Hi everyone!
For the last 4 months (some weeks worse than others) ive almost constantly been experiancing an off-balance feeling and a general out-of-it feeling together with nausea. Im still able to do all the things i normally do, but its just more uncomfortable.

I have tinnitus, which ive had i think all my days, which actually has gotten better the last few years (without treatment), lately its just been the same.

I constantly have a blocked nose tho (for about a year now) which drives me mad, but now im starting to feel off-balance and ive had 2 dizzy spells which lasted for about 2 seconds. During the worst times ive also had a pounding headache and a stiff neck.

I also get a cracking sound in my jaw, which ive been told is down to chronic cattarh. Im always popping my ears, sometimes when i do this my hearing seems to clear, altho i would say my hearing is the same as it always was.

Ive not been to the doctors yet as i just keep thinking its going to get better, as soon as i think its gone, it comes back again.

It seems to be better when im busy and my mind is not dwelling on it. Fortuantely ive never actually felt like im going to fall over or anything as severe as that. Any opinions?

Hi Grant,

I'm not a doctor but it sounds to me like the constantly blocked nose is probably playing a part. The congestion going on in your nose could now have made its way in to your ears. A lot of people with allergies and sinus/nose problems develop eustachian tube problems. Although it seems from all of the experiences of people on this message board that it's sometimes difficult to tell the difference between labyrinthitis and eustachian tube dysfunction. Still don't know which I have for sure. If it's been 4 months you should probably visit your GP, they can refer you to an ENT department.

GO TO SEE AN ENT Grant. Go privately if you have to. I have also had the same prob for 4 mths. They diagnosed L'itis. Yours sounds as if it is that too. THOUGH your cracking of the jaw could be a thing called TMJ which causes dizziness.

I have the same off balance, ear popping/clearing symptoms. But I would go and get it checked to see. Let us know what happens.

Hi Grant
I too had a blocked nose for about 8 months before I got labyrinthitis; mostly in the mornings but nothing I could ever blow out. Mentioned this to the ENT, but he just brushed over it. Interesting that someone else has experienced it. My blocked nose has gradually cleared up since I got the labyrinthitis. Never really knew whether it was related.
Otherwise, I had no other symptoms, just the dizziness which after exactly 5 months now is much better. As I've said previously though, I've had good phases before and don't want to get my hopes too high. Make a plan to see a vestibular therapist. I have been doing exercises for the past 3 weeks and I've suddenly started to feel better in the last week. Who knows, perhaps they're working!

I think i will make an appointment with the doctor as soon as. Unfortuately i cant afford private healthcare, so i'll have to wait 4/5 months no doubt on a ENT appointment, hopefully i'll be better by then! but im not holding my breath lol.

I have to say, i feel most uncomfortable whilst im scrolling up and down on the computer watching the screen, makes me instantly feel sick.

Can someone explain the difference between vertigo and just feeling off-balance?

A few years ago i went to see a ENT specialist about my tinnitus, they did the pressure test and hearing test which came back ok, they said not to worry and it probably wont get worse, which thankfully it hasnt.

I just cant believe now im getting this as well!

I am grateful for finding this board as i was beginning to think i was the only one feeling this way!

Its funny that when i have a good day, i dont even notice im having a good day, until i feel bad again!

I suppose ive got to be grateful i can still do the things ive always done, and have never felt like i can't go out, which some of you guys have felt. Hope it dosent get worse, and just gets better! Ill get you informed!

Hi Grant,

Sorry to hear you are not feeling well, but we understand what you are going through.

There is a big difference between feeling unbalanced and vertigo. Do you remember as a child when you would spin yourself around and around then stopped and everything around you was spinning. That's how vertigo feels. Feeling unbalanced is when you feel unsteady when you are walking. You can feel like you're being pulled to one side, or feeling like you are walking on a tightrope. You don't need to feel dizzy to have that feeling.

That's how I started. I felt being pulled to one side for a week before the dizziness started (not vertigo, but sometime borderline). I've been feeling like that now 24/7 for the past 16 months.

Well i went and seen my GP yesterday and not too impressed i have to say. He didnt refer me to an ENT specialist, instead prescribed me a steroid based nasal spray called Beconase which i have to use for a month to clear up the cattarh, funny thing is my nose isnt even blocked as much anymore!

Obviously whenever i mentioned the blocked nose he said i had some cattarh problems. I did explain all the other more distressing symtoms as outlined in my first post, but he never mentioned anything about Ltits or anything else.

He said my ears looked ok from looking, my blood pressure was ok, my heart rate was high tho. Go to get a blood test to make sure some gland is working properly (cant remember which one!)

The headaches and stiff neck im getting he puts down to anxiety. He ignored the out-of-it feeling i was getting. The cracking sound when i swallow apparently means the pressure release mechanism is working ok, so why dosent everyone get this??

I hope the GP is right however, and it just takes this spray to clear things up, but im not hopeful, i have too many of the same symtoms as people on here who have been diagnosed with L' or ETD. I suspect after a month i will be returning to the docs, but i shall give the spray a go.

Hi ... I've had labyrinthitis for 3 months .... my doc also recently gave me beconase nasal spray, as I told him that since I got this virus I've had really bad catarrh, no blocked nose, but excessive post nasal drip and blocked, crunching, crackling ears. I think it's starting to help a bit with the catarrh, but not a huge amount - and has not helped with any of the other symptoms, dizziness, etc...
The problem a lot of us have found is that doctors and even some specialists really don't seem to know a lot about this inner ear stuff. It is so easy for them to put everything down to anxiety/stress,etc... and they dismiss many of your symptoms altogether. To be honest, I'm not sure they like to be asked too many questions!
I have had no headaches (thankfully) but have had really stiff neck some days, probably because of the way I've tensed my whole body in an attempt to control my balance problems.

I, too, have crackling in my right ear every time I swallow - and I know this is not normal, as my left ear does not feel like this!!!

Ruth

hi everyone. i am a 22 year old male and for the last two months i have a feeling of being unbalanced and i dont like to say dizzy cause i know i am not going to fall over but i panic. i have also had neck pains (only in left side of neck and only when i turn my head all the way) but i have severe stress and anxiety probs. i have had those since i was like ten. but lately the whole head feeling fuzzy, ringing ears, nose stopped up somedays, hard to see, and i have also noticed that it is very hard to see without sunglasses on in the day light. i have been to the ER several times. the first time they said that i migh have meningitus.........wrong, the second time they said i might have a sinus infection.........that one was right. however the weird feeling has gotten worse in the last couple of days. i am always not getting enough sleep and i am always stressed and scared i have a real serious prob. i have been having numerous panic attacks. can somebody please help. i am scared out of my mind right now. please help.

I have experinced vertigo/off balance for about 3 months now. I'm always tired, have trouble seeing, i get headaches, i have neck pain, and i'm always nausea. My ent doctor says he believes my problem is due to allerigies. I had a couple of ear test done and they showed that my left ear was 50% weaker then my right ear. It is driving me crazy. Does anybody else feel that way too? I'm going to start vestibular therapy soon, which i decided to do without my ent opinion. I don't know if i should get an second opinion, because he doesn't seem to be very interested in my problem. Does anybody have any advise for me.

mike1 i too have panic attacks, but i've had them since i was little. They seem to have gotten worse since i have had this problem. I also do not get any sleep, but i have to little kids as well. I feel the same way you do, so don't think that you are the only one.

Hi all,

It's been a while since anyone posted in this forum.. I hope you are all ok...

I got this symptons too and I'm a bit scared...

Like some of you my GP has given me the nose spray and completely ignored the fact that my father suffers from meniers disease.. he didn't recomend any specialist just told me to take the spray and said it would take 2 weeks but I don't think hes getting the whole picture..

This is going on for like 2 months but lately due to the vertigo and the "twilight zone" feeling I've been geting this panic attacks too.. The strange thing is that this happens mostly when I'm at work maybe because I don't feel confortable enough to deal with the vertigo and I panic..

I'm goint to see an ANT this week but I would like to know if you guys have any news on this condition so I can throw some stuff at him if he tells me its sinusus or something like that..

Any help would be apreciated,

Thanks

I have had terrible sinus and cattarh problems running alongside the VN that I have now been diagnosed with, some days I have thought that if only I could get rid of the congestion, streaming nose etc., I would feel much better and cope with the dizzies better. I was put on weeks of antibiotics and months of sprays and nothing worked. Then I saw a herbal remedy, pelargonium sidoides, recommended so I gave it a try. You can get it easily in pharmacies or online - I take the tablet not the tincture. As far as I am concerned, it has worked. There has been a huge improvement in my nasal passages and the blocking in my throat has reduced, sometimes there isn't any now. I did 2 courses, give it a try.