Labrynthitis

[bebe127]

Anyone have any experience with Labrythitis?

About three weeks ago my husband began to feel funky (I know, real technical term ) His description goes something like this as per three weeks ago: dizzy (no vertigo), brain fog, eyes not focusing or tracking right, flushing feeling, general crappiness, feeling pressure behind eyes and ears, feeling as though he's coming down with something-cold-like. He'd just had blood work done and all routine labs came back normal. He went into the GP. She sent him for a carotid US and a brain MRI. All came back fine. She referred him to an ENT and suggested he might have Labrynthitis or Neuritis (both Vestibular disorders). She wants him to be seen ASAP. He has an appt. for this Friday afternoon. This morning he called me and told me he had his first bout of what he says seemed like vertigo (although he's not sure because he's never experienced it before). He said he bent down to get his briefcase and on the way up felt spinning feeling and had to grab hold of the counter as he felt as though he might fall over. He came home a few hours later. He says if he stays still it's not that bad, can't make sudden head movements or bend down and has a headache in the back of his head.

We've read up on the condition. Just wondering if anyone has any experience with any of this.

Thanks for any help you can offer.

Be well,

Bebe

[gertie]

I have Meniere's which has all the symptoms you mentioned. Does he tinnitus/ringing in ears or nausea with these episodes?

[bebe127]

Thanks for responding Alicia,

We've looked up Meniere's before (as I have severe ringing in my ears), he doesn't usually although the other day said that he had some ringing, don't think it's continuous though. He does not have nausea with episodes. In the last few days, he says the dizziness is dizziness now as opposed to just being a hazy/foggy type thing, and is more pronounced and continual. This am woke up and said that his chin was numb, he said it was really weird feeling and lasted a few minutes. He's working from home today, I can't tell you the last time he's missed work, it's been years. We go to see an ENT tomorrow and hope to get some answers, although he'll be a new patient, we're just hoping it's not just a consultation, but that the dr. will actually examine him and find out what's going on.

[Guest Hanice]

Oh wow I hope its just a cold or something. Keep us updated..

[bebe127]

Update on the hubs,

He's going on 6 weeks now with little to no change and some days it gets worse. He missed a total of two weeks from work, totally unheard of for my husband. I don't even think he's missed a total of 10 days in the 20+ years he's worked for this company. This is the first week he has been back to work. This am he told me that the pressure was at its worst, he feels like his head is a barometer. The weather has been really stormy and yucky the last few weeks here. I feel so bad for him. It's not like with me where I can go lay down and get some type of respite from feeling crappy, there doesn't seem like there is anything that he can do to get relief.

He went to the dr. (ENT) who gave him a bunch of testing. Every thing checked out fine. His hearing is great, doesn't have ringing in ears, signals are getting to the brain via the vestibular nerve, etc. He told my husband that he still thinks it's viral and that it just has to run its course. Could take days, weeks, or months. He doesn't want to prescribe anything because he said it's important that my husband's brain learn to compensate on its own. That, I agree with. My husband isn't really having trouble with dizziness anyway, and he doesn't want to take pills just to take them. The dr. did suggest that my husband try Benadryl, but we couldn't find any that is non drowsy and he can't be on that and go to work at the same time. My husband has tried taking my son's allergy meds for a few days, but he says he doesn't really see a difference. Maybe he should try OTC sinus medication? At the last visit to the ENT, the dr. told him he'd see him back in six weeks and if things haven't improved, he'll send him for a different MRI. I surely hope for my husband's sake that this thing will dwindle and go away quickly for him.

[bellgirl]

This is what they told me I had when I started having dizziness/vertigo before I was diagnosed with dysautonomia; It's called Vestibular Neuritis or Neurontitis. It is better not to be on medication at all, just as his doctor explained to him... that it helps the brain compensate for the unbalanced feeling he is getting by not being on any medication. My GYN had a co-worker who had this and was eventually diagnosed with Benign Paroxysmal Postitional Vertigo, which my mother also has...there are exercises that can be done for this which you could look up on the internet....sometimes the hairy like prominences called pinna in the ear canal will break off and get logged in the ear canal and cause this problem. I didn't see this post in June, but I hope your husband is doing better by now.

[bebe127]

Thanks Bellgirl,

Husband is still suffering some days worse than others, but he's a trooper and hasn't missed any more work even though he had to get some paperwork filled out in case he needs to miss. Dr. now thinks it might be positional, although positional testing was negative ??? Hubs goes in tomorrow for inhalant allergen testing. Who knows??? I guess that's why "they" call it "practicing medicine"

Good note...bad note...he can now relate to me and the feeling when something is wrong and nary a dr. can figure it out

Thanks for the well wishes.

[bellgirl]

Sorry he is still suffering. Glad he is back to work...it is very scary when you are unbalanced and dizzy all the time. I'm glad they are testing him for allergies. It can sometimes be sinus related. Has he tried the exercises?

Shay's Ear Clinic is the best in the United States for eye issues. It is in Memphis, Tennessee, but I had a great ENT, Dr. Pappas Jr. in Birmingham, Alabama.

Lodged* in his ear, not logged. lol

[bellgirl]

Ear issues* not eye. Sometimes I feel brain washed!!

[bebe127]

Hey there Bellgirl,

Hubs did go in for allergy testing. When he told me the dr. suggested inhalant allergy testing, I guess we both got the impression that he would be smelling various things. Well....not so! Poor thing came home the other day with a total of 54 needle marks split between both upper arms and another 40 some pricks split between his inner forearms. He looked like he'd been used for a pin cushion!!

Anyhoo, thankfully he's not allergic to any food stuffs. He is allergic to the normal dust mites, roach droppings, some grasses and oak pollen (doesn't really bode well for him as we live in a hot/humid tropical area). He goes back in to the dr. in a few weeks to go over the results. They said something about shots and pills. Who knows. I'm trying to research about doing what I can as far as the dust mites and bed coverings and whatnot. I was talking to a friend the other day that has the same problem and while I was talking to her, I realized that we had just recently bought a new mattress for our bed and it so happens it was around the same time when all this started. He's going to bring that up to the dr. when he goes back in. We wonder if there is some chemical or something that is irritating him.

We shall see. I'm also going to have him ask the dr. about the positional thing and those exercises. Thanks for the info!!

Be well,

Bebe

[bellgirl]

I had all that needle testing years ago, because I had horrible asthma after my first son!! I ended up with 4 years of desensitization (allergy shots). I was not allergic to any foods either, but dust mites, 5 different grasses and ragweed. When you have allergies, it can make you sensitive to other things, as well, such as chemicals. Of course, it's really bad for us to be exposed to chemicals or anyone for that matter. Where did your mattress come from, if you don't mind me asking?

[bebe127]

I cringe as I type this, but we did get it from a discount mattress place locally. My husband did some research before making the decision to go to them. I think it's a Beautyrest and it was bagged with the original tags and all.

[bellgirl]

I don't think it's the mattress...that's a good brand that's been around for years...

[bebe127]

Looks like mattress covers all around and more frequent dusting and vacuuming all around...insert sarcasm here! I think he'll be better off with pills or shots

[bellgirl]

What is house work anyway...lol Hope he feels better with treatment!! Prayers for him and you too.

[bebe127]

Thank you Bellgirl

Blessings to you!!

[bellgirl]

Your welcome...Let me know how it goes, and updates please...blessings to you both!!

[bebe127]

_{Hubs just got back from ENT appt. Dr. asked how old our mattress was (since my husband had a reaction to dust mites). Husband responded, "Funny you should ask. My wife and I just figured out that my symptoms began about a week and a half after purchasing a new mattress". The dr. said that they preserve new mattresses in formaldehyde and that might be why my husband had a reaction. Hubs has gotten progressively better, albeit slowly. The dr. said to give it one more month as he didn't want to start shots or meds if this is something that will fade with time. I'm just so glad that it appears to be a reaction to the chemicals and that it will go away with time. Thinking back now, I think I've read or seen somewhere that when you buy a new mattress to let it air dry out in the open for a period of time before using it. Wish I would've thought about it then...}

[bellgirl]

Yes, we let our mattress air out for several days before sleeping on it, come to think of it, so I hope that's all there is...so sorry he's suffered so, but I'm glad it is getting better.

[bebe127]

Thanks Bellgirl

[kayjay]

Can you encase the mattress? Ours is in a zippered cover. It's for dust mites but it is waterproof. I put my mattress pad on over top.

I hope he is better soon! Very scary

[bebe127]

Kayjay,

Yes, I'm looking into encasing everything except Big Handsome (aka: Hubby)!!!