Nal
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6801
posted
I don't know what to do. The vertigo isn't any better. Most times feel like Im gonna fall right over. Dr switched me to Phenegran and that made me feel so much worse!
Then they found fluid in my right ear yesterday. I was sick to my stomach and running a fever last Saturday. What the heck is going on??
-------------------- Life is 10% what happens to you, 90% how you respond to it!
-Chuck Swindoll Posts: 1594 | From Colorado | Registered: Jan 2005
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feelfit
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 12770
posted
The fluid in your right ear could account for your dizziness.
Keebler has lots of good info on this. Do a search for good info.
Feelfit
Posts: 3975 | From usa | Registered: Aug 2007
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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Thanks, FeelFit.
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Nal,
I assume you are on some sort of a treatment protocol. Can you put a call into your doctors office since you were running a fever?
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I've been working on this for an hour and I just lost three pages of complied excerpts and links.
I will just say what I found. You have to trust me on the citations for now or you can search, too.
The Rx you are taking is used as a sedative. That will actually increase vertigo, especially for someone with fluid in the ear.
Many doctors use drugs with a sedative quality to try to settle down the ears signals but, for many, this just adds to the hard work the ears and brain have to do to establish a sense of balance and vertigo actually gets much worse, even to the point of danger from falling.
See the VEDA link way below for practical tips for balance. Most important: after dark, keep a night light on so dark will not toss you off the tracks. Wear shoes with sturdy soles larger than your feet.
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Right off the top of my head, I would suggest GINGER - and ANDROGRAPHIS.
Ginger is well known as both an anti-nausea aid and an anti-motion sickness helper. You can drink ginger tea (even from your kitchen spices) or get ginger capsules.
Ginger is warming so will help circulation. It is also anti-inflammatory and may help decrease the fluid in the ears if it is from inflammation (and that highly likely).
ALLICIN has also been a good help for me to clear the ears.
I suggest ANDROGRAPHIS as I've been using it for a couple months - took a break of a week or a few days here and there and each time coming back was delighted that my ears and sinuses felt clearer.
Andrographis is also very helpful to decrease edema (and that can relate to fluid in the ears).
Andrographis is discussed in both Singleton book "The Lyme Disease Solution" and in Buhner's "Healing Lyme"
I found some good medical abstracts about all this. You can search if you like:
Anything you can do for kidney/adrenal support will help. That was one of the pages I lost. From the Chinese Medicine point of view there is much information about how the kidneys regulate fluids in the body, including in the ears.
Here's one of the links from which I had taken excerpts before I lost my work page:
Did your doctor say this fluid is in the MIDDLE ear or the INNER EAR? There is a difference. If the doctor did not say, it is most likely in the middle ear, and fluid is likely trapped behind the ear drum rather deeper in the inner ear.
Fluid in the middle ear is also called otitis media with effusion (OME)--
New practice guidelines for treating fluid in the ears (relating mostly to children)
. . . More than 2 million cases of OME are diagnosed in the United State every year - at an estimated cost of 4 billion dollars to the healthcare system. OME is different from acute otitis media (AOM).
OME is fluid-only, while AOM includes intense signs and symptoms of infection and inflammation. OME can happen spontaneously, or as a result of AOM. Usually OME will clear up on its own without treatment.
. . . Antihistamines and decongestants are not effective treatments for OME. . . . Antibiotics and corticosteroids are not recommended for routine management of OME.
This link `` . . . is intended to help clarify what is meant by the widely used description of "fluid in the ears" with regard to middle ear disease. . . .
. . . In a number of diseases, fluids, shown here colored blue, may accumulate in the middle ear space. . . .``
Fabulous illustrations at this link.
=======================
Consider allergies. Food (gluten, dairy, corn, soy) . . . and environmental (mold, perfumes, dry cleaning or other chemcials, etc.)
Going scent-free with all your personal and household products usually helps a great deal. Be sure to avoid "air fresheners" anywhere: home, work, car . . . they are very toxic. Nothing gums up my ears more than exposure to this sort of toxin.
Vestibular (inner ear) disorders can cause dizziness, vertigo, imbalance, hearing changes, nausea, fatigue, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and other symptoms, with potentially devastating effects on a person's day-to-day functioning, ability to work, relationships with family and friends, and quality of life.
. . . .
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Topic: TINNITUS: Ringing Between The Ears; Vestibular, Balance, Hearing with compiled links
[ 11. November 2008, 01:51 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posts: 48021 | From Tree House | Registered: Jul 2007
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Geneal
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 10375
posted
Fluid in the middle ear may or may not contribute to your dizziness.
Sinus issues for me compound my feeling of falling over.
That and babesia.
I couldn't take minocycline due to vertigo issues.
Not dizziness, but vertigo!
Balance issues are usually related to inner ear and/or
Possible involvement of the occipatal lobe of the brain.
Babesia can also give you that sense of imbalance.
I can't tell you the months I've spent trying to compensate for
A lean to the left. Hard to do all the time.
Fever, fluid in the middle ears...anything else?
Sounds like an infection of some type.
Babesia therapy has really helped me "regain" my balance.
Hugs,
Geneal
Posts: 6250 | From Louisiana | Registered: Oct 2006
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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Geneal hits on several good points. Although the inner ear fluid is the most obvious cause of this attack, there is likely more to the underlying cause.
Are you being treated for Babesia in addition to lyme? If not, have you been assessed for it?
And, if you are taking either minocycline or zithromax (azithromycin) you might ask your doctor if you could switch. Both of these have frequent vestibular effects on many patients (not for everyone but on those who have such reactions, it can be quite harsh).
This may clear in a few days. If not, your LLMD may want to refer you to an ear specialist - if so - all the suggestions about diet and perfumes will be given. It may also be suggested that you raise the head of your bed (or use a wedge) to a 20-30 degree incline, as that is the best position for the inner/middle ear.
Beyond that, ENTs have much more advanced diagnostic methods than most GPs. Best if you can see a LL ENT or, better yet, a Neurotologist. Not everything is lyme, but you need a specialist who knows how lyme - and babesia - affects the vestibular and neurological systems.
Nal
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6801
posted
I have had this problem before but its been a couple years. However I dont ever remember the stomach upset and the fever. Ill ask my LMD tomorrow about seeing an ENT specialist. Wonder how long it will take me to get in there though.
Im scared. I need to walk. I need to take care of my young kids. I need to work.
Why doesnt the meclizine or phenegran work? Ill read the other links too as soon as I can actually stay up straight again.
I know crying doesn't help but right now its all I can do. I get so scared!
Nancy
-------------------- Life is 10% what happens to you, 90% how you respond to it!
-Chuck Swindoll Posts: 1594 | From Colorado | Registered: Jan 2005
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
nancy, and thoughts and prayers headed your way!! so sorry to read this and about caring for your young kids too.
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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Nancy,
Anything that is a depressant to the central nervous system can affect your balance.
Ginger tea may be your best helper for a while. MAGNESIUM, too, really helps my ear stuff.
I hope your LLMD tomorrow has some answers for you. It may be good to see an ear specialist but know that what you are experiencing is very frequent with lyme and TBD patients.
Those with babesia or bartonella seem to be hit hardest in the ears. Have you been assessed for those?
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Can you ask a friend to come and help some - someone to to help with chores - others to read the suggestions to you?
I've been studying this for over ten years - it's a lot to read in one day. Know that others have gotten better with the right treatment. Adrenal support is also vital.
Fatigue can be dramatically increased when the inner ear is stressed so you need frequent rest. Massage may help in many ways, especially to calm your nervous system.
In addition, Cranial-sacral therapy (gentle, though) can help. Often with lyme/TBD the cranial nerves are inflammed. This requires someone trained especially in this technique. NO twist-and-shout sort of treatments, though. Gentle is key.
Ask your LLMD about referrals and if his patients have seen help with this.
Best of luck to you. Please let us all know how it goes.
glm1111
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 16556
posted
Have you considered a colonic to cleanse out the toxins and mucus that could be building up in your G I track?
If it were me I would definitely look into to this.
Hope this helps,
Gael
-------------------- PARASITES/WORMS ARE NOW RECOGNIZED AS THE NUMBER 1 CO-INFECTION IN LYME DISEASE BY ILADS* Posts: 6418 | From philadelphia pa | Registered: Jul 2008
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
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It just occurred to me that Candida (systemic yeast) might also be playing a part in this. As you see your doctor on Wed. you might go over your candida-prevention plan.
You might ask about using the Rx, Diflucan - or supplements such as allicin, olive leaf extract or andrographis.
Swishing in your mouth before swallowing may be helpful, too.
Garlic/olive oil ear drops on a cotton ball inserted into your ear can be very effective. There are certain formulas you can buy that are in safe proportions.
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and thoughts and prayers headed your way!! so sorry to read this and about caring for your young kids too.
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