what is posted below.

@donotringatme To your thoughts of a complete list of all problems that can cause somatic tinnitus. Neck - 6 major causes with subgroups of 30. C spine - C1 formation and muscle spasms, cranial nerves, major vein and arteries and nerves - all can have input, but bacterial infection - swelling - misplacement of something with association from movement or position (like when sleeping) is often part of active involvement. For the jaw/mouth there's about 300 possibilities with 30 being more primary. I have listed many causes of somatic tinnitus, many in the last three months and you also have listed many. Facial input and eyes can also have input with just about any jaw/neck problem. When facial input comes into play it can have bacterial association with anything to jaw/mouth and neck or bacterial fluid source can be independent - allergies, ETD, smoking, certain antibiotics are some. Cheekbone and eye pain, hypertension blood pressure, dizziness and headaches needs to be considered as well as posture or whiplash. Whiplash can just be muscle spasms and then lifting head from a backwards position. Interesting is that TMJ/D for the older starts with gum recession, salvia glands, soft palate issues - swelling - pits between gums, teeth and soft palate, soft palate abrasions and dental issues - bacterial then sets in, moving teeth and with lower jaw moving forward. Straitening of the C spine, c1 formation, arthritis and having mouth open too wide can be other concerns. Ear - any hearing loss and brain input has uncharted involvement, but a physical somatic cause is where focus needs to be.

 

[Backpacker]

My left eardrum was about 2/3rds full of fluid. Could I possibly have a Perilymph fistula from that flight?

Are you trying to say your left middle ear was full of fluid and what do you mean by "2/3" and was it only left ear? And what about your eardrum? PLF is not an eardrum injury, it is an injury of round or oval window membrane which can cause hearing loss or weird vestibular issues.

 

[just1morething]

Are you trying to say your left middle ear was full of fluid and what do you mean by "2/3" and was it only left ear? And what about your eardrum? PLF is not an eardrum injury, it is an injury of round or oval window membrane which can cause hearing loss or weird vestibular issues.

Primary care Dr. said my left eardrum was 2/3rds full of fluid. Maybe I still have damage to inner ear or a PLF from that 2008 flight? I still have a lot of noise. Maybe I should see a ear surgeon regarding the round window. Maybe it never heals on its own?

 

[Backpacker]

Primary care Dr. said my left eardrum was 2/3rds full of fluid. Maybe I still have damage to inner ear or a PLF from that 2008 flight? I still have a lot of noise. Maybe I should see a ear surgeon regarding the round window. Maybe it never heals on its own?

I don't know if the amount of perilymph that leaks through a tear on round/oval window into the middle ear can be visible from outside in any way, so I don't know if that's what happened to you. Sometimes even the surgeons don't see the perilymph during the middle ear exploration (round and oval window reinforcement). PLF surgery is mainly for people with suspected PLF with unbearable vestibular issues that did not get better with non-surgical treatment (a month or more of head elevated 24/7, no bending over or straining of any kind, no coffee or salt, no high speed elevators and trains, no high mountains, practically no anything that can put pressure on round or oval window from inside or outside, and usually taking a diuretic for some time). Some people have auditory issues, some people have vestibular issues, but sometimes people who did not have tinnitus as a symptom before the surgery develop it after the surgery even though their dizziness reduces.

Did you get sudden sensorineural hearing loss after the flight?

And were you dizzy or disoriented or did you start having on and off derealisation? And did you have problems with fluid ever before or did it happen only after the flight?

 

[just1morething]

I don't know if the amount of perilymph that leaks through a tear on round/oval window into the middle ear can be visible from outside in any way, so I don't know if that's what happened to you. Sometimes even the surgeons don't see the perilymph during the middle ear exploration (round and oval window reinforcement). PLF surgery is mainly for people with suspected PLF with unbearable vestibular issues that did not get better with non-surgical treatment (a month or more of head elevated 24/7, no bending over or straining of any kind, no coffee or salt, no high speed elevators and trains, no high mountains, practically no anything that can put pressure on round or oval window from inside or outside, and usually taking a diuretic for some time). Some people have auditory issues, some people have vestibular issues, but sometimes people who did not have tinnitus as a symptom before the surgery develop it after the surgery even though their dizziness reduces.

Did you get sudden sensorineural hearing loss after the flight?

And were you dizzy or disoriented or did you start having on and off derealisation? And did you have problems with fluid ever before or did it happen only after the flight?

@Backpacker

First of all thanks for your response! No, not SSHL only fluid in left ear plus some redness. I knew something was wrong when I landed. I had a plugged ear for about 3 days several times in the past especially on flights that weren't direct. I did have nystagmus for some time but no real other vestibular issues. I had IT injections in left ear at Paparella and Shea clinic in 2010, 2011.

Did you lose all hearing in one your ears? Just how bad is your tinnitus?

I'm looking into left TMD but unsure if I will get any place with that. Seems I have grade 5 internal derangement in left jaw according to my MRI. I had 2 left TMJ steroid injections. They seem to work for 1-2 days but are not real practical. Looking into some other treatment that has more lasting effects. I have some spinal issues also so am not that happy. Our bodies are often not easy to fix plus we have to deal with the aging process.