Is imbalance a form of vertigo?

Hello! I'm new here. I have an appointment in a few weeks with an ENT because the stuffiness in my ears is affecting my hearing. My daughter started really complaining about my hearing 7or 8 months ago, but I figured maybe I had a cold and my ears would clear up in time. When that did not happen and months past, I figured it must be wax build-up, so I use a product to remove wax to no avail. My family doctor has since ruled out wax.

Well, then I was stumped. I tried flonase. No improvement. Then, I started thinking. I wondered if the fact that my ears have been ringing for a decade (and getting louder lately) is related. And, I wondered if my spells of imbalance are related to my ears. I'm here because after doing some research, MD is the condition that keeps coming up. My symptoms match, except for the descriptions I read of vertigo.

I have seldom had a passing seconds-long room spinning vertigo. What I have been dealing with is what I can only describe as the feeling of an invisible push. I can be standing still or walking and, all of the sudden, I seem to be falling to one side and I have to catch myself. I look intoxicated! One day, a few years ago, it was so bad that, had my husband not been by my side, I would have fallen twice that day. The imbalance waxes and wanes, so I have never paid it any mind. Is this a form of vertigo?

Thank you in advance for reading and responding!

 

Thank you all for your responses. My appointment is on the 8th. I can't wait to get some answers. The pressure is really annoying.

 

Hi, again! I thought I'd stop in one last time to add the rest of my story. My ENT and his audiologist diagnosed my problem as eustachian tube dysfunction. Since I had already been using Flonase and an allergy medicine for weeks with no improvement, he referred me to a Level III ENT. The tubes aren't functioning at all, and my eardrums are being stretched from the pressure. The good news is that when it is fixed my hearing will be recovered. Thank you all for your advice. I wish you well.