Well, I guess it's good news (in a way), but I got a call from my doctor yesterday and he told me my VNG test (Videonystagmography) was totally normal and it didn't show any inner ear/balance issues. I just KNEW he was going to tell me that!! At the end of the message he just said, "It must have been just a viral labyrinthitis thing that is healing". Argggggggg!! As with many of you, all of the tests I have taken thus far show that there is nothing wrong (VNG, blood tests, thyroid tests, CT Scan, etc.) but we ALL KNOW there is something going on!!

I have been floating around 85% for the past couple of weeks (yay) but unfortunately for the past two days I have had sort of a "blip" and have gotten a little unbalanced, stomachache (diarrhea) and headache (mostly on right side), insomnia, anxiety, popping ears (more than usual), tight jaws, etc. But then again, the blip wasn't a total surprise because I know that a lot of you experience them too (hope you are feeling better soon Scott).

So, since my balanace test showed "normal" (yeah, right), I guess I need to pursue some other things that I was planning on doing (TMJD specialist and hormone specialist). Those are the other two routes that may be causing this FREAK illness. ????

Please do share your thoughts about your VNG and ENG tests - did they come back normal too?

Maybe this is a good thing and you have been feeling 85% maybe you are healing!!

Wow, your "blip" sounds like EXACTLY what I had about 3 weeks ago. Popping ears, slight nausea/diarrhea, slight headache on right side, unbalanced, the whole thing! Since I didn't have true "spins" I attributed the gastro difficulties to anxiety about the whole thing, but I think they may be all related! I haven't had a ENG test this time around but will be seeing a neurotologist next week and expect that he may order some tests like it. However, I've been feeling pretty good for the last week or so and thus I'm hoping that the VRT's are helping and I'm not just imagining things.

Anyway, keep up the good fight and take care. Like stated before, maybe you're healing, and that's a good thing!

Dan

Let's keep each other posted hero, so we can see if we have the same thing! I haven't done any VRT's yet because I didn't know what the VNG tests would show. Since it showed as normal, I guess I don't necessarily need to do the VRT's, but on the other hand, it wouldn't hurt, would it?

I wonder if your neurotologist will order an ENG or VNG test for you. If you aren't feeling that bad and are not spinning/dizzy, it will most likely show as normal too. When I had the test done I was at about 80%. I sometimes wonder if I had the test done at my lowest points (30-40%) if it would have showed something different.

Do you grind your teeth at night and/or have TMJD? Just wondering if our "blip symptoms" could be related to it.

missy...my ent/pt say that many who have normal ENT test still have inner ear issues. The ent only tests part of the vestibular system.

Thanks for that Charlotte! I truly believe that I do have something going on in my inner ear. I mean really, I can hear popping everytime I swallow and that just isn't normal.

You are totally right and I will also pursue the Neuro-Otologist specialist around here because the ENT guy doesn't know much about inner ear stuff. Thanks!

Missy, Charlotte is so right. A neurologist is the best to goto. Hope all is well!!

I had normal VNG and numerous other ENT tests (as well as neurological and blood tests) despite suffering from dizzyness, tinnitus etc. Never been oficially diagnosed but it is thought (mainly by a neurologist) that I had viral labs. I also know that something was/is going as I still have tinnitus and popping/crackling sound in my left ear when I swallow. The ENT guy was pretty useless, he just wanted to make sure that my tinnitus wasn't due to acoustic neuroma... my MRI was clear so he just told me that he had no idea what was going on but it would go away one day...

All my tests i was told were "within normal ranges" so I think were are confirming one thing, that the tests don't work to diagnose what it is we have.
Hope this helps.
Jayne

miron/sherrif - Well, we're definitely in the same boat and I tend to agree about the ENT being useless. I guess what he DID do is rule out some stuff - like hearing loss. I do not have any hearing issues. Which is great. But the bottom line is that I DO have something going on and if it is/was viral labyrinthitis, I sure hope it goes away soon. It started in March, dissipated in April, came back with a veangence in May, and I am just scarily teetering here in June to see what happens. I have some good days where I think "PHEW! It's finally going away!", and then I have some bad days or "blips" like today where I woke up feeling sort of "off" (headachy, off balance, cruddy in general). I had plenty of sleep, am avoiding all of the "bad" stuff (caffeine, alcohol, migraine triggers, etc.) and I STILL wake up feeling hungover. DANG it's frustrating.

If it comes back super hard like it did in May when it put me bed-bound and out of work, I'm going to have to go see a Neuro-Otologist for sure and just give up on the ENT guy who basically said the same thing that he did to you miron. It will just go away on it's own - sometime....someday....

I just had my ENG testing done today and all preliminary results are in the normal range.

I am going back to my ENT next week so she can review the results and give me a hearing test.

Cold & warm air blown into my ear canals was the worst...The object is to make you feel dizzy and then measure your eye movements. I felt like I was falling off the table when they were doing it and, of course, they couldn't get the correct response from my left ear so they had to keep doing it over & over.:dizzy:

I had to call my bf when I got out of there because I physically had a problem getting to my car. My speech was slurred and I felt like I was going to pass out right there in the parking lot.

I completely sympathize with you and I will never do one of those tests again if I can avoid it. I had to grip onto the guerney HARD because I thought I was going to tumble off too. My heart started pounding and it was just aweful, aweful, aweful! And then to have the test come back normal left me kind of feeling like it was a waste of stress. But I know, I know, I had to do it.

Let's keep each other posted hero, so we can see if we have the same thing! I haven't done any VRT's yet because I didn't know what the VNG tests would show. Since it showed as normal, I guess I don't necessarily need to do the VRT's, but on the other hand, it wouldn't hurt, would it?

I wonder if your neurotologist will order an ENG or VNG test for you. If you aren't feeling that bad and are not spinning/dizzy, it will most likely show as normal too. When I had the test done I was at about 80%. I sometimes wonder if I had the test done at my lowest points (30-40%) if it would have showed something different.

Do you grind your teeth at night and/or have TMJD? Just wondering if our "blip symptoms" could be related to it.

Actually, I'm pretty sure that I DO clench/grind at night, but not certain (never asked the dentist about it). As for the VRT's I'm sure they're helping as I think it is just a matter of getting the vest. system back to "normal" from having a BPPV or VN episode. My main question for the neurotologist is "do I really have a cyst in my head and if so is it causing these symptoms?" If yes, it's brain surgery time for me, I'm afraid. But I'm betting that it ISN'T the cause because from what I've read there should be other, different symptoms and they certainly wouldn't be getting better. But who knows?! I'll surely keep the board updated after my appointment, which is next Thursday (had to wait nearly a month to see this guy; it better be worth it!)

Take care,
Dan

I forgot to mention this funny thing (actually, I'm not sure if its funny--but it goes to show how our ear disorder can really throw us off)...

When the dr. was having a problem putting the air in my ear, he started asking me questions to take my mind off the dizziness..

He said: Tell me names of cars...

I said: Ford, Nissan, Acura..........Ford..........

He then took the tubes out and put them back in again and said:

Tell me girl's names

I said: Madison..........

He said: Yes? Others?

I said:.......I don't know any more.......

I couldn't even come up with one single name besides my own....

I was asked to come up with names of cities starting with a particular letter. The result was the same, it was the last thing on my mind at that time as I was concentrating on trying not to throw up, so I struggled to come up with any.

I had another "complication" :) cold and warm water (not air) was poured in my ears and at one moment I got a bit of it behind the shirt's collar... so I was lying there in cold sweat, dizzy, in wet shirt... I get dizzy just thinking about it...

Ha ha ha ha!! But both of you made me laugh (even though I'm sure at the time it was not funny at ALL)!!! My doc didn't ask me anything and I'm glad he didn't because I would have just moaned back some non-sensical grunts.

It was so horrible, I remember after the cold air test, when he told me he had to do the tests again in each ear with warm air I seriously almost started weeping.