Please help!
I have a 6 month history of severe dizziness/vertigo along with migraines and cluster headaches. I have seen two specialist, a neurologist and ENT surgeon. My neurologist tried me on some long term medication plus oxygen for the migraines and cluster headaches. The tablets just made my face numb so stop taking them, and the cluster headaches stopped on their own. Leaving me with the biggest problem of the dizziness/vertigo. My neurologist thinks its either vestibular neuritis or vestiblular migraine, and my ENT surgeon, whom I have a emergency appointment with tomorrow due to having shooting pains in my ears is thinking along the lines of menieres disease. My other symtoms are, some hearing lose at the lower tone end (had tests) and occasional buzzing in my ears. I am currently taking SERC and stemil for my dizziness and sumatriptan injections for my migraines (which I have improved) I have also had MRI which came back normal.
ANY HELP OR VIEWS PLEASE
Hi
the loss of low tones on your hearing test might be an indicator of Menieres, all my recent hearing tests have shown no low end loss so my diagnosis was vn. If it is Menieres I think it can be very managed these days, serc is often used to help lower ear pressure by increasing blood flow but I don't think you should be on stemetil long term, it is a vestibular suppressant. I know someone who started with unilateral Menieres 20 years ago and although she is now deaf in the affected ear all the vertigo and dizziness burnt itself out and she has been dizzy-free for 18 years and has been able to work normally and bring up a family.
If you want a second opinion you should try to get referred to a neuro-otologist who are the specialists for inner ear and dizzy problems. Where are you in the UK?
I wanted to add that I think vestibular migraine can also cause hearing loss of the low tones (perhaps usually fluctuating loss?), just to make it all more confusing...
Thanks for the replies!
As mentioned I was seeing my ENT surgeon today. He has now said he is pretty certian that I have Vestibular migraines. I don't understand the full workings of it (although I should given that I've worked for the NHS for 18years!!!!) So if anyone has a good knowledge of these kind of migraines I would love to hear about it. Strangely though, my migraines have settled down abit, but the vertigo/dizziness hasn't.
Hi there--the Heal Your Headache book is a good place to start..also check out the stickies on this board (top of page)...finally, Dr. Hain has many online information pages. You can also search this board for lots of discussion on it; usually called MAV or migraine associated vertigo here...
Hi again, Julie--I actually recently found a good article on MAV...search this board for "MAV Medical Management"...it is a study from 10 years ago, but covers a lot about the condition...
Violet
