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2 And A Half Weeks Ago I Woke Up With
Question: 2 and a half weeks ago i woke up with terrible vertigo and it has not subsided but for a few moments a time since.
Closing my eyes makes it worse, therefore sleep has been hard to come by.
It oddly is only on the right side of my head...persistent unilateral vertigo along with intermittent ear pain, fullness, intermittent head pain, neck pain, facial numbess and tingling and occssional tremor sensation.
The vertigo is unbearable. I made an ER visit a week ago and they indicated nothing major, aside from an abnormal TSH of 26, which i do have hashimotos and was switched to NDT 3 months ago, so normal labs otherwise, CT was normal.
However it's much worse now and i don't see my doctor until the 31st.
I am scared and highly uncomfortable. I am spinning eyes open or closed, it seems to make no difference.
Is this likely some kind of vestibular dysfunction or neuritis?
Should i go back to the ER?
Closing my eyes makes it worse, therefore sleep has been hard to come by.
It oddly is only on the right side of my head...persistent unilateral vertigo along with intermittent ear pain, fullness, intermittent head pain, neck pain, facial numbess and tingling and occssional tremor sensation.
The vertigo is unbearable. I made an ER visit a week ago and they indicated nothing major, aside from an abnormal TSH of 26, which i do have hashimotos and was switched to NDT 3 months ago, so normal labs otherwise, CT was normal.
However it's much worse now and i don't see my doctor until the 31st.
I am scared and highly uncomfortable. I am spinning eyes open or closed, it seems to make no difference.
Is this likely some kind of vestibular dysfunction or neuritis?
Should i go back to the ER?
Brief Answer:
Should go back to ER.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to HealthcareMagic! I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
Judging from your description of spinning sensation with ear pain and fullness I would say that indeed an inner ear issue such as vestibular dysfunction or neuritis is the most likely cause. You do not mention to have tried any medication for your symptoms. Antihistaminic medications such as Meclizine are usually prescribed for inner ear origin vertigo, so I think it should be started as well as scheduling a consult with an ENT specialist.
The other possibility to exclude, which would be a reason for alarm, would be a brain lesion such as an ischemic stroke in the posterior areas of the brain, however there are usually other symptoms such as double vision or vision loss, weakness of the limbs, speech and swallowing difficulties etc. So given also the normal CT it is less likely. If symptoms persist a MRI might be scheduled as the most sensitive exam (CT may miss small lesions in those areas due to bone artifacts) but as I said I don't think it likely. However since it has been over two weeks with no improvement at all, I would recommend another visit to the ER. Perhaps they can't offer an MRI (not all clinics have it available as an emergency exam), but another physical neurological exam may be done to make sure that there aren't any abnormalities on neurological exam which might indicate a brain lesion. If again no neurological deficits on neurological exam with normal CT you may feel at least more safe that nothing more threatening than inner ear vertigo is at play.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Should go back to ER.
Detailed Answer:
Hello and welcome to HealthcareMagic! I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.
Judging from your description of spinning sensation with ear pain and fullness I would say that indeed an inner ear issue such as vestibular dysfunction or neuritis is the most likely cause. You do not mention to have tried any medication for your symptoms. Antihistaminic medications such as Meclizine are usually prescribed for inner ear origin vertigo, so I think it should be started as well as scheduling a consult with an ENT specialist.
The other possibility to exclude, which would be a reason for alarm, would be a brain lesion such as an ischemic stroke in the posterior areas of the brain, however there are usually other symptoms such as double vision or vision loss, weakness of the limbs, speech and swallowing difficulties etc. So given also the normal CT it is less likely. If symptoms persist a MRI might be scheduled as the most sensitive exam (CT may miss small lesions in those areas due to bone artifacts) but as I said I don't think it likely. However since it has been over two weeks with no improvement at all, I would recommend another visit to the ER. Perhaps they can't offer an MRI (not all clinics have it available as an emergency exam), but another physical neurological exam may be done to make sure that there aren't any abnormalities on neurological exam which might indicate a brain lesion. If again no neurological deficits on neurological exam with normal CT you may feel at least more safe that nothing more threatening than inner ear vertigo is at play.
I remain at your disposal for other questions.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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