Sudden hearing loss - vertigo and dizziness

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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Hi, just wanted to share my story as struggling losing my hearing in my right ear about 5 weeks ago. It happened on a Thursday night had a feeling like my ear was becoming blocked and went to bed, woke up next day to tinnitus and dizzyness, i have suffers from BVVP and had treated my vertigo with some exercises (eplay) but not had an attack for a number of years. I arrange to see out of hours doctor who prescribed steroids for 10 days. I did get to see ENT on the Tuesday who were unable to pinpoint the cause and suggested it could be a tumour so would need a MRI. I had bloods done and was told see you in 6 weeks. I became so frustrated with the empty feeling in one side of my head and the dizzyness, i book in to see a Specialist ENT on the Friday 2 weeks after I lost my hearing so had further examination with no conclusions. I was offered steroid injection direct into the ear, having this caused a severe reaction with incredibale pain after the injection in my eardrum, apparently this is a rare event but did not continue with the course due to the reaction. I have last week now had a MRI and awaiting results. I still have some dizzyness disorientation but the empty feeling has slowly died down. The tinnitus still remains active and varies day to day, having never suffered from tinnitus its been a very difficult time. The issue i have is I’ve suffered with hearing loss with low frequency sound and left ear is the weakest and right ear was the strongest so now reliant on the weak ear as the right ear is totally dead with no sound. Currently still struggling as not come to terms with the fact the hearing wont return.

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Where there is life there is hope mjohno1971 and acceptance is key to helping you to move on… We are very resourceful human beings, we adapt, we resolve and we move on, the journey won’t be easy, ultimately you cannot deny fate, however hard we try we have to succumb eventually… Good Luck and very best wishes Kev :wink:

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Thanks for your kind comments, yes my wife keeps me sane at the moment and she seems to more accepting than me. Acceptance for me will be key to my recovery. :grin:

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You are Welcome Sir… Good luck, cheers Kev :wink:

I last wrote Dec '20. Now Oct '21. More medications, less vertigo bouts. Yep, there are days I’m pretty useless…but many less. I’m adapting. I’m exercising more trying to get back in shape. I think often of those fellow sufferers and hope you’re improving too.