Ears, Eyes and a sense of Balance.

[menzies233]

For the past two or three months I have suspected those damn wood beetles that make a really high pitched, almost whistle type noise, or the power supply on my PC as being the problem with the noises I have been hearing almost everyday.

Well, turns out that the noises are not beetles or the PSU, but noises generated in my head.

The last two weeks has been absolute hell, the noise seems to come from my left ear more than my right, but I think both are a problem, but the last two weeks it has affected my balance and vision too. If I look down for instance the world goes spinning around to the point it makes me lose my balance. A couple of times I could barely walk downstairs without the fear of falling.

If I take a shower and close my eyes, I feel myself almost keeling over, no sense of up or down.

Thing is, it does not feel like an infection as there is absolutely no pain whatsoever, just a hissing noise and the imbalance. The other thing is, it is not happening everyday, somedays I am perfectly OK, other days I am nearly fit to drop. Been to the local clinic, they just gave me antibiotics (which I binned - I have had ear infections before and this is not the same) Any ideas?

Cheers.

[Crossy]

Moving to Health unless it's an excess of Chang.

As a fellow tinnitus sufferer (but not of the balance issues) I feel for you

[weegee]

I suffer the same....Tinnitus and loss of balance, vision blury sometimes...

I have put it down to heat, as this only appears during very hot weather.....except for the tinnitus...

When you track down the problem please follow up with the answer to the riddle..

[menzies233]

Moving to Health unless it's an excess of Chang.

As a fellow tinnitus sufferer (but not of the balance issues) I feel for you

No it isn't anything to do with the Chang, I no longer imbibe with Chang, Red Horse is my tipple these days. I agree, the noise is a pain in the butt, but you can live with it up to a point, but the dizziness is a real worry as driving and being on my motorbike is getting to be a real problem. I have been pretty fit all my life but the changes I have had since I turned about 48 has been terrible. 20/20 eyesight just disappeared, blood pressure...the list goes on.

I am beginning to think that the human body was only designed to last about 50 years and anything over that is either good luck or medication.

[menzies233]

I suffer the same....Tinnitus and loss of balance, vision blury sometimes...

I have put it down to heat, as this only appears during very hot weather.....except for the tinnitus...

When you track down the problem please follow up with the answer to the riddle..

Cheers, I am going to the local clinic tomorrow for my blood pressure check so will see what the Dr. says, will let you know. The biggest problem I have at the minute is the noises in my ears have me awake at 2 AM every morning. So I am getting about 3 hours sleep a day, it is really a pain in the butt! Dog tired all afternoon, hissing in the ears, cannot dare ride my motorbike as it would be so easy to just drop it.

Never really had health issues before so this is pretty alarming, and restrictive.

For me it has nothing to do with the heat, it is absolutely freezing up in Chiang Mai. I get it some days and not others, so I do not think it is an infection. When it strikes it is terrible, just looking down at the toilet bowl at times sends the world into a terrible spin. I seem to get the high pitched hissing more than the dizzy spells, when I get the dizzy spells my vision goes into almost a very narrow tunnel type vision with blurring around the sides, almost like pulsating.

Edited January 15, 2016 by menzies233

[weegee]

Sounds to me like you better have a Heart check too....

[menzies233]

Sounds to me like you better have a Heart check too....

I had heart checks three or 4 times last year and the year before when I was hospitalized with pancreas problems and again twice when I got my Chinese work permit and they said my heart was fine. I suffer from high blood pressure, but use meds everday these days and BP is good. My old man died from a heart attack so I will keep it in mind. The clinics here are not that fantastic, and some of the hospitals are the same, only looking for cash so it is difficult to trust their judgement. One benefit of being awake at 2 am every morning is cooking a Sunday dinner with chicken, potatoes, stuffing, peas carrots and Yorkshire puddings and gravy....all cooked and ready at 3 AM! Mad eh?

Edited January 15, 2016 by menzies233

[chickenslegs]

Is it possible that these symptoms could be side effects of your HBP medication?

[cyberfarang]

It does sound like a case of tinnitus but it could also be an acute form of vertigo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertigo

My girlfriend suffers from vertigo. All the local doctors and hospitals did not diagnose it. Then she went to see a specialist and had a brain scan that confirmed she has vertigo. Like you it does not occur everyday, but the attacks are severe when they do happen. Go and see a specialist, do it today. The symptoms can be treated with medication.

As for the dizziness. It`s known technically in the trade as getting old. I get dizzy looking up, I get dizzy looking down and even sideways. Some months ago I bent down to a bottom shelve in Tesco Lotus to grab a pack a pack of washing powder, got up too quickly ending up on the floor with the world spinning round.

[Gulfsailor]

Could be Ménière's disease because of the combination of vertigo and tinnitus symptoms. My mom has it but medicines help a lot and she is mostly symptom free now. But before running to a doctor try to see if the it's not just case of BPPV. Check some videos on the Epley Maneuver. No harm no faul in trying this first.

[big carl]

It does sound like a case of tinnitus but it could also be an acute form of vertigo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertigo

My girlfriend suffers from vertigo. All the local doctors and hospitals did not diagnose it. Then she went to see a specialist and had a brain scan that confirmed she has vertigo. Like you it does not occur everyday, but the attacks are severe when they do happen. Go and see a specialist, do it today. The symptoms can be treated with medication.

As for the dizziness. It`s known technically in the trade as getting old. I get dizzy looking up, I get dizzy looking down and even sideways. Some months ago I bent down to a bottom shelve in Tesco Lotus to grab a pack a pack of washing powder, got up too quickly ending up on the floor with the world spinning round.

My girl friend had that problem also three times to the hospital and two of them they kept her overnight. Gave her some medicine and she was OK for a while.

I took her to an acupuncturist here in Chiang Mai and she went back twice a week for about a month. It has now been over 6 months and no problem.

For the OP I was thinking many of those symptoms sounded like low blood pressure. Your blood pressure goes up and down all the time. Most not all people go to the doctor and the very fact of going to the doctor raises their blood pressure.

Try getting a machine to test your blood pressure and every time some thing happens take your blood pressure and keep a record of it. Also the time of day or night.

Maybe there will be a pattern. As for the noise in the ears I don't know if that is related to blood pressure.

Good luck.

[DogNo1]

It does sound like Menieres Disease. Of course there may be other complicating factors too. A few years ago, I completely lost the hearing in my right ear. I sought treatment right away and after taking B-12 and another foul tasting medicine whose name I can't remember, it came back. I also took Lipoflavonoid which helped the tinnitus in my left ear. Here are two links to help you:

http://www.medicinenet.com/meniere_disease/article.htm

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipoflavonoid

Good luck. I still take B-12 regularly and Lipoflavonoid when I need it.

[kannot]

Any ideas???????????????????? sheeeeeeeeeeesh how about this one>.....................DOCTOR?

[12DrinkMore]

I trust the OP has also stopped driving the car along with riding the motorcycle.

My father had similar issues but persisted in driving. It took a succession of two minor collisions and one major collision over a few months before he managed to get his stubborn head around the fact he was a complete danger on the roads.

[Freespirit39]

Hi, just read your article and as I live in Cm for many months each year,humbly suggest you could try the Dr. In Loi Kroi Road. I have found him brilliant over the years, and if he cannot help I am sure he could suggest where you should see! Best of luck!

[SOTIRIOS]

...firstly check what you are ingesting...

...diet...water....

...msg....food additives....

...then environment...including air....mold....

...have you changed anything in your surroundings.....

...added a new product...a cleaner...a soap...an appliance...frying pan...clothing...

...started...stopped or changed medication...

...look at all possibilities before accepting a label that you will have to live with the rest of your life....

[keeniau96]

I had a strong case of valley fever when living in Arizona about 15 years ago. A side effect was it hit my thyroid and messed up my thermal controls, also got diagnosed as having Ménière's disease with major impact on balance. I had difficulty driving, seeing a wavy road, and even just walking. Eventually got used to it but have had all those symptoms ever after, including tinnitus. Good luck, soldier on, you will live through it.

[Rimbuman]

Some of these things you can't avoid as you get older, some other complaints can be controlled or even eliminated with a healthier life style and exercise.

I used to drink quite a bit and didn't care about my physical condition at all, I changed all that and started to exercise 'consistently' for the first time in my life (Lost 85 lbs) and I almost feel like I am 21 again.

To my opinion it (up to a certain degree) comes down to make the right choices for your self.

To the OP I'd recommend you to go to a good hospital, I had similar complaints and was diagnosed with cervical myelopathy.

They ran several MRI scans and I had surgery, I am ok now but I will never be 100% again.

[fantom]

Symptoms such as you describe can be due to a number of factors, some of which have been outlined here.

I would suggest you see your doctor or your preferred CM hospital and get professional medical advise.

[mankondang]

Could be Ménière's disease because of the combination of vertigo and tinnitus symptoms. My mom has it but medicines help a lot and she is mostly symptom free now. But before running to a doctor try to see if the it's not just case of BPPV. Check some videos on the Epley Maneuver. No harm no faul in trying this first.

"But before running to a doctor try....",

Sorry, although your full of good intentions, its a good doctor, at a good hospital that should be the place to go. Your health is the most important thing. If I thought some current health issue of mine was bothering me enough that I choose to post it as a topic on TV, then I would certainly deem it important enough to go and seek medical advice on it.

As the saying goes, "If you want meat, then talk to the butcher and not the block"...your health is more important than meat.

[Gulfsailor]

Could be Ménière's disease because of the combination of vertigo and tinnitus symptoms. My mom has it but medicines help a lot and she is mostly symptom free now. But before running to a doctor try to see if the it's not just case of BPPV. Check some videos on the Epley Maneuver. No harm no faul in trying this first.

"But before running to a doctor try....",

Sorry, although your full of good intentions, its a good doctor, at a good hospital that should be the place to go. Your health is the most important thing. If I thought some current health issue of mine was bothering me enough that I choose to post it as a topic on TV, then I would certainly deem it important enough to go and seek medical advice on it.

As the saying goes, "If you want meat, then talk to the butcher and not the block"...your health is more important than meat.

Did you bother to Google the Epley Maneuver, or know what it entails? It's a series of head movements which will take no more than a few minutes to complete. BPPV is a leading cause of vertigo, and this maneuver will fix it in a majority of cases. If it doesn't help, go see a doctor (5 minutes later). I didn't propose some whack holistic treatment plan in lieu of seeking real medical care.

[ukrules]

Sounds like you have a mild case of vertigo to me, I know someone who had this in a major way a long time ago, it was crippling while it lasted and she couldn't move her head without being very ill.

Definitely go to a doctor as it's a symptom which could be caused by something else.

[fantom]

Again I suggest you get professional medical advice / diagnosis.

[soc]

Yes, as advised, you must see a doctor.

l had the dizziness that you described, about 10 years ago.

l was living on my own & l just could not stand up or l fell over & also puked all over the place.

l was diagnosed as having Middle Ear lnfection.

lt affected the spirit levels that we have, somewhere in our heads, to enable us to keep our balance.

The doctor seemed to think that l could have picked up the infection by inserting earplugs with dirty hands.

l can never get rid of it but l now have pills to control it & they work well, when l remember to take them!

Definitely see a doctor.

[menzies233]

Went to the clinic today to renew my BP pills and told the Dr. about the symptoms of the dizzy spells and the noise in my ears.

He simply said "Not enough oxygen to the brain- Vertigo" He never even looked in my ear!

Prescribed 3 additional meds, none of which I can find any details on, a tiny white round pill about 5mm diam. with a "W" and 500 marked on it, a green triangular pill and a pink square pill, both of which have no markings at all.

(The Doctor here only prescribes the meds. his girls in the front office bag them into little plastic bags which only have your name and dosage on them, and if you are really exceptionally lucky, they might just write on the bag what it is for, one bag was lebelled Vertigo, that was for the green pill.

so we will see how it goes!

[elgordo38]

Moving to Health unless it's an excess of Chang.

As a fellow tinnitus sufferer (but not of the balance issues) I feel for you

Me to it started 22 years ago for me. There are various levels from a hiss to a roar. I fortunately have only a tune outable amount of noise. It seems to change in density from time to time. I do suffer balance problems from time to time as does my friend. He claims that the ear can be like a mercury switch and have a small amount of moisture/fluid build up. When the tiny bit of water moves around in your ear it can play heck with your balance. He claims that if you lay on the floor head flat the the water will move and your balance will be restored. He swears by this and claims he has used it a number of times. There can also be a calcium build up in your inner ear that throws your balance out of whack. Welcome to the wonderful world of aging. There unfortunately is no going back.

[elgordo38]

Moving to Health unless it's an excess of Chang.

As a fellow tinnitus sufferer (but not of the balance issues) I feel for you

No it isn't anything to do with the Chang, I no longer imbibe with Chang, Red Horse is my tipple these days. I agree, the noise is a pain in the butt, but you can live with it up to a point, but the dizziness is a real worry as driving and being on my motorbike is getting to be a real problem. I have been pretty fit all my life but the changes I have had since I turned about 48 has been terrible. 20/20 eyesight just disappeared, blood pressure...the list goes on.

I am beginning to think that the human body was only designed to last about 50 years and anything over that is either good luck or medication.

I am turning 78 this year I guess I can thank my lucky stars and stable genes. I just use eye drops for eye pressure buildup. I have fellows my "junior" in the condo who have run into problems lately.

[elgordo38]

It does sound like a case of tinnitus but it could also be an acute form of vertigo.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertigo

My girlfriend suffers from vertigo. All the local doctors and hospitals did not diagnose it. Then she went to see a specialist and had a brain scan that confirmed she has vertigo. Like you it does not occur everyday, but the attacks are severe when they do happen. Go and see a specialist, do it today. The symptoms can be treated with medication.

As for the dizziness. It`s known technically in the trade as getting old. I get dizzy looking up, I get dizzy looking down and even sideways. Some months ago I bent down to a bottom shelve in Tesco Lotus to grab a pack a pack of washing powder, got up too quickly ending up on the floor with the world spinning round.

Its good to hear others have the same problems as I do. I was beginning to worry. Nice to share things.

[elgordo38]

...firstly check what you are ingesting...

...diet...water....

...msg....food additives....

...then environment...including air....mold....

...have you changed anything in your surroundings.....

...added a new product...a cleaner...a soap...an appliance...frying pan...clothing...

...started...stopped or changed medication...

...look at all possibilities before accepting a label that you will have to live with the rest of your life....

Really good advice. We are what we are from ingesting food pills whatever. My friend who takes over 8,000 bahts a month heart medications checks them all on the internet and sometimes reduces one. I am a firm believer that for every drug we take there is a countering problem created. Trading in one problem for another and paying bahts also.

[dotpoom]

Moving to Health unless it's an excess of Chang.

As a fellow tinnitus sufferer (but not of the balance issues) I feel for you

Have theTinnitus myself for about the last 47 years....got it from shooting the guns in the army before muffs were issued....just learned to live with it.