Hi. Thanks for your query. Read and understood your history and concerns. The appearance of the cloudy ear is due to deposits of the aftermath of fluid inside the ear drum, not from outside. Anyways you have no history of swimming. The causes of vertigo in cases like yours is inflammation going to inner ear too causing imbalance of the balancing apparatus called semicircular canals. This primary cause also has to be well treated with proper antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medicines and so on. And symptomatic treatment too is given. I hope this answers your query as well as tells you the next step, which only an ENT can do.