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Vertigo and ENT
Had an appointment with ENT at Poole hospital today, which turned out to be quite long and detailed.
First off, I had a hearing test. This produced (as far as I could tell) the same results as the test I had done last week at the opticians. My hearing is fine.
Then I had a long talk with the doctor who was very patient and a good listener. Which was fortunate. Sometimes, when the vertigo kicks in I find it very hard to focus and start talking in fits and starts with pauses in mid-sentence - this was one of those days.
He took a detailed case history and then took a look in my ears. He used a sucker of some kind to remove some bits of wax and skin debris, but there was a bit that stayed stuck to the right eardrum, so I've got some bicarbonate of soda drops to try and shift that (I had the sense to ask the pharmacist if they were cheaper off-pescription, and they were, so I saved nearly a fiver there.)
Sucking the bits out produced a temporary improvement (as the vertigo is back again now, I wonder if this was due to a temporary pressure effect?)
He said my right eardrum looked 'dull'. I asked about that and he said that it often indicated fluid behind the ear-drum. Fluid affects the reflection of light, as well as the inner ear balance mechanisms. (He was willing to give me a good explanation as I'd already show that I had a reasonable understanding by recognising the BPPV test he carried out - which was negative as I expected, but is never a bad idea to repeat as it's the most easily treatable form of vertigo)
So, I'm going to get another appointment to see the ENT guy in a couple of weeks for a 'pressure test'. I assume this involves applying air pressure to the eardrums and seeing what is learned from that.
I'm also going to get an appointment for an MRI scan... I didn't ask him about what that was testing for, and in retrospect, I wish I had. He did a number of tests with my eyes, tracking finger movements and looking into my pupils, etc. and I think some of those might be relevant.
I'm looking at a couple of web sites, but I'm really getting out of the zone where I can understand what they're talking about, especially when I don't know what conclusions the doctor got from the eye tests.
I suspect some form of inflammation is still the most likely cause, but I've no idea for sure.
First off, I had a hearing test. This produced (as far as I could tell) the same results as the test I had done last week at the opticians. My hearing is fine.
Then I had a long talk with the doctor who was very patient and a good listener. Which was fortunate. Sometimes, when the vertigo kicks in I find it very hard to focus and start talking in fits and starts with pauses in mid-sentence - this was one of those days.
He took a detailed case history and then took a look in my ears. He used a sucker of some kind to remove some bits of wax and skin debris, but there was a bit that stayed stuck to the right eardrum, so I've got some bicarbonate of soda drops to try and shift that (I had the sense to ask the pharmacist if they were cheaper off-pescription, and they were, so I saved nearly a fiver there.)
Sucking the bits out produced a temporary improvement (as the vertigo is back again now, I wonder if this was due to a temporary pressure effect?)
He said my right eardrum looked 'dull'. I asked about that and he said that it often indicated fluid behind the ear-drum. Fluid affects the reflection of light, as well as the inner ear balance mechanisms. (He was willing to give me a good explanation as I'd already show that I had a reasonable understanding by recognising the BPPV test he carried out - which was negative as I expected, but is never a bad idea to repeat as it's the most easily treatable form of vertigo)
So, I'm going to get another appointment to see the ENT guy in a couple of weeks for a 'pressure test'. I assume this involves applying air pressure to the eardrums and seeing what is learned from that.
I'm also going to get an appointment for an MRI scan... I didn't ask him about what that was testing for, and in retrospect, I wish I had. He did a number of tests with my eyes, tracking finger movements and looking into my pupils, etc. and I think some of those might be relevant.
I'm looking at a couple of web sites, but I'm really getting out of the zone where I can understand what they're talking about, especially when I don't know what conclusions the doctor got from the eye tests.
I suspect some form of inflammation is still the most likely cause, but I've no idea for sure.