Labyrinthitis

A week yesterday afternoon, I had this sudden episode of intense vertigo (feeling like the room was spinning) which then waxed and waned through the afternoon/evening. At the time, I put it down to tiredness and not sleeping well when I had a guest staying. On the Saturday, I took it easy, not wanting a repeat experience. Sunday, I went out for a great walk, 4.5 miles, which felt like a real achievement (although it aggravated and hurt my right upper thigh/hip/groin).

Anyway....by Wednesday, I'd developed further symptoms all connected with my ears. They felt blocked but my hearing was hyper sensitive. I was still getting short but regular experiences of vertigo and difficulty visually processing sudden movements especially on the TV. It kinda felt like my eyes would suddenly be spun around in my head and I'd have to wait until they stopped spinning. I made an appointment with the GP for the following day.

Thursday, my ears still felt blocked and my hearing was acutely sensitive. Every sound produced in my ears the sensation and shock of shattering plate glass. I'm having to whisper when I speak because the sound of my own voice is too painful to hear. Boiling the kettle, flushing the loo, every sound feels like it is hitting the raw nerves in my ears. The waiting room at the GPs was virtually empty but what noise there was was almost unbearable to process and it was the impact of the sounds in my ears which made me feel nauseous and dizzy just sitting there.

The GP confirmed that my middle ear and ear drum were fine and healthy, and diagnosed Labyrinthitis - an inner ear infection. It's viral so I just have to wait for it to clear up. Today, my ears are still blocked and my hearing is still just as painfully sensitive. It seems that the virus is affecting the cochlea portion of the inner ear worse than the vestibular system. I'm trying to make sure I protect my ears as much as possible from experiencing sounds that 'hurt' - I don't know whether my hearing is more susceptible to damage from sound in this state or not?!

(image from Link)