Well I'm hoping that someone can shed some light on and maybe relate to how I have been feeling. Ive been seeing my family doctor and an ENT for awhile now and I am not getting any clear answers.

I have been experiencing the following for 3 years now and have these symptoms every day... the severity of them however changes throughout the day and is very unpredictable.

**Brain Fog** (This is the worst and I have it 24/7)

I don't know how else to explain it other than my head feeling cloudy and like im not totally with it... hard to concentrate and think at times. My eyes feel heavy and vission feels like im staring at static on a television screen.

**Dizzy/Off-Balance**

Often when im walking I will have these spells where all of a sudden my head goes for a spinner and I will grab ahold of something to make sure I dont fall down. Also, moving objects... cars, trains, etc... makes my diziness 10x worse. Being in loud and crowded areas ofter intensifies these feelings.

**Disoriented**

I usually feel disoriented to some degree throughout the day, but its at its worst when im sleeping at night. I wake up in the night and will lay in bed which seems like forever trying to fall back to sleep, sometimes I feel like im almost paralyzed and can't move. If I get out in the night to go to the washroom I feel very clumsy and I bump into things.

The worst part of this is trying to sleep and not being able to... I feel like im lying in bed for hours and hours, but im not all with it. almost like im half asleep, half awake... its weird.

**Anxiety**

The anxiety is usually when my other symptoms are really bad, and also whem im having problems sleeping.

I haven't had anyone tell me that my ears are the cause of all this, well my family doctor thinks it is but says there is nothing that you can do. He sent me to an ENT who ive been seeing for over a year... all he has done is surgery on my nose to correct a deviated septum. The surgery made no difference what so ever. Now he has me going for allergy shot, which isnt doing anything either.

Ohh... one more thing. My nose is always plugged... but only one nostil at a time, it alternates back and forth... I yawn alot and get very congested closer to the end of the night.

I would appreciate any insight into how im feeling. It would be nice to know that all of what im feeling isn't just happening to me.

Thanks.

Hi
I can relate to all of the symptoms you describe. Did you have your hearing checked?
I suffer from sensorineural hearing loss which started from an unilateral sinus problems.
Can relate to the blocked nose (one side) and the sleeping problems. I nearly went mad and not sleeping makes everything worse.
The only thing that brought some relief for me in that area was acupuncture. Not an alternative medicine person myself but I was desperate.
The blocked nose also prevents you from sleeping, acupuncture assisted a little on that too.
The off balance and crowded places issues - still suffering...

Feel well
Anaty

Definitely sounds like your problems are inner ear related. You have all the classic symptoms.

Where are you located? If you are in the UK like me you won't really find many answers with your ENT. They do not know enough about this inner ear stuff and to me they just don't seem interested enough. Have you had any tests done?

With inner ear disorders, the ear which has been damaged is sending dodgy signals to the brain which confuses your brain and results in you feeling off balance, dizzy, etc. Anxiety is also a part of the illness.

You need to get some VRT and start doing the exercises. I must admit that I haven't done many exercises but I do a lot of walking, even when I am not feeling good, and I keep active. Don't walk around with your head in one position, terrified to move, because your brain will not compensate for the damage done. I sincerely believe that self help is the only way out of this and keeping a positive attitude helps a great deal too.

I hope you feel better soon.


Mac2

I agree with Mac...it does sound like an inner ear problem. I can say I have had most of those symptoms...the brain fog, disequilibrium..on and on.

Again like Mac said...VRT and keeping on the go is the way to encourage the brain to compensate. When you are not feeling well...the more we challenge our brains to compensate..the more that brain fog comes. The idea is...that after challenging our brains enough...we will rewire them from the ear damage...and the symptoms will go away or diminish to where we can fully get back into life.

I think most of us have felt all your symptoms at some time, Inner ear problems are very difficult to diagnose, the VRT and keeping active do definately help, although the effort at times can seem to much to cope with. Stay positive, focus on one thing at a time and don't give in to the symptoms, stretch them to breaking point and they will seem to subside. The anxiety is the worst one for me.
Jayne

Nope never had my hearing checked. Would having a hearing test be a good place to start?


Hi
I can relate to all of the symptoms you describe. Did you have your hearing checked?
I suffer from sensorineural hearing loss which started from an unilateral sinus problems.
Can relate to the blocked nose (one side) and the sleeping problems. I nearly went mad and not sleeping makes everything worse.
The only thing that brought some relief for me in that area was acupuncture. Not an alternative medicine person myself but I was desperate.
The blocked nose also prevents you from sleeping, acupuncture assisted a little on that too.
The off balance and crowded places issues - still suffering...

Feel well
Anaty

I am in Ontario, Canada. I have had no testing done on my ears whatsoever. I went to my doctor with this problem and then to the ENT who has focused on my nose for over a year now. He looked in my ears for a min. and said I have excellent eardrums. Thats all.


Definitely sounds like your problems are inner ear related. You have all the classic symptoms.

Where are you located? If you are in the UK like me you won't really find many answers with your ENT. They do not know enough about this inner ear stuff and to me they just don't seem interested enough. Have you had any tests done?

With inner ear disorders, the ear which has been damaged is sending dodgy signals to the brain which confuses your brain and results in you feeling off balance, dizzy, etc. Anxiety is also a part of the illness.

You need to get some VRT and start doing the exercises. I must admit that I haven't done many exercises but I do a lot of walking, even when I am not feeling good, and I keep active. Don't walk around with your head in one position, terrified to move, because your brain will not compensate for the damage done. I sincerely believe that self help is the only way out of this and keeping a positive attitude helps a great deal too.

I hope you feel better soon.


Mac2

Where does one find out about VRT? Is there a place on the net where I can learn these exercises or are they something that have to be done with a doctor. And if I need to be reffered to a doctor for this what should I be asking my family doctor for.

Thanks for the encouragement and strength guys!

Hi Jr

After visiting my ENT for months I was finally given a sheet with gaze stability exercises and balance exercises which was no different to anything I had previously seen on the internet. I certainly didn't get a personal plan tailored just for me! So I don't think you necessarily have to go through your doctor for them.


You will find these exercises in the sticky at the top of the inner ear disorders board. Just click on 'information archive' and scroll down to Vestibular Rehabilitation emedicine. These exercises may make you feel worse but that is what they are supposed to do. Good Luck!


Mac2

Hi I went through my doc and visited a physio at my local hospital, who put me through a load of tests and came up with a plan to work on and extend as things got better, still early days and I have a contact number if I get "stuck" or I'm concerned, and for the sake of 1/2 hour every month for her to check I'm doing them correctly it seems to be working ok. They are probably the same as the ones you can get of the net, but tailored to what effects me more.
Of course here in the UK we have the NHS so there is no outlay for the physio as we pay in national insurance.
Hope this help.
Jayne

I believe you can get a list from the VEDA website. They list physical therapists in different areas who do this type of thing.