ENT :: Perilymph Fistula Or Middle Ear Fluid?
Nov 23, 2013
I was hoping for some advice on a problem that I've had for 3 years. My main problem has been on and off vertigo and imbalance, however I don't think I have rotational vertigo because most of the time I just feel like inside my head is spinning? It also feels as if the ground is sinking beneath me.
Dizziness started 3 years ago, about 2 months after a serious bout of the flu which took months to recover from. At the time my ears were extremely blocked and I would do the Valsalva maneuver to help unclog my ears. It wasn't until now that I discovered you aren't supposed to do that? Anyway my dizziness was consistent 24/7 for nearly 1 year, at which time my symptoms seemed to disappear. As of April this year my symptoms returned.
Over the years I have been to numerous GP's, ENT's, neurologist, and all of which were unsure of what was going on. Most of them have said they don't believe it's Meniere's disease. My main GP said I DIDN'T have fluid in my middle ears, however since then 2 GP's have both confirmed that I DO.
Current symptoms:
Brain fog
Dizziness/vertigo
My ears feel wet in the morning. Not enough to wet pillow
Tinnitus in both ears, slightly more prominent on the left side
Fatigue
Difficulty concentrating/problems with memory
Tingling/electric shock feeling on left side of scalp behind left ear
Anxiety
GERD and gastritis
A couple of things seem to exacerbate these symptoms, such as anxiety, hot and humid weather, having a hot shower (I now have to have cold showers, before I would have to sit down), menstrual cycle.
So I am pretty convinced that I either have a perilymph fistula or middle ear fluid. I have been using Nasonex for a couple of months which seemed to improve symptoms but now I am starting to feel worse again. My now current GP has suggested Ventilation tubes/grommets, however if I actually have a perilymph fistula will this improve symptoms or not have any benefit at all? I also have been prescribed SERC but I do not think it will help, as 2 years ago I took it and it made my symptoms WORSE.
I am wondering if I may have damaged my ears years ago when I had the flu by constantly trying to pop my ears. I have been allergy tested for Molds, grass, pet dander and dust mites, all negative. I have also been tested for MS which was negative, and all the routine blood tests etc. MRI showed I have a mid-septal deviation (my nose isn't straight) and previously enlarged adenoids, but apparently was of no clinical significance.
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My story is as follows: about a month ago, I began having ear pain that would alternate between ears. After a few days of this, the pain settled in my right ear, where I developed both pain and fullness that persisted for about two weeks. My ear constantly had the sensation that it needed to "pop," such as what one experiences when on an airplane. I went to my GP after a week of these sensations, who told me that it was likely Eustachian Tube Dysfunction and that it would resolve soon. She prescribed decongestants, antihistamines, and a steroid nasal spray. I took Sudafed and Allegra (but not the spray, as I am scared of steroids) but they did not seem to help.
Well, in the meantime, my blocked ear was annoying the crap out of me, so I decided to go online and look for some home remedies to try. One thing that I found was something called the Valsalva maneuver, in which you close your mouth, pinch your nose and blow out against closed airways to unblock the ear. I tried this several times over the course of a few days in attempts to get my ear to unblock. Most times it was difficult to get the right ear to "pop," and even when it did, it did not alleviate my symptoms.
Shortly after trying this maneuver, however, I read that the Valsalva maneuver can actually DAMAGE your inner ear and cause a perilymph fistula if done too forcefully. (I don't think I did it too forcefully, but I can't be sure.) Learning this sent me into a panic, and ever since, I have been experiencing a vague, constant dizziness that lasts all day. I have had trouble focusing my eyes and it feels, at times, like my brain is being sucked up and out of my skull (sorry). In the meantime, the sensation of fullness and pain in my right ear has improved greatly, but I am still being plagued by this constant dizziness. This dizziness has been present for a full week now. I have no sensitivity to loud noises, no hearing loss, and no episodes of vertigo. I do have a bit of wooziness when I am a passenger in a car, and I have felt extremely, unnaturally ill and fatigued throughout this ordeal. For those of you who have had PLF, does this sound like it could be a possible PLF? Is it even likely that I acquired a PLF after performing the Valsalva Maneuver?
Thank you so much for your help. I am hoping and praying that this dizziness is a fluke and not related to a PLF or inner ear damage, but the possibility scares the ****** out of me, regardless. I have had an extremely stressful year between losing my job, acquiring a crippling hip injury, and dealing with a host of other health issues, and the possibility of chronic dizziness is not something I feel capable of dealing with at this point.
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Anyone out there had this surgery? I'm in week 3 and wondering what to expect going forward.
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To cut a long story short - mid August 2014 I did a sinus rinse for chronically blocked sinuses. It went very wrong and I ended up with water trapped in my left middle ear. It didn't come out by itself and the pain and pressure was getting too much. I saw a GP and we agreed on using a nasal balloon to equalise the ears and try to get the water out. I also tried a few valsalva actions.
One day (first week of September), I was using the balloon when I felt a painful loud click in my right ear. This is where my real problems started.
I now deal with: constant tinnitus in right ear, dizziness, vertigo, some nausea, really bad head pressure, auras, vibrations and buzzy feelings throughout body, deep pain in ear - can almost feel blood or fluid in right ear.
Saw GP and it is a suspected Perilymph Fistula of the round window in the inner ear. I am seeing an ENT privately, hopefully in the next 2 weeks. Thing is, I am in England, UK and I am worried that they don't really deal with PLFs. Then I will be stuffed!
I am currently doing as much bed rest as I can as I read online this is best at this stage. I am however very very worried about what has happened. I am worried about leaking CSF fluid too. I certainly have enough head pressure.
Can this really heal with bed rest or do I need surgery? Also, I am scared about my tinnitus getting worse with surgery. Anyone who has had PLF repair surgery, what was the outcome? Did your tinnitus get worse or better in the end? Did the head pressure go? Has anyone recovered just with bed rest?
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I am going through a possible plf and trying to talk to people who know about these. Please if you are still around I'd love to talk. There are very few people out there and. Very little information.
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In the spring of 1990 after a chronic right middle ear infection, I began having bad vertigo, nausea, and disequilibrium problems. I saw the ENT recommended by my PCP and after testing that came back normal was scheduled for exploratory surgery. A perilymph fistula was visualized and patched. Recovery was normal with some slight dizziness continuing for a few months and then resolving. Postoperative testing revealed no loss of hearing from the surgery and I was released from care to resume normal life.
Fast forward to March 2014, severe disequilibrium, tinnitus, and noticeable hearing loss brought me back to the same ENT (A relief, as he remembers me as being his only visually confirmed PLF) Testing showed hearing in the right ear normal but not as good as the unaffected left ear, other testing showed a possible recurrence of a PLF in the the same ear (right). I am scheduled for surgery on April 30, 2014.
There was nothing during this time that would account for the fistula to recur, no heavy lifting, head trauma, air travel, upper respiratory illness, etc. He feels that I may have a predisposition to increased pressure in my inner ear that causes the fistula to recur. Has anyone heard of this? And, if so, why would it take 24 years to happen again?
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Though I am actually considering that I have something called basilar migraines, which in many ways can mimic fistulas, I want to make sure that there is no chance of small bilateral fistulas in my ears.
Essentially, I have had progressive hearing loss for 11 months now, along with a number of other symptoms that began to flare up in August. I have a history of 3 separate acoustic traumas that occurred earlier last year, and I have heard that under extraordinary circumstances acoustic traumas can cause fistulas at the oval window.
My triggers have included loudish noise above 80 decibels, middle ear pressure changes from flying on an airplane or wearing earplugs, strenuous exercise, lifting heavy objects, and clenching my teeth too hard at one point (I was angry).
Most times when I have an extended exposure to any of these factors, I am usually left with a small degree of permanent bilateral hearing loss. I am also often left with dizziness/imbalance symptoms, rocking boat vertigo, roaring or very high pitched tinnitus, parathesia in my hands and feet, pressure headaches that start at the temples and migrate to the sinuses, pressure behind my eyes and occasional aura, hyperacusis, middle ear myoclonus (muscle fluttering), feelings of cold liquid deep in my ears, and on a few occasions, a fuzzy lightheaded feeling that makes me feel I am going to pass out.
Many of these symptoms resolve, but some, like the vertigo and ear fullness, often stay around long term and present in daily episodes.
Do these sound like familiar symptoms to anyone who has (or has had) a PLF? Please do let me know of any similar experiences! Am on the verge of needing hearing aids, so I am trying to get to the root of the problem as soon as possible.
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Around ten years ago I was the victim of a violent crime in which the back of my head hit the cement hard enough to crack the base of my skull in which the doctors said I had brain fluid leaking and caused black eyes, and cause me to lose consciousness. At the time blood was leaking out of my left year. For months after the injury I was very dizzy, ears feel full,had terrible tinnitus and have lost hearing in my left ear only. Eventually the dizziness went away but not the hearing loss or tinnitus. Since the injury I will have times when I "trigger" these same symptoms I had directly after my head injury. If I for example run, jog, look up or down for long periods of times, cough hard, sneeze hard, or basically jar by body in any way. I've been to many doctors who have prescribed many medications mostly to treat migraines and have also been told that they believe it is migraines. Nothing has ever worked. Bed rest and keeping still seems to be the only thing that helps but can take anywhere from a day, to a month to be able to function without symptoms again. This is ruining my life and my career is suffering. I seem to forget things easy and have trouble focusing which was never a problem before my injury. I am ready to be over this and have my life back. Please, anyone with any suggestions or have had these symptoms please help me. Oh and I've also had a few MRIs over these 10 years to rule out brain injuries and Acoustic Neuroma which all came back negative. There are more symptoms not as consistent but these are the usual when I have an "episode.
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I am diagnosed Meniere's but suspecting that I may have Perilymph Fistula....very similar symptoms to Meniere's but cause by trauma-induced leakage of the inner ear.
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I don't have any problem falling asleep, the longest it takes if 20 minutes sometimes. But I ONLY sleep for 5 hours, maybe 6 if I'm lucky. So I try to make myself stay up until 11pm so I can get up at my normal time of 5am. This is very hard because I will usually fall asleep in front of the tv around 9/930.I get up from the couch around 1030/11 and go to my bed, but then wake up at 3 am like clockwork. Last night I fell asleep in front of the tv at 930, got into my bed at 1030, but then woke up at 230! I usually can't fall back asleep either, or maybe dose in and out if I'm lucky. My mind is already awake then.I tried Melatonin years ago, and it worked for the first couple of days to a week. But then I built up a resistance to it and I had to keep increasing the dosage until it didn't help at all anymore.I have gone through different prescribed meds that didn't really work. The one that worked the best(Trazodone) had a side effect that I didn't like(woke up with an extremely dry mouth), and I built up a resistance to that too. I just wanted to see if there were any other meds out there, OTC or prescription, that may work?
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I have been taking this drug for over 6 months now. 40mg twice a day The cluster headaches that have plagued my life are now down to a bare minimum.....(not totally gone away) and manageable.
HOWEVER! I have gained about 1.5 stone in weight, particularly around my middle. This is highly unusual for me.
My GP states this is NOT a recognised side effect and I simply must be eating more due to feeling better! As my eating habits have not changed at all, I find this very hard to accept. If I am to take this drug for the rest of my days, At this rate I will be enormous! this is only a temporary side effect?
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I am a female that is 23 and I am quite overweight (BMI around 47). I would like to know if I am experiencing angina or if it could be something else. My stomach doctor has ruled out a hiatal hernia. I've also had EKGs and two heart ultrasounds and they were all fine.
So the symptom I'm having is just sharp pain in the middle of my chest. It comes and goes, but is frequent. I've been having this since I woke up about 11am and it is 4:30p now. I've not felt right all day. I've been to sleep twice since I woke up and still it is happening. I've been having a little trouble breathing as well. My forehead felt weird this morning too. I couldn't describe how it felt to my mother.
There is a clinic nearby and I don't know whether I should go to it. Every time they do a test on me for anything, it is always negative. I just don't want to make them waste their time or make myself look like a fool/hypochondriac.
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Hi Does anyone experience upper right/ middle intermittent throb 24 hours after having a drink. Just a pint of cider or two glasses of wine can do it. Normal lft and low ggt, fatty liver diagnosed couple of years ago, only had odd drink since thanks
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What can cause a fistula between the urethra and anus
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I have been diagnosed recently with this as an adult. I am a little confused as my pain is in my upper abdomen, right in the middle, about 2 inches above my belly button and below the ribs. Anyone else get pain here?
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Had this condition for about 1 year blood tests do not show any problem so why is this happening?
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I am a 49 year old woman and I have a 8mm noncalcified nodule in the middle lobe of my right lung. For some reason, it does NOT show up on an X-ray but it was found on a CT. Shouldn't it show on an x-ray also?? The ER found it by accident...they thought I had a blood clot that had travelled to my lung...nope! It's a nodule. It was found 51 weeks ago and I did have another scan 2 months after it was found and there was no change in the size. But, since I don't have health insurance, I have been unable to have another CT scan as recommended (every 3 months). My husband makes too much money for us to qualify for any financial assistance but we can't afford a pulmonologist or scan. I have been a smoker for 30 years and I do get backaches and I can't do much without getting short of breath but that doesn't mean it's cancer. My main question is why is it not showing on an X-ray...I've had 2 since they found it on a CT scan so unless it mysteriously disappeared, I don't understand. I have been checked for histoplasmosis and other things like that and they were all negative. Can anyone tell me why it's not apparent on a chest x-ray???? Thanks!!
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I have had a rectal fistula diagnosed via colonoscopy. I have zero problems with it and would not have known I had it. From the operative report:
"midline anal fistula which was superficial with minimal amount of muscle involved within the fistula".
The surgeon said it should be fixed.
Why can't I just leave it alone? Do these ever go away on their own?
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Now 22 , at the age of 13 , i started to have urination difficulties , standing in front of the toilet for about an hour , feeling the urge to urinate even though i know at the same time that my bladder is almost empty and finally a drop or two come , it continued for about a year then it was gone , for the last three years i have been having the habit of excessive masturbation ( sometimes 4 times per day ) , most of the time i go directly into sleep after masturbation , and as result the usual need to urinate after masturbation is suppressed and the urine is retained till i woke whereas i feel its reflux in the ureter , during this period whenever i go to sleep with full bladder ( regardless after masturbation or not ) , the urge to empty my bladder never woke me up , but what came up recently that i started to drink half liter of beer before i go into sleep directly every night for the last 3 days , yesterday i felt my prostate hard as rock , this sensation is mild so far , it is expressed more when i sit on something hard or try to urinate , now today this morning when masturbated after 2 days of cutting masturbation off , this mild sensation became to increase , then afterward masturbation when i try empty my bladder i felt more pain and couldn't pass urine , when i tried about 2 hours later , i managed to do it hardly after i tried to strain my bladder , whereas during these 2 hours i felt urine retention but with much less of the natural urge which drive you to the bathroom but i still feel the pain of reflux at up the ureters , the one thing which is so clear , that my pain is expressed from the prostate as hardening or feeling it like a rock , with mild sensation of burning . Also i think it is important to mention that at the age of 15 i got " pilonidal sinus " and underwent surgery to remove it but , i stopped checking it for the last 5 years and i have been feeling it pain coming back for about a year or more , but i ignored it , whereas i am referring that i may have a case of prostatitis with infection originated from the fistula , i also doubt it may be prostate cancer , even i know the chances of having it at such age is almost nil , this is why i am thinking to take the test of " PSA "
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one week ago injured my middle finger and recieved a cut on top of my knuckle. seemed to be healing ok then out of no where yesterday it sweeled up. very painfull if moved or if i reach in my pocket. no oosing any fluid please help!
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My doctor had me get a sonogram because she thought I may have endometriosis. While this wasn't true, I do have fluid in my uterus, and on top of that, my thyroid levels have dropped just over the past month. I think I may be pregnant, and my doctor seems to agree with me, but I'm not sure. I'm only nineteen. Are there any other reasons this stuff is happening or could it be that I'm pregnant?
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