Inner Ear Infection

[mmushr00m]

Hi all

I was recently diagnosed with vertigo as a result of an inner ear infection.

I was told by a doctor at Bumrungrad that in was a viral infection.

His explanation was that a normaly benign virus in my inner ear got activated and thats what has been causing my bouts with dizziness/vertigo and nausea. And since its viral theres nothing that can be done, it'll switch off by itself.

That was a couple of months a go or more. He gave me some anti nausea pills etc. It went away, well today its back.

I was wondering if BMs know any tricks or techniques where I can reduce the dizziness, vertigo and nausea while I am at work. I have tried searching online and that only made me more nauseous....

Thanks

MM

[lioness]

Sometimes these viral infections are hard to clear up. My friend had a similar thing, got some sulphur based ear drops Sofradex is one brand, and at the same time got a perscription for some Stemetil tablets for the vertigo, use as directed. It was gone within a few days and has not returned in 5 months.

[mmushr00m]

Thanks, the doctor gave me some pills to take so i dont vomit in my shoes.

But I dont want to be be popping pills all the time. The worse part is that it comes and goes.

[Old Man River]

Thanks, the doctor gave me some pills to take so i dont vomit in my shoes.

But I dont want to be be popping pills all the time. The worse part is that it comes and goes.

While you pretty much get good doctors across the board at Bamrungrad, you should be aware that they only have one doctor on staff that specializes in vertigo and other balance disorders, and that is Dr. Saowaros. If you do make an appointment with her, her hours are 1:30 PM until 6 PM (different from what is listed on their website), and she does not take appointments (it is first come first serve). She said that this is because she never knows how long a patient will take, especially new patients. Hence, with her, it isn't the 10-15 minute in and out routine.

She is on the third floor in the EENT section of the old building. Some patients go to the hospital at 7 and 8AM so they can register earlier and then come back. Otherwise, you can be #15 on the list. She is popular.

[relayer]

This might sound strange but if you're ingesting any considerable amount of aspartame I would suggest you stop and then see if the symptoms go away in a week or two. Anti-viral pills are useless, as you've just learned, and will not tackle the root of the problem in this case.

Vertigo is one of the known side-effects of aspartame poisoning. I had the same problem and when I found out how bad aspartame was from some research I did, I immediately ceased all forms of intake (including sugar-less gum) and my vertigo went away shortly thereafter and has never come back.

I also had another recurring, aspartame-related symptom disappear upon ceasing of all intake of this poison: periodic squiggly/wavy lines that would start in the middle of my vision and slowly fan out until they dissipated around the periphery of my vision after 10 min or so. This was more serious because I became temporarily blinded for the duration of the event. (It was probably due to the effect on the optic nerve of formaldehyde, one of the byproducts of aspartame metabolism.)

Many M.D.s have now become informed about this and have recently begun speaking out about the dangers of aspartame ingestion. Do a little Googlin and you'll see for yourself.

Good luck.

[mmushr00m]

Thanks for the info.

I didnt know about aspertaine. I have been drinking diet stuff/sugar free stuff recently. Reason was that I felt I was injesting too much sugar as Thais put sugar in everything.

Will cut out the aspertaine and see what happens.

As to Bumrungrad, when I was there they put me through a series of test. The doc couldnt see anything in my ear so sent me to audiology for a test. Passed the test and then the doc sent me to neurology. Did some falling test and thats when the doc said vertigo as a result of viral infection.

Wife says its psychosomatic(?) a result of work stress......

[relayer]

Yes, cut out the aspartame completely and watch what happens. I guarantee you'll see an improvement.

Post a followup for us here in a few weeks to let us know the status of your condition.

[Lost in LOS]

is there any hidden places they may have aspartame in thai food. ie. cream [or whatever that is that they serve} in coffee, thai dishes, etc. not worried about the soft drinks since i dont drink them

[Sheryl]

Highly unlikely unless it is advertised as diet or no sugaer added. Normally they just heap in tons of ac tual sugar.

[Crushdepth]

My sympathies. I had a similar experience a couple of years ago which was never satisfactorily diagnosed and it really was horrendous. Anyway, I documented what happened and what I tried to fix it, but basically it went away after 5 months. I hope it will be of some use to you.

I had trouble with walking, hand-eye coordination and could get a seasick sensation sitting still in a chair (or reading/scrolling on a computer screen), and I used to work on a ship and definitely don't get seasick! It was very debilitating and apparently I had 'mild' symptoms, all I can say is god help anyone that has a severe case.

You should ask your doctor about Meniere's disease, which can cause this sort of thing. If it's Meniere's then you need to go on a (very) low-sodium diet, which is very difficult to do in Thailand unless you prepare your own food. You may be able to reduce vertigo through a vestibular rehabilitation program, which basically involves practicing your balance.

Things that definitely helped me was walking and exercise, although the effect was temporary and tended to be gone the next day. Things that really made it worse were caffeine and dehydration (do you drink way too much coffee and very little water?).

[Swanky]

Middle ear infections are the worst thing anyone can encounter. I go swimming every day and got an infection. I didn't know what was wrong with me until one day I almost collapsed at work. The room turned grey and started spinning and I saw white spots before my eyes. They took me to hospital and did all the tests.

The infection went away with medication but still had these fainting spells, had a full check and turned out it was low blood pressure. Now I have to watch what I eat and maintain the sugar levels in my blood. Horrible feeling though.

[mmushr00m]

Thanks everyone for your replies.

I have gone through a series of test and so far all the results are normal. The worst part is that it comes and goes, especially when looking at the computer screen at work and getting motion sickness.

This week have been good, no problems yet.

Crushdepth, they put me through the audiology test as well as I had complained about my ears feeling stuffed up, aching and ringing. Passed that test too.

Right now I am laying off the aspertaine and caffeine. Also telling my local food vendors Mai Khem and mai Waan.

Hahah all of this just made me realised I am getting old and I should start taking better care of myself.

[Datsun240Z]

I'm having this problem myself very often, since i was born with ear problems. The doctor in the hospital always cleans up the infection and gave me some ear drups. The biggest thing is to keep using the drups and put some tissue in the ear, so it can rest, and won't get infected again till it's healed. I'm using Sofradex ass wel.

[Crushdepth]

Crushdepth, they put me through the audiology test as well as I had complained about my ears feeling stuffed up, aching and ringing. Passed that test too.

I passed the tests too and I was having trouble WALKING Your inner ear has to be pretty messed up before they can detect a problem, as far as I can tell.

Seriously, try to drink a lot of water, avoid being dehydrated. And I wish you a lot of luck

[Old Man River]

My sympathies. I had a similar experience a couple of years ago which was never satisfactorily diagnosed and it really was horrendous. Anyway, I documented what happened and what I tried to fix it, but basically it went away after 5 months. I hope it will be of some use to you.

I had trouble with walking, hand-eye coordination and could get a seasick sensation sitting still in a chair (or reading/scrolling on a computer screen), and I used to work on a ship and definitely don't get seasick! It was very debilitating and apparently I had 'mild' symptoms, all I can say is god help anyone that has a severe case.

You should ask your doctor about Meniere's disease, which can cause this sort of thing. If it's Meniere's then you need to go on a (very) low-sodium diet, which is very difficult to do in Thailand unless you prepare your own food. You may be able to reduce vertigo through a vestibular rehabilitation program, which basically involves practicing your balance.

Things that definitely helped me was walking and exercise, although the effect was temporary and tended to be gone the next day. Things that really made it worse were caffeine and dehydration (do you drink way too much coffee and very little water?).

When you have these attacks, does the room spin and you get dizzy or do you feel lightheaded and need to bring your head down to avoid fainting? These are two distinct situations, each with different causes, although most often neither is dangerous.

[khundon]

This might sound strange but if you're ingesting any considerable amount of aspartame I would suggest you stop and then see if the symptoms go away in a week or two. Anti-viral pills are useless, as you've just learned, and will not tackle the root of the problem in this case.

Vertigo is one of the known side-effects of aspartame poisoning. I had the same problem and when I found out how bad aspartame was from some research I did, I immediately ceased all forms of intake (including sugar-less gum) and my vertigo went away shortly thereafter and has never come back.

I also had another recurring, aspartame-related symptom disappear upon ceasing of all intake of this poison: periodic squiggly/wavy lines that would start in the middle of my vision and slowly fan out until they dissipated around the periphery of my vision after 10 min or so. This was more serious because I became temporarily blinded for the duration of the event. (It was probably due to the effect on the optic nerve of formaldehyde, one of the byproducts of aspartame metabolism.)

Many M.D.s have now become informed about this and have recently begun speaking out about the dangers of aspartame ingestion. Do a little Googlin and you'll see for yourself.

Good luck.

I have never use or consume anything with aspartame or similar products.

I suffered from the wavy/coloured lines that you suffered from and Opthalmic Consultant at the County hospital in UK said it was a form of Migraine.

It comes and goes, sometimes I'm symptom free for over a year, then it pops back for a few days visit, each time taking around 10 minutes to run it's course. No cure I'm afraid.

Good Luck

[Crushdepth]

When you have these attacks, does the room spin and you get dizzy or do you feel lightheaded and need to bring your head down to avoid fainting? These are two distinct situations, each with different causes, although most often neither is dangerous.

Disorientation and a bit of spinning, a bit of nausea. Never felt light headed or like I was going to faint.

[G54]

Suffering as I have over the last 40= years with ear problems and infection, I can say the Stemetil are one of the better drugs for clearing up an inner ear infection.

You should be aware though !!!!!!!!!

Have the ear and eyes checked thouroughly if the ear infection / dizziness is accompanied by facial numbness.

Why???

Because I had facial numbness with an ear infection and found I had a tumourous growth growing up the main facial nerve. It was discovered by the eye hospital after a bout of 'Bells Palsy'

It had destroyed the eardrum and was actually growing into the brain when it was discovered. That resulted in total deafness in that ear and a major op to remove and un-twine the growth from the nerve.

A good Doctor will see a 'cauliflower' in the ear. A bad Doctor will not.

[Dakhar]

Doctorate of Audiology here, (only one in the nation, one of 4 in this himisphere)

If you did have a viral infection of the inner ear, it is usually treated with

1) Acyloviar (sp) AKA Valtrex

2)Prednesone (sp) Steriods

http://www.hearingreview.com/issues/articles/2003-12_05.asp

http://www.utmb.edu/otoref/Grnds/SuddenHea...10613/SSNHL.htm

http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/n...5256C3F0057CD5D

I know you did not complain of SSNHL, but the cochlea houses both the hearing and balance mechanisim. Sometimes a virus will strike one or both mechanisims.

Regardless, the damage can be "forever" if not treated ASAP, and in a modern wold, your situation is considered a medical emergency.

& no, I do not work full time for any of the hospitals. I do sometimes work at Vichaiyut Hospital, running some of their more specialized diagnostic equipment. Bumungrad told me that they could not hire me because I am not a Licensed Physician in Thailand. My response was "I am not a licensed physician anywhere...." Of course they could not wrap their heads around that concept so, rather than trying to explain things, I gave up.

A word to the wise, Thailand's standard to be an "Audiologist" is a BS degree, in America, it is a Doctorate degree.

Good luck

[mmushr00m]

Well since its the new year, an update.

Havent had any spinning/dizzy spells since then. Although the ear still feels stuffed up now and then and I am sometimes feeling that there is something in my ear.

As to Jolyn's post listing the possible causes; I have in the past year had - upper respitory tract infection, and exposed to sudden change in pressure (long story).

[SamuiRes]

A very interesting thread this as I have had these problems for the last year and my ear specialist eventually diagnosed this as an inner ear infection and some strong antibiotics helped but did not completly cure it. Obviously if it was a viral infection antibiotics would not help but it did start to go away.

I have had ear problems since I was a child and have had three operations over the years.

I take particular note of the comments re Aspartam as I regularly drink Diet Coke, so will lay off that and see if that helps.

One point I would like to make. As a sailor for many years I have tried many sea sickness medications. One that came to the fore a good few years ago was Stugeron. This had been developed by two UK doctors for the treatment of vertigo, but as sailors themselves saw the application to fight sea sickness and I found it extremely effective with no side effects. One of the medications prescibed to me over the last year was Stugeron as a temporary relief if the vertigo became too bad and it worked very well. Obviously not a cure in itself, but for the immediate relief of symptons I found it very effective and keep some at hand in case I need them.

[relayer]

This might sound strange but if you're ingesting any considerable amount of aspartame I would suggest you stop and then see if the symptoms go away in a week or two. Anti-viral pills are useless, as you've just learned, and will not tackle the root of the problem in this case. Vertigo is one of the known side-effects of aspartame poisoning. I had the same problem and when I found out how bad aspartame was from some research I did, I immediately ceased all forms of intake (including sugar-less gum) and my vertigo went away shortly thereafter and has never come back. I also had another recurring, aspartame-related symptom disappear upon ceasing of all intake of this poison: periodic squiggly/wavy lines that would start in the middle of my vision and slowly fan out until they dissipated around the periphery of my vision after 10 min or so. This was more serious because I became temporarily blinded for the duration of the event. (It was probably due to the effect on the optic nerve of formaldehyde, one of the byproducts of aspartame metabolism.) Many M.D.s have now become informed about this and have recently begun speaking out about the dangers of aspartame ingestion. Do a little Googlin and you'll see for yourself. Good luck.

I have never use or consume anything with aspartame or similar products. I suffered from the wavy/coloured lines that you suffered from and Opthalmic Consultant at the County hospital in UK said it was a form of Migraine. It comes and goes, sometimes I'm symptom free for over a year, then it pops back for a few days visit, each time taking around 10 minutes to run it's course. No cure I'm afraid. Good Luck

I rarely get headaches. In fact, I don't even know what a migraine feels like. So, I doubt we are talking about the same thing.

The "periodic squiggly/wavy lines" I described (imagine slowwww-motion, distorted waves on the surface of a pond with the sun reflecting off it after a pebble is thrown in...) were most likely due to the methanol (which is converted into formaldehyde by the liver, if I'm not mistaken) that is present in EVERY diet soft drink containing aspartame as the sweetener, with more being produced as temperature rises. If you've had any college chemistry, you would immediately understand why aspartame readily produces methanol when it goes into solution. Methanol is, of course, wood alcohol and is a poison. One needs only read about the many tragic stories of people going blind (or dying...) from ingesting bad moonshine -- a contaminated distillate that contains a high fraction of the undesirable methanol.

So, it is my contention that the periodic distorted vision that I was experiencing (not to mention the severe vertigo) was the result of formaldehyde buildup in my system. And since formaldehyde readily crosses the blood-brain barrier, it was likely the culprit of said symptoms.

Again, since ceasing intake of all forms of aspartame for several years now, I have had NO recurrence of either of these symptoms. None. They are gone. Cured.

And maybe it was the anti-oxidants that I've been taking all these years that prevented any long-term damage. Or maybe it just hasn't manifested itself yet. Nonetheless, I still absolutely shudder at the thought of how much aspartame I ingested over the years (average of about 1 to 2 diet colas per day). It's the cumulative damage (if any) that I'm worried about.

There are a few high-profile cases of known aspartame-related poisoning that come to mind whose unfortunate consequences are believed to have been precipitated by long-term exposure. One involves the late Gene Siskel (of "Siskel & Ebert" fame, the notorious American movie critics of yesteryear) who died of a malignant brain tumor, and the other involves Michael J. Fox, the actor, who developed unusually premature Parkinson's Disease. Both were admitted "diet cola addicts", drinking 1.5 liters or more of the stuff every day...

So, avoid aspartame like the plague. Switch to stevia, instead.

And if you want a little caffeine boost during the day, just sip some good ol' fashioned coffee (like I do now)...

Edited January 6, 2009 by relayer

[relayer]

Well since its the new year, an update. Havent had any spinning/dizzy spells since then. Although the ear still feels stuffed up now and then and I am sometimes feeling that there is something in my ear. As to Jolyn's post listing the possible causes; I have in the past year had - upper respitory tract infection, and exposed to sudden change in pressure (long story).

Good to hear that your vertigo has finally subsided.

Thanks for the followup.

[Old Man River]

When you have these attacks, does the room spin and you get dizzy or do you feel lightheaded and need to bring your head down to avoid fainting? These are two distinct situations, each with different causes, although most often neither is dangerous.

Disorientation and a bit of spinning, a bit of nausea. Never felt light headed or like I was going to faint.

My symptoms are feeling lightheaded. Although the doctors first suspected vertigo, it has been diagnosed as something else equally not dangerous. Like vertigo, it comes and goes.

[Dakhar]

A very interesting thread this as I have had these problems for the last year and my ear specialist eventually diagnosed this as an inner ear infection and some strong antibiotics helped but did not completly cure it. Obviously if it was a viral infection antibiotics would not help but it did start to go away.

I have had ear problems since I was a child and have had three operations over the years.

I take particular note of the comments re Aspartam as I regularly drink Diet Coke, so will lay off that and see if that helps.

One point I would like to make. As a sailor for many years I have tried many sea sickness medications. One that came to the fore a good few years ago was Stugeron. This had been developed by two UK doctors for the treatment of vertigo, but as sailors themselves saw the application to fight sea sickness and I found it extremely effective with no side effects. One of the medications prescibed to me over the last year was Stugeron as a temporary relief if the vertigo became too bad and it worked very well. Obviously not a cure in itself, but for the immediate relief of symptons I found it very effective and keep some at hand in case I need them.

The inner ear and middle ear are two distinct different areas of the ear. If you had any surgeries performed, I strongly doubt they were done to the inner ear. The more popular location for surgeries is the middle ear. As far as a bacterial infection within the middle ear, that happens frequently, a bacterial infection in the inner ear, very rare, and sometimes deadly. A viral infection within the inner ear happens frequently.

http://www.vestibular.org/vestibular-disor...st-neuritis.php

Some of the info is wrong within the link: specifically "no diagnostic tests...."

Sure there are, and have been for ages:

1) Postureography

2) ENG

3) VEMP

4) Dix Hallpike Maneuver

5) Rotational Chair

6) VAT

7) MRI

8) ECoG

9) Audiometry

etc etc

[dutchguest]

Doctorate of Audiology here, (only one in the nation, one of 4 in this himisphere)

If you did have a viral infection of the inner ear, it is usually treated with

1) Acyloviar (sp) AKA Valtrex

2)Prednesone (sp) Steriods

http://www.hearingreview.com/issues/articles/2003-12_05.asp

http://www.utmb.edu/otoref/Grnds/SuddenHea...10613/SSNHL.htm

http://www.docguide.com/news/content.nsf/n...5256C3F0057CD5D

I know you did not complain of SSNHL, but the cochlea houses both the hearing and balance mechanisim. Sometimes a virus will strike one or both mechanisims.

Regardless, the damage can be "forever" if not treated ASAP, and in a modern wold, your situation is considered a medical emergency.

& no, I do not work full time for any of the hospitals. I do sometimes work at Vichaiyut Hospital, running some of their more specialized diagnostic equipment. Bumungrad told me that they could not hire me because I am not a Licensed Physician in Thailand. My response was "I am not a licensed physician anywhere...." Of course they could not wrap their heads around that concept so, rather than trying to explain things, I gave up.

A word to the wise, Thailand's standard to be an "Audiologist" is a BS degree, in America, it is a Doctorate degree.

Good luck

Thanks for the links. They have helped me understand what is happening with me the last days.

[dutchguest]

Sudden deafness. I thought for a moment I might have it. The stories in the links above described exactly what was happening.

Fridaymorning last week I did not hear anything anymore with one ear. Saturday I went to a barbershop to have my ears cleaned. Afterwards I did not hear much with the other ear too. My estimation is that my hearing dropped from 80/90% to about 10/20%. So I started looking at the internet for more info since cleaning was not the solution apparently.

I read the stories on the internet about sudden deafness, or almost deafness, which seemed to be happening to a small percentage of the people and can have various causes, one of which could be possible in my case (there is much unclear about the causes). There is a percentage of spontaneous healing of about 50%, for the other 50% there is no healing and it is a lifelong condition.

So I started worrying: it is a very threatening idea of not hearing much. Silence, a feeling of total isolation, cut of from the rest of the world, becoming dependant of other people (I am glad I have a very good girlfriend at the moment). No more music, no more TV, not hearing anything when you flush the toilet, rear a cup of coffee, closing a door. Not hearing the traffic, except some very noisy tuk-tuks when they where very close. Dangerous. (Nevertheless sometimes I thought it is nice and quiet not hearing soo much).

Communication becomes very difficult (I had to hold my ear very close to the mouth of other people and they had to speak loudly). The chances of misunderstandings and irritations -so-wie-so not uncommon for falangs in Thailand- are growing much.

The happy ending: on monday I went to see a doctor and soon the trouble was over by a real cleaning of the ears. All in all it was a very learnfull experience which enlarged my understanding of deaf people and the problems they face.