After waiting almost a month to see an ENT (stupid insurance company) my first ENT appointment is on Friday. I am VERY nervous about it and I have no idea what to expect. Can anyone tell me what I could expect. I'm going in for a wide range of symptoms; dizziness, large amounts of pressure in my ears, fluid in ears, pain in inner ears, popping sensations in my ears, etc...
Can anyone tell me what to expect???thanks
:) Miriam

Hi Miriam,

If you have an inner-ear disorder.....

....a lot of us on here have had pretty unhelpful ENTs as they are really more knowledgeable about the middle ear rather than the inner ear.

As I said in my post to Sleeplessmom, most of the ENT's information on inner-ear stuff seems to come from musty old textbooks (Actually even admitted to me by my (ex) ENT... she said "well I just know what it says in my text books..."). The ENT's I saw didn't know inner-ear disorders could cause brain-fog or disorientation which really distressed me as I thought I was going mad or something (even thougth I knew people on here had it!). The lovely people on this board reassured me and proved to me that they are extremely common for people with an inner-ear disorders and ENT's really don't know what they are talking about sometimes. My GP said to me that many consultants just ask the questions they want to hear the answers to and so don't learn anything else about the patient apart from certain things that they've asked about.


The real inner-ear balance specialist is a neuro-otologist! I think you might find some of the information in Dizzymom's posts "Sea-leg dizziness for moths please help" quite helpful. Worth a look :)

Saying that though, I'm sure sometimes ENT's help... at least a little bit but just to warn you that in general they don't seem to know much/enough to help as much as we want.

But I mean the fluid in your ear they can probably definately help with!! As this will be in the middle ear :)

As far as what to expect on your 1st appt. Well the 1st time I went the Dr just talked to me and did some hearing tests. The next few times I went I also had hearing tests and also another test where they inflated a little something in my ear to check pressure I think - can't remember what it's actually called or exactly what it's for!! (sorry I'm a bit half asleep lol only got up to take an antibiotic for an infection I have, but I couldn't pass your post by without replying to your question!) And then there's the other tests, caloric tests (can't remember if that's the name of just one bit or all of them - think its all of them).

There are a few bits:

On one bit you have some erm.. what are they called? (Sorry I'm not very with it today).. wire/pad things anyway...stuck to your head so you're linked up to the computer so they can monitor your eye movement while you have follow a little light that moves at different speeds and direction (while the room is darkened).

Also there's another bit where they put some water in your ears, both warm and cold, it brings on the dizziness. It's to see what per-cent of damage there is (if any) and the per-cent in each (or either) ear. In people with really bad vestibular damage it actually doesn't bring the spinning on, it should make a "normal" healthy-eared person get the spinning. I was actually too scared to have this done as the Dr told me (when I asked) I wouldn't be able to control it by sitting up (as I can with my "natural" spinning). Apparently this tests can be very innacurate though for a number of variables which escape me right now LOL Bennygibb is a good person to ask about that.

Sorry I can't remember if there's any more!!
I'm really half asleep/tired!!

Hope I've helped a little though!

Oh - they might lay you down and backwards slowly slightly over the edge of the er... couch/table thing to see if your eyes move in a way that suggests you have BPPV. This can even be innacurate though too. They did it to me a few times and didn't think I had it but then the last few times I went they said they thought I DID have BPPV.

When I went on NHS instead of private I saw a different Dr mostly every-time and they nearly all said different things apart from the last 2 lol. It was very confusing and I'm very glad I found this board - because the people that post here are sufferers of inner ear disorders they really CARE about the subject (of course, as so desperate to get better and feel normal) and so they do a lot of research and know more than a lot of the ENT's that I saw.

Anyway apparently the reaaal specialist is a Neuro-otologist (I haven't been brave enough to go and see one yet as I really don't like travelling right now :().

And as I said Sleeplessmom's post might be helpful to you too!

Good luck and don't take any old rubbish!!!

(And the tests are not that scary at all - you'll be fine!!)

:) Katkin xxx

miriam.. sorry to hear of your dizziness/pressure problems....hang in there.
an ENT is where most of us start, and they can be helpful in the fact that they can screen out alot of what its NOT. ie. meineres, hearing loss, etc. but for alot of us here too it hasnt necessarily fixed the problems.. BUT DO go and DO have whatever tests done that they say to (as long as your insurance will pay - the tests arent cheap!) and that way at least its documented and you have started. dont be fearful of the tests either. the only one that might cause you some grief is if they have to do the cold water test in your ear for dizziness.. but most everything else please dont worry about. HANG IN THERE>>>> at least you are doing something about it. write back on how it goes, jim

Yes.... absolutely.....what Jim said too ^ LOL
(Sorry my post was a bit useless as I was feeling rotten).

;) Don't worry!
Katkin xxx

Thank you both so much for the answers...I get so frusterated with doctors sometimes. My GP has been on maternity leave most of the time I have been dealing with my ear problems, so I've been seeing other doctors within my network and none of them are much help. In fact the doctor who finally gave me the referral for the ENT, almost didn't do so, all she did was give me a free sample of flonase. I had to insist on the referral. But anyway.......
That dizziness test seems horrible!!! Sometimes when I get the dizziness, I just cry b/c I hate it so much. It is an awful feeling.
I had drainage tubes when I was younger (like 8 years old). And I realized now, that most of my ear problems have only started occuring after I had my baby 13 months ago. I know this may seem really far fetched but does anyone think that is related?? I highly doubt it but you never know...
take care and I'll post tomorrow after my doctor appointment.
Miriam

So my first ENT appointment was horrible. I am so frusterated with doctors right now. I thought by going to an ENT something would get explained to me, or diagnosed. I guess I just had my hopes up. What happened was the ENT only focused on the dizziness I have been feeling. I had to do this horrible bpvertigo test. Where I was laying back in a chair that was almost upside down and look to my right and I had to stay like that till my dizziness started to go away. It was so awful b/c I started to get panicky and after about 5 minutes of being in that position I finally just said it was starting to get better....
Anyway....The doc seemed to basically ignore all my other complaints and symptoms. The whole vertigo thing, my GP has already seen me about months ago so I didn't learn anything new from him.
So when I did ask him why I was having all the pain, pressure, fluid and buzzing in my ears he told me it was an eustasian tube problem...but he didn't offer any relief for it. And for the vertigo he basically told me to sleep in a recliner!!!!!!!!!!! So totally no help! And as I was leaving he told me "well I dont think it's a brain tumor"!!!! what the hell is that to say to someone?? So now I am all worried about that. What if it is??
So now I really have no idea what to do. I seem to get no help from any doctor I go to. Right now I am planning on waiting a few weeks till my GP gets back from maternity leave, see her and tell her what I think I may have and what tests I want to have done. Or at least ask for another referall to a different doctor.
sorry if this is hard to follow...tired and mad..
I hope you all are doing good. Please respond if you have any ideas as to what I should do...
thanks

hi Miriam
So sorry to hear you had to go through all that and get no info. It is very frustrating. I had some of the same kind of stuff happen to me... I was told by the first 2 doctors I saw (one of them an ENT) to take Sudafed and wait a few weeks for all of this to go away. I was later told by another doctor I had Meniere's and I should just medicate myself constantly with antivert.
I ended up filing grievances with my insurance against 2 different doctors, and although I couldn't get back in to see my GP for awhile I talked to a nurse practioner in her office and was able to get a new referral.
Maybe you can talk to someone in your GP's office even though she's still on leave and get yourself a new referral. I haven't been able to see a neuro-oto yet, but I would say that might be the best doc. for you to try to see.

Also, something that helps me which might work for you: when I walk into the doctor's office I have a notebook and a pen with me. In the notebook I have my list of symptoms and questions for the doctor. Everytime I've done this they are much more attentive and spend more time with me. I also try to bring someone in the room with me, a friend or my husband to help give me courage and ask any questions that I might have not thought about.

It's terrible that you have to jump through all these hoops, as if it's not enough to be dizzy all the time... it's a lot of work to be your own advocate, but it's worth it in the end.
Hope you're able to see someone new and get some more info soon.
- Cori

Hi...It must be what they teach 'em in ENT school because my first appt. went the same way...the Doc wouldn't listen to anything I had to say that didn't deal directly with his dizziness questionnaire...drove me nuts.

What is so frustrating is you have all this stuff going on and a million questions and all they want to know is "which direction do you seem to spin?"

But I agree...go on in there with your list and pen and paper and ask them specific things.
Maybe give him one more shot and then don't fuss with it...go right for the neurotologist if you can.
Sorry you are so frustrated. We've all been there. :rolleyes:
Take care :cool: