Hi All,

I have mentioned this in the past but just need to know if any of you with diagnosed labyrinthitis ever experience or are aware of attacks following the consumption of something really sweet or really salty? What I mean by an attack is suddenly feeling woozie within about 20 minutes, rubber legs, heart palps and just generally unwell and slightly more stressed from the episode. My dizziness increases somewhat but is by no means a huge vertigo attack from these attacks. I was tested for hydrops months back and was told that although fluid levels in the inner ear were high that I did not have hydrops. Furthermore, hydrops apparently comes with deafness, low roaring tinnitus and a fullness in the ears. I have none of those except some tinnitus but with a high-pitched sound I am only aware of in the night. But I am still worried that at 6 months, I still *sometimes* get these attacks. I am more susceptible in the morning too it seems. For example, this morning I had a breakfast cereal and was fine. Then on the way to university I ate 2 really sweet peaches. Twenty minutes later during my walk, it just hit me suddenly - woozie, off balance, heart palps etc. It has more or less passed now but it has left me feeling about 40% worse than when I started the day. Feel more tired and unwell again.

So have any of you had this stuff going on and then had it stop once you were over the lab (or got much better?). The idea that I might be stuck with this for a lifetime and have to watch my foods all the time is a terrible thought.

Thanks....Scott

I am may be wrong but this does not sound v consistent with Lab Scott... Are you sure of your diagnosis? I have recently read about Candida and that causing all kinds of problems inc fluid in ears. So I have tried a no sugar, yeast, salt diet for 2 weeks. No effect whatsoever but at least I now know. I would suggest this for you. Certainly with my Lab, my dizziness is pretty consistent throughout the day and only made worse by tiredness and walking. Generally how I feel when I wake will be how I stay all day. "Attacks" are slightly more complicated and not the norm for Lab. Good luck xxx

Hi Emsybobs,

Yeah, I know it sounds strange. The funny thing is, it doesn't happen all the time either. But on an empty stomach, a really sweet or salty food will almost always push the buttons for me. Drinking things like Gatorade is really out for me, particularly on an empty stomach. So who knows....maybe, as Subs has pointed out, lab affects everyone differently and this is one of those things I will have to put up with during this mess. Some can even drink alcohol and not feel a problem I hear. The important thing is that I continue to improve and feel more and more like my old self so hopefully this food thing will evaporate with it.

Hope you are continuing to progress out of this too.

Cheers......Scott

Hi,

Just wanted to jump in here, like Emsybobs I really dont have a problem with sugar and salt either. Also, I have continued to have alcohol - not huge amounts - a glass of wine in the evenings or two!! This has had no effect whatsoever, possibly even made me feel a little better and helped me sleep.

Hope this helps.

Lizzy x

Hi Scotsman, sorry not to be able to reassure you that this is the norm, but I can't say I've ever come across this apparently quite drastic reaction to food in a person purely with Lab.

As this reaction is not always consistent I would suggest keeping a food and symptom diary for a while to give you a clearer picture of exactly what foods trigger this. The fact that a reaction is more likely to occur when eating "trigger" foods on an empty stomach is just likely to be because they are absorbed faster, you will get more of a sudden salt/sugar "rush" in your bloodstream.

I think you really need to get back to your Dr and emphasize this reaction, they may want to reassess you for Meniere's (which can be very well controlled and less problematic than lab in some people) and there may be other potential problems they could look for which may be totally unrelated to your ears - food allergies, glucose intolerance etc. Please don't panic, but this definately warrants further investigation and might even be the key to getting you cured!

Do let us know how you get on, xx