In April I had a Stapedectomy done and ever since the surgery I have had dizziness like crazy can’t drive and cannot do the simplest things without having dizziness attacks. My doctor said maybe the surgery brought out an underlying issue and asked me about migraines I never had headaches I responded,he informed me of MAV. I have been researching and also read up on meneire disease which since I’m 14 I have had 3 of the 4 symptoms constant sound of ocean in my ear, pressure and hearing loss I’m wondering now if I had the disease all along and surgery brought out the dizziness effect of it. I am going back to dr tomorrow and see if it could be I’m so frustrated I just want to know what’s wrong with me. My hearing also feels it has not improved from the surgery. Thank you for letting me share
And I’m in desperate need of answers I’m beginning to think I’m going crazy
Really sorry to hear that Mish. I do hope you get answers from the doctor tomorrow. Could the dizziness be a temporary side effect of the surgery? It must be frustrating that your hearing hasn’t improved. I was (mis) diagnosed with Menieres at age 32 and told it was highly unusual for someone so young. So 14 seems very young. I think the hearing loss needs to be progressive in Menieres and my left ear hearing deficit at low tones stabilised over time and MAV was diagnosed a few years back.
My son who is 17 has had ear noise and the feeling of ear pressure for about a year, ENT couldn’t find anything wrong and then he started to have visual snow and “zone outs”. Epilepsy and tumour etc has been ruled out and MIgraine Variant now posited. He is taking Amitriptyline 20mg a day and had no more “zone outs” and a bit less visual snow but the ear noise etc is still present. He was taking acne medication which they “think” triggered it along with a familial migraine link through me (I feel really sad and upset about this). He had never had a headache either.
Does anyone in your family have migraine or a variant of it? (I don’t but I guess it has to start somewhere). The Dr’s think Menieres/MAV was “triggered” in my case as I had meningitis at uni which they classified as “head trauma” and then Labyrinthitis about six months before the constant dizziness and other symptoms started.
It’s great that you are researching symptoms. Have you tried giving up caffeine (chocolate, coffee etc) and other Trigger foods to see if it makes any difference? I really hope you get some answers. Good luck
Thank you for answering I hope you and your son feel better. There is no history of migraines in my family. I will try the caffeine thing.the doctor said the dizziness from the surgery should not be lasting this long,I guess that’s why he thinks there maybe an underlying issue that surgery triggered hope I get some answers tomorrow fingers crossed
Sounds as if that could be the case. Or as @sputnik2 said could be the dizziness is totally the result of the surgery. Any interference with the ears can cause balance issues. Try to speak to the operating consultant’s office. Meanwhile you could ask your doctor for Prochlorperazine which will, sometimes, help with dizziness short-term providing it stems from the ears (peripheral) and not from the brain (central - ie migraine). It would seem odd to diagnose you with MAV - Migraine Associated Vertigo - if you have never had any experience or familial connection with migraine but again as @sputnik2 says guess it has to start somewhere. Helen
So, wait, you have surgery on your ear and your doctor claims the dizziness must be a migraine?! Sack them and get a second opinion.
Apparently post stapedectomy vertigo (and presumably dizziness) is expected but self limiting?:
" Over 84–90% of patients benefit from surgery [ 1 , 2 , 3 ], but 0.2–3% can suffer from sensorineural hearing loss and/or vertigo postoperatively [ 4 ]. Prolonged vertigo can be caused by stapes prosthesis protrusion into the vestibule. Supposed underlying pathophysiological mechanism is pressure on the vestibular organs, especially the macula of the utricle, and thereby causing inadvertent rotational sensation. Otological evaluation of these patients is often difficult."
Might i ask what forced you to get the Stapedectomy ? Did you have balance issues prior to the Stapedectomy. Was the Stapedectomy to preserve hearing ?
One of the bones in my middle ear became unattached doctor beleive from ear infections I suffered from when I was younger. I started noticing significant hearing loss in my right ear at age 14 at that time my parents had taken me to ear specialist in NYC and they said there was exploratory surgery that either I would get all hearing back or lose it all, at that point I felt I was too young to do it and take the risk. Current day I am now 41 and hearing so bad in the ear I could not hear the person next to me on that side I decided to follow up with ENT and he said are you crazy we can fix this with the procedure. So I got up the nerve and did it my first surgery and 2 months later here I am hearing no better and a constant dizziness can’t drive still home from work
I never had any dizziness before this surgery
wow…i tend to agree with James that the surgery could be the cause of your balance issues…sorry to hear. Though the prognosis is good that it should settle down to a steady state within some timeframe.
I’ve got to agree with James. That would be way too coincidental, to have major surgery in the middle ear and then suddenly have dizziness from migraine. No way. It must be from the surgery.
James can tell you more but in his case he had an injury to his ear that caused problems for quite a while, but he has gotten significantly better. I hope the same can happen for you.