Hi all, This is my first post in this forum. I have been troubled with my ears for the last 3 to 4 months and the diagnosis is still a mystery. It all started after a brief episode of common cold (mild sore throat and fever) during which I once had a sudden feeling as if something went up my left ear through the eustachian tube while sniffing. A couple of days later I started with a blocked feeling in my left ear. I self treated myself with glycerin ear drops thinking it was wax. The situation persisted and I thought it was a eustachian tube dysfunction so I tried steroid nasal spray which was not of help. I then was treated with oral amoxicillin antibiotic by my family doctor with the presumption that it may be otitis media. Eventually I ended up seeing an ENT doctor 6 weeks down the line who requested a tympanometry and a hearing test. The tympanometry was normal, the hearing test showed left mild low tone sensorineural hearing loss. I never had any vertigo but remember feeling at times ever so slightly dizzy. The ENT doctor told me this might be atypical meniere's disease and prescribed me Betaserc. Unfortunately at the same time I also started nausea and abdominal discomfort which I initially thought was a side effect from taking Betaserc. I also at the same time tried Aciclovir tablets thinking this must be viral but this didn't help. My other ear (right ear) then started to feel blocked intermittently about 2 months after the first ear symptoms started. The ear pressure sensation typically mostly started after waking up from sleep. Eventually, my abdominal discomfort and nausea turned out to be mainly due to peptic ulcer disease from the stress of anticipating vertigo any moment. I tested Helicobacter positive and was put on eradication therapy (Amoxicillin + clarithromycin + esomeprazole). I felt great while on eradication therapy during which my hearing was back to normal and minimal ear pressure sensation occasionally. But then symptoms started again. This time I started thinking of gastro-oesophageal reflux as a cause for my symptoms. So took extensive measures to control that including changing my diet and raising the head of the bed as well as taking Gaviscon before going to bed. Sadly, my ear symptoms still persisted. In my last visit to ENT, I was having a good day and my hearing test was normal in both ears. My ENT wasn't sure if what I had was hydrops/meniere's or not. According to him, normally the hearing doesn't return back to normal levels. My current symptoms are intermittent ear pressure and hearing loss which tends to be cyclical in nature, would last between 1-3 days then spontaneously settle down. I occasionally during the day get a sensation of mild fever and foggy head along with migraine type headache, this often settles after a couple of hours. One of the persistent symptoms however is clicking in both ears as if I have water in them. I really would like to know from those with meniere's or cochlear hydrops if this is a typical symptoms? the clicking i hear is something that is not spontaneous, i can hear it by contracting one of the small muscles controlling the jaw. I did wonder if my problem is related to TMJ but I never have any TMJ pain. This is my story so far, apologies for the long post, but i wanted to write it so others in similar situation can read it and possibly share their story. Can those with experience tell me if what i have sound like cochlear hydrops or might it be something else? Many thanks.
I am struck by this line ‘I felt great while on eradication therapy during which my hearing was back to normal and minimal ear pressure sensation occasionally.’ Did you make this clear to the ent? ‘Fluctuating hearing loss’ is a sign of both menieres and cochlear hydrops. I think you need further workup with your doctor. Good luck.
It sounds like it could be a number of things. If it is Meniere's or hydrops, it would be odd that you would have symptoms in the other ear only two months after the first one. Do you have any ringing in the ears or distortion? I hear a clicking sound in my bad ear whenever I swallow but to be honest, I've had it for so long that I have no recollection of when it started or if it coincided with when I first had Meniere's symptoms.
You should see a Neurotologist instead of an ENT. Have an ECOG test it measures fluid in ears that's how I was diagnosed with atypical Menieres
Thank you all for your replies. Apologies I didn't outline my whole story as I felt it will be too long. On few occasions I did have tinnitus when the ear pressure and hearing felt at it's worst, this however never lasted more than half a day and luckily so far only happened a few times. Another symptom I forgot to mention in my original post was noticing more postnasal secretions and when the ear pressure bad I feel aching in the tonsil area on the same side. I did have lot's of investigations: MRI scan was normal, Herpes HSV1 antibodies IgG and IgM negative, inflammatory markers ESR and CRP normal, white blood cells not raised. Thyroid function normal and vitamin D level ok. Unfortunately Electrochocleography is not available and I'm told is unreliable anyway. Not sure what more tests I should have. I can't help but feel that the cause of my trouble is some sort of a virus (although not herpes simplex) as the problem started soon after a mild viral illness. I do however have inside me the hope (or perhaps denial) that this is not meniere's disease/cochlear hydrops and will somehow sort it self out. I should also mention that I tried the alternative therapy route but had to stop because of stomach ulcer I had. I started today taking Olive leaf 500mg and awaiting delivery of oregano oil to try. I have been taking ginkgo biloba, Vitamin C slow release, Vitamin E and Omega oil supplements without much success. I am considering trialling taking the antibiotics I took for the eradication therapy to see if the improvement i felt while on them was coincidental or real. My problem is that the fullness in the ear never settled down for longer than a week since the problem started and the fluctuation in hearing also varies quickly even within the day. I thought with meniere's disease the symptoms are episodic with long intervals in between. Please correct me if I am wrong. Also, I wanted to know if people with meniere's disease tend to hear crackles/clicks with certain jaw movements.
I thought with meniere's disease the symptoms are episodic with long intervals in between. Please correct me if I am wrong. Inhave cochelar hydrops. Some of my symptoms were constant, the pressure, the tinnitus, the distortion. The hearing loss was always there but it varied and i did have at least one episode of almost total loss. I had some other weird hearing things that came and went. I was helped by a hefty dose of antivirals and allergy treatment.
Welcome, Positive -- great user name. You've done a good job of describing your symptoms, and you're probably among some similar company here. Meniere's presents itself in many ways, but is defined by the characteristics of fluctuating hearing loss (low frequencies first), tinnitus, fullness or pressure, and (our favorite) vertigo. I agree with jkc's advice to find a neurotologist if possible. Beware of "trialing" antibiotics. You don't want to build resistance to them if they're not absolutely necessary right now, because you may need them in the future. They are effective for bacterial infections, which often have drainage or pus that the doctor can culture to ensure you are prescribed the correct antibiotic. You may want to try antivirals, however. The body is flooded with all kinds of viruses, only some of which cause problems. There are not antivirals for all of these, but there is for herpes, which is a common trouble-maker. Acyclovir seems to benefit some people with Meniere's. There's lots of info on antivirals in this forum. If you're not in the US, betahistine (Serc) is often prescribed for Meniere's, and may be worth a try. If you're in the US, you can get it from a compounding pharmacy if your doctor will write a prescription. It's not FDA approved because there hasn't been proper clinical trials to show its efficacy. Dr. Hain's site has some helpful information: http://www.dizziness-and-balance.com/disorders/menieres/menieres.html Testing initially involves ruling out other causes of your symptoms -- such as, a brain MRI to rule out tumor, or blood tests to rule out lupus, etc. The next level of testing may include balance tests to see what kind of vestibular disturbance you have -- BPPV, endolymphatic hydrops, or classic Meniere's. If you have Meniere's, there may be several audiograms to confirm and monitor the fluctuating hearing loss, advise on hearing aids, etc. There may also be a videonystagmography (VNG or ENG) test to determine the level of vestibular function in each ear. That may be combined with rotational chair testing to understand combined vestibular function and check for central nervous system involvement. These tests are my experience with Meniere's; maybe there are other tests for different vestibular disorders. I don't personally have the clicking sound you mention, but do have tinnitus. I remember the sensation of water in my ears early on, which was how the aural fullness/pressure initially presented. I think other people have mentioned clicking sounds, and TMJ has been mentioned on this site. Try to start a log of your symptoms in a notebook; it will be of great help when you see your doctors over time. If you have Meniere's, come here often to get information and ideas about how to make room in your life for it. It can't actually be fought, so much as corralled. Then you learn to get along with it and work with it. Most of all, stay Positive! Best of luck to you.
Hi positive, I know this thread is old but I’m wondering if you learned anything more about your issue? I’m having similar problems and it’s ruining me! Thanks for your time