ear fullness and VNG
JayDee
crazy for years now.
I'll begin with TWO QUESTIONS then give some details about my dr
visits. Hopefully someone out there can give me a next step or idea as
to what's going on...
1) can a eustachian tube (or patulous ETD) problem cause a fullness
sensation in my ear that NEVER EVER goes away even for a few minutes?
Valsalva move doesn't cause any crackling at all in my ear but
sometimes things will sound differently..
2) can a eustacian tube problem cause an abnormal result on a VNG?
mine showed a 60% decrease in vestibular function on the left side and
doctors were quick to diagnose with menieres, but i don't think that's
it because i don't have any dizziness and don't have vertigo attacks,
etc.
(the fullness has been around for three YEARS with not a single five
minutes of relief. For the first year it felt like i was being pulled
to the left, but that has gone away for the last year and a half or
so)
here are details about my crazy five ENT dr visits:
1) A doc that was supposed to a be a specialist in balance disorders.
I saw this guy while i was still getting that feeling of being pulled
to the left. The result of my VNG showed a 60% decrease in vestibular
response on the left side, and slight 10% low-frequency range
conductive hearing loss on the left side. He diagnosed me with
Menieres and i tried the dyazide for a few months, to no avail. I also
had a VEMP test which was normal
2) second doc I saw diagnosed me rather quickly with something called
cochlear hydrops which is apparently like menieres, but with more
vertigo - I didn't have any vertigo.... never have.
3) a chiropractor who thought i might have tmj causing the problem
with my ear because my jaw was hurting occasionally and because the
muscles below my ear seem to irritate the problem. tried to treat the
tmj by sticking his finger in my mouth and manipulating muscles back
there. Didn't help at all
4) The 4th place I went to (House Ear Clinic in LA, supposedly one of
the best places for ear stuff) diagnosed me with a fistula of the semi-
circular canal on the left side. The CT scan revealed no fistula and
the doctor's recommendation was to get exploratory brain surgery!!!
She was THAT sure it was a fistula that she didn't want to try
anything less invasive first. According to the radiologist, it's very
unlikely to get a fistula in a place that cannot be seen by CT. plus i
have no dizziness, vertigo or nerve-relating hearing loss.
5) A fifth ENT said that the Audio Test was not consistent with
menieres and since i don't have any "attacks" of vertigo, that's
unlikely. But he had no idea.
So... I've basically got diagnosed with everything from Eustachian
Tube problems to incurable inner ear problems!
Thank You so much for reading all this!
- JayDee