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Rotary chair or torture?

Discussion in 'Your Living Room' started by Saera, Dec 10, 2020.

  1. Saera

    Saera Active Member

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    I have been off the boards for awhile. I had gentamicin drops for 27 days in summer of 2019. After a bit of recovery, I lived a very full life. Minor moments of the familiar whoosh feeling but quickly gone. Ear pressure that was relieved with an ear tube.

    Fast forward to this November, I got COVID. A few days in I had a day where I was so weak and dizzy I couldn't function. It wasn't vertigo as I knew it, just very dizzy and off balance and like my eyes didn't work. Eventually it wore off but I haven't been right since. Along with other symptoms, the COVID gave me extreme sinus pressure and loss of taste/smell. Plus, my ear tube had fallen out a month or so prior to getting sick. But the weather held out so I wasn't in a rush to get it replaced.

    Well, since I informed my doctor of what's happening she wants me to do a hearing test and a rotary chair to rule out it coming from my good ear.

    I AM TERRIFIED! I don't think anyone other than us gets how scary and relentlessly anxiety producing the concept of inducing dizziness is for us. I wish she'd just let me put in the tube and see if that helps and maybe do more gentamicin in my already damaged ear. But I must abide by what she wants so....

    Can you please tell me if you have had this? Offer any tips and support? Tell me it isn't as bad as what I'm picturing? That I won't throw up for hours or at all?

    Thank you, and hugs to all. Happy I found my way back in after a million password and username fails.
     
  2. Mindosa

    Mindosa Member

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    You have eustachian tube dysfunction?
     
  3. Saera

    Saera Active Member

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    No I have Meniere's disease but the tube helps release pressure nonetheless.
     
  4. Mindosa

    Mindosa Member

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    Were you able to pop your ears easily before tubes?
     
  5. Mindosa

    Mindosa Member

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    An ear tube is used most often to provide long-term drainage and ventilation to middle ears that have had persistent fluid buildup, chronic middle ear infections or frequent infections.

    Ventilation of the middle ear is normally accomplished by the eustachian tubes. Swelling, inflammation and mucus in the eustachian tubes from an upper respiratory infection or allergy can block the tubes, causing the accumulation of fluids in the middle ear.

    On the basis of our clinical experience, it has been noted that an unusually large proportion of patients with Meniere's disease have intermittent eustachian tube blockage.

    Hearing fluctuates/knocks on the eardrum with wind. Does anyone else happen?
     
  6. Mindosa

    Mindosa Member

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    What is interesting to me in your situation, why didn't doctors tell you have eustachian tube dysfunction before perforating your ear drums and putting the ear tubes? This procedure may worsen your hearing.

    For fixing the core problem of eustachian tube dysfunction there is an eustachian tube balloon dilation procedure and it can be done without the damage to your ear drums.

    But before this procedure you need to check what causes swelling, inflammation and mucus in the eustachian tubes and middle ears and try to fix it first
     
    Last edited: Dec 11, 2020
  7. Saera

    Saera Active Member

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    I cannot answer that. I have never been told I have ETD. I just know what has helped me in the past. And my hearing is horrible anyways so having a tube didn't change that for me. I only need it in my bad ear.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  8. SurferGirl

    SurferGirl Member

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    Frustrating, isn't it! and Covid, too. As for the chair, I have had several rotary chair tests. However, the new technology, which I had at Duke University, did not rotate the chair. Perhaps this is now the norm for this procedure. Yes...wind does bother my ear, too. Glad you now you did find some relief from the Gentamicin. Due to a terrible bout of vertigo, I have had 3 steroid injections which has given me some (much needed) relief from vertigo, fluctuating tinnitus seems to be less loud, and can function quite well during the day. I have noticed by the end of the day, the tinnitus does tend to become louder and do have more balance issues. Although I went to Duke, my local ENT thought we could try the steriod injections, then move onto the Gentamicin if there is no improvement. He tends to believe I have viral neuritis, brought on from a past viral infection that settled in my left ear. Since my symptoms do seem to be improving, he is comfortable to continue the steroid just spread further apart. Going for my 4th injection next week. He doesn't administer the Gentamicin, so I will need to go a Dr. quite far from my home. Not good since I was told not to drive. Hopefully, with continued research, these ear problems can be addressed. I wish, when I first had a sudden drop in hearing 2 years ago with vertigo, that Dr. would have listened to me and thought about these solutions rather than simply suggest hearing aids...although he did say he didn't think tubes was the way to go. We all wish you the best in getting this under control. So many thoughts and procedures. Just need to find what works best for you. Good luck. Keep us posted
     
  9. Saera

    Saera Active Member

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    How did you feel after your chair test? I'm afraid I'm going to get vertigo from it. I believe they do rotate the chair here as that is what they said in scheduling it.
    I also had steroid injections, but they didn't help me. Gentamicin did a lot. I still am not having vertigo, just head pressure and moments of dizziness, off balance feeling that correlates with a lot of ear pressure that came with covid and hasn't left.
     
  10. Donamo

    Donamo Active Member

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    I don't understand why they want to give you a chair test. To see if you are having problems in the other ear? I don't know how they can determine that, but, assuming that they can, what good does that do you?

    They can't fix one bad ear, so now they can't fix two. If you are having problems with the other ear, you will know soon enough on your own.

    I would definitely ask them to convince you of the value of the test. I never did one, I couldn't see the point.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  11. Saera

    Saera Active Member

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    myherbal

    They are trying to determine if this is due to my good ear. I said why can’t we just replace the tube and see if that helps or not? She won’t do it. And with COVID I can’t just make an appointment, I have to play it her way or nothing.
    I don’t have any symptoms in my good ear. Just loud tinnitus and pressure on my bad ear that returned with covid. I get more off balance and dizzy feelings since this. No vertigo. I believe a tube will alleviate a lot of this.
    So frustrating.
     
  12. Mindosa

    Mindosa Member

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    If you don't understand what I wrote, please show this info to your doctor and preferable to a high qualification

    Ear feeling tight and making my balance off
     
  13. Saera

    Saera Active Member

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    I do understand. What I’m saying is that whether I have ETD or not, I still have Menieres. I have been experiencing some issues since my tube fell out and I was sick. So because of the symptoms I’m having I’d like her to put the tube back in my ear because I know it helps me tremendously. Some people call them grommets. To me, that’s what works. We are all different.
    She is highly educated as a neurotologist and being extra careful. I get why she is doing what she’s doing, I just don’t like it because it’s isn’t something I want to do.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  14. Mindosa

    Mindosa Member

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    No, you don't. Menieres is an inner ear disease. Inner ear (cochlea) and the eardrum, where the tube is placed, are different parts of the ear.
    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    If the ear tubes helped you in the past, it means that you had some issues in the middle ear, infection, inflammation or probably eustachian tube dysfunction.

    If your doctor says, the ear tubes will help your MD, turn around and don't come back. Believe me, I saw plenty incompetent doctors throughout my life.
     
  15. Saera

    Saera Active Member

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    A person can have both. They have never claimed tubes “cures MD” that’s why I first had endolymphatic shunt. Then I had a chemical labyrinthectomy. This issue NOW I believe is relevant to pressure in my ear that I PERSONALLY find is helped with a tube or grommet.
    I’m not naive to MD. Been in this fight for 5 years, almost 6.
    My only question was if anyone had the rotary chair test and what effect it had on them.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  16. Mindosa

    Mindosa Member

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    You still don't understand, ear tubes in the eardrums can't help, if you have ear pressure due to hydrops in the cochlea, it's a different place, different organ.

    [​IMG]

    Why do you need a rotary chair test for?
     
  17. Saera

    Saera Active Member

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    • Winner Winner x 1
  18. SurferGirl

    SurferGirl Member

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    I honestly don't remember as it was quite a while ago. I wasn't having the vertigo issues at that time like I am now. The chair test was used to make a determination of Meniere's. I, too, have ear pressure, full feeling, but I'm learning to live with it. The vertigo has got to go! I'm sure Covid only exasperated your symptoms. Best wishes to you in hopes you will get a complete diagnosis and path to peace.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  19. Todd

    Todd New Member

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    I had a VNG on the 1st of December that included rotary chair testing. If you’ve had the hot and cold water flush testing for your inner ear it is easier than that. However, if you get motion sick or claustrophobic you probably won’t put it on your list of things you want to do twice.

    Best of luck! If you can get through it, I think it’s worth doing. I’d rather give my physician clear data to work with rather than keeping them guessing.
     

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