Did you ask for a call or did you ask for an appointment? I can’t imagine they don’t have somebody oncall (not in the office, but available by phone).
I asked for an appointment or a doctor on call. It’s the holiday and COVID so I was told to wait until tomorrow.
I’ve suffered from vertigo for decades, separate issue from my hearing. It struck me out of nowhere in my late 20’s, and for about 3 months I was virtually housebound. Eventually I got used to it and resumed a fairly normal life, and even longer after that, it receded to a background issue that barely has any impact at all except for an occasional mild flare-up if I push myself too hard (dehydration a major trigger). The body is remarkably adaptable, and I am betting you will also get to where it becomes less of a crippling event and more or a minor irritation.
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Thank you for the words of wisdom. With all of the support I’ve been receiving, I am trying my best to not be a negative Nancy. I’m trying to make sure I walk around the house often and trying to do “daily” tasks like laundry and showering. Sounds like a lame day, but it does make me feel accomplished. I know it will only get better whether I obtain hearing aids and/or able to read/not be dizzy. Just the waiting game on when I can start improving.
Thank you all again. Your support means the world to me and my overactive mind. As I’m sure you can tell I’m no expert at delayed gratification.
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I feel your pain francikl87, it brought back some dire memories as I was in my prime and a couple of years or so older than you when SSNHL hit, a Russian viral flu whilst living in the remote Shetland Islands off the north coast of Scotland, but it’s actually closer to Norway… Anyhow, I went strait to the local doctors surgery as my hearing was down, doctor gave me a decongestant for common flu, he should have given me steroids as a precaution, back I went a week or so later only to receive an apology from the same doctor, he had made a mistake and apologised profusely for his questionable treatment of me, twas the only ever apology I have ever received from any medical doctor and at the time I thought, he was man enough to make that apology so I will not sue or take up any litigation, we all make mistakes in our day jobs, but if a medical person makes a mistake then the consequences can be severe and life changing! Suffice to say, the next 15 to 20 years or so became very challenging, severe to profound bilateral sensory hearing loss, severe tinnitus, vertigo, nausea, severe balance problems, vision distortion and severe hearing distortion and eventually I was diagnosed with Meniers disease… nowadays I am mostly fine, the odd balance problem and my hearing got progressively worse, but I also suffered with anxiety and my mental health has been up and down since my Meniers burned itself out. My point I suppose is we adapt to what ever life throws your way, we are born survivors and when the going gets rough, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and we go again, eventually we will win through, it may not be the life we had envisaged or planned but as long as we have a fair quality of life in my book we have achieved something out of adversity, I reiterate we are survivors… Good luck on your journey and hopefully your medication will work or at the very least be elevated, it is by no means an easy road to travel, but with the support of friends and family you will make it, plus you have the fallback of this forum, we are always here to help if we can. Cheers Kev
Thank you kevels55. I appreciate you reaching out! Hopefully things get better, but I think you sent the perfect message…we are survivors and will make it through. Thanks!
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Don’t worry, tomorrow is soon enough. 
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You are very welcome… I was fearful I was perhaps being a bit too blunt, you have elevated my worries, thank you. I learned to eventually except my hearing loss and all the extra baggage that tagged along with it, though in truth this took many wasted years, you will grieve for your old self, but if you can teach yourself to except the new you, then you will adapt much quicker and conquer whatever fate throws your way… good, bad or indifferent, you will come out the other end a better and stronger person. Good Luck, Cheers Kev.
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My ENT is worried and sending me in for an urgent MRI. My GP is concerned about my vision and sending me to a neurologist, opthomologist and pt for the vertigo. As I couldn’t hear well, I’m unsure of my ear doctor is worried due to the loss of hearing or for other health issues. We did bring up cochlear implants which I’m on with. Anything to get back to normal! Will keep you all updated.
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My neurologist had guessed that I have susac syndrome based on my MRI. They stopped my 60mg of steroids and put me on 100mg iv steroids for 3 days to reduce the inflammation in my eyes and ears. I am adopted so they also took a hereditary sample. My blood was taken and I will have results in a few days. I also had a second hearing test and there is improve by in my right ear ( the first eat to go last Monday) and decline in my left ear (the ear to go last Thursday). I have hope that improvements are to come! Thank you all for the support!
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Glad that they’re taking your seriously and doing further exams.
Wish you all the best and as much improvement with hearing as possible plus of course, complete healing form the rest
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I’ll just add on to this as it seems many people are reluctant to bug their doctors. If you have a situatiion where things are not going as expected, it is always ok to call your doctor’s office and ask to speak with them or whoever’s on call. If the call service asks you to wait, tell them you’d rather have the doctor make that determination. This can be done at any time of day and any day of the week. Of course try to be respectful, but if you’re concerned (and assuming you don’t regularly make a pest of yourself), it’s ok to ask to speak to the doctor.
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Just wondering about the hearing loss as that is not usually a symptom/effect of BPPV. I had Meniere’s in the past and lost most of my hearing in one ear. The dizziness with Meniere’s is not usually positional and I would feel like I was talking through a tunnel when a dizziness attack was coming (although I don’t know if this is typical).
Did they test you for Meniere’s? Back in the 1980s when I had Meniere’s, the tests were not very specific but I think they are better now.
The hearing loss and dizziness are the main symptoms. Eventually the dizziness subsides but the hearing loss is permanent. I just had my first episode of BPPV and that is very positional and seems to be more easily treated.
Hope you find the correct diagnosis whichever it is .
Do let us know how things are going.
I can’t see too well but things are moving. I have a t Trimble side effects to the medicine and cannot sleep and have headaches. I cannot hear at all but my neurology abd dr are hoping that I’ll feel better if next week. My finger is reahh chi big out to a specialist in a diffent state and hooting to get answers. Will do my best to keep you updated.
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I had exactly your symptoms, a sudden loss of hearing accompanied by bouts of vertigo. (In my seventies) The hearing gradually worsened over the weeks. Vertigo lasted about six months on and off, but did finally disappear. Now many years later I have become used to my hearing loss in both ears and get on with my life as usual. I play sax in a band and guitar for fun.
My hearing consultant thinks it was caused by a virus but was very vague as to what type.
I sympathize with anyone dealing with vertigo and balance problems. I’ve had them since 6/2019, right after second cataract surgery. Coincidence. Fell a few times. I went to hearing and balance clinic for testing…BPPV and labyrinthine dysfunction. MRI negative. Vestibular PT during which I fell backwards and broke wrist, surgery and PT on that. Epley maneuvers helped BPPV at times. Read about meclizine and tried it. No real help. In 6/2020 doctor put me on lexapro (off prescribed usage) and it worked (hallelujah) till mid-10/2020. Doctor increased dosage which I couldn’t tolerate so I reduced it. Maybe it’ll start working again. Reduced salt and caffeine in case of Meniere’s.
As for background…
I’ve worn hearing aids 10+ years. I’m 75 and until this started, I walked 3-4 miles thrice weekly and did 15Ks. When I walk now I feel off-balance, am fearful of falling again, have lost my self-confidence. On a positive note, I do balance practice at home and I’m learning to catch myself, and I don’t have motion sickness. As Kev said, we learn to adapt. I’m trying. My heart goes out to you in your fight, Franci.
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Life is a bitch Franci and then some… You take it easy. Cheers Kev.
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I can relate I have Meniere’s but for a long time was misdiagnosed, at first I was told I have migraines and started getting those headaches in my teens, but with vertigo and then I was told by an ENT “you are mother of 4 children you are just tired and I needed to take better care of myself” and they put on meds for my migraines. The funny thing was this would hit anywhere and I would start vomiting, my head would pound and I couldn’t function, this happend one day on a field trip with 45 4th graders, and I must say I embarrased my daughter. My husband and children starting joking in my late 20’s that I needed to have my hearing checked, and ignored them. So finally I did it my early 30’s and yes they discovered that I had a loss but it was only in the low frequencies, as the attacks happened now my loss is flat, so they finally told me according to my symptoms and loss I have Meniere’s. I take 0.5 miligrams of Xanax a day and it helps my vertigo attacks, it don’t keep them away if I am stressed, or really tired, not enough sleep. I have broken my toe in the process, bruises, and just overall clumsy after attacks. I hope this helps but sometimes it is hard to diagnosis vertigo. It sucks!
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Yeah, Deafgirl1609… You have my understanding and my extreme empathy! The only thing I can offer is the hope that it will “Burn Out” eventually as my Meniers did for me, I clung to the hope of “Burn Out” when all I had or seemed to have, was despair!!! It took most of my residual hearing though, but I would gladly have given all my hearing to be free of Meniers, it is such a debilitating illness, very distressing during an attack, combined with the stress and anxiety awaiting the next one… Eventually I was able to use my Tinnitus as a warning of an imminent Meniers attack (every cloud has a silver lining) as it grew louder and louder till it went off the scale, I was acutely aware I had to lie down and shut my eyes as the visual distortion with the walls and ceiling moving gave me extreme nausea, along with the dizziness and vertigo my hearing became very distorted, it could last for days or sometimes hours and sometimes weeks of cluster attacks, I couldn’t work, who would employ me? I couldn’t plan anything as Meniers controlled me and I had no control over when or where it would show up, I was unable to take any medication which made me permanently ill with side effects… Approximately 8 years it lasted (I Think?) 'Tis a period of my life I try to forget! Early years were not as intense, then it seemed to gather momentum, I would say peaking about the 7th year, then it started to gradually wind down in intensity and the length of each attack to once a month, then 6 weeks, then 3 months or so, 6 months then nothing and funny enough this for me was the absolute worst time for stress and anxiety, not knowing if it was gone or not was perhaps worse than living with it? Probably, I didn’t dare to believe, but I was only able to accept it was gone about 2 years or so after my last attack? Everybody is different, just like hearing loss, Meniers will affect you perhaps differently from me, stress is one of the most likely triggers, tea, coffee, salt, alcohol and visual triggers like shopping malls with square different coloured tiles could set me off. You take care, and hopefully you will have the strength, serenity and determination to see this through… Yeah, it sucks!!!
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