Hi everyone:) I am new here and I am so happy that I found this board. Its great that everyone on here is so supportive of each other.

Here's my story:
When I was 12 years old, I got a very bad sinus infection. A couple of weeks later, I woke up feeling so lightheaded (not like the room was spinning), but more internal dizziness. I could barely stand up. I thought that it would go away on its own, but over the next three days, it got worse. I was panicing and I went to the doctor. They didn't find anything wrong with me and they said that I had vertigo. They said it should resolve itself in a few weeks. Well it didnt. It was three months later and I still had it as bad as the day I first got it. My parents brought me to get and MRI and nothing showed up. I saw a neurologist and a cardiologist...nothing abnormal there. No one could figure out why vertigo would last this long. Gradually, over a two year period, the vertigo finally went away. I felt completely normal again. I even could exercise and dance without feeling the least bit dizzy. I thought my troubles were behind me. I had been symptom-free for 4 years. Then, last week I got a virus that caused me to have a very sore throat and I was coughing alot. I had a fever of 101. I also felt the dizziness again. The doctor examined me and said that it appears that I have an ear infection and he gave me Bactrim. I have been taking the medication for 5 days now and have seen no real improvement in the congestion and certainly none in the dizziness. I am having panic attacks as well because I fear that the illness that caused me years of misery is back and I am afraid that it will not go away within the normal 1-3 week time frame. Does this seem like a sign that permanent damage to my inner ear has occured? Am I in for another two year bout? I feel so scared and depressed. Any support or advice is greatly appreciated. hugs and kisses.:)


oh and this is really random, but do you guys find that riding in a car makes the symptoms disappear (temporarily)? It works for me and I never understood why.

Before you talk yourself into a panic ...at least wait until your course of antibiotic is finished then see how you feel. You might need a second course of antibiotic. My husband has chronic ear aches with severe dizziness at least once or twice a year and he normally needs a full month of Bactrim to get over it(two two week courses) . Perhaps you were misdiagnosed the last time and you should of had some Bactrim. Can't hurt to try taking it for awhile. good luck.

Hi everyone:) Gradually, over a two year period, the vertigo finally went away. I felt completely normal again. I even could exercise and dance without feeling the least bit dizzy. I thought my troubles were behind me. I had been symptom-free for 4 years.
Meggie
Upper respiratory infections, like sinusitis, are thought to be a contributory factor in vestibular neuritis and labrynthitis and so maybe that is what caused your original vertigo problem. I had a terrible sinus infection as the same time as I got what has now been diagnosed as vn. A good number of people recover from these problems quickly but as you have realised from reading this board, a lot don't and a recovery period of two years, as you seem to have had, is not unusual and for lots of people it is much longer. I am now at 2 years and 4 months and I have had more improvement in the last four months than in the previous two years. What is happening during the recovery period is that your brain is compensating for the muddled signals it is getting from the damaged vestibular system and this can be speeded up by doing vestibular rehabilitation exercises.

Then, last week I got a virus that caused me to have a very sore throat and I was coughing alot. I had a fever of 101. I also felt the dizziness again.
For some reason a recurrence of a virus does seem to trigger a decompensation episode and you get symptomatic again.

Does this seem like a sign that permanent damage to my inner ear has occured? Am I in for another two year bout? I feel so scared and depressed. Any support or advice is greatly appreciated. hugs and kisses.:).
Sadly, if the original problem was vn then it is quite likely that the damage is permanent but it does seem that as time passes, and the brain is better compensated, repeat attacks are both less frequent, less severe and recovery is quicker. This has definitely been the case for me. For someone as young as you I am certain you will get 100% compensated - stay active, try and get to a vestibular therapist who can teach you the exercises.

oh and this is really random, but do you guys find that riding in a car makes the symptoms disappear (temporarily)? It works for me and I never understood why.
I drive a lot and long distance and although my vertigo has been of the severe spinning kind with lots of vomiting I have never had a single bad moment in the car. I feel completely stable - I decided it is because the gaze is quite stable and you focus a bit in the distance and not up close.
good luck and I hope you feel better soon.

Hi, Meggie--

I just wanted to let you know that a friend of mine with BPPV always felt better while she was driving in the car, but not as it slowed down or stopped. She was seeing a top vestibular therapist, who explained to her that this has something to do with the BPPV problem...with the crystals in her ear. People who have VN (as it sounds like you might have had) are more likely to develop BPPV. If your dizziness doesn't go away with the medicine, you might want to explore the BPPV possibility with a neurotologist.

Good luck!

--Violet

Thank you so much everyone. You have all been so helpful and I am feeling more calm now.

Hi meggie

As everyone said, you might got VN years ago, due to the infection, this could leave you with some kind of dysfunction, which even as it is physically permanent, you can recover in full as it never happened.

Your age, physical activity and treatment of your current infection will help a lot too, take care of that problem first, cause you might have become a lil' bit more sensitive, inner ear speaking, to viral or bacterial infection's effect on your ear, giving you a temporal bout of symptoms that will almost surely recede with the resolution of your infection.

Don't panic, stay active, after you get rid of the virus/bacteria, and be cool, it's ultra highly not probable that you get a second round.

BPPV(a benign, easy to treat when diagnosed dizziness) is also a alight possibility, but I wouldn't go there before you get rid of the infection, and only i f you're still having trouble.

On riding in cars, I'm completely with you, I've only got some trouble with tunnels, and for any weird reason with a sudden stop after I start driving, let us say to the first light, after that, even if I'm woozy sitting or on foot, I tend to feel better while in motion on the car.

Maybe the sense of motion masks the little unbalance we might have or feel while we're still, I think this because I also feel a little bit better walking than standing os sitting still when I'm dizzy.

Back to you, don´t worry I'm sure you'll feel better after the infection is over, take care.