Ear Infection Causing Vertigo

[ccrprospect]

Hello,

About a week ago, I woke up with the sensation of the room spinning. Feelings of mild to moderate vertigo and general dizziness persisted for a couple of days after which I went to the ENT doctor who promptly diagnosed an inner ear infection. He asked me to refrain from diving “for the time being”.

There has been a gradual improvement over the past few days and the vertigo/dizziness only comes about for a few seconds after certain head movements and not too frequently. I feel very fine even though I can also feel that something is slightly ”off”.

Question is: I got a pretty major dive vacation booked over new year’s, so in about 3 weeks time. I absolutely dread even the thought of having to cancel it. To the doctors on here, or to those who have experienced something similar, what is the rate of improvement for such a condition? How long do inner ear infections last, and when can I dive again?

cheers

 

[michael-fisch]

What antibiotic is being used to treat your inner ear infection?
Most common antibiotic treatments are over after 10-14 days and the symptoms usually disappear 5-7 days after starting treatment.
If you're not taking antibiotics, what kind of infection did your ENT diagnose?

Michael

 

[DiverGirl1972]

I would think that ear pain would be present with an infection. I had a bout with vertigo while on vacation 5 years ago. Mine ended up being something diagnosed as BPPV. If you care to read through the thread, it's here. Maybe something can help you: Struck with terrible vertigo while on vacation

Even after getting vestibular therapy, I did have some lasting symptoms for a while that made me feel a little "off" in the equillibrium department. I'm happy to report that they've all long since resolved, I'm still diving every chance I get and there hasn't been another episode since (thankfully - it's miserable, as you know!). We didn't have any diving planned for nearly 6 months after this, so I was able to take a natural break from it. In my case, I'm not sure I would have been ready to dive for at least a few months after, but your recovery will likely be diffferent. I also had some anxiety that diving might trigger another episode - even if there was no scientific evidence to prove that. I could not imagine going through that underwater, so that may have played into my mindset to "wait a while" at the time.

Good luck with your situation!

 

[uncfnp]

@michael-fisch

“Inner ear” is most commonly one of two problems and both produce the symptom of vertigo that the op is describing. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) can be caused by tiny crystals in the inner ear. These crystals move with head movements and can trigger brief but recurrent vertigo.

Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) - Symptoms and causes

Another common cause for vertigo is vestibular neuritis and indeed is associated with infection but viral rather than bacterial and is not treated with antibiotics. Labrinthitis is closely related but has hearing loss as well as vertigo. Symptoms of both often occur after a common cold or other viral infection.

Vestibular Neuritis | Cleveland Clinic

 

[W W Meixner]

Hello,

About a week ago, I woke up with the sensation of the room spinning. Feelings of mild to moderate vertigo and general dizziness persisted for a couple of days after which I went to the ENT doctor who promptly diagnosed an inner ear infection. He asked me to refrain from diving “for the time being”.

There has been a gradual improvement over the past few days and the vertigo/dizziness only comes about for a few seconds after certain head movements and not too frequently. I feel very fine even though I can also feel that something is slightly ”off”.

Question is: I got a pretty major dive vacation booked over new year’s, so in about 3 weeks time. I absolutely dread even the thought of having to cancel it. To the doctors on here, or to those who have experienced something similar, what is the rate of improvement for such a condition? How long do inner ear infections last, and when can I dive again?

cheers

G...

Been there...ENT referred to my condition as an ear ''virus'' he even scheduled an MRI for me to ensure there were no small tumors in my inner ear...

Buckle-up...you're in for a long rough ride...it was at least 12 months before my condition was gone...and even after 12 months...every once in a while balance issues would return for short periods...stepping into under-shorts while standing was a circus clown act...

This happened to me in September 2018...approx. one hour after diving...I didn't dive again until the following July...

I wouldn't wish this on anyone...best of luck...don't expect improvements to happen quickly...but it will eventually disappear...in the mean time...get used to walking like a ''drunken sailor''...

Best...

Warren

 

[ccrprospect]

What antibiotic is being used to treat your inner ear infection?
Most common antibiotic treatments are over after 10-14 days and the symptoms usually disappear 5-7 days after starting treatment.
If you're not taking antibiotics, what kind of infection did your ENT diagnose?

Michael

he said it was a viral infection so it wouldn’t respond to antibiotics. Gave me anti vertigo meds to stay on for 2 weeks and then re-assess.

 

[ccrprospect]

G...

Been there...ENT referred to my condition as an ear ''virus'' he even scheduled an MRI for me to ensure there were no small tumors in my inner ear...

Buckle-up...you're in for a long rough ride...it was at least 12 months before my condition was gone...and even after 12 months...every once in a while balance issues would return for short periods...stepping into under-shorts while standing was a circus clown act...

This happened to me in September 2018...approx. one hour after diving...I didn't dive again until the following July...

I wouldn't wish this on anyone...best of luck...don't expect improvements to happen quickly...but it will eventually disappear...in the mean time...get used to walking like a ''drunken sailor''...

Best...

Warren

Thanks Warren for sharing your experience. By the way you describe it, I believe you had much more severe symptoms than what I am currently going through.

Thoughts on whether it would be safe to dive with mild episodes of vertigo that only last a few seconds a few times a day?

 

[michael-fisch]

I wish I could diagnose as well as your ENT, but I can't.

Michael

 

[michael-fisch]

Thoughts on whether it would be safe to dive with mild episodes of vertigo that only last a few seconds a few times a day?

Why not, as long as it isn't severe enough that you lose your lunch.

Michael

 

[ccrprospect]

I wish I could diagnose as well as your ENT, but I can't.

Michael

I believe it was a diagnosis by exclusion - he examined both ears closely, found everything normal, ergo, given symptoms, inner ear viral infection.